How you livin' - 30 day challenge

Please take the time to think about and answer the following question -

"If you only had 30 days to live, what would you make sure you did before you died?"

Now for the challenge part. Share that answer with someone close to you, so you have some accountability. Then spend the next 30 days living the way that you said you would if you knew you were dying. Share the result with your accountability partner either weekly or daily.

Before you get started, read the passage below.

Here is how the Bible says were are to live.

Romans 12

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

"I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,"
says the Lord.

20 Instead,

"If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads."

21 Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Heavy sigh...

As I was listening this morning, God dropped a major message on me. It blindsided me so badly, that I almost had to pull over. It is a very simple one word message – TRUST

I wrote it down, so I would not forget to explore it later. When I found a few minutes in my morning, I decided that the first logical step would be to get a clear definition of truth. Here is how the dictionary defines trust - Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.

After I read the definition, my mind started to wander to the faces of the people I should trust most in my life. What was disturbing was that most of the faces that popped into my head were not people that I feel that I can fully trust. Not that they do not care deeply for me, but there is just a sense that I can not truly trust them with the deepest parts of me. Whether that part is a problem, a need, a secret, or an outward expression of emotions. (This may explain why I have not cried in over seven years. I have teared up, but each time something happens in my mind that shut it down instantly.)

My guess is that I fear that I will not be cared for in the way I need to be. My crying will not be addressed to comfort me, but the people who care about me will want to help me stop, because it is causing them emotional discomfort to see me upset.

I believe this has roots that travel to the center of my being , and has an unconscious effect on how I perceive and interact with the world.. I am terrified to learn the steps I will need to take and what I am going to have to release, accept or engage to be set free from this undercurrent.

What I do believe and trust is that God has my best interest in mind, and that He will hold me, guide me and love me through this. (If that is true dude, why are you still so scared)

Stay tuned. This should be an interesting season.

Defeat vs. Losing

I find myself surrounded by people who have fallen victim to destructive events in their lives.

I can't help but wonder why they all seem to lying still and taking it. Have they settled for what they assume is their fate?

Why is it that when I think about what they are going through I not only feel compassion, but a deep flowing rage.

The thing I find disheartening is that I seem to be the one raging as they continue to remain in the posture of a victim. They appear to just try to cover the vital parts of their being, and are trying only to survive and endure the beating until it stops..

They say they feel defeated. Like all is lost. They have not been defeated, they quit! There is a big difference between defeat and losing. Defeat is the lack of the presence of winning. You finished the game and came up short. Quitting means you chose to lose.

To those individuals I implore –

GET UP! FIGHT BACK! If you still have breath, the game is not over.

(If you read this and it makes sense, I was talking about you.)