Tag: life

Do You Look Outward or Inward?

There is no better question on how you live your life to ask yourself! I mean, seriously. Of course, 99.9999…% of us look outward. We look at the sex of a person, skin color, our version of “attractiveness,” etc, etc. All outside. But God told Samuel how we should be “looking:”

The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

Of course, this makes sense if you stop and think about it for a minute. God created us “in His image” (Genesis 1:27). The “image” of God is not outward—He can’t look anymore like me than He does you or anyone else. God doesn’t have any kind of doppelgänger. God’s “image” is His heart and total, absolute, and unblemished unconditional love.

OK, I’ll stop the gobbledygook and abstractions and bring this down to earth and practical living.

You need to look past the outside of a person, no matter how hard that may be. You have to look “inside” a person, at their “heart.” We can only move closer to God when we start loving like God loves. And the only way to really LOVE a person is how God loves you, me, and every other person past, present, and future. Inside.

Look at the world today. Hatred, violence, abuse, etc. It’s not God(ly) because it’s all about what’s outside people, not what’s inside. The world would be a far, far different place if each one of us even made the attempt to look inside people.

Want to change the world? Start looking “inside” people. Look past the flesh. Like all of life, it’s that very simple. Remember—we complicate life. God intends it to be simple. Change starts one person at a time. Change. Look inside.

Have a GREAT rest of this weekend, wherever you are!!!

Looking for God in Your Life?

He’s less than a heart beat away. You simply have to listen. That’s why I put LISTEN at the top of the list of Secrets to Life. You can’t “hear” God if you don’t LISTEN. You need to shut out the world and tune into God.

When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13

It takes your heart to “hear” God in your life. Practically speaking, you need to put the distractions of the world aside and really—REALLY!!!—tune into God. As I said, He is less than a heart beat away.

LISTEN and you will hear. I guarantee it. Don’t expect lightning bolts or revelations, although they may happen. But it’s in the silence of your life where you will most likely “hear” God.

Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in the mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-14

Elijah heard God in the “sheer silence.” That’s where you will hear Him too if you can just shut out the world for a little bit.

I know this all sounds simple but it is. God makes life simple. We make it complicated.

LISTEN!!! And have a GREAT day!

A Life of Boundless Opportunity

In case you don’t know it, I’m here to tell you that God has a very specific, unique plan for you. Yes, you! We each have our own plan in life. The trick is to understand that plan—a plan with boundless opportunities—and then implement it. And what better time to start the understanding and implementation than now as the New Year unfolds before us. Continue reading “A Life of Boundless Opportunity”

Visiting The Shack

If you have not seen the movie The Shack I highly recommend watching it. I read the book when it came out but wasn’t sure the movie would do it justice. It did—at least as I remember the book. It certainly delivered the main messages in the book.

We all have out own “shacks.” They are dark places —some way darker than others—that eat away at us and stand in the way of moving forward with life. We need to face those “shacks” and not avoid them. And in doing so we need to look inward and not outwards at others—and judging in the process.

I haven’t written in a while because I was stuck. Watching The Shack helped me out of the rut. It helps put into perspective what is really important in life—the one and only most important thing in life.

Have a GREAT day!!!

Pick Someone Up Today!

Someone around you needs picking up today. It may be someone you know or a complete stranger. But someone needs picking up. So. pick them up!

Start with a smile, a good word, lending a hand, or buying someone a coffee. Even if you need picking up, try looking outside of yourself today to others. You may just find that in picking someone up you pick yourself up in the process.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

There’s no rocket science in this post. Look out today for someone who needs picking up. And, then, pick them up!

Have a GREAT day!!!

Mother’s Day

Why am I writing about Mother’s Day after the day? Simply because every day should be Mother’s Day. Without mothers the world would stop. Yes, it takes two to tango and we dads have a role but mothers truly make the world go around.

Let’s try to honor mothers not just one day of the year but every day of the year. They deserve it and we should fulfill it. And that means not just your mother but all mothers.

Have a great week ahead! And remember that it’s filled with endless possibilities. 

The Endless Possibilities in You!

There are endless possibilities in you. You simply have to seize the day to realize them. God made you—with the imprint of His “DNA”—so you have God in you. Understand that and put it into action. There is nothing you can’t do. The only one holding you back is you!

Start realizing your endless possibilities today!!!

Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do. Pope John XXIII

Help or Helped?

There are people in life who always want to help. There are also people who constantly want to be helped. Then, there are most people who just go about life aimlessly neither helping or being helped. Where do you fall?

Jesus, our role model in life, was constantly helping. He not only healed the sick and propped up the helpless, but also gave hope to all. It was not always easy medicine to take but it always was aimed at helping.

If more of us followed Jesus’ example and were helpers, the world would be a vastly different place. Unfortunately, most of us—and I include myself in that camp a lot of the time—don’t even think enough of others to realize they even need help. We may not ask for any help ourselves but we sure don’t serve up any help to others.

Help or helped? Or nothing? Good question to ask yourself as the week looks ahead.

Have a great day—hopefully, helping someone in need! Start with a smile. That’s all someone may need.

God’s Way or the Highway

There are two ways in life: God’s way or the highway to nowhere. It’s that simple. God’s way is the easy way. Yes, it may not be perfect according to your definition of life. But it is to God. The other path is a way to endless wandering. It never feels right and leads to nowhere.

The Israelites wandered 40 years in the desert for a trek that was about 10-12 miles. They wandered aimlessly because they didn’t follow God’s way. They may have followed for a bit, but then they lost their way. There’s a real life message for all of us, especially those of us who want to find the Promised Land in our lives.

The Promised Land is God and you only find Him walking His way. And that way can be summed up by one very simple word: love. Walk in love and you are walking God’s way. Don’t walk in love and you are on the path to nowhere in life. Life is that simple but boy how we complicate it!

Walk God’s way today. Walk in love. And enjoy that beautiful walk!

Only You Can Take Away Your Peace

The outside world cannot take away your peace. And, yes, unless you don’t know it, you have natural peace within you. That’s simply because God created you and God is peace to the core. Only you can take away your peace. Not someone else.

Not at peace? Events and/or people around you “stealing” your peace? Well, they can’t “steal” your peace unless you let them. Your peace is your’s. Only you can let events and/or others take your peace away. You own it.

Not at peace? Lost your peace? Find a quiet place like a church, library, mountaintop, etc. and tune out the world. Dig down deep inside of you looking for your peace. You will find it if you really try. And, if you don’t realize it already, that peace is God inside of you.

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

Have a PEACEFUL week!!!