Your Path

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I have always believed that every person on the planet was born for a purpose, and until we are fulfilling, or at least attempting to fulfill, that purpose we will not be totally happy.

I think anyone can, depending on their personality, can achieve a measure of happiness, but until we are walking the path we were created to walk on ... we miss out on the real joy of living.

I understand that many times due to unfortunate circumstances we are forced to "do something else" ... like the teenage girl who gets pregnant must now be a mother taking care of her child and is forced to put her dreams on hold. And the boy who must now get a full time job to care for his new family ... sometimes it is self inflicted (like the example I just used), and sometimes it's not.

But I say - IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO LIVE YOUR DREAM ... TO WALK YOUR PATH!

I am concerned that some people (maybe even you) have forgotten about what excited you, what drove you, what kept you up late, and got you up early. You have forgotten why you were born and have settled into a routine of getting up, going to work, coming home, going to bed, to then just get up the next day and start it all over again.

Here is my challenge: Turn the TV OFF for the next 7 days, and take that time to sit and think, dream, reflect, pray, meditate, with a pen and notebook in hand and write down your dreams, write down what you would do if you could do anything you wanted to do, no limitations, no boundaries ... and then at the end of the 7 days look it over. See what would give you a skit in your step ... and begin to pursue it.

I promise that even in the pursuit of "it" (whatever "it" is for you) you will have a sense of purpose and meaning that will be beneficial.

After all it's what God wants for us!

When Doubts Assail

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We all have doubts from time to time and ask our selves those haunting questions; does God care? Is He even aware of what is going on in MY life, the world, or my friend's life? Can He hear me when I pray? Does He love me, really? If so, then WHY...?

Have you ever been there? Are you there now?

Even as I type this my heart aches with those and for those who are in that place now ... wondering, doubting, fearing, and feeling the fangs of despair digging into the flesh tearing away at what little hope is left.

I have felt those very feelings! And I would say to you from Psalms 130

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;

2 O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.

8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Dream Again

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Remember when we were young (or younger) and we had dreams about what life would be like? What our marriage would be like, what our job would be like ...? Maybe you even had a picture of what your house would look like, the dog you'd have, the car you'd drive? What your kids would look like? Remember that? What has happened to that dream?

Yes, I understand that some of those childhood "dreams" were unrealistic, and far fetched, BUT many of them weren't ... so what happened to your dreams? Have you pushed them aside as childhood fantasies? Impossibilities?

What happen to your dreams? Do you even dream anymore? Why, or why not?

Please dream again! This world needs dreamers, people who will dream the impossible dreams, then with God's help DO THE IMPOSSIBLE!

If nothing else I hope that today's blog will renew your passion for life, for dreaming, for taking the limits off you mind ... dream!

Walking Out

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As I think about the day I said, "I do" (15 years ago) I remember thinking, "wow, I am married ... now what?"

Just like most couples, when I was walking out of the church, I never wanted to walk out on Jana, or have her walk out on me ... I wanted our marriage to be a "till death to us part" deal. And I am prayerful that that is what it will be! I hope that we will be still crazy in love for our 50th ... even our 75th (though, I'll be 100 years old)... that will be cool!

So what can we (those who are married) do about that?

There is a lot we can do ... and truthfully it does "take a lot" to have a happy marriage. As I have said before, "good marriages don't just happen, you make good marriages happen!"

I could give you the 1, 2, 3's ... but it would take 100 posts to go through it all ... so here is my advice: READ SOME GREAT MARRIAGE BOOKS!

1) The Seven Principles to Making Marriage Work by Gottman
2) His Needs, Her Needs by Dr. Harley
3) Love is a Decision by Smalley
4) Building Your Mate's Self-esteem by Rainey
5) The Five Love of Languages by Gary Chapman
6) Boundaries in Marriage by Henry Cloud

If you have any specific questions about marriage you would like me to address, please email me! I would love to help you anyway I can!

Bottom: You can have a wonderful marriage ... you really can, IF YOU DO WHAT IT TAKES!

Keep Off

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Tempting sign, at least for my son it is! Lol!

I see the sign above not as a kill joy, a sign to keep me from having so much fun on the dunes, but a rule or guideline to protect the beach. It's the same way we should view God's "rules" or "guidelines". God is not trying to keep us from fun, but from pain. He is trying to protect us!

John 10:10b "...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Trust Him!

Storms

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Jesus said ...John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Just like life, it can't be sunny every day! Though I am sure most of us wish for that, but that just wouldn't be life now would it?

I can say this with certainty; we will have less storms in our life if and when we live as God has instructed.

I think I have mentioned this story before, but it bears repeating ... I once counseled a pregnant teenage girl who was just so upset over her "troubles" (being pregnant) and she actually said, "why is God doing this to me?" And my sarcasm almost came out of my mouth by asking, "is your name Mary ... Mother Mary?" But I held it in.

She was mistaken in her thinking that God was doing this to her. She did this to herself. She made the choice to have sexual relations with a boy she was not married to. And she was blaming God? You've got to be kidding me. But aren't we all guilt of this? I know I am!

I cry over not having enough money, (yet I am lazy when it comes to using my gift to make extra money) or I bellyache over a few pounds of weight I want to lose, (yet I still eat ice cream late at night and neglect physical exercise.) We all do this.

Like the picture above, some storms are not our fault, nor do they have anything to do with me or what I have done or haven't done ... they just come as a part of life. So how do you handle them? In the case of this storm Jana and I grabbed our gear and ran back to the condo, barely escaping the rain. In sort, we dealt with it by running away; when storms come your way in life, how do you deal with them? Hopefully you don't run away, unless that's is the best thing for you and those around you.

My answer is: Take each storm as they come and walk through them, prayerfully, with eyes wide open.

Directions

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Finding your way around can be difficult at times. I know on our way down here I decided last minute to change our route. We usually go through St. Louis, then Nashville ... and I decided just as we pulled off 151st onto I-35 to go through Springfield, MO then Memphis (Elvis' hometown) and so on. And that could only be done because I had a map to look at ... like the sign above.

Signs give us clear direction, or should at least. I feel that is what the Bible is for humanity, a map if sorts. Giving us insight on HOW TO LIVE. It gives us direction.

Can I just say that a map doesn't help you unless you look at it ... just a thought!

Have a great day!