The Best of 2008
So here is my attempt at summarizing my learnings from 2008:
1) An impossible goal can be achieved with long-range planning and short, consistent steps made in faith. Think of the most impossible thing you think God would want you to do. Pray about it. Organize life in a simple manner to make small steps in that direction and soon your perspective changes. What seemed impossible can even become inevitable.
2) The word “need” has been misused long enough in my daily language (as is other extreme language - “I’m starving?”. I have more stuff than any one person should be allowed to have.
3) I love my job. If something can be too good to be true. This place is definitely a lie.
4) God can change you from the inside out, if you will only slow down, make time and ask Him to come clean house.
5) Read the Bible. Not just to dissect, analyze, and synthesize, but to let IT read you!
6) If your family thinks you are too busy (because they miss having you around), YOU ARE TOO BUSY! Stop it. That time will be gone before you know it!
7) No one can make you take better care of yourself, but you. Start doing it in small steps today and don’t stop doing it, until don’t want to stop doing it. It is true. The best thing you can gift to a loved one is to create a better you. I always thought this sounded selfish. Taken at face value, it is, but deep down it is possibly the most selfless thing one could do.
If you feel God calling you to do something “crazy,” talk about it regularly with those who are the closest to you and if the feeling keeps nagging you, do something to make it happen.
9) It is relatively easy to take in 500 extra calories and not even realize it, but if you want to burn off 500 calories, I guarantee you will have to realize it before it will happen.
10) It is possible to STOP eating before you feel full. It’s not that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs, so much, but that it takes a few minutes for our food to reach our stomach. Here: Look at the food. Decide how much a “normal, healthy” human should consume. Eat only that much. If you still feel hungry, box it up and sit for 10 minutes. Hunger will go away. Plus, now you have lunch for tomorrow.
11) Music is an incredible (and very biblical) medium through which we can worship. But it IS the medium and not ALWAYS necessary for our worship to be acceptable. I’ve always known this, but I realized that some people really want to know how to make this transition from singing to a way of life. And the true worship leader’s life needs to lead the way.
12) My daughters are AMAZING and they get it all from their mother!
13) I am growing to believe that everything considered, a person’s positive spiritual growth (read: transformation into Christ’s character) is more important than a person’s leadership gifts and abilities. In other words, “Discipleship > Leadership.”
14) I read a large number of words regularly on a variety of subjects (personal, professional and spiritual growth primarily). If I am completely honest, my mind is way ahead of my actual behavior on all of these.
That is quite a bit of what been going on in me the last 18 months or so. I know it’s late in coming, but a simple life leaves little desire to visit this virtual place…i may be back someday…we’ll see…
