2013 Life-A-Thon

The 2013 Life-A-Thon is on May 11. I will be running the 5k Run for Their Lives! This is a fantastic cause. The event is organized by WELS Lutherans for Life. I love what this organization represents: caring for mothers and children and saving lives! I have set a goal of raising $300 for this cause. If you want to donate or get more information, check out my fundraising page or visit www.alife2.com. Thank you!

Best of - Matt Mielke - Sticks & Stones

This is a great reminder for us all. Name calling hurts. It doesn't stop with children. So many adults fall into the same trap, but they are better at covering it up to make it more "socially acceptable." Judging others hurts society. Talking behind people's backs has got to stop. If you have an issue with someone, address it head on...with gentleness and respect. Ask questions. I find that my original assumptions are wrong in one way or another. Orrin Woodward lays out an excellent pattern to use for conflict resolution in his book, Resolved. Check out Matt Mielke's powerful blog post:
 Sticks and Stones and Other Things.

Devotions - Repentance/ Forgiveness

I found these recent daily devotions to be excellent reminders of repentance and forgiveness in Christ. The history recorded of King David is a reminder that even the best of us fall short of God's standard. I know I fall short of God's standard on a daily basis, but God graciously forgives all my shortcomings. Sin drives a wedge between us and God, but God covers the gap for us, viewing repentant sinners as perfect in Christ. Don't get down because of your failures. You are a new and perfect person in Christ. Enjoy!

Devotion - March 14, 2013

Devotion - March 15, 2013

 

Koiné

Today I attended a very powerful church service led by the band, Koiné. The concert, entitled Footsteps to the Cross, walks through Jesus' ministry from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary. I got my mind refocused and my heart seriously re-engaged in God's word. This event was a great lead into holy week and Easter. 

Koiné is a very talented group and I was impressed with their video graphic design. I just thought I would share a portion of this service with you from You Tube. 
Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness


More information at www.koinemusic.com

You can actually buy the entire concert DVD of Footsteps to the Cross. I bought it on the spot.

What's More Important...

Dan Hawkins recently referenced this article on his blog as he reminisces on his business success. The article is authored by Chris Brady, a co-founder of the LIFE business. This kind of thinking is sorely needed in our world today. So many people don't know what their incomes can truly afford. They live outside of financial reality due to the widespread use of financing. Our great grandparents would shutter at our financial nonsense. I personally strive to use what God has given me for His purpose, but I do get sidetracked at times. However, this goal has given me the greatest satisfaction in life. Material possessions are definitely not the answer; it has been proven wrong time and time again. Chris presents a nice comparison between memories and material possessions. Go for the memories!

Memories vs. Material

This bad economy is really poorly timed, mostly because it’s happening right while we’re alive to experience it.
We’ve come out of a credit binge where easy money was available at low interest rates. This drove up a false housing market and now that the bubble has popped, millions are “upside down” in their homes (meaning they owe more than they’re worth on the open market). Jobs have dried up, income has gone down, and the bills (and the interest they carry) left over from the heady days of the boom are not so much fun now that we’re in the bust. Retirement savings are greatly diminished, and people are being forced to work longer than they had planned. While all this makes for some nauseating blame-games at the political level, at the practical level where real people live it’s a joy stealer.
Add to all this a materialistic culture that relentlessly sells us on the lie that more stuff will equal more happiness. If we could only have that latest gismo, buy the bigger house, drive the fancier car, watch that latest flat screen tv, play the newest video game, and wear sophisticated clothes, our lives would be more fulfilled and happy.
The biggest reason we believe a lie is because somewhere, deep down inside, we want it to be true.
We actually like material possessions and the latest shiny objects. We would dearly love to believe that they bring fulfillment and happiness. What could be easier? We fall for the lure of pleasure as happiness and pile on the purchases, rarely stopping to wonder why real fulfillment eludes us like the edge of a fog in a morning field.
But here is one thing I’ve learned: it’s hard to be less than happy when you can be happy with less.
I’m no minimalist. I am blessed beyond description and have nice material possessions myself. But I have come to realize that I want to spend my money a little differently than I did when, to borrow a phrase from my father, I was “younger and dumber.” After all, what is aging for if not to absorb a little wisdom? Something must accompany the gray hair and wrinkles. Therefore, I made a purposeful decision to spend more of my money on memories instead of on material.
Think about it. Does a new car or a trip with your family generate more special moments and lasting memories? How many memories do you really have of that item you just had to purchase (and likely therefore finance) eight or nine years ago? Yet how many moments with friends, family, and loved ones can you recall from throughout your life? Which do you value more?
Two and a half years into the experiment, here’s what I’ve discovered since making the decision to prioritize memories over material:
1. Life is simpler and less cluttered. Material requires upkeep and attention. Memories are maintenance free.
2. Memories don’t charge interest. Instead, merely show them interest to keep them fresh.
3. Memories keep, while stuff wastes away. This is true of our affections, too. Some of my oldest memories are the dearest, while my oldest stuff is just junk.
4. More resources (time, attention, money, etc.) are available for other (and usually more important) things. Giving and sharing are more fulfilling than buying for one’s self.
5. It’s easier to focus on one’s purpose in life. Orrin Woodward has a fantastic way of looking at this in his latest book, RESOLVED Primer, page 18, where he suggests that our Purpose is shown to be at the intersection of our Potential, our Passion, and our Profits (or fruitfulness).
6. Life is more stress-free (and therefore fun) when living well below one’s means.
7. Money diminishes in importance in your life (and thereby occupies less of your thoughts) when you aren’t demanding so much of it.
8. Happiness exists more in little things than in big things, anyway.
How has this economy changed your thoughts about money?
Where do memories rank in your heirarchy of priorities?
What changes can you make today to decrease your material consumption and increase your memory generation?

 Sincerely,
 Chris Brady

God’s Precious Gift

God offers a most precious gift to us. He presses for us to receive it. Our natural reaction is to decline. It does not look like anything we would like or want. We try to say “no thank you”, “that’s nice, but you should really keep it”, “I don’t think I have a use for this” and many more variations on the same. He is insistent to the point that we either get fed up and push back with greater force to reject His gift or we reluctantly agree. If we receive this gift, we are not sure why.

Upon opening this gift we finally see it rightly. It is our most treasured possession. We don’t know how we could have lived without it. In fact, we do not consider ourselves to be really alive before God forced this gift on us. This gift is most cherished. All our other possessions pale in comparison. To us, we have no other possession besides this gift. We would give our lives to keep it. We look around at others whom God is still pressuring to receive His gift. We are shocked at their reluctance. We urge them not to resist God. Trust us, this is something you want. We are dismayed when we see some get angry at God. They tell Him to take His gift and stuff it, “leave me alone”, “I don’t want it”. They keep God at a distance, avoiding Him at all costs. When they see God coming, they cross over to the other side of the street. We can see the disheartened look on God’s face, the longing to give the ultimate gift for each human being, but His quality of justice not allowing Himself to force His gift on anyone that rejects Him.

Like a new cherished Christmas gift, we want to show it off to everyone we know, encouraging them to receive their gift also. Unfortunately, some receive His gift, but then lose track of it, forget about it. It slowly loses value to them as they set it aside and behind other things more exciting to them. Let us always keep God’s gift in the forefront, thanking God every day in our thoughts, words, and actions.

Just Do It!

I'm taking a lesson from Art Williams this week. Check it out:

http://youtu.be/7R9c0RAz678