Bridal Veil Falls

Below is a picture of Bridal Veil Falls in British Columbia, just north of Vancouver.
Katie and I stopped their on our way to a friend's wedding a couple of years ago. I thought of it this morning as I was getting into my cold car. I would love to see more sights like this soon. The picture is pretty cool, but being there in person is simply breathtaking. Where is the most beautiful place that you have been? Do you ever find yourself thinking "Man, I wanna be THERE right now!"? I think that it is interesting how we remember the good times/sights and the bad times/sights but the majority of our lives are spent in the middle.
Anyways, enjoy!

What would you do? (continued)

If I had a billion dollars (isn't there a song that starts like that?)
I would like to say that I would give almost all of it away...But I wouldn't.
If I were given 1 billion dollars, free and clear, here is a list of what I would do.
1. I would tithe (and then some).
2. I would set up a foundation fund (more about this later)
3. I would make sure that I took care of all of my family's needs (both sides).
4 I would start a natioin wide youth foundation.

The foundation fund would be for charitable causes. I figure that I do not need much to live on. Say that I tithed just 10%...that would be $100,000,000. So (not figuring the govie's take) that would leave $900,000,000. Then take out what if would take to set up my family including me($100,000,000? being over generous). That leaves $800,000,000. I would take that and invest it in a low level interest bearing account. Let's say that account returns 3% annually. That would be, what $240,000,000 per year? That would allow me to allocate money to charities across the world.

Now, money does not make the world go around, BUT it does grease the gears a bit. fact of the matter is that I am content with what I have (I think that I would be okay with less). Honestly, the things that are important in life can't be bought. And things that were important that were lost, money cannot bring back.

All in all, if I were blessed with that kind of monetary gift, I would like to think that I used it to further everything that is good in the world....If the best way to do that was to give it all away, I would.
In less than a heartbeat.
Believe it.

What would you do?

What would you do if you if you had one billion dollars? Seriously, what if you had that kind of money?
How would you use it?
The picture above is only of one million.

To ask the question in a more base manner: What would you do if money were not a factor?
What would you do right now? How about later in the future?
Would it change your plans? Would it change what you do for a living.
Come on and comment...I am interested to know.
I will give you the skinny of what I would do in my next post (It is already written).

Wicked the Musical

So, my wife and I went to see Wicked the Musical this past weekend.
All in all a truly tremendous show. I loved it. Glinda had me rolling the entire time.
Without giving the plot away...I thought it was pretty cool how the show gave answer to the questions about what went on in Oz before that silly little girl Dorothy and her dog Toto came flying in.

Interestingly enough...it got me thinking. Right now, my life is way too crazy. I have entirely too many holes that I need to fill in order to see where I am going.
But the musical made me think about how God always fills in the blanks. We may never know the "how"s or the "why"s in life. But we really don't need to. As hard as it is for me to wrap my tiny little brain around that fact, we really don't need to. God will take care of the fine print.
Have faith, love Jesus, live right and God will make sure that our lives don't come out as one huge Mad-Libs.

Life

The fact of the matter is that we have no idea what life will bring.
Trust in the Lord and He will open the doors that you should go through.
He will never put you in a situation that you cannot handle.
Jesus will never leave us. He is always there, whether or not we can hear Him through the windy storm of this life.
The changes that we go through can be and oft times are painful. No journey is ever truly easy, although I think we sometimes become complacent and think that they should be.

God places us exactly where we should be. Everytime. Without fail.
Whatever challenges lay before me now, I say "Let's go!"

Jesus, I know that you are always close to me.

Proverbs 18:24 (King James Version)
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

I know that you will pave my path and provide.

Romans 8:28 (King James Version)
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This life?

Bring it!

First Impression

***Quick note on the entry below**
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This rant was brought on by a pre-disposition by someone else about me. I have already had a conversation about it with that person. So if it was not you, please do not take it personally. If it was you, I hope that we both learned something :-D Anyways, take a read because I do think that it has some good info (at least in my mind)
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Did you know that undoing a bad first impression is about 100 times harder than making a good one? They say that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. What image do you leave in someone's mind after you meet them the first time? I think that we would all like to believe that we leave a positive imprint on people after meeting them for the first time. But we don't. A lot factors into this I think: both individual's moods, timing, circumstances and previously given information and MIS-information.
The fact of the matter is that sometimes, our chance for a good impression is shot before we even enter the room. Someone almost always inadvertently gives their opinion of one of the people to the other.
"Hey, tell me about so-and-so. What do you know about them?"
You might reply "Wellllll....they are kinda like ________."
Be careful. What you say here may come around and bite ya in the keister.

The reality is that we don't always say something positive. Sometimes maybe we can't see ANYTHING positive about the person. While sometimes, maybe a lot of times there may NOT be something positive to say...give that person a chance, the benefit of the doubt.
What was it your mom used to say? "If you can't say something positive....."

Everybody has their story. No one is raised the same. No one person has been through the same set of life events.
This boils it down to: No one is the same. Everyone is different.
Newsflash.
There is not a single person upon this earth, neither past nor present that we cannot learn something from.
I think that we would all do well to remember that.
I think that if we all focused on learning from others, instead of doing the preaching ourselves....we would all be the better for it.
God gave us two ears and one mouth. This would lead me to believe that He wants us to use them in proportion.

What drives you?

Seriously.
What drives you to get up in the morning? What thought helps you to put your feet on the cold floor and get moving? Is it to shut off the alarm? Or the thought of a hot shower? Or is it to get that first cup of coffee? Do you say: "Ahh, man. I gotta go to (insert place you need to be here)!"?

Sometimes I feel like I am pretty lucky...I catch the sunrise almost every morning.
It is truly one of the most beautiful natural occurences to me. I am thankful everyday that God put things like this in our lives.
I find that more often than not, I look forward to catching the sunrise. It is usually my first thought in the morning.
I find my day to be a bit easier if I focus on something positive.
It kinda sets my mood for the day.
Well...anyways...beats thinking about going to W-O-R-K.

MMM...Berries.

I am not a HUGE fruit fan, although I do enjoy it.
One of the things that totally reminds me that spring is right around the corner is when blueberries hit the store shelves for the first time.
Oh Yummy!
Spring weather will start late next week.
I can't wait.
Mmmm...blueberries.

Have you ever?

Have you ever been in a situation that seems completely hopeless? A situation that cannot win?
Well it's not and you can.
Believe it.
Have faith.

Failure

Sometimes we need to step out. I think that a lot of times, I find myself praying for God to help me to do this thing or that.
What is stopping me (you, everybody) from stepping out of our box? A lot of times we wait until the timing is perfect to step out of our box.
The truth is that the timing will never be "perfect". Let's wait until the tide is out, the moon is full, the wind is just right....JUMP NOW. What's to say that we would make the jump anyways?
I think that the one thing that stops us from stepping out of our boxes is the fear of failure. As humans, we are afraid to fail. It's part of our nature. I think that as humans it is part of our nature TO fail. It is part of how we learn.
And that is okay. Guess what. We are not perfect!
Newsflash!
This is not saying that we are GOING to fail everytime...just that the possibility is there. Does that mean we shouldn't try?
No.
It means that we should accept the possiblility. And knowing that possibility, go for it. We fall down so that we can learn to get back up. (props to anyone who knows what movie this reference is from)

I think that one of the things that failure brings us is conviction. If we know that something is possible yet we fail in an attempt to attain our goal, we become more determined.
You get back on the horse and try again.
Riding a bike...it may take us a hundred times to actually do it without our dad holding on to the seat. But once we do it, we don't forget.
Isn't it the same with just about anything?

If we work at "unlearning" a bad habit. Or learning a good one. Oops. I messed up. That's OKAY. Get back up, dust yourself off and get back on the bike.
Yes, we get cut and bruised, and discouraged. We get discouraged. And that stinks. But how bad do you want it? How determined are you? How convicted? How dedicated?
What things does this apply to for you? What relationships?
I can think of several for myself.

So MY question to myself...and you is:

“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”

Robert H. Schuller

Can we really ever triumph over something if we haven't lost before?

Oh The Glory Of It All

Just an outstanding, rockin version of David Crowder Band playing "Oh The Glory Of It All" at the Passion Worship Concert '07:

B.A.S.E. Jump

IMO Not a smart hobby.

Star Wars Clone Wars 3-D Trailer

Yah...no wimpy Jar-Jars in this one...

Jet Pack

Ok. I gotta admit, this would be cool to have...even if I would have NO practical use for it what-so-ever. Jet packs are just cool.

Busy

I sometimes wonder what would happen if my life slowed down a bit. Myabe I need it to slow down? Have more time on my hands.

Pretty much everyday is the same. Up at 4, pray, workout, shower, drink coffee, head to work by 5:45, drink more coffee, Work till 4-5, drive home, eat dinner, do homework, in bed by 11, read my bible, go to sleep. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

I cherish the moments that I get to spend with my wife (usually sprinkled in between 5-10 pm). My favorite times are when we goof around on Saturday mornings. Probably my favorite time of the week.

Occasionally we stay up quite late during the week (midnight-2am). Just playing catch up. I don't think that anyone can ever spend enough time with loved ones.

On my way to work this morning I thought "What would happpen if I had more time on my hands?" Hmmm.

Would I do something productive? Would I do something to improve this world? Would I start a business again? Maybe game more? (Haven't done that in years.)
IDK.
I know that I would spend more time with my wife. My family (both sides). My friends.

But things don't slow down. Life never really takes the exact turn that we want it to. Fact of the matter is that it is up to me to MAKE the time to do these things.
It is my responsibility to create space for the things that I value: God, my wife, family, youth, friends.
Expanding on that: although life is crazy fast, (a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things) it is the moments that we get to spend doing the things that we cherish most that we must make the most of. However brief those moments are.

That's why, in my mind it is paramount that we get our priorities straight. What is truly important in your life? Are there things that you can do differently in order to put those important things first?

If so, why haven't you done it?

I love my life, as crazy and stressful as it is. I just need to make sure that nothing gets overlooked. People talk about balanced lives...fact is that our lives are balanced.

We just need to make sure that they are weighted with the proper things.

Practice Makes Not-So-Perfect

Practice.
We all practice.
When I was young, my pee-wee soccer coach taught us to chant: "Practice 'til your good gets better and your better becomes your best! Yay team!"
Cheesy. I know. But the premise is there.

We practice everyday: Practice at homework. Practice at good manners. Practice at breaking bad habits. Practice at a sport. On and on and on.
Something that I used to hear all the time when I was younger was that this person or that person was a "Practicing Christian".

Interesting.

If we believe in Jesus, we are Christians. Right? So what is a "Practicing Chrisitan"? I know a few people that are Christians, but act like anything but.
We are called to love Jesus. But we should call ourselves to more than that.
As a Christian we should practice obeying the commandments and Jesus' words. Right?

Love thy neighbor. My wife had an outstanding post about this concept. Not just who we want to love, but everybody.
Easy concept, hard when put into practice. Hmmm. Theres that word again.

How about just following Jesus' words. Easy, again 'til we get mired in the trappings of this world.

Practice: avail oneself to; "apply a principle"; "practice a religion".

BUT, another definition is

Practice: exercise: systematic training by multiple repetitions; "practice makes perfect".

We practice because we want to get better at something. We practice because we want to attain a certain level of achievement. We practice because we want to learn something.

It takes practice to UN-learn bad habits. It takes practice to become good at a sport. (Even Michael Jordan was cut from the team in high school)
It takes practice to be a Christian. Being Christian.

Like Pastor Erik posted yesterday "I don't want to settle". I need to practice being Christian.

I want to get better at this. I want to be good at this.

I offer another definition:

Practicing Christian: A person who avails oneself to systematic training by multiple repetitions of following Jesus' words and trying to emulate Him?

"Practice 'til your good gets better and your better becomes your best!"

Lord, help me to be more like you everyday.

Serenity

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

Lord, Please help me to be a better person everyday. I want to be more like you.

Lord Help me to use my potential for your will.

As frustrating as it is not being able to see the path you lead me on, I trust in you Lord to put me where I need to be when I need to be there.

How far

I thought these were interesting lyrics:

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight
I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned
But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west
'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me
You're holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
One scarred hand to the other
From one scarred hand to the other.

- Casting Crowns
-- The Altar and the Door

Lord please help me to become a better man everyday.
Help me to be more like you.

Is it mean to be mean to a rude person?

Okay.
I am normally a very polite person. I am usually a pretty calm, collected guy.
But, this morning I lost it.
I stopped for gas and right after I walked in to pay, two people headed for the same door. One going in and one walking out. The person walking out of the gas station had a HUGE cup of coffee in both hands. The guy walking in seemed to be oblivious to anything around him, but you could tell he was in a hurry.

So they reached the door at the same time (the "out" door was blocked by a newspaper stand and the "in door opened inwards). Now the door happened to open inwards, and seeing as the person going out had their hands full, he was having trouble opening the door, their hand was REACHING for the handle. The guy coming in SHOVED the door open.
Coffee explodes all over the place and the person going out screamed. They were covered. The guy coming in didn't get a drop on him and just proceeded up to the counter like nothing happened even though he slipped on the pool of coffee that was on the floor.

My first reaction to this whole thing was to ask the person with searing hot coffee all over them if they were okay. They imparted that they were. So, I turned my attention to the other guy.
Some words were exchanged (I will NOT repeat them here). I basically asked him if he was blind, as anyone with two eyes could see THROUGH the door that there was someone on the otherside.
I also asked him if he was socially inept, as anyone could clearly see that he had just caused another person harm.
Again, I am NOT proud of the words that I said. They were NOT even remotely the christian thing to say. But I got angry. Extremely angry. (pretty rare thing for me).

The "person" going out the door was a woman.
She looked to be about 70 years old.

I know that he will probably never read this, but coffee spiller guy, if you do read this, I apologize for being rude. But honestly, being rude was the nicest thing that I could do because it took all of my strength to keep it at that.

I feel sorry for coffee spiller guy. He just doesn't understand.

One more reason that I feel working with the youth is one of the most important things anyone can do.

Maybe, if someone had taken the time to help him make the right decisions, to help guide him when he was younger, this would never have happened.
Maybe if someone had helped him to know Jesus, he would be looking at the world with different eyes.
My hands are still shaking and this happened about two hours ago.

Lists

I am not much of a "list" guy. I usually just log stuff in my head and then bull through any work that I have. The problem is that when things get really hectic, things slip through cracks.
Lately, my life feels like it is going a million miles a minute. In the mornings, I usually try to spend a few minutes to pray. The past few mornings I have rushed out of the house without doing so.

My solution? Crank up the radio (this week it has been Shine.fm), and sing a bit.
Now, those of you who have had the honor of being in front/around me during worship know how great of a singer I am. :-P Actually, I am awful. I usually only sing or play an instrument when I want to offend someone (aside from worship, I think Jesus will forgive me my tone deaf warblings).
BUT, since I have been performing these impromptu concerts in my car (I can't damage anyone's ears except my own in there) I have felt a bit lighter of heart.

I don't know if it is because of the singing. I think maybe it is because of the fact that it is not forced or scheduled. Now don't get me wrong, worship/praying/praising Jesus should never be forced, but sometimes I feel wrong in only alloting "specific" time for God. Again, please don't misunderstand. I am just saying that in MY busy life, I sometimes feel as if after my morning prayer, I leave it there till I get ready for bed that night and close with a prayer.

In between 4am and 11pm when I go to bed, my day is filled with "Please God help me to..." or "Lord please give me the strength to..." or "Lord, help me to get through this..." Then there are the "Thank you God for..." and the really big "THANK YOU JESUS FOR HELPING ME..." that are sprinkled in there. I know that God is there for those requests. I know that we are supposed to give our worries to Jesus. Sometimes however, I just feel bad for doing it. I sometimes think that I should be doing more for Him. More thank yous than requests.

There is something about spontaneous praise of God that just feels right. Taking a moment like this morning, as the sun comes up over the horizon with gorgeous pinks, blues and yellows and really taking a step beack to think about the awesomeness that I was witnessing. Being able to thank God, when I get stressed at work that I have a job.
How bad does one feel when you say "Awww NUTS!!! I forgot to pray!" I am finding, as everyday I grow closer to Him, He is more in the front of my mind and praise just becomes my first reaction. Well, not "re" action. More of just the first action.

As busy as my life gets, I am finding that by building a "habit" of praise, things seem easier, lighter, and more managable. In "giving it all to Jesus" I have to remember that that means everything, not just my worries, but my thanks and praise as well.