Purpose

I read this on a blog today (Jon Acuff) and thought it was worth sharing. The quick read takes less than a minute, but may inspire some in finding their life-long purpose....

I used to think my purpose was to write a blog.

And then I wrote one and realized it wasn’t.

To read the rest, click here.

Dream

I'm a dreamer. Can't help it. It's God's fault. He did it to me. And as such, articles like the below stir up my heart to dream.

Check it out. It's short. Pointed. And the question is...

Are you fulfilling the dreams God has given you?


The Only Alarm Clock You Desperately Need
Jon Acuff

This is a picture I took of my alarm clock two weeks ago in Indianapolis.

I wasn’t there to work out for the Colts, but that’s a pretty good assumption.

I spoke in Grant County, Indiana on a Friday night. Then rode 95 miles back to Indianapolis and checked into the hotel at 12:30AM. Roughly 3 hours later I was up for a flight to San Antonio.

Before I took my dream job, I didn’t expect so many 4 AM alarm clocks. I bought into the myth that when you find your passion or calling or dream, things will be easy. Life will flow like a gentle river of fresca, passing banks of candy cane grass. La. La. La.

I was wrong. Here’s the truth:

You will work harder at something you love than something you like.

You will work harder than you have ever worked when you start chasing a dream.

You will hustle and grind and sweat and push and pull.

You will get up earlier and go to bed later. But that’s OK.

Joy is an incredible alarm clock.

It will wake you up and keep you up and pick you up and gently pull you through a thousand rejections along the way.

If your goal is to work less, keep the day job you have. Do something you like. Settle into life like a long winter’s nap and coast on through to your 80s.

But if you want to dream. If you want to live out some unique talent you’ve been given to steward during your time on this planet, set the alarm for 4 AM.

Get going.

Get up.

Question:What is your dream job?

Read this article in it's original form here.

Walking with God

I have a brief, few minutes to share what God has been doing in my heart.

Let me first say, that God is so loving, so kind, so gracious toward me. As His child in Christ, I feel Him taking me by the hand lately and walking me through life. He is both walking with me and leading me. It's so intimate, so kind, so personal.

The fact that God is even mindful of me is astonishing.

But to sense Him actually walking with me, and even better, sensing His love and delight toward me... It's unexplainable. It's unfathomable!

How can God love me?!

As I have wrote recently, it has been hard for me in the past to believe that the all-powerful, all-mighty, perfct and holy God would delight in imperfect me. But through Jesus, He does. I have been grafted in, I can partake of His love, I am beloved and part of the family. It was He in His love who chased me down even before I ever knew Him!

And the fact that He is even walking with me through this life is truly amazing.

How can this be? God with me?

That's it. Simple, yet miraculous. Seemingly common, but all so real to me lately.

I'm so grateful.

Trust

I was reminded this morning that God has great plans for my life. He has great plans for us as a family.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11,

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Praise God that today we can trust that the Lord has great plans for us! He knows us by name, and knows what plans He has for us!

And now on to trusting Him...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

Trust... can sometimes be the hardest part.

Find Yourself

My kids have been loving the movie Cars 2. My son Judah, who is two, absolutely loves the characters in the movie, and of course we play right along with him. We took a step back though and watched the original Cars movie tonight. Cars was made before Judah was born, so I thought he might appreciate what preceded the Cars 2 movie he enjoys so much.

Funny thing happened to Daddy though. Besides the fact that I still have to hold back the tears when Lightning McQueen forfeits the Piston Cup to "bump draft" a banged up Mr. The King over the finish line, the song played at the end of the movie seemed to connect with my heart.

The song is "Find Yourself" by Brad Paisley. Now, I aint never been a big country music fan, but I sure am from the country... and this song really connected with me.

There is a part in the song that goes something like this...

Where you go through life
So sure of where you’re headin'
And you wind up lost and it's
The best thing that could have happened
‘Cause sometimes when you lose your way it's really just as well
Because you find yourself
Yeah that’s when you find yourself 

I was so sure at one point of where I was heading, but somewhere along the way I feel like I've gotten lost. You feel like you got off track some how. Things aren't looking the way you thought they would. That's the season of life I've found myself in now it seems.

And yet, as the song says, sometimes when you lose your way it's really just as well... Because you find yourself.

Somehow, I believe that is happening. In the midst of questions and confusion, I find destiny when I look in my children's eyes. I find myself there. In my wife's loving eyes, I find myself there. And I have to hold on to what I know - that Jesus is the Commander of my destiny. Our destiny. He is guiding our steps and making our paths straight. Even when things don't make sense from my limited perspective. 

God sees the end and the beginning. He is painting His picture on the canvas of humanity, and I am thankful that we can be a part of His masterpiece. I am thankful that in God, we truly find ourselves.

Crazy. All this from talking cars.

Lean In

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Lean towards destiny today.

Take a motorcycle rider. If he doesn't lean into those corners he takes, it's over. He'll be more than likely flipped off his bike to his own hurt not to mention damage done to his ride.

The dreams and callings that God has put in our hearts are not meant to be a source of frustration and discouragement, nor are they meant to be ignored. I have seen God's hand, destiny, and guidance in my and my family's lives, and we are hungry for His continued leading. He has been with us and has brought us this far, He will see us through.

Like a good friend of mine said - lean into it. Lean into the dreams in our heart. Lean toward them with destiny and purpose. Do something to move closer to it. Trust that He will bring it to pass.

Just as that motorcyclist must lean hard into his corners, so we must lean into the purposes of God for our life. Let's refuse to wander aimlessly, time is short. I don't want to get flipped off the bike.

So today, I lean...

His Voice

So thankful to receive wisdom and insight from the Lord today.

Anytime the Lord speaks, I am uplifted and encouraged. The Lord spoke to me through my good friend Tom Zurowski, the pastor at the church I gather with, The Chapel. Tom preached this week on finding the Lord's will for your life. As Tom says, most people play the "Don't ask, don't tell" game with God. They think that if they don't ask Him what His will is for their life, then maybe He wont tell them. Anyone who is playing that game with God of course has it all wrong and backwards, as finding out what He says for our life is what the Christian walk is all about.

I have had something in my heart for some time regarding the Lord's will for my and my family's life. However, I have had a seeming lack of direction regarding what to do next. I am going about my everyday life, carrying this vision in my heart. Sometimes I think about it, other times I am giving it little to no attention.

Tom's word this morning that spoke to me was, "Step toward it," and, "Lean into it."

That's what I needed to hear today. Simple, maybe, yet powerful enough to move a person toward their destiny, and it's what I needed to hear today.

He talked briefly to those who felt like God had given them a vision or calling or dream, but weren't sure what to do next. You've prayed, you desire His leading, yet you are unsure of what to do next. His advice? Step toward it. Don't wait for all the ducks to be in a row. Don't wait for the whole path to be laid out clearly. Lean into it.

Like I said, it was what I needed to hear. I believe that was the word that Tom felt was for someone in attendance today, and it very much could've been just for me.

As I reflect on it though, this word of encouragement only breathes life and focus into what I already felt the Lord was saying. It also reminds me that I am not obeying what I felt like He has said.

Convicted and encouraged. Time to lean in.