What is your story?

What is your story? Maybe it is one with lots of twists and turns. Maybe it is one that seems a little slow and uneventful to you. Maybe it reads as a story gone horribly wrong at some point. Maybe it is the fairy tale story lived out. Wherever you are at right now in the story it is still playing out. If you don't like where the story has gone so far then change it before the ending. We control a lot of our story, but not all of it. See my story may weave through parts of your story. We don't live a life in isolation. Our stories are where we have been, where we are right now and where we are heading. They intersect with others and honestly that is where the story can be the best. When our lives come together to create more than what we can on our own. Not only that but we also play a part in God's story. See His story has been playing out a long time and we have part in that as well. Our story weaves into the bigger story he has been creating. What will your story be? You know what it has been, but what will it be? Today you get the chance to decide which way the story will go. I hope it is more exciting, more adventurous, and impacts more people than you can imagine. I also hope you get the chance to play a big part in someone else's story today whether you realize it or not. Let's go create some amazing stories today.

Tuesday morning

Lots of different thoughts running through my head this morning. So I thought I would share a few of those with you. Not completely thought out, but some random bullet points to start off your Tuesday (which seems like a Monday).

• Life is tough in the mundane for me. The little details that play out. The routine that doesn't have much new in it. When things are out of control, I know I can't handle it so I turn to God and to others for help. But the mundane is another story. It seems to slowly pull me out of my rhythm. The slow drift seems to be more dangerous than the huge mountain. The huge problem requires a game plan, a plan of attack, but the everyday normal sneaks up on you. I end up slowly farther away in my relationship with God and others.


• "Trust is not a pass/fail class. There are degrees and shades of trust. Discerning the different dimensions is the first step toward developing more trust. My level of trust in someone is often about my own moods, experiences and perceptions. I must monitor these conditions and factor them in." Some thoughts about trust from Steven Furtick's blog. Trust is one of the highest values in relationships for me. Some good thoughts to help me redefine what trust is and maybe more importantly what it isn't.
  


• How wise are you? Been reading a lot through the old testament recently and just finished reading about Solomon not too long ago. He was one of the wisest people ever and know what he said - get advice from others. Find good counsel, the wise listen to others, get all of the advice and instruction you can - some of Solomon's advice about wisdom. Maybe it isn't about what we know. Maybe it is about who we should ask. Who is in your circle of influence that you are listening to?


• After reading Amy Storm's blog this morning this phrase has stuck with me since then - "There is too much 'you' in you. Stop focusing on yourself, and start dwelling in His enduring love." Where is my focus? Is it on me and what I want? Wouldn't my focus be better used if it was on God and his enduring love?


• One of the best decisions I've made recently was to take the B90X challenge. It is simply a plan to read the Bible in 90 days. Nothing magical about it, but it has brought a freshness to my time spent reading. Don't know if it is the fact that it usually involves reading about 15 chapters a day or the fact that I am reading 45 minutes or more each day. It has helped me to see the stories in the Bible in a new way. By the way, there are some really jacked up stories in the OT. Amazing to me that God didn't "clean up" those stories, but instead chose to include them. Maybe it points out how he can use anybody. Some really funny stuff in there as well. Stuff that makes me wonder why it was included. Maybe it points out God's sense of humor.

Limited time only

What is worth your time? Do you ever stop and consider how valuable your time is? We each have a limited amount of time each day. We each get the same 24 hours to spend. I've heard people say that how you spend your money reflects where your heart is. Well, I think the same is true with your time. Where are you going to spend it? I was talking with a guy last night who said he tries to carve out 3 times a day to spend with God. It is a priority for him. He has to guard it because otherwise it can be spent on the urgent or being busy but not on the important. We make time for the important. It may mean sacrificing some things. It also requires you to look at what is important to you. My guess is if you can't list the important things to you that your time will be spent before you know it on whatever comes along first. There is always something willing to take your time. Maybe it is sitting in front of the TV or computer. Maybe it one more hobby to invest your time in. Maybe it is the mundane things in life like mowing the yard, cleaning the house or other things like that. Maybe it is spending more and more time at work.

Unlike with the phone plan, we don't get rollover minutes. If we waste the time on the unimportant, then that time is gone forever. We don't get more time later on either. So what are the important things you want to be spending your time on? Once we start shaping our schedule around those important things, then the "extra time" (Whatever that is. I think I've rarely if ever seen that.) can fall to the less important. How are you going to spend your time today? On the important or on whatever comes your way?

Who do you choose?

Have you ever had that best friend that would do anything for you? The one who you always know has your back. This morning I was reading about David and Jonathan (I Samuel around chapter 18 and on) and was thinking about their incredible friendship. Jonathan was next in line to be king. He was the prince in waiting, but David is who God had chosen to be the next king. Could probably create a little tension in most friendships, but not with Jonathan. Matter of fact, he protected David multiple times from the king's plans to kill David. He sacrificed the chance to be the king because of his love for David and God. See Jonathan got it. It wasn't about him. It was about the bigger picture and what God had planned.

How many times do we choose ourselves over someone else? We don't want to be inconvenienced. I'm not even talking about given up something like our right to be king, but we don't even want to give up our time or money. I wonder if we don't experience in-depth friendships because we are unwilling to sacrifice for them? I wonder if we go into it thinking it is a 50/50 deal. I will give to the friendship as long as they give back equally. That way no one is taking advantage of me or I am not sacrificing more. See that is focused on ourselves - what am I going to get out of it? Jonathan didn't seemed to be concerned about himself, but more about David's safety. Wonder what our friendships would look like if we started caring more about others and less about ourselves?

I consider myself incredibly lucky to have some friends that I know will be there no matter what. They have proven it over time. When I am a tool they continue to love me; when I need help they are there to support me; when I am making bad decisions they challenge me; when it has been the toughest they have stood beside me. They have loved me even when it cost them. It has cost them time, sleep, tough conversations, money, all because they get the bigger picture. I hope that I can do the same for them. Not because it is a 50/50 deal, but because I love them enough and can be selfless enough to put them ahead of myself. Who is your Jonathan? Where do you need to quit focusing on yourself and start serving someone else? How can you be selfless today?

A year in reflection

What an amazing year! I love as it approaches fall and this mornings weather reminds me that fall is just around the corner. I simply want to spend lots of time outside (not good for work productivity though) especially when it is 65 degrees in the morning and in the 80's during the afternoon. This time of year seems like when things feel new and fresh to me. A good chance to start without regards to any of the past.

Today is a milestone day for me. One year ago today I started writing my thoughts on this blog. 271 posts later I continue to be amazed at the way God is working in me. It has been a year of being challenged in what I've read, a year that I've learned the importance of community and how that looks in my day to day life, a year of ups and downs as I try to pursue Jesus, learning to trust at a level I didn't think possible, trying to grow as a leader, venturing out to try writing in a different way, learning to love, learning to forgive and ask for forgiveness, celebrating milestones with my family and friends, all of these are woven throughout the thoughts that I've written on here the last year. A snapshot of my life over the last year. What an amazing ride! Challenging at times, exciting at times, frustrating at times, fun in many ways - a ride worth taking.

What have you learned over the last year? Who has impacted your life? Whose life have you impacted? Ready to start it all over again?