The 2nd Greatest Compliment

Earlier today, I received what I perceive as the second greatest compliment someone can be given. It’s the second greatest, because nothing can top someone telling you they saw Christ within your life. It’s then that we truly see ourselves live out John 3:30, “He must become greater, I must become less.”

HOW COOL IS THAT?!? 

Nonetheless, today we’ll talk about the second greatest compliment. What is the second greatest compliment? I thought you’d never ask.

 It is to hear that you are someone’s role model…mentor…hero. It is that someone would choose to emulate their life around your own. There’s burden within that statement. There’s responsibility. There’s also gratefulness.

Gratefulness for your own mentors, family, and friends. The reason these people poured their lives into you is so that you could do the same for others.

So whenever someone tells me, “I’m looking up to you.” I know it’s not me.

It’s the Toms…Jimmies…Beckys…Kristins…Parents that have poured into me. These are who you’re looking up to. These are the people for which I am so thankful.

Living in FEAR or living in CONFIDENCE

You are either in Christ or outside of Christ.
You have either met the risen Savior or you haven't.
You are either ALIVE in Christ or dead to this life.
You are either living in Christ's promises or you are living in fear.

The door was locked where the disciples were after Jesus was crucified because they were afraid. They were afraid of others. They hadn't met the risen Christ. Their Savior was dead to them.

After the disciples met Jesus, they found themselves ALIVE, living without any sense of fear. Check out Acts. That's what happens once people meet the risen Christ.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of POWER, of LOVE, and of SELF-DISCIPLINE - 2 Timothy 1:7

In the risen Christ, we have strength.
In the risen Christ, we have confidence.
In the risen Christ, we have no fear.

BOOYAH

Life Lessons: Batman, Subway, and Abe Lincoln

To begin this next phase of writing, let's get some basics out of the way. With time comes new mistakes, new growth, and new maturity. Let's start out with a few key thoughts:

1) Batman is STILL my favorite superhero. That dude is also THE MAN. Note the emphasis on THE MAN. He doesn't have some crazy wicked superpower that came when a spider bit him. He's not an alien from another planet. He's a regular dude like you and me, kicking butt and taking names. Sure, he had loads of money and the best man servant a guy could ever ask for and was trained by a Jedi master. But shoot, maybe when I have way too much money for my own good, I'll use it to fly to China, be trained to kick people's butts and then buy fantastic high-tech tools and toys. IT. COULD. HAPPEN.

2) My new favorite restaurant is SUBWAY. That place is freakin' awesome. First, I feel healthy eating it ( I don't care if it's really not that healthy or they slob on the mayonnaise. WWJD...What Would Jared Do?) Second, it's $5 for a footling. That's an Abe Lincoln for a full meal that's going to leave you satisfied or a snack with an optional meal for later. BALLING.

3) Speaking of Abraham Lincoln, he's OFFICIALLY my favorite president. This dude was also THE MAN. Struggled with depression, lost a kid, led our country through its most tumultuous times AND slayed vampires on the side. That's LEGIT. Forget Obama or Romney....bring back Lincoln!!

We're just getting warmed up people. DON'T YOU WORRY. More is yet to come. Look out for more thoughts coming soon to a computer near you.

Next Step

It's that time...time to begin writing again. It has been over a year, and with time comes new mistakes, new growth, and new maturity. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm scared.

I quit writing about a year ago out of FEAR. Fear of failure. Fear of being boring. Fear of saying something stupid. Fear of being a hypocrite. 

At the root of ALL those fears though is simply...fear of OTHERS. Fear of what OTHERS will think. Fear of what OTHERS will say. Fear of what OTHERS will do. What you fear controls you..we were not called to be controlled BY OTHERS.

JESUS is the source of confidence (2 Timothy 1:7). JESUS is the source of strength (Phillippians 4:13). In JESUS, we have NO FEAR (Isaiah 41:10).

 So here we go again. Twice a week, this space is just going to be about life. Life with Jesus. Life with others. Life with mistakes. Life with gratitude. Even though I'll attempt to input a small amount of wisdom every now and then...it's not about me. Anything I've learned, anywhere I've grown, it's through the blessings of Jesus Christ that I'm able to communicate these things.

 

JESUS is the source of ALL things good. JESUS is the source of ALL things wise.

This space is simply to use one man's small life to challenge myself and others.

Let's choose to grow.

Let's choose to reach our full potential.
Let's choose to make a difference. 

 

 

Time for a change

The time has come for a change. I have appreciated all of the spoken support and encouragement and have decided to make a name change in order to foster and encourage further direction of this space. Knowing where we are and where we want to be are key factors to success within this discussion and within our individual lives.

Why “The Intentional Life”?

Many of us today go through the chores of our daily lives without realizing the source of our actions. We glaze through this life. We give it 50%. instead of holding to that TRUTH that TODAY is a GIFT. In order to realize the full potential of the day set before us, we must INTENTIONALLY seek out and fulfill the goals we wish to accomplish.

What will be different?

Not much. This will continue to be a place of struggle, of triumph, and of self-realization. The stories and charges set forth are not meant to condemn, but liberate us in that the crap we’re going through has a PURPOSE. And that purpose can be sought and found through Jesus Christ. Through intentionality, we can begin to fully grasp his will for each of our lives.

Let us continue to DAILY seek and find the purpose for which the Lord has designed us.

Let us reach our full potential.

Let us do this TOGETHER.

Our God is the shiznit

Our God is greater,
Our God is stronger,
Our God is higher than ANY other.
-Chris Tomlin

DANG. That's big. Nah, that's HUGE. God is bigger than ANYTHING.

Huh? What about that anxiety that I just can't seem to control?
GOD IS BIGGER.

What about that porn addiction I just can't seem to get under wraps?
GOD IS BIGGER.

What about the loneliness that haunts me to the point I can't sleep at night?
GOD IS BIGGER.

Let's face it ya'll...the devil is going to use whatever he can to hit you in the face. For ME? It's fear, anxiety, and insecurities. I have them. I deal with them. And I struggle with them. But the deal is... God's bigger. God's better. And God is more than awesome than any struggle you or I may ever deal with.

Take courage. God is near. God is BIGGER.

It's not about me

It's not about me.

It's not about you.

It's not about anyone else in this world.

It's about JESUS.

Our lives, our worlds, our needs, our desires...need to be focused on JESUS.

I'm horrible at this. I feel as if I can be so selfish, as if every move I make has an ulterior motive...to please myself.

I'm sick of it.

What if the first words we asked ourselves in the morning were, "What can I do for Jesus?"
What if we started asking ourselves NOT what action will please us or make us most comfortable...but what actions would please Jesus?
WWJD bracelets may have been a fad, but what if our actions actually showed what they meant??

I'm ready for something more. I'm ready for something more than me.