Tag Archives: #hope

Spirituality

Caution

Are you a risk taker? Before you answer, consider that every day you are alive is a risk. Driving to work has risks. So does going out to eat. Anyone who has ever had food poisoning will attest to that.

Calculated risks are part of life. If I don’t risk driving to work, then the consequence is I don’t get paid. Life is full of trade offs. We just don’t think about them.

Consider the hell you will live with when you don’t pursue your purpose. Yes, it can be scary and difficult. There are hurdles to leap over and setbacks to pick yourself up from. But the truth is, when you are pursuing what God wants you to do, you cannot fail. God isn’t in the business of failing. We do the work, with applied faith, and He does the behind the scenes work. Trust him.

Doing what you were put here to do is going to be full of challenges. Our unseen enemy wants to keep us from living a fulfilling life. Giving glory to God, even during the painful times really pisses Satan off.

So, throw caution to the wind and believe. Believe in yourself and believe in the one who created you. He’s our biggest cheerleader…

Standard
Spirituality

Gunned Down

One day he was living his life, enjoying his wife and children and engaged in a challenging career. The next thing you know, he was assassinated right before our very eyes. From all appearances it seems that he died instantly.

In the aftermath, his wife and children had to learn to navigate life without their husband and father. The dreams they had for their life together went cold. Life for them, and us, was forever changed.

Daily life became like existing in the nebula, a giant cloud of gas and dust. Yet, inside the nebula many stars are born. Good can come from evil. Light will shine in the darkness. You just have to look for it.

Our nation has survived since the assassination of John Kennedy in 1963. The Secret Service learned from it. And we have never forgotten the impact that President Kennedy had on the world…

Standard
Spirituality, Uncategorized

Feel It

The home I grew up in had a policy: you don’t talk, trust or feel. That’s right! You stuff your feelings down until you become numb. This wasn’t healthy.

If you had a similar experience growing up, there’s good news. You can heal from the dysfunction and pain. It takes work, but it is possible. It gets uncomfortable when feelings come to the surface, but over time it becomes comfortable. Then you will become whole again.

The great Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung famously said, “Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering.” What Jung meant was, if we don’t process our trauma it will show up in a more damaging form. Anxiety, depression and compulsions are prime examples of unresolved trauma.

People who experienced abuse and violence are way more common than you realize. No one talks about it because they believe they are the only ones who have this experience. They believe they are outliers. They aren’t outliers, and they aren’t alone.

I’m eternally grateful for my early life. It gave me a relatable story I can take into schools and prisons, encouraging others to face their demons. They aren’t the giants we can build them up to be.

A lot of people are faking their way through life. Get rid of the fakery. You face it until you make it…

Standard
Spirituality

Hate Me

Many people have a strong desire to be liked by everyone. They seek attention and get validation through “likes and comments.” I’m cut from a different cloth. It’s nice to be liked, even admired, but that’s not my motivation.

Telling the truth is vital for building trust, and trust is built over time. Sometimes the truth is a painful message. When you find yourself in the position of having to deliver a difficult message, do it with some gentleness and self-control.

Politicians are the worst at pandering. They will say whatever pisses off the fewest people in order to secure votes. Getting elected to Congress is a pretty good gig. I believe if we removed the fourth branch of government, special interests and lobbyists, we would attract better candidates. When the money leaves, so do the grifters, the pandering masses.

There are a small handful of people who criticize me for spreading encouragement and hope. Their hateful comments don’t bother me. I figure they need encouragement more than most if they find fault with what I write. They might need a little examination of their heart as well.

God alone is in the business of changing the heart of mankind. My job is to continue writing what he inspires me to write. The hate will continue, but so will I…

Standard
Spirituality, Uncategorized

The Battle Rages On

What do you spend your time reading or watching? The New York Times used to be the gold standard for accurate reporting. Not anymore. CNN made its mark by starting out as a solid, independent news source. That died a long time ago.

Recently, a college student was told to leave a children’s literature class because the student told the professor they objected to course material about gender identity. Isn’t college the place we are taught to challenge our beliefs and our thinking? And I’m not sure what gender has to do with children’s literature.

We are in a spiritual war. The war has intensified recently. There is good news and there is some bad news. The bad news is, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. The good news? God wins. We are on the right side.

Keep praying. Pray for our country. Pray that our leaders make good, wise decisions. Pray for the protection of our children.

The battle will end one day. Until then, stay strong…

Standard
Spirituality

Without a Net

Sometimes life presents us with opportunities. And sometimes those opportunities are not asked for, nor are they welcomed.

Last night I was having drinks with a friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in a while. We have spoken but our calendars didn’t align until yesterday. Two years ago this month, his oldest son took his own life. It’s one of those heartbreaking stories of loss. This is a good family which makes it even harder.

My friend manages a charitable thrift shop. The other thing the store does is run a food pantry. Every Saturday, they give away 1,500 boxes of food. Three years ago it was around 250 boxes per week. They are helping thousands of people in the Central Texas area.

My friend got a new boss a while back. His supervisor is good at looking at the bottom line because he quickly noticed the store loses money. This man completely misses the point. The store is underwritten by a very large church. It’s charity. This “supervisor” put my friend on notice that he was in danger of losing his job if the bottom line doesn’t improve. What a tool.

My friend wants to do something to help others who have lost a child. Empathy is shared experience, and he can listen, understand and guide others who find themselves in similar situations.

My thoughts are, perhaps God is doing my friend a favor by presenting him with this fork in the road. My hope is he steps out without a safety net and lets God steer his steps. He’s a good, good hearted guy who can make a difference. And isn’t that what makes this crazy life worthwhile?

It’s time. Trusting God when you’re scared is an indescribable act of faith. It’s time…

Standard
Spirituality

Holding On

There’s a television show I have heard about called “Hoarders.” The theme of the show is to feature people who struggle with Compulsive Hoarding Disorder. They can’t let anything go and end up living in a practical junkyard.

Even people who don’t have a malady hold on tightly to stuff, including life. They use Botox and photo filters to try to remain youthful. And the medical profession has a multitude of drugs to extend our lives if we haven’t taken care of ourselves. Everyone wants just a little more.

I have three thoughts on death: 1) I’m not afraid of it because I know where I’m going. 2) I’m not ready for it. And, 3) I don’t want it to hurt! Pretty simple, huh? But when that inevitable time comes, I’m going to perfection while leaving a broken planet. Why hold on?

Create beautiful memories while you are here. Try to live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling. Hold on to the good people in your life. You hold them in your heart…

Standard
Spirituality

Remember When…

What a great time to be alive! We have self-driving cars, immediate access to the internet without going through a squawking box, robotic surgery and way too many other incredible things to list. I’m constantly amazed at what I see.

But with all of the modern marvels in our world, let’s not forget the most important part: people. People are important. All people. It matters not whether they are poor or have great resources. Everyone matters.

Our world is facing an enormous challenge. We live in the most connected era ever, yet more people than ever are experiencing loneliness. According to many polls, about 20% of our population are experiencing loneliness and isolation. It doesn’t have to be this way.

If you haven’t heard from your friends in a while, take a moment to reach out and check on them. Your simple act of kindness might be exactly what someone needs right now. Take the time…

Standard
Spirituality

Irredeemable? No!

Everyone falls and experiences setbacks and temporary failures. In this life you cannot escape it. Failure is never final unless you decide it is.

The world is hard. This isn’t eternity where everything is perfect. So, what do you do when you get knocked on your ass? You get right back up and keep going. You must develop the mindset that you’re unstoppable. This doesn’t mean you will run over people to get where you want to go. It means you refuse to give up when the droughts of life appear.

The world is watching you, too. Sadly, most people like to see you fail. That’s sick, but it’s just how some people are. When you have a small handful of people who are pulling for you, praying for you and wanting you to succeed, keep those people close. They are a treasure.

Be your own best advocate. Don’t let anyone or anything stop you in your pursuit of a fulfilling life. And the best news? God is pulling for you. He created you exactly how he wanted you to be. He doesn’t make mistakes, nor does he have second thoughts.

Your next success is probably around the next corner. But you gotta turn the corner to find it…

Standard
Spirituality, Uncategorized

Running

Up until the early 1900’s running was mostly done in competitions. Non-athletes would use other methods to get fit. In the 1960’s, Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike published a book called “Jogging.” The book sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and Nike went on to sell hundreds of millions of pairs of shoes.

People are great actors. Some have created a facade so great that their performance is worthy of an Oscar. They want others to believe they have it all together, that their lives are near perfect. Their insecurities run deep. In truth, these people might be doing everything they can to just hold it together. Inside they might be on the edge.

In my life I took a lot of doubts and insecurities into my 20’s. My ego was off the charts, but it was false ego. My parents did very little to prepare me for adulthood, so I was left to my own devices. It wasn’t always pretty.

Today, I can say that my demons have been exorcised. It took a lot of hard work and self-examination. That wasn’t always pretty, either! But peace and contentment were found on the other side.

Do the work. No matter how far or how fast you run, you can never run away from you…

Standard