Easy or right?

When faced with the choice, do you choose what is easy or what is right? Most of the times those are not the same thing, actually I would say they are usually the extreme opposites. Hear me on this, choosing what is right will cost you. Know that up front because the temptation is when the cost is high to choose what is easy. What choices are you facing? Will you chose the easy or the right?

I have had to make some of those choices the last couple of days. The choice to ignore the problem (easy) or to have a conversation about it (right for me). The cost - an awkward (one of my favorite words by the way) conversation to start and making myself vulnerable. Maybe not a high cost but still a choice to make. The thing is each time I make the choice to do what is right it makes it that much easier the next time to do the same. Good to build that in because at some point when the cost is higher it will be tempting to choose the easy instead of what is right. Again, what choices are you dealing with? Are you choosing what is right or easy?

Rocking the boat ever so gently

I often try to view things from an outside perspective when it comes to how people may see the church, but I wonder if that is the case with most of the leadership in the church today. I was reading Tony Morgan's blog this morning (tonymorganlive.com) and he presented an interesting list of things to consider in his blog titled "Are we married to the mission of the methods?" Here are a couple that stood out to me and made me wonder if we need to rethink a few of the methods we use:

We need the church to connect us in groups, while the rest of the world finds their own friends.

We share our message at specified times on Sunday morning, while the rest of the world uses video on demand.

We use bulletins, while the rest of the world is on Facebook.

We are concerned about the structure and the rules, while the rest of the world is focused on the content.

Not saying what we do is right or wrong, just curious if we could throw out the way it is currently delivered (the method) and be okay with that if there is a different way to connect the mission better? If we are married to the method, then I think we are looking to make ourselves comfortable more than caring about those outside the walls currently. Harsh? Maybe, but I think it is good to check our motives in why we do things and to be willing to change if necessary.

One of the comments asked the following similar question - Does our philosophy drive our actions (ministries), or do we manufacture a philosophy to justify our actions (ministries) after the fact? I think this is an excellent question to consider, but then again I like to rock the boat. I want to challenge leadership to evaluate and reconsider at all times. The moment we think we have it all figured out is the exact moment that we start to die as a congregation in my opinion. If we aren't constantly growing, then according to science (I believe this is true, but I could have just made it up) we are dying. Any thoughts? (Of course if you are reading a blog, you might not be the person who most needs to hear this challenge right now, but then again ask a high school student if what you think about certain methods may be outdated and you may get a different answer.)

What are you doing with your minutes?

Read the following quote in an interview in Sports Illustrated with Dick LeBeau - "All of us only have as many minutes as we have and we might as well live life to the fullest." LeBeau is 71 years old and the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers (who happen to be in the Super Bowl this weekend if you weren't aware of that fact). I love that mentality. He is doing what he loves to do and isn't concerned about the rest. Do you think most of us live with that mentality of living life to the fullest? I see a lot of people living small lives. Not willing to risk much or live life out on the edges. We do only have so many minutes in this life, so why not make it count. What is it that you want to do but are holding back? What are you telling yourself you can't do, but really you could if you went all out for it? (Some things like me being a center in the NBA aren't really an option.) Personally, I don't think the outcome is the point most of the time anyways, but rather the journey in getting there. I want my journey to be one that is lived on the edge and to the fullest. I only get one shot at life so why not make the most of it. If a 71 year old can coach 20 somethings how to play football, what can I accomplish with the minutes I have left?

A familiar sight

While at lunch today, I saw a familiar sight. The person whose life is all about work. He might as well have been in his office because the lunch he had and the person he was with didn't matter at all. He was working the phone, had his laptop up and running and was intensely focused on the task at hand. I believe it is important to work hard, but when life becomes about the work, I think you have missed the more important things. This isn't a new observation for me, I've lived in the environment for years. People who sell out all for the sake of making money, having the power or whatever it is that makes them feel important in their job. I've heard all of the excuses for abandoning their families, having nothing to talk about besides their work, feeling that if they make enough money then they can quit (which they never seem to have quite enough to actually do that), and the list goes on and on. I been around or in that environment for close to 20 years and still don't understand it any more today than when I first entered it. The task is never the most important thing in my perspective, but in business the person is just another disposable piece of the picture. Why do people crave that so much? I don't get it and I'm okay with that. Maybe it is the fact that I reading John Grisham's latest book "The Associate" that it stuck out in mind today. It reminds me of what it was like starting out in public accounting - the long hours, the cut throat mentality, the idea that enough money someday would make it worthwhile. I am glad that chapter of my life is long over and have no desire to reenter that world. Just something that caught my attention today at lunch.

Consistently pursued

I love the fact that God pursues me. He, the creator of everything, wants to spend time with me. Doesn't matter if I've had a bad day, am whiny, not making much sense or just in one of those mood. He still wants to show his love to me, wants for me to experience life the way he has planned for me, he wants all of me. I can't comprehend this, but am so glad that it doesn't require me being able to understand it.

I am highly relational and thrive on those real relationships in my life, but often question where do I really fit in? Is this relationship one of those that will last or one of convenience? Will things change if I reveal who I really am? Why does it seem that I am the only one who is pursuing this friendship? I question lots of things and have lots of doubts, but it all boils down to am I loved for who I am. God answers that frequently for me. He chases after me even when I tell Him I don't want to be pursued. He isn't obnoxious in his pursuit, but consistent. Again, I don't understand why he would want to pursue me, but am so glad that he does. Even when I don't know where I fit in my other relationships, God tells me he has a plan for me. He values me and wants to spend time with me. Blows my mind when I slow down enough to realize it. Whatever doubts we may have, whatever hang-ups we bring to the table, whatever baggage we carry with us - God stills pursues and loves us. Think people need to hear that? I know I do.

Running on empty?

How far do you let you the gas tank on your car get before you fill it up? I am sure I fall in the minority, but I like to fill it up again when it gets down to around half a tank. No particular reason other than it seems less expensive that way, especially when gas was closer to $4 a gallon. Now how low do you let your spiritual gas tank before you refill it? We tend to run at 100 mph with things packed into every night. Stopping to refill takes times. It means you have to stop and purposefully refill the tank. It won't happen on the run or by accident. It also costs - time and effort at a minimum. How many people do you know who are running on fumes or are completely out of gas? Are you one of them?

What would our lives look like if we lived life with our needles closer to the F? What does that look like? It isn't cramming more busyness or even more church into our lives, it is being captivated by Jesus. Read a quote that said "Whatever captivates us, changes us." Think about that. What captivates you? Doesn't whatever captivates you also refill you? When you are filled then you can serve out of that overflow. When you are close to empty it is hard to find much to give. Where is the needle for you? If you are closer to the E on your gauge, what do you need to do or stop doing to move it back closer to F? We become more like the things that captivate us. I want to be captivated by Jesus. If I get that one thing right, then I think I can live life at full speed and not worry about running on empty.

Going back

Been reading in the old testament, and something that I often see is that when God moved or spoke that the person would build an altar there to worship and to remember. I imagine that they would often come back to that place and remember the way God forever changed them by the encounter they had there. Do you place memory markers where you have encountered God? I have various items that bring back memories of places and times that God has shifted things in my life. Things that when I see them or notes that when I read them bring back the way God has changed me, dreams that he has laid out in front of me and people he has placed in my life to move me. I don't want to forget those because they remind me how God has moved in my life and that he is still moving in my life.

One thing though, if the last time you encountered God was 15 years ago, you may want to take a hard look at where he, actually you, have been since then. I am amazed that some people quit living that long ago but are still going through the motions. They are stuck at that altar and haven't moved since then. Where are the places that you need to set up some markers today? Who, what or where have you been encountering a holy God that will change your life? Let's build some altars to come back and remember the way God is moving us today.

Intense questions

Is your passion transparent? Shouldn't what you are passionate about be obvious to those who you come into contact with? If you are passionate about something, it consumes a large amount of your thoughts and time. It is always present in the things you do and the way you view things. Your passion is part of the filter you see life through. The question I have is this - what does my life say I am passionate about? What would you say my life screams are my passions? (Yes, screams, because passion by definition is intense or it isn't really passion.) Wondering if what I would say I am passionate about matches the reality of what others see. Also what would you say your life says you are passionate about? I know these are some hard questions but I am curious to hear your thoughts.

Tough issues

How do you deal with tough issues? I was reading a blog yesterday that threw the though topic of how does a person who is a Christian deal with also being homosexual. (Which funny enough, was also got brought up in our discussion last night in AZero.) I found it very interesting to read the comments left on the blog. Some recited things they had been taught, others outright attacked the person and also the person who posed the question on her blog (a very small minority actually), and several said they didn't know for sure but offered the insights they had. What struck me the most was that a lot of the people had put quite a bit of thought into it and were very humble in their approach. I think Christians a lot of times are painted as arrogant and very black and white in their thinking. I never liked that model. There are some things that may be clearer to me than others, but how I address those tough topics (which are usually very personal in nature and not as theoretical as often posed) is what I think most people walk away from in these types of discussions. If someone walks away willing to continue asking the tough questions even if they might not agree with my view, then I have approached the discussion with humility. It isn't a contest to prove who is right, it is a chance to figure out what God wants for us. The tough questions and issues usually don't have easy answers (probably why they are called 'tough') but I think the openness and honesty in discussing those and the humility in dealing with them often may speak louder than the actual words I might say. Do you shy away from those tough topics? I think the same thing can be said for those situations where we might need to confront someone. The person will probably not like the confrontation, but if I have spent time trying to figure out what God wants and relay that in humility, I am guessing that it is going to be received a lot better than the"I'm right and you're wrong" type approach. What's your take? If you have been on the receiving end of one of those conversations (disagreement with your point of view or confronted), what impressions have you been left with? I think humility is one of the most upside down things that Jesus taught because it goes so against our desires to prove we are right. Just wondering out loud today.

Iron sharpening

Proverbs 27:17 - "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." One of the most important things we can do as Christians is "sharpen" one another. Sharpening can be encouraging, it can be serving, it can be challenging, it can take a lot of different forms, but the result is that it helps us grow in our faith. I am big believer of doing life with others (as Beth has pointed out, if you read much of my blog it usually falls into one of several categories, and one of the main ones being community and/or relationships) and feel this is one of the biggest benefits that come from it. I had the opportunity the last several days to purposefully enter into this kind of sharpening and I feel more alive because of it. Even when it is challenging (and believe me, I am challenged big time by those who are close to me), it is very refreshing for me. I know that my relationship with Christ will benefit from the wisdom that these friends pour into me and the examples they set for me.

We set aside a day yesterday to spend doing just that from a ministry perspective and personally. It is a priority that we committed to a couple of months ago and I have to say that it is the type of encouragement that I consistently need in my life. It was a day filled with fun, transparency, dreaming, confrontation and a bunch of other things, but I know that today I am better for it and that it will help shape my pursuit of God. I can't say enough how much these friends/mentors impact my life. If you have never experienced this kind of sharpening in your life, I would encourage you to find someone and just start. There isn't a certain way that it has to happen, but it won't happen by accident. Who is sharpening you? Who are you intentionally sharpening? Don't wait, start now. You won't regret it.

Sam & Kim

Ever been touched by some amazing people in your life? There is a couple at our church who have been that type of amazing example to so many people including me. I have had the privilege to work with Sam and Kim in various roles and have to say they are one of those couples that I look to as how I want to live my life and also want to have an awesome marriage like theirs. To be around them is to see a couple who truly enjoys each other and appear to be dating most of the time. Having worked with high school students for quite awhile, I have also had the chance to hear several of them talk of wanting to have a marriage like Sam and Kim's someday (which unfortunately a lot of students rarely get a glimpse of a solid marriage like theirs). Not only their lives together but their desire to serve encourages me. Here is the latest example of how they serve and manage to go that extra mile. I had asked to borrow their house for several hours today so that I could do some planning and dreaming about ministry with some friends (which was incredible as well, but I am still processing the thoughts from today and last night so that will have to be a post on another day) and when we left for lunch, sitting on my car were Starbuck gift cards for each of us. We get the chance to use their home and they leave us thank you notes with a gift. How awesome is that? They are people who give of themselves - their time, their resources, whatever way they can find to serve and bless others. Know someone like that? People who touch your life and make an impact on your life by the way they consistently live out their lives. If you know someone like that, take a moment to let them know. They don't do it for the "thank you", but those who encourage so frequently rarely get to hear it. I'll leave it with a couple of quotes that I have read recently regarding encouragement:

"If you think something good, say it." - Craig Groeschel

"We think if we encourage sparingly, it will mean more when we do give it. Then people will really appreciate it. - This works about as well as watering your lawn a couple times a year. Or paying your bills every other month, so the vendors will really appreciate your contribution." - Steven Furtick

Take a moment to write that thank you note. It doesn't take much time, but it can make a huge difference.

A couple of quotes

A couple of ideas from two of the blogs I was reading this morning that caught my attention and have been stuck in my thoughts today. One of them was the following:

"Wandering in circles can be just as fatal as charging forward in the wrong direction."

This is something that really resonates with me. To me, we are either moving forward or stepping back, there is no in between. Maintenance mode is a myth in the way I see things. The quote above is talking about the Israelites that were wandering in the desert with Moses. They were stuck and not making any progress. Basically wandering aimlessly for 40 years. That is how I often see things when somebody talks about maintaining the status quo. The status quo doesn't really get you anywhere. It may be necessary to slow down a little and make sure you are pointing in the right direction (talking to myself here as I want to charge ahead and not even slow down), but there has to be momentum. Once the momentum stops, then you are moving backwards and it can be tough to regain that forward motion. I don't have much patience with people who are afraid to move forward. I understand that change can be scary and that you have to guard against change just for the love of change, but I strongly believe that you won't ever get to the promised land either if you aren't moving forward.

The other is the following:

"If in life we were sincerely more concerned to bless more instead of impress more, Jesus would enjoy it."

Bottom line - what is my motive? I am looking for ways to bless people that I come in contact with or impress them. One is focused on what God has put in front of me, the other is focused on me. If I am so busy looking at myself or worried about what people think about me, then I miss the chance to point them to Jesus. It isn't about the person delivering the message, it is suppose to be about the message. If they walk away impressed with me, that's nice for me, but it doesn't impact their life any. I am suppose to love others, not love myself above others. I want my thought to be, how can I make a difference in someone else's life today? If I can capture that thought, then I am much more likely to bring a blessing to someone and less worried about what they think about me.

All jacked up

I've been reading through Acts again with a friend of mine, and it is jacking me up. Seriously, it blows my mind! It amazes me that each time I read through this letter how I see the stories from a new perspective. A couple of thoughts from what I was reading today.

What kind of 'rules' do we as Christians place on people? We might not say these outright, but we tend have a lot of unwritten 'expectations' of someone who is following Christ. It was interesting to me that as all of these new people were finding their way in following Jesus that the leaders basically boiled it down to four of those 'rules' to keep. The Jews had tons of rules, but for the new followers they thought if they could get these four down that they would be good. (Those four seem strange to me today, except the one to stay away from sexual immorality.) Could we do that? Narrow down are list of rules to agree on the basics someone needs to chase after Jesus.

Another thing that struck me was that I often hear churches say they are an 'Acts' or new testament church. Really? It seems to me that these churches were leaning into God and trusting the Holy Spirit to lead them. By doing that, they were throwing out a lot of the old rules and making it up as they went along. I mean they didn't have an 'Acts' example to follow. They had to trust God and not rely on what had been done before (the old testament way of having a ton of rules hadn't worked out so well because no one could keep them all). Are we trusting God and looking for the ways he wants us to go even though it may have never been done that way before. Definitely a lot more risky, but also the chance to be remarkable in the world today. Why do you think so many people were being drawn to this new church? They were obviously turning things upside down and meeting people's needs. Do we as the Church do that today? Are we leaning so heavily into God's direction or trying to keep up with what we have always done?

Final thought, the church back then had problems also. We tend to avoid the problems and pretend they aren't there a lot of the time. I read today how Paul and Barnabas had such a huge disagreement that they split company and went their separate ways. Barnabas had been the one to take a young Paul under his wing and now they can't agree on who to take on a trip. There was jealousy that some widows were being taken care of while others were being neglected. Some said that certain things needed to be done (circumcision anyone?) while others said that it was irrelevant. The interesting thing was that God still moved through this imperfect, messed up group of people. Gives me hope for us today. We are just as messed up and imperfect today. Think if we are pursuing Him that he still might be able to work through us and accomplish some incredible things? When somebody reads about us 2,000 years from now will they be trying to base their lives on our example? Or do we become a footnote or worse yet totally forgotten because we didn't do anything remarkable? Hope God is jacking up your world today as well.

Do not be afraid

I was reading in Genesis today and found one of my favorite phrases that seems to create the exact opposite reaction every time it is spoken - Do not be afraid. Yeah, I won't be afraid that I am in the presence of holiness. Just another calm, normal day at the office. What struck me this time in reading it, was that Abraham wasn't afraid. He proceeded to ask God how he was going to be the father of a great nation when he had yet to even have one child. He wasn't afraid to be honest with God and say I don't understand this. You made me a promise and I haven't seen it happen yet. Do you ever feel like that? I do. I want to say, God what is up? I thought this was the direction you were leading me. Has that changed? We tend to shy away from being that direct with God, but the real question is why? He knows our hearts so it isn't like it will be a big surprise to Him. I think for me it speaks more of my distance from God. I am not comfortable in his presence because I don't know Him well enough to speak my mind. I think about my close friends and how I will tell them what is really happening in my heart, but with people I don't know as well I tend to spin it a little different or hold back some of it. If I am in a deep relationship with God, then I should feel more comfortable asking those why type questions. If I am close, then I won't be afraid to ask what is on my heart. It doesn't need to be worded in a particular way or cleaned up, but can be raw emotion. God won't be surprised or hurt by my questioning. Matter of fact I think He will enjoy that I am coming to Him with the desires of my heart and my questions. It says that I desire a close relationship with Him. Healthy awe of God and his holiness - definitely, but I don't need to be afraid to come before Him.

Quick thoughts on life

Been trying to post all day but haven't had a chance until now. Lots of random thoughts have been running through my mind recently, but I just haven't had the time to think through them or write about them so here is my bullet point thoughts that may get expanded sometime later. (Or they might not.)

• Read several interviews on various blogs about Anne Jackson's new book "Mad Church Disease". Sounds like a refreshing, honest look at being a leader in the church setting. Definitely going to pick this book up when it comes out in a couple of weeks.
• Also looking forward to going through Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" book and video series over the next month in Sunday school. Loved the book the first time I read through it, even though it stepped pretty hard on my toes, so I am looking forward to discussing it with the others in our class. Love the different perspectives that come out when we discuss things.
• Read this quote and need to remember it each day - "Jesus did not die on the cross for us to be good. He died for us to live for him." Good is not good enough!
• Another quote that I am trying to live out - "Generosity is the mark of a fully-devoted follower of Christ." I am so blessed that it should be automatic that I share that with others.
• Life is too short for me to make all of the mistakes to learn from. I need to learn from others so that I don't have to experience it all.
• Trying to pursue God each day is tough. I have to remind myself every morning to do it. We choose what we run after each day.
• Sunday morning, even though I was only there briefly, I felt loved from the Church (check out Brian's "Churchy" series we are currently going through). Four or five guys let me know that I am loved by their words and actions that day. How do people survive without a close community to encourage, love, challenge, and have fun together?

Those are some of the things I have been thinking about. What thoughts motivate you each day?

Lack of information?

Do we have the information we need on how to live the life God wants for us? I think so. I don't think the problem we have is a lack of information, it is more the lack of motivation. Mainly we just don't feel like it. We spend lots of time gathering information , learning more and trying to figure out the answers, but don't we really just need to take action on what we do know? There is no shortage of knowledge about God, but there does seems to be a shortage of people willing to risk something and get it done for God. We've seen or heard about people living outrageous lives for God and saying "I wish I could do something like that." Really? Guess what? You can if you are willing to put in the work, take the risk, take a stand, whatever is required. It isn't that I can't accomplish those great things, for me it tends to be that I am just not usually in the mood to put in the work on the stuff that I do know. We have the "know how", let's start applying it. I kind of figure God is just waiting on us to quit being a career student and actually start making a difference in the real world. (Not saying we should ever quit learning, just that we need to do something with what we are learning besides taking tests.) Knowing the Bible is great. Living out what is in there though is what we are called to do. Ready to graduate and enter the real world?

What is success?

In business, you hear talk about succesful companies all of the time. Other companies try to copy those companies. Churches tend to do the same thing. Copy whatever works somewhere else. Whatever creates a buzz is sure to be emulated elsewhere. The thing is that those that are successful today, may be gone tomorrow. What works to create their success today, may disappear before they know it. Success can be fleeting for organizations or it can last over the long haul. All of this to say, how do you determine if you are successful in life? Most tend to measure personal success by the amount of money, or fame or power that you have. Like in business, those can seemingly disappear overnight. So what is the gauge you use to determine if you are successful personally? Is there something tangible to measure against to tell if you are successful or is it just a feeling? Does it even matter if we are successful? Just curious about a word that I hear thrown around a lot but no one ever really defines.

The small stuff

Read a blog that got me thinking about the small things. Ever noticed how the insignificant things in our lives take up a lot of our time? We spend time worrying about things that might happen and things we can't control. We let comments people make occupy a lot of our thoughts. We make small problems seem huge, but when we look at the bigger picture, they don't really matter much. I get so focused on my small world that I can miss the view God has planned for me.

Same when we dream. We opt for the small instead of the huge. We pick things we can realistically accomplish. Funny, but that kind of takes God out of the picture. If we can do it by ourselves, how much are we really dreaming? If we believe God can do all things, shouldn't our lives reflect that more? We look at what someone else or another church accomplishes and say "That's cool, but we don't have ______ or we could do something like that." Really? That's the best we've got? Actually, that is the best we have, but God can do something that would totally blow our minds if we allow Him. Why do we settle for the small, when we have access to the unlimited? What dreams are you afraid to dream because they are too big?

By the way, if you hear me thinking too small, call me out on it. God deserves more than that.

Wonder what it means to you?

I've heard the term accountability thrown around in church a lot but wonder if people really understand what it means. I have my thoughts, but wonder how you would define it? What does it look like to you lived out in every day life? Part of my goal this year is to listen more and talk less (Kind of hard to do on a blog, but want to try it occasionally anyway. Don't want to be too predictable.), so what do you think? Have you ever experienced it and do you think it is necessary? Let me hear your thoughts.

Speed or a marathon?

I've been trying to find a balance in life and am realizing I go from 100 yard dash mentality to marathon preparation within the same day. I want things to happen now, but realize some things take longer to develop. This is the tension that I struggle with - my immediate want versus the long-term picture. Not sure I balance it very well most of the time. I often feel like a pendulum - going all in at one time and then pulling back. Throw in other people's personalities and it makes the balance even more difficult to find. This pendulum swing effects how I see the community I am a part of. I love community, but am realizing I suck at it most of the time. I have the ideal in my mind and realize like a marathon that it takes time, but my impatience makes that difficult. My expectations of now collide with the realities of time. I am learning that time is one of the most important things a person can give. A little bit of a rambling thought today, but that is the roller coaster ride of my life right now.

Giving away trust

Been thinking about trust recently and how we earn that trust? I think one of the main ways you earn trust is by giving away your trust. For me that means trusting someone's intentions even though I might not see the actions yet. Also it means I am willing to put myself out there even though I don't know what will be done with it. If you want someone's trust then you have to be willing to risk your trust. Another way that trust is "earned" is when we admit we messed up to the person before they hear it from someone else. Do people fear the way you will respond when they make a mistake? They are probably not going to trust you then. Trustworthy = worthy of trust. (Pretty simple, huh?) The tension for me is when do I stop trusting someone? Seems foolish to give your trust to someone who keeps misusing it, but is there a certain number of times I continue to trust someone's intentions when they fail to come through? I don't know. I know it becomes harder for me to trust that person, but does that mean I stop trusting them? I know I have been burned in the past and to give that trust again is one of the hardest things for me to do. I want to be known as trustworthy, but am I giving my trust to others in order to earn their trust? Trusting someone at their word is often hard for me these days. I want to believe in them and trust, but experience often tells me otherwise. Is it a lack of trustworthiness on their part or lack of trust on my part? No clear answers for me right now. I continue to work through it and try to trust. Any thoughts?

Discontentment

It has been a weird couple of weeks for me. Last night I had one of those long conversations with God about it. The summary of the conversation would be as follows:

Me: I want to stop trying to control the situations in my life and worrying about how others see me. (This was preceding by quite a bit of whining on my part, but I will spare you those details.)
God: About time. I am already in control I was just waiting for you to recognize it.

Here is what I realized, the frustration that I am having with other people doesn't really effect them. I may worry about it, be angry about things, or get frustrated with the situation, but most of the time it just effects me and my attitude not them. Focusing on any perceived wrongs or how I think things ought to be just wears me out and usually doesn't change anything other than my frustration level. I control my attitude and not how others act. If my focus is on following Jesus, the other stuff really doesn't matter. It is when I start looking at myself that I start having those feelings. When I am selfish is when I am the most discontent. When Jesus is front and center, the rest falls in line. Instead of trying to change how other people act, I can change how I react and the attitude I have about it. I love the way God reveals things to us when we are ready to hear or see it.

Service with a smile

Ever had one of those day when someone annoys you? Ever had someone you can't stand being around? Someone you just plain don't like? Whatever person popped into your mind at those suggestions, now imagine serving them. Honestly, when I don't feel like serving is when I need to do it the most. Don't know that serving them will effect them that much. Matter of fact you may be taken for granted, not thanked, or treated rudely. It doesn't matter though because it isn't about their reaction, but about my attitude. That is the one thing that I can control. I've been called to love and it is shown by my actions. It is easier to serve someone that you like (sometimes they can be the ones who annoy you though), but it takes my focus being on Jesus to serve those I don't want to serve. Up for a challenge? Try it for a week. See if when you don't feel very loving towards someone that you serve them. My guess is that you will be relying on God more and worrying less about how they are treating you. Won't be easy, but most challenges aren't. Have a good week serving.