Tag Archives: #purpose

Spirituality

Laurels

In ancient Greece and Rome, laurel (evergreen) wreaths were placed on the heads of those who were victorious, the poets and heroes. The wreaths symbolized great achievements in their respective fields.

There’s a saying you have probably heard before, that someone is “resting on their laurels.” It means they are relying on past work to propel them forward without continuing their work. It’s a dangerous trap, one I have fallen into myself. Be on guard that it doesn’t catch you, too.

We should take the time to celebrate our accomplishments in life. Nothing great happens without sacrifice and commitment. But if we are still here, God isn’t finished with us and our work to advance His kingdom agenda. Let’s finish strong.

I do encourage you to take time for rest along the way. You will be better for it. At the same time, don’t rest too long. You might start to enjoy it more than you should! There’s much to do, and only limited time to do it. Get to work!

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Spirituality

The Least

A few years ago I was interviewing a Pastor for my podcast. I was gently challenging him on religious rules, which he answered in the most eloquent way I had ever witnessed. Then he started talking about where the faith communities fail. His words stuck.

“We get ourselves cleaned up for church, sit in our favorite pews, praise the Lord and move on,” he said. “But we walk by the drug addict on the street corner, never inviting him in. We don’t want to get our hands dirty.” His words stuck.

It’s important to remember that in God’s eyes, the addict is as important as we are. He created us equally. When you connect your head to your heart on this, you begin to see your fellow man through a different, bigger lens.

God cares about everyone. We won’t give an accounting of our net worth or our zip code when we arrive in eternity. No. God will ask us what we did with what He gave us. Did we use our gifts or squander them? It’s something we all must consider.

There are a lot of hurting people in this world. Help them when you can. Perhaps a prayer is called for. Everyone can help someone…

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Spirituality

Built to Last

In today’s society, customer service is an oxymoron. Postal service and efficiency? It doesn’t exist. Consumers remain frustrated. Personally, I will avoid calling AT&T as long as I can.

But God built us to last for 80-100 years on earth. In eternity we will live forever. As the artist Prince said, “forever is a mighty long time.”

We must make the most of our time here. It’s preparing us for the next life. We aren’t meant to work a little and then just watch television, existing until the weekend arrives. There’s more, much more if we’re willing to go after it.

Find your purpose and start living it. No excuses. Just do it. And keep going on no matter what. Be relentless…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

The Lost

Somewhere along the road of life people lose their identity. Instead of focusing on who they are, they try to make their career their identity. That is only what we do.

When my children grew up and left home, I lost a bit of my purpose. For such a long time I had been dad, the guy they could rely on. The truth was, I was still dad, just in a different sense. I had to let them grow up and learn to fly solo.

Do you ever feel like you aren’t sure who you are? Perhaps you are struggling to find your way. It happens. It’s normal. When the moment arrives that you know why you are here, you have reconnected with yourself.

If this is where you are in life right now, I encourage you to pray about it. Ask God for guidance. Then you must believe that He will answer. It might not come immediately, but it will come.

Take inventory of what you love to do. Ask yourself why you love certain aspects and why you have those gifts. You will find your purpose if you keep moving forward…

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Spirituality

Just Visiting

Everyone has a past but we live in the present. Mistakes, failures and regrets are forever stored in our subconscious mind. The past tends to make an appearance when we are trying something new or changing a habit.

We cannot allow past mistakes to stop us. We were created for a greater purpose than many are living. We stop ourselves. No one else has that power. The truth is, the fear of failure has stopped more people than lack of talent ever has.

We learn from the mistakes we made. They can be used if we are willing to try again. And again. And again.

When the past rears its ugly head, and it does for everyone, remember that it’s just paying a visit. Keep it where it belongs. Stay focused on the future while living in the present.

The world is waiting to hear from you…

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Spirituality

Unseen Power

What comes to mind when you think of power? Perhaps money, position or connections are part of the mix. This is what we see but they are nothing when compared to the unseen power of God.

There have been countless times in my life where God has saved me from myself. I’m sure you have a few stories of your own. These experiences are what I have seen, and I know the source.

Let’s consider what we don’t see. Gravity works every day. The earth rotates around the sun without pause, and the sun is at the exact distance we need to sustain life. The stars hang in the sky. I could go on and on until I break the internet!

Most of my prayers are prayers of gratitude. We all take things for granted. Yet each day is both a gift and an opportunity to make a difference.

Make your own mark on the world. You were born in this era to make a difference. Always remember where your power to influence comes from. It doesn’t come from ourselves…

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Spirituality

Convenience

When United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was six years old, he and his mom and sibling moved into his grandparents home. Little Clarence would sit in the bathroom for hours flushing the toilet. He was amazed by it. You see, up until this time he had never experienced indoor plumbing. He didn’t even have an outhouse. Only a creek behind the shanty where they lived.

Entire industries have been created by the desire for convenience, to make life easier. Think about it. There’s an “easy chair,” fast food and 7-11 convenience stores. Henry Ford didn’t invent the assembly line. He perfected it. I immediately embraced the technology of a Keurig, and I don’t know what I would do without it!

The convenient or easy way isn’t always the route to take. Forgiveness isn’t automatic. It takes time. Healing from past trauma takes a lot of work. There’s no easy path to being made whole again. But God has given us a way through.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it did get built. Your life is built on a foundation of either substance or quicksand. Choose wisely…

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Spirituality

Are You Talking to Me?

Great communication is one of the foundations of relationships. You build trust when the words of people align with their actions.

How are you talking to yourself? We spend a lot of time inside our heads. Too much, sometimes. We must be honest with ourselves while, at the same time, forgive ourselves for the things we wish we hadn’t said or done. All of us make mistakes. That’s how we learn. These are useful lessons but we don’t need to drag ourselves through the mud and mire repeatedly.

Focus on the good you have done. Keep those moments in the forefront of your mind. Mistakes from the past are always stored in the subconscious. Acknowledge them but don’t dwell on them.

Remember that the road less traveled is not the easy road. There are potholes and curves along the way. Find it in yourself to keep going when everything inside of you wants to turn back. Just keep going no matter what happens…

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Spirituality

Tenacity

This world we live in will knock you down sometimes. Life was never promised to be easy. You just have to pick yourself up and move forward, even when your next step is into the unknown.

All of us possess a tenacious spirit. Consider the time when a child decides he wants to walk. They pull themselves up, teeter around and fall down. Sometimes they fall hard. No problem! They get right back up and try again.

You might not remember it, but you learned to walk in the same way. No one was going to stop you. What happened to that? It’s still inside of you. You just have to bring it back to the surface from where it’s buried.

The mediocre never push themselves. They settle for a life that is less than what God designed them for. But you aren’t mediocre. Far from it. The dreams that were planted in your heart from the beginning are still there. You gotta bring them to the surface, too.

A powerful dream combined with relentless determination and tenacity is unstoppable. Bring it…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Unnecessary Roughness

We live in a world full of beauty and wonder. There are way more than seven wonders of the world, and I remain in awe of them.

The world has some darkness, too. People tearing others down, reminding them of every mistake they have ever made. Those people are the ones you should keep as far away from you as possible. This might include some family members.

People will spend time beating themselves up, too. Mistakes from the past can paralyze people from taking chances. They want more from life, but are afraid of failure. You only fail when you refuse to try.

The failures we experienced in life are there to teach us. No one gets everything right every time. Elon Musk blew up a lot of rockets to learn what doesn’t work. Now the Falcon 9 Booster gets payloads into space and then lands vertically on the launch pad. Pretty cool, huh?

Be fearless when you pursue your true calling in this life. God didn’t put you here to fail. He never promised it was going to be easy. But you will succeed if you refuse to give up.

Find your purpose and pursue it with everything you have in you. Setbacks will happen. Expect them. But whatever you do, don’t quit…

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