One Word 2018

Last year, some friends and I read the book One Word and revealed them together.  Because you are the average of the five people you rely on the most, I carefully chose the group that would hold me accountable and refresh my One Word for me regularly.  For 2018, I again did the One Word challenge. 

My One Word for 2018 is RELENTLESS.

In coming up with my Word, the book walks you through a series of steps to have his word revealed to you.  I read the book and worked the work book and came up with Relentless and below will describe it.

For 2018, I will be RELENTLESS in my pursuit to be stronger in my faith.  Last year was a breakthrough year for me in my faith and has opened my eyes to new doors that are opening to me with my faith.  In 2018, I will take it to another level.  I was just reminded of the acronym JOY (Jesus, Others, Yourself).  In our list of priorities, Jesus and our faithfulness to Him, has to be first.  Having Him at the forefront of your life, makes everything and every other aspect that much better.

For 2018, I will be RELENTLESS in my pursuit for impacting others' lives.  I have often stated that I try to impact at least one person's life every day.  In 2018, I will be relentless to make sure that happens.  I have never had to be accountable for doing this.  This year I will hold myself accountable. 

For 2018, I will be RELENTLESS in my pursuit for making myself better.  In 2017, I had a breakthrough in my personal development and started to take classes towards my Master's degree.  I will continue that but I will also make it a pursuit to do personal development each day as well.  The more that I develop myself, the more I am able to impact others lives. 

I will also be RELENTLESS in my pursuit to make the best life possible for my family.  Not that family has not been important, but now again, I will make myself accountable for improving my family everyday.  I will be relentless to make sure that everything I do for them, and the things that they do for themselves, are intended to bring out the best in each of them.

Whatever your One Word is for 2018, make sure that you are accountable with someone for it.  Make 2018 the best yet.

Just Lead

For some time now, I have felt to right a blog on leadership in the family.  Well, today is the day.  This problem is not just our area, but similar problems even occur half way around the world.  I believe that men need to take more ownership in leading their families. 

Now, I will acknowledge that we do a pretty good job leading in some areas, and there are even some men that are just great overall leaders, but I think for the most part men in general take a back seat to some areas of our lives.  We are told in 1 Timothy 3:4, "He must manage his household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive."  He refers to the husband/father and we are commanded, not asked to manage his household well.

Men do a great job leading their families when it comes to discipline, athletics, and some other areas.  But the one area that causes concern is leadership of the family in faith.  I think sometimes that men are uncomfortable with leading their families in faith.  Like I mentioned before, there are some men that do a great job, but there are some that are just not comfortable in all parts, such as, worship, volunteering, and faith in the household.

How can we get better?  First and foremost, we can take care of the household.  Lead a faith reformation in each of our homes.  Take the time to make sure that faith is an aspect, not only an aspect, but a cornerstone that we are building our homes on.  Then we need to take our leadership into our churches.  We need to volunteer within the church.  Each of us has a skill that can be used in the church, but so few are using the skills and talents that God has given us.  And we need to take an active roll in prayer and worship.  If for no other reason, to give thanks for all He has given us.

This message was short and straight to the message but it is something that has weighed heavy on me.  If we all start today, just think, not only do our churches benefit, but so do our families and homes.

Stay Positive

Below is an article that I shared in another publication.  Please enjoy.

Each day that I come to work, I influence others, whether I try or not. It doesn’t matter if you put effort into it or not, your attitude influences others, and attitudes are one of the most contagious influences. Attitudes are also 100 percent in control of each of us.

Many studies have been done on the benefits of a positive attitude in the workplace, and in life in general. Studies have been completed by credible sources, including the Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins Medical Center, Harvard, and others. These studies have found that having a positive attitude has many benefits that not only improve the workplace, but also one’s life.

The benefits of having a positive attitude include an increase in productivity and a more positive work environment where employees are encouraged to participate productively in problem-solving. Through increased productivity, the business runs more smoothly and allows employees to learn from mistakes rather than go through disciplinary events.

Other benefits of a positive environment in the workplace include more cohesive units, better staff retention, fewer sick days, and the ability to achieve more organizational goals. When all these things are working together, studies have proven that there is better retention and recruitment of good staff.

A personal benefit of having a positive attitude is better overall health. Positive attitudes are contagious. Positive minds attract positive events, lower stress, and lead to higher motivation. One of the few things that you can actually control is your attitude. On a daily basis, we all have the opportunity to feed ourselves with positive or negative energy. Knowing that energy/ attitudes are contagious, we need to put the effort (another controllable) into breathing positivity into our lives so that we can be contagious for others.

As far as the workplace goes, I want to share a story. About two years ago, I had the opportunity to meet and listen to Author Jon Gordon, and he shared the following:

There’s a story about when President Lyndon Johnson visited NASA and as he was walking the halls he came across a janitor who was cleaning up a storm, like the Energizer bunny with a mop in his hand. The president walked over to the janitor and told him he was the best janitor he has ever seen and the janitor replied, “Sir, I'm not just a janitor, I helped put a man on the moon.” See, even though he was cleaning floors he had a bigger purpose and vision for his life. This is what kept him going and helped him excel in his job.

So, just like this janitor, our way of thinking changes how we view everything. If we can all work for one common goal, with the right attitude, great things can be accomplished.

The 12 Days of Christmas

As many of you know, Christmas is a very special time of year for me.  I know this is a bit early, but I thought that I would share my version of the 12 Days of Christmas in hopes that we may share these during this Christmas season.

On the first day of Christmas, our true love gave to us LOVE. I start with love because everything, including life itself starts with love.  In John 3:16, possibly the most popular bible verse out there, we are told, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  It starts with love.

On the second day of Christmas, our true love gave to us LIFE.  I feel that life is a great place to go after love.  Most people start dying the minute they are born.  They know that at the end of every life is death and that is their focus.  But the more we focus on that, we stop living.  You see, each day we need to awaken with a plan to live life to the fullest.  As Kirby Puckett told us, "Tomorrow is not promised to anyone." 

On the third day of Christmas, our true love gave to us DREAMS.  You see, dreams develop our goals.  They are two very different things but if we let our goals road map us to our dreams, they are very intertwined; but as long as we remember to let our goals guide us to our dreams, we know that anything is possible.  We are told in Luke 1:37, "For nothing will be impossible with God."

On the fourth day of Christmas, our true love gave to us FREEDOM.  Yes, in America, we have had others fight for our freedom, but even before that, we are told in John 8:32, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  If we accept Christ, we will have eternal life and be able to live that way.  This is one gift that often gets taken advantage of, but if we focus more on the original freedom, things will come together for us.

On the fifth day of Christmas, our true love gave to us GRACE.  Grace is what sets us free. We are told in Romans 11:6, "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."  Jesus' death on the cross guarantees us the grace we need for eternal life if we accept Him into our lives.

On the sixth day of Christmas, our true love gave to us COURAGE.  Joshua 1:9 says, "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." I have felt this in my backyard, as well as, half way around the world.  As long as we accept Jesus, we can be strong and courageous.

On the seventh day of Christmas, our true love gave to us HOPE.  There estimates that there are over three billion people in the world that have never heard the Gospel.  They have never had the opportunity to experience walking a day with Jesus.  So many take that for granted..  As Charles Spurgeon told us, "There is no hope without Christ."

On the eighth day of Christmas, our true love gave to us WISDOM.  Proverbs gives us so many examples of this, that is is often called the Book of Wisdom.  Ironically there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, one to read every day.  Wisdom gives us the ability to know right from wrong.

On the ninth day of Christmas, our true love gave to us GRATITUDE.  Bottom line, we need to be thankful.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we are commanded, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  We are not commanded to give thanks in some or give thanks in the ones we choose, we are told to give thanks in all circumstances.  We need to be thankful for the things that are challenging to us because there too, we become stronger.

On the tenth day of Christmas, our true love gave to us JOY.  We have to stay positive and have joy in us.  Proverbs tells us in 17:22, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."  Joy is good medicine.  Right there we are told about the contagiousness of attitudes.  If we can live with a joyful heart, it heals us and those around us.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, our true love gave to us GUIDANCE.  If you use the Bible as a workbook for our lives and let God's instructions in the Bible Guide us we can't go wrong.  When God makes it clear the path that we are to follow, we need to focus on that and not get distracted to those that re guiding us down a different path. 

On the twelfth day of Christmas, our true love gave to us ETERNAL LIFE.  It starts with John 3:16, and it ends with John 3:16.  Through the cross, we have been given eternal life.  Jesus paid our dues for us and we need to follow the path that He has lit for us.

These are the gifts that I give to each of you.  We  don't need to wait until the 12 days of Christmas to start sharing these. Be the light in others lives and share these gifts with those you see during this holiday season.

Thanksgiving 2017

As I was trying to think of my next blog, I thought that a Thanksgiving post would be in order.  Timing and a thankful heart  guiding me.  In Colossians 4:2, we are told, "Devote yourselves to prayer, be watchful and thankful." The first thing about this is the fact that it is not formed in a request but more so a demand.  Devote ourselves in prayer, then be watchful and thankful for the blessings that we are given in life.

So, where to start with so many things to be thankful for.  First and foremost, I am thankful to God for the walk of faith that he guided me on this year.  Travelling half way around the world to serve Him has been a life-changing experience for me.  And also thankful for all of the people that helped me get there through donations, prayers, and guidance.

I am also very thankful for the family that I have.  I know many men say, but I have truly been blessed with the best wife and children for me.  Even as I recover from a surgery, the giving heart of my wife is seen on a daily basis.  She is relentless in making sure my needs are met even when I try to maintain my independence.  And my children, the decisions that they are making and progress in life that they make are very encouraging.

But, in my family, the term family extends past the people of my home.  My father, with his ever-giving heart, showing his heart to everyone he meets.  For a mother, that no longer with us on earth, still guides many of the steps I take daily.  My sister, though a single mother, working endless hours to provide for her four children, inspires me daily.  Tami's parents and brother always being there when things are needed.  And my niece and all of those nephews, each in their own way, striving to be their best at what they are doing.  And  that doesn't even get into the best group of aunts, uncles, and cousins that I have.

The friends that I have.  Two families that I consider family pushing me to be my best, but all of the other friends that that I have acquired.  Awesome memories with all my friends that in their own way have helped me become the person that I am today.

So many other things to be thankful for.....

My dog, for her unconditional love that she teaches all of us everyday

My job, for allowing me to provide for my family and give us the home and vehicles that we have.

A team of young men that I have the pleasure of coaching and guiding.  Looking forward to another great season with them.

A community where I live and where I work.

This list could continue for ever.  I am so thankful and grateful for all the things that I have in my life.  I am thankful for the breakthroughs that I have had this year and am encouraged by the many that are yet to come.

Happy Thanksgiving 2017

#MO1

A few years back, I went to a clinic of baseball coaches and while there, I listened to a coach talk about the Magnitude of One.  The coach used it as reference to improve every minute at whatever you are doing at that moment.  He went on to elaborate that this mantra didn't just follow them in baseball but should carry over to all aspects of their life.

Since that time, I have adopted this as our own team motto but expanded a little with some help from other coaches and research that I have done.  #MO1 isn't just something that we use when we participate in baseball activities but it is something that we try to carry over into our lives.  Magnitude can be defined as of great size.  I like to think of it as of great meaning or the impact that one can make.

We took a team trip and had a coach talk to us.  He also used one but in a different realm.  He tries to get his wrestlers to improve one percent every day.  I got thinking, "Hmmm, what other ways does one effect us?  What really is the Magnitude of one?"

Another way that we can use One is to make it a personal goal to positively impact one life every day.  It can be something intentional or unintentional.  It can be anonymous or worthy of credit.  When we consider the impact that could be made if each of us set out each day to impact one person's life, think about the changes.  It reminds me of the movie Pay it Forward, but instead it is just the Magnitude of One.  This could be the greatest influence in society.

If we think in Biblical contexts, it brings me back to John 14:6, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"  You see, there is only one way, one truth, and one life.  Jesus is the one way for us to get to the Father. 

As you can see, improvement in your life, and the impact you have on others comes down to the number ONE.  The number one can change you life and the lives of the people around you.  Strive to improve daily and impact one other life, and things can change. 

GIFTS

This morning, I had the privilege of listening to about gifts that you have received that have impacted your life.  As I reflected on this, I have thought about the gifts that have impacted my life.  Today, I am going to share three of the many gifts that I have received.  Some of them are recent, some not so recent.

The first gift that I want to talk about is the gift of being grounded.  I received this from a friend of mine that I often dream and talk about future goals with.  He doesn't come right out and say it but based on what he says, at the end of the day, his decisions remain grounded on his faith and values.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, we are told, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." If we ground ourselves in the values of God and present ourselves as individuals that are working in His word, His truth, then the rest will take care of itself.

The second gift to share is of a positive attitude.  The friend that I received this from, sees positivity in every situation, even when others don't see it.  It's not jus the fact of having the positive attitude but sharing it and getting others to buy into that vision.  It's one thing to have positivity, but if you can find a way to share it with others, that is when something awesome can happen.

In Philippians 4:8, we are told, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  People waste so much energy and time on thinking and living in a world of negativity.  We need to start thinking positively and things will change for the best.  In Philippians, they tell us to think about the positive things, yet we still choose to think negatively, it doesn't make sense.  We can either be fertilizer or Round-Up.  Let's stay positive and help others grow, and not be the Round-Up in people's lives.

And the last gift that I am going to talk about, is the gift of faith.  I received this gift half way around the world from a group of people shining light in a dark place.  These people, that have become great friends, live their lives in faith.  All things are going to happen though Jesus, and we have to trust that.  My wife recently shared with me after being gone for 10 days that she noticed a change in me.  She shared that no matter the situation, I stay calm, that I have faith that things will work out. 

Mark 11:22-24 tells us, "And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God.  Truly, I say to you, whoever says to a mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.  Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'"  We need to have faith, not only in God but in God's Word.  But even when we believe it, we have to pray on it in prayer and in thanksgiving.  Huge factor, give thanks for the things you have already received.

Now, these are not all the gifts I have received in my life, but what I am asking you to do is to reflect on some of the gifts that you have received, and in gratitude, think about those have impacted and changed your life.  If you have moved away from those gifts, get back to them.  They were given to you for a reason, so use them.

The Return

Recently, I was out of the country for 10 days.  It was the first time I had been that far from the comforts of Faribault, MN, and the first time I have been away from my wife, Tami, for that amount of time.

After the jet lag settled, Tami and I finally had time to process my return.  While out for dinner, Tami mentioned that I seemed different.  I went on to ask her what exactly she meant by that.  She responded by saying, you just seem so at peace, so calm.  You appear that no matter what happens, you have faith that God will guide you through.  Strangely as it seems, I had to agree.  While I was gone, something happened to me.  I was filled with a faith that was like no other.

That night, I really focused on Phillipians 4:6.  In that verse, we are told, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Man, this couldn't be any more true.  If we just spend time each day, thanking God for the things he has given us, and asking him for his hand in any troubles we would have, then we could stay more relaxed and just let faith guide us.



After we finished talking about my faith, I shared with her that I too felt a difference.  I told her, "Before I left, I thought I loved you as much as possible.  But now that I am home, I love you so much more."  It's something that you cannot explain but only feel.  Once you truly feel the loving hand of Jesus in our lives, we are able to love so much deeper.  There is so much more possible.



In 1 John 4:16 we are told, "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.  God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him."  We cannot be afraid to let Jesus guide our love.  Because of the time that I have spent with Him and felt His love, I am able to love much greater.  



If we let our love guide us and our faith comfort us, there is no telling to what differences we can make in our lives.  

Who Am I?

Who am I?  What a great question.  It is a question that only I can answer for myself.  Let me explain a little about myself, and tonight I am going to be as transparent as I can be.  Like you, I once was a teenager.  The difference being, I was a teenager attending a Catholic School.  We went to school every day, read the bible daily, had weekly mass, and we were even tested on our faith in the classroom.  I thought Jesus was my homeboy just because of the motions that I went through every day.  But I could not have been more incorrect.

So many times, I would put that face on of the good Catholic boy and people bought it.  I was the altar boy and Eucharistic minister at school masses and on Sunday masses as well.  People really believed that I was a good Catholic boy.  

Then it was time to choose a college.  Of course, the good Christian boy was going to a Christian school.  How many times do you think I attended service during my freshman year?  Wrong, I attended twice, and once was because a girl that I liked asked me to go.  Can anyone guess what my most skipped class was?  It was my class on the New Testament.  It was 8:00 am and I knew the stuff because I studied it in high school.  But people back home thought the same of me.  A good kid that has his faith in line.  

Man did I have those people snowed.  Rather than attending FCA events and services on the weekends, I was the social director (unofficial title) for fourth floor in Urness Tower.  You see, I was the go to guy on what was going on, other than faith-filled events or even weekend services.  I was the leader of mischief and knew where all of the cool people would be on the weekend.  It was more important to be popular than it was to be right at that time.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  

Then I continued coasting through life.  I dropped out of school, bounced around from job to job, and really had no meaning in my life.  I made mistakes and I made positive choices.  Eventually, I went back to school and finished my degree.  Then in my mid-30s, it hit me like a rock, “I am not advancing.  I am not succeeding in the game called life.”  I started getting up early on Sunday mornings and watching online services.  I knew there had to be more.  

Then I started attending services regularly again on Sunday mornings.  That was it!  BAM!  Jesus reached out to me.  God wrapped his arms around me!  He threw a party for me because I was back.  My life started improving, my outlook started improving, and everything in my life seemed not to have life back in it.  It was the story of the Prodigal son.  Luke says in 15:32, “But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has now been found.”  There was a celebration.  It felt to me like the world was rejoicing for me.

Was I perfect?  Did I make mistakes while I was searching?  I sure did.  I made plenty of mistakes, but you know what, God forgives those mistakes.  In Ephesians 2:8-9, we are told, “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Grace is what takes away all those mistakes and makes you new again.  Grace is built on love and love is what God gave us.  In John 3:16 we are told, “For God so love the world that he gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  Is there a better love than that? Jesus died for us on that cross because of God’s love and to give us Grace.  Man that is unreal.  The sacrificing of a Son and the self-sacrifice by Jesus.  

We all have a do-over, a mulligan.  Once we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, we get that fresh start through grace.  All of our past transgressions, can be eliminated by accepting Christ and admitting our mistakes.  Now, my point here isn’t to tell all of you to be perfect, because there is only one that is perfect.  What I may ask of you is to learn from our mistakes and misfortunes.  Use those to help you grow.  Why repeat someone’s if it has already been proven a mistake?  

Now comes the hard part.  How do we get there?  It has to start with a relationship and that relationship has to be personal.  Michael Jackson once wrote the song “Man in the Mirror” and the truth of the chorus couldn’t be truer.  

I’m starting with the Man in the Mirror.

I’m asking him to change his ways.

And no message could have been any clearer.

If you wanna make the world a better place,

Take a look at yourself and make a change.

You see, it has to start with each and every one of you.  You are not going to change because of neighbor, your friend, or your girlfriend or boyfriend.  Each of us, needs to take a long, hard look at ourselves and determine what we want out of life.  Jesus tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me.”  You see, the only way for us to reap the benefits, is through Jesus.  There is only One Way, One Truth, and One Life.  Learn from us that have wandered and struggled and don’t go through that.  Develop that relationship.  Dig deep.  

In order for you to be found, you must be lost.  In order for you to be saved, you have to be doing something that you need to be saved from.  God has a plan for you, for me, for all of us.  I believe that plan put you right here, right now.  Jeremiah 29:11.

To sum this up, being a Christian is a personal decision.  It has to start with you and you alone.  It revolves around a relationship, not a religion.  If you are the pitcher, he has to be your catcher calling your pitches.  Don’t wait to make your mistakes.  Don’t wait until you are in your thirties like me.  You can have the benefits and the glory now.  Trust me. Trust us leaders.   Whether we admit it or not, we have all been where you guys are today.  Life is so much better with Him in it.  Accomplishments are so much greater.  And smiles are so much more frequent.  

I am not going to single anyone out, or ask you to single yourselves out, but I would like to say a prayer of surrender right now.  If you are ready and willing, please repeat this prayer after me and reap the rewards.

Love

For years I have cast this day as a Hallmark holiday, a holiday started as a marketing ploy.  And for many years it worked.  The price of flowers, candy, and cards all increases around this date every year, and yet people keep falling for it.  I have declared that I should be showing my love every day, not on a date that initially started as a day honoring a saint, but then turned into a huge profit for companies everywhere.  Even restaurants join in the marketing scheme.  Saint Valentine was executed because he refused to denounce his faith.  Now that is love.

All my life, I have been brought up in a family and home surrounded by love.  I have been fortunate. There are many individuals that aren't necessarily surrounded by the love that I was.  One of the greatest bible verses tells us that Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others......  But what does all of this mean?  After all, the "Golden Rule" tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

So, with all this information, who should we love, what should we love, how do we love?

These are all tough questions with even tougher answers.  If we all live a life of love, then we will love all.  We will love our family.  We will love our friends.  We will love our acquaintances, and even those we dislike.  That's when it gets tough, we are suppose to love those we dislike.  Many of us love money and what it can do for us.  But we are also told not to love false gods, which is exactly what  the love of money and power is.  Some people are blessed with wealth, but what are they doing with that wealth.  Are they blessing others or are they hoarding to themselves.

How do we love?  Will Smith said it best, "10 ways to love: listen, speak, give, pray, answer, share, enjoy, trust, forgive, promise."  These are great.  Some are a challenge.  Take listen for example.  Sometimes all it takes to show love is simply listening to what someone has to say.  Of all these, I put pray at the top.  Think of the love that Jesus had for all of us.  He sacrificed his own life, so that we may have ours.  Man, that is love.

So tomorrow, when you feel yourself getting angry, choose love.  When you feel greedy, choose love. When you feel jealousy, choose love.  In every circumstance, choose to love and I guarantee the rewards will be bountiful.

Momma's boy

Thirteen years ago, I lost one of my best friend's.  I lost the person that even through her illness, called to "just check in" every day.  I can still see her and her Pepsi sitting there calling to see how her grandchildren are.  I can only imagine her social media pages to keep up with what was going on with her and her family. Gretchen will never be forgotten.

This used to be a very sad, emotional day for me.  I would wake up, make my tribute post to her before I went to work, shed a tear, and think about her all day. Every tribute was heart felt and honest about missing my time with my mom. I can still see her take her last breath.

Since then, something changed in me.  I don't miss her any less, but this day became easier.  I focused on the memories that I have of her.  I look at the pictures and smile.  Being able to remember those times makes me smile.

But still, that's not the reason that it became a little easier.  This day became a little easier because I have faith that eventually, there will be a reunion.  I will get to see her smile, I don't have to remember her when she was sick.  There is no sickness in heaven.  I can only imagine that she will be in the middle of all of my loved ones that have passed, and she will be sipping her Pepsi and hoot and hollering at people.

So today, don't feel sorry for me.  Don't feel sorry for yourself that you are missing someone.  Have the faith that you will be reunited with the loved ones that you have lost and when you do that, they will be the most beautiful version of them.  I can only imagine that my eyes will see exactly the person that makes me smile.  Yes I miss her tremendously, but my faith and anticipation is so much greater than sad feelings.  I don't have time to feel sad, because I have to continue her contagious ways of making other's smile.

So, whether you are dieting or not drinking soda, stop today, and drink a Pepsi.  When you drink that Pepsi, think of Gretchen and you will be sure to smile.

The Hill

reprinted from 4/17/14

He personally carried our sins 

in his body on the cross

so that we can be dead to sin

and live for what is right.

By His wounds

you are healed.

1 Peter 2:24

After coaching over 20 years in various sports, at different levels, I have not experienced what I have experienced with my team in the last week.  This story is not about me, it is about something much greater.  It is so much bigger than me and it is a clear example of the power of God.  If it is in His will, things can happen for the greater.  

Our team had been struggling through their first three games and bringing their record to 0-3.  Kids were skipping the weightroom and then making excuses to get out of conditioning for missing the weight room.  Kids were late for practice and skipping practice with no reason at all.  When approached about doing conditioning to make up for practices, they were quick to point figures or make excuses about not attending.

I started to question what I could do to turn it around.  I was at wits end and frustrated.  I went to Good Friday service and then it dawned on me during Easter Sunday service.  Jesus suffered and sacrificed so that we may be freed.  All of our past transgressions were removed from us and we could live without bearing the weight of those sins.

So Monday came and we were going to take batting practice before we left for our game.  I arrived at the school about 1/2 hour early.  Rather than going in the school right away, I walked to the hill that led to our baseball field.  This is no small hill and is used by our football team as a means for conditioning.  I stood at the bottom of the hill and looked up intimidated at the mere presence of the hill.  You see, I am no small man and knew this was not going to be easy.  But step by step, I ran up and down that hill for twenty minutes.  As you can imagine, it was a difficult task and attempted to conquer me.  But I felt a strength come over me.  With each time I ran up that hill, something was lifted off of me and it became easier.

When I had completed running, I went into the school and proceeded to finish batting practice.  After we concluded with BP, I gathered the varsity players around me.  We talked about all of the things holding us back.  The finger-pointing, the missed practices, the late arrivals, etc.  I then told the players that they have all been forgotten and we are moving forward.  I told the players that for the twenty minutes prior to batting practice I was running conditioning for them.  I beared their sufferings so they could be freed.  I coach at a public school so this kind of message isn't always the easiest to discuss.  I told them that over the weekend, it came to me that I needed to do something.  I needed to suffer for my team.  Because it being in a public school, I told them that if they wanted the specifics of what I had learned over the weekend that I would share on an individual basis.  At first, many of the boys looked confused.  Then you could see a couple figure out that the past weekend had been Easter and made the correlation.

The Medford Varsity team went on to win their next three games.  Still a mid-point of the season, this team has learned and matured already quite a bit.  We are hoping that this continues.

But this story really isn't about the Medford Tigers.  It is not about me, the overweight coach that suffered to prove a point to his players.  This story is about the love and the power that God has.  Jesus suffered something much more than what I suffered for my team.  Jesus suffered so that we all may live free of sin.  He paid the debts for his team, all of us.  God chose to free all of us through Jesus' suffering.  The power of God is so much bigger than any of us could imagine.  Through His example, I would never have been able to suffer for the likes of my team.  It was His example that guides me.

Gratitude

Gratitude - noun. the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Today is my birthday and this is the one word that comes to mind today.  I have much to be thankful for.  I have three children that are all excelling in their chosen majors and are becoming the best versions of themselves that they can be.  All three are making exceptional grades, working part-time jobs, and enjoying the good times of college years while making responsible life choices.  All three are pushing themselves in majors that are not the easiest. 

I can be thankful for having a job, a roof over my head, a loving wife and a dog that loves me unconditionally.  I can be thankful for all my family that I love with all my heart.  I can be thankful to all my social media friends that took time out of their busy lives to wish me a happy birthday.  

I have so much to be thankful for, but the other part of gratitude is the readiness to return kindness.  I try to take time to thank every single person that wishes me well wish and thank them.  To me, that is more important.  I want them to know that I am heartfelt thankful for the wishes.

Now let's spin this a little.  Let's think of a world where everyone lives with gratitude.  Where everyone is ready to give kindness, and then ready to return kindness.  God tells us that each and everyone of us is made in His likeness.  So then, why is there so much hate and anger in the world?  Why can't this world rally in kindness?  

You may ask what is there to be thankful for.  For one, the fact that you are able to read this for gives you so many thing to be thankful for.  You are alive.  You are able to read.  You have means for social media.  Life's too short to look at what we don't have when we can be grateful for what we do have.  

Stay positive and be a living example of gratitude.

Controllables

Watching the inauguration events and seeing how people are reacting to reminds me a book that I read by Brian Cain.  Cain talked about the three things in life that you can control, and he called it "Controlling your APE."  The only three things we can control in any situation are our Attitude, our Performance and our Effort.

Attitude.  I am a big believer in the power of a positive attitude and positive energy.  Your life's fuel is the attitude and energy that you are giving off.  I truly believe that this energy is contagious and what kind of energy you give off is what the people around you will be fueled with.  In my breakthrough year, I have vowed to surround myself with positive fuel in the form of the people that I surround myself with, the books I read, and the situations that present themselves to me.  Every situation has positive in it, but you have to be ready to find it.  Each day the choice is ours, we have the freedom and decision to wake up in a good mood or a bad mood.  I am going to tell you that life is way to short to waste an ounce on negativity.  Start by having a three to one rule,  for every negative situation, present your self with three positive ones.  You control it.

Performance.  Each of us can control our performance.  We may not be able to control the outcomes, but we can control how we perform.  Some may ask, how do we control our performance?  We control our performance by the process we use to get to that point.  How are we preparing for every situation?  We can control the process and we can control our preparation.  And once in the situation, our attitude and effort will play into that process and preparation and determine our performance.  When all these worlds collide and you have the right attitude, you have prepared as best you can, and the effort you put into it will set you up for the best performance possible and that is what we can control.

Effort.  We have all seen the rewards of hard work in different aspects of our life.  Effort is something that we can control.  Derek Jeter once said, "There may be people that are more talented than you, but there is no reason for anyone to work harder than you."  Other E's that play into this are energy and emotions.  Effort is controllable, so don't ever let anyone work/play harder than you.

We need to focus on controlling the controllable.  We cannot always control what goes on around us, but we can 100% control how we react to it.  Stay positive, prepare for your best performance, and always give max effort and we align ourselves for the best possible outcomes.  Don't let others control the three things that you can.  How are you going to feed your APE?

Be the Light

BE THE LIGHT

This idea started for me during the Christmas season. We were given a message on Being the Light for someone else.  We were given the light at the end of service to serve as a reminder to us.

Then after the National Championship football game, Dabo Swinney, talked about "the light inside them shining brighter than the light shining on them."

In Matthew 5:16 we are told, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

What is this "light" that everyone keeps talking about?  It keeps throwing itself into my life and projecting itself to me.  But what does it mean?   What does it mean specifically for me?  

In my previous post, I talked about what 2017 means to me.  We are all given to us a purpose, a meaning in life.  That purpose resides in me, in each one of us.  That purpose gives us a meaning. It is the light within each of us.  But just like any other light, the light needs some juice to shine.  It cannot shine without it being turned on.  Once that light is turned on, it is seen by others we come in contact with.  They can use your light as navigation.  You can be there light.  

It can be little things or it can be big things.  Be the good in someone's life, shine your light on other's.  Let them walk in your light.  Before you know it, their own light will be shining and making a difference in others' lives.

Still today, I walk around with that light in my pocket as a reminder to "Be the Light." (Just have to be careful because lights can break, but the reminder is more significant for me.)  But it's not that light that is trying to do good.  It has to be direct and intentional.  You too can be the light.  Today's message was "Yearn for More".  What this message meant to me, was to yearn for more for myself, but also to yearn for more for everyone that you may come in contact with.  

January 13th

Today marks the 13th day of January.  I was meant to start this at the New Year but got around to it now.  2017 marks a big year for me.  On New Year's at Midnight, myself and some of my friends revealed our One Word (for more info go to www.getoneword.com) for the year.  My word is BREAKTHROUGH.  I believe that this is going to be the year for me.  I believe that big things are going to come my way this year.  I believe that doors will be opened for me.

The first thing that I am going to do to make this successful is surround myself with the type of people that win.  By winning, I don't mean games, but I mean winning Life.  This year, I vow not to surround myself with the type of people that breathe negative energy into me.  (Jon Gordon calls these people Energy Vampires.)  Now this doesn't mean at all that I am going to ditch everything that has gotten me to this point of my life.  What it does mean is that I am going to breathe positive energy into them, invite them on my bus, and open the door.  But with that, we don't fuel our bus with negative energy, but the most positive energy that you can find.  If you can't find the positive fuel, don't come on the bus.

Gradually, people will notice a change.  I am not saying that I have all of the right answers, but I want to breathe Life into teams, companies, and individuals.  That is my goal.  My Life Word, also based on a book that Jon Gordon help write, is Life.  I want to live, but I also want to breathe life into everything that I come across.  Life is love with energy.   Everyday this year, I am going to wake up and tell myself that this is my day to win and no one can win it for me but ME.  Some of the things that I am doing, no one will ever know about.  Other things, I am hoping, will breathe the kind of Life and Energy into others that I have received from others.  I am not an expert by any means, but I take the proven strategies of experts like Jon Gordon, Joshua Medcalf, Brian Cain, and some close friends and develop my own way to breathe LIFE into others.  Let's LIVE in 2017 so that we can all have a BREAKTHROUGH.