New Year

So another year has come upon us.  Everybody still making good on all those new year resolutions? Hope so, if they were worth while at least.  I like to think about changes I would like to make in my own life just because, well, I know what I should be doing and what is worthwhile so why don't I make some goals to work toward.  Some of them are things that I know Christ would want me to be working toward and others are more personal interest things. I didn't want to write down too many because that would just doom it to failure so I chose a few that are definitely attainable if I seek out those opportunities.  They include:

1 Wearing out my new Bible that I received for Christmas. In other words, use it a lot.
2 Volunteer for more community service projects like the Shawnee Rescue Mission. Not just giving but serving as well.
3 Take part in a Mission Trip.  I.E. Go somewhere else and meet people's spiritual and physical needs.
4 Phase out mindless TV watching. No sitting there looking for something that just eats up my time. You could probably include computer time as well. Both of which would give me more time for my next item...
5 Read more. I would like to read at least 12 books this year. Hopefully more but one a month is a good start.
6 Go to bed earlier and get up earlier.  I'm usually laying around being unproductive after 10PM anyway.
7 Spend more time outside. I love being outside, I don't know why I spend so much time indoors.
8 Tell my family and friends I love and appreciate them more often.  You can't really do that too much but you can do it too little.
9 The last one is low on the priority list compared to the above but I would like to attempt it anyway.  I always thought it would be fun to write and film a short story of some kind and have different family and friends be in it.  Don't have any ideas yet on a script but I know it will be good times whether its any good or not.

Well there you have it. My list of things to work on this year.  Its written down and most are measurable.  You can check in on me throughout the year if you want, please do. Or if you want a part in my no doubt Oscar worthy short film, let me know:)

More than Conquerors

Matt Foley, Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, the apostle Paul, what do they all have in common- great motivational speakers. Each with different topics but motivational anyway.  Can't imagine Paul using the analogy of living in a van down by the river. Anyway, I digress.  Reading through Romans chapter 8, it culminates with words that should fire any christian up.  My Bible titles versus 31-39 as More than Conquerors. That's exactly how you should feel if you believe God's Word is true and infallible.  If God is for us, who can be against us v.31.  That's really all we need to know but he goes on. God gave up his own Son for us v.32. Yes, almighty God sent His son to be killed in an awful way for you and me.  Let it sink in. If God loves us that much he is going to meet our needs and take care of us.  Wait, what if someone accuses you or charges you with something.  Wouldn't that just be awful, game over right? Not even close.  God is your ultimate judge, oh and by the way, Jesus Christ who was killed for us is interceding for us to his Father v.34.  How awesome is that.  Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. NOTHING! A lot of things look pretty formidable when you look at them through our earthly eyes, but stack them up beside my God and you gain a little heavenly perspective.  Verse 37 states "in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us".  Don't forget that key word "through" in this verse.  Alone we are nothing, a vapor in the wind (James 4:14), but with God we are more than conquerors.  Don't forget this truth when God calls you to do something for His kingdom and fear or doubt creeps into your mind.  Ok, everybody huddle up and put your hand in here.  1, 2, 3,   CONQUERORS!!!!!!!!!!

I Won.......and Lost.

So a couple of posts ago I hinted at some news that I was awaiting. Well, I got the news this morning in my email, about a week after I thought I was going to get the news.  Starting in early August I had bought a new workout program and was going to give it a try.  I have been known to try out various programs from time to time (P90X, Visual Impact, others...) and this one intrigued me.  The other part about this workout was that the designers also host a body transformation contest a couple times a year for people who have bought the program at some point.  Well, I decided I would enter the contest just for fun thinking it would help keep me accountable to my workouts. I also thought it would be fun to see the before and after pictures.  The program lasted 12 weeks and ended right before Thanksgiving.  Needless to say, after all the intense dieting the last couple weeks leading up to my final pictures, I was ready for a Thanksgiving feast. Anyway, long story short, I ended up winning 2nd place in the transformation contest. Yeah!!!! Not so fast.  The title of my blog says I won.....and lost. I titled it this way because I became alarmingly aware of some things during this contest. How can a man have such commitment and focus to something as fleeting as the shape and form of his body and yet have such neglect and poor health in his spiritual body.  This contest required me to go to the gym Monday - Friday about 5:30 AM and workout for approximately 50-70 minutes a day. I did not miss one workout.  For some reason, several days out of the week I could not find enough time to fit my personal quiet time in or read a passage out of my Bible. Can anyone say misplaced priorities?  Jim Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose".  I traded something that I couldn't have lost for that which I will DEFINITELY lose. I am here to say that I lost and was a fool. Please don't misunderstand me, I don't think working out and staying in shape is wrong, in fact God calls us to take care of our temples. 

 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body," (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

But when that activity encroaches on your time spent with God and growing in that relationship it becomes an idol and sin.  I thank my friend Craig and his recent posts testifying to the life God has called us to live.  It has helped me regain some much needed focus regarding what is eternal and what is temporal.  I do enjoy working out and plan to continue in this activity but I also have this on my radar and know that it is an area of my life that Satan would love to see come between me and my Lord. I will be taking steps to ensure I am being held accountable for my time spent in His Word and consistently growing in my walk with the Lord.  Lord give me a hunger for your Word that nothing this world has to offer can take away.

P.S. I won a little prize money for that contest which I had worldly plans for ($350), but I know the people down at the Shawnee Rescue Mission will have a much better use for it. Merry Christmas!

P.S.S. Some people wanted to see the pictures so here is a link to the website if you dare. I don't plan on ever running for political office:)

Fertile Ground

Most Christians have heard the parable of the seeds and the different types of ground that the seeds fall on.  It can be found in the first part of Matthew 13.  Seeds fell on the path, some fell on rocky earth, some fell among thorns, and some fell on fertile ground.  I was re-reading a section of Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" and reminded that most Christians automatically think that they are the fertile ground Jesus was talking about.  If they are going to church, obey most laws, don't drink or cuss then they have to be fertile ground right? The other ground is reserved for the people that aren't doing those things. I must admit, it is very easy to compare my life to the millions of people that are obviously not interested in following Christ and think by default I am fertile ground, ready to produce a crop many times what was sown in me.  Yes, I know better, it doesn't work that way.  I am accountable to Christ and He knows my heart.  He sees my internal battle with thorns that only serve to choke out any seeds that Christ wants to see flourish in my life.  These thorns can take many forms in this world, including money, possessions, people, status, work, family, friends, and many more.  Anything that keeps your thoughts and desires on the things of this world and away from Christ's call on your life is a thorn.  Some of the things I listed sound like perfectly innocent things that most people enjoy daily.  And I think they should be enjoyed, but not to the extent that Christ takes a back seat in your life.  It is too easy to look at the temporal pleasures in front of us and forget about the eternal awesome treasures God has promised that will never go away. Don't miss out on a crop that produces 30, 60, or 100x what was sown.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.  Maybe the most useful thing I could receive this Christmas would be a pair of gardening shears.

New Site New Experiences

So I decided to move my blog over to this website.  Yes, I am following the crowd but there are so many cool features on this site that I had to do it.  You can integrate this site into a lot of cool Google programs.  I hope to use a variety of media to engage people and have fun while doing it.  In another change, I have found myself doing something that I never thought would happen.  I have been enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning while working at the office.  I must admit, a large part of it probably has to do with the large amount of Creamy Chocolate Coffee-mate that is added to my mug.  Now that may not be very manly but that is where I am at in my brief coffee drinking life. I may be able to decrease the amount of added creamy goodness to my cup as the years go by but it will probably be many years at the earliest (if at all) before I ever utter the words "I'll have mine black".  The only brand I have been using is Cains so if you readers know of coffee superiority that I am missing out on, don't hold out on me.  I am definitely looking forward to this Thanksgiving break and all that it entails.  The sister, brother-in-law and fam will be driving up from Houston late tonight to join us.  I will be splitting time between Thanksgiving lunch at our house this year with Kay's side of the family then meeting up with the Jordan clan afterwards. God is so good, that He chooses to bless us in so many ways despite what we deserve is awesome. Give Him praise at every opportunity.

P.S.  I hope to have good news to share early next week from an activity I have been involved with for the past 12 weeks.  Stay tuned. The news is "Transforming".  (hint, hint)

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Thanksgiving

Yes, I know what the true historical origins of Thanksgiving is and yes I am aware of the higher meaning of God's blessings that are greater than any of us deserve.  That said, let us talk a little about the food. Like it or not, this day is also a time that good food is usually ingested in large quantities.  I thought I might just give some insights into how I will be scheduling my feasting throughout the day.  First of all, breakfast is not your friend on this day.  This day is about lunch and dinner and the many mini meals in between.  I may have a small bowl of cereal just to get the hunger juices going.  Do NOT have a big breakfast and miss out on the opportunity to have more room available later when its Thanksgiving goodness time.  This particular collection of foods will not come around for a long time so be smart. Now some people like to bring salads and fruit trays and such to these gatherings.  Don't waste your tummy space.  Today is about meat and casseroles.  I personally like the dark turkey on the day of Thanksgiving and save the white meat for leftover sandwiches and such in the subsequent days. Now stuffing is an art.  Nobody likes a really dry or a mushy dressing.  Just the right moistness in the stuffing makes all the difference.  You can even throw some little chunks of turkey in that if you want.  The main casseroles you are going to want to look for are green bean, corn, and sweet potato.  Now, the sweet potato casserole is sweet enough with the brown sugar and potatoes, you don't need to throw any marshmallows on top of it.  Make sure you get plenty of those French's onion strings on the green bean casserole as well.  If you want to go for some bread, I got no problem with that.  Just make sure you don't eat a bunch of it in the beginning or you will fill up too quickly.  I nice bit of Jiffy cornbread fits in well while you are taking in some of those casseroles.  PIES!  You need a good selection of pies.  The staple of course is pumpkin pie.  You got to have at least one piece of that.  The others vary by taste but I would definitely have to go with egg custard, apple, then cherry pies.  If you can't get them all in after your meal, spread it out throughout the afternoon.  If your house is anything like mine, those desserts just sit over there all day and makes for easy grazing as you are able.  Other tips, make sure you have a big enough plate.  If you know your going to your cheap cousins house and they are planning on using those little paper plates you probably want to bring your own.  You don't want to have to take 3 or 4 trips to get what you could have in 1-2. Don't go too crazy with the drinks either. A little bit here and there to cleanse the palate is all you need.  So, take these tips to heart when you go to your Thanksgiving feasts. Prioritize and manage and you'll thank me later.

Eyes that Pierce

Have you ever been to a revival and it seems like every time the speaker is making a strong point he is staring directly at you. Ya, that was me the past few days.  It definitely is convicting I will say.  I did move to the other side of the auditorium the last night just to see if he could find me sitting behind Tanner.  He did find me but I did see that he gave Tanner a few good stares which made me feel better.  But in all seriousness, I think God was using him to get my attention.  The last night he was driving home the point of not fitting in with the world. How can men who claim to follow Christ fit in so well with lost men and people not see much of a difference in their lives. We should be striving to be better husbands, better fathers, better men.  Our churches, now more then ever, need men who stand out and proclaim Jesus. The speaker was many years my senior but I feel sorry for the man that threatens the safety of his family or takes the Lord's name in vain in his presence.  I have a lot of Book knowledge of God's strength, power, protection, and love, but how quickly can I forget these truths when faced with an opportunity to stand out. God help me to be a man and take a stand.