Devotion

Devotion...

Nothing truly beautiful,

truly wonderful and

truly worthwhile was ever accomplished with half-hearted devotion and casual commitments.

It's hard to tell but the picture "Focus" has words for each letter-- Savior, Shepherd, Redeemer, King, Sacrifice, God, Jesus, -- one word sums up His focus on us -- DEVOTION.

Start today.

Lean into it.

Decide once and for all.

Build a beautiful life, a God-life.

Deuteronomy 30:9-10 - The Lord will be happy to do good things for you, just as he did for your ancestors. But you must decide once and for all to worship him with all your heart and soul and to obey everything in The Book of God's Law.

Devotion...it starts with a step, it starts with a focus...it starts with embracing the journey and pursuing the dream...

Life Matters

Easter will be here...in just a few short days...and opportunity for new life. Jesus came that we might have LIFE, a NEW Life -- behold the old has passed the new has come; new creations...

What kind of life will we choose?

You could lead a pleasant life.

Or, you could live a good life.

But what if....you could live a life of destiny?

Are you ready to begin living a life of purpose and passion?

Are you ready to discover your greatest gifts and then employ them in the service of something larger?

The key to getting from where we are to where we want to be is to take the first step on a journey...a journey of destiny.

You can continue to live your life as you have, or you can answer the call to adventure. It’s the call to take the journey of a lifetime - to come to the place where you finally understand your reason for being…or, you can forget you ever heard of such a crazy idea.

The choice is yours. Each day we choose.

Embracing the journey...

Is your Gospel getting bigger?

Been reading John Piper...he always challenges my heart and life...which I love!

Here's some thoughts...profoundly impacting if we live in it...

Seek to see and feel the gospel as bigger as years go by rather than smaller.

Our temptation is to think that the gospel is for beginners and then we go on to greater things. But the real challenge is to see the gospel as the greatest thing—and getting greater all the time.

The Gospel gets bigger when, in your heart,

grace gets bigger;

Christ gets greater;

his death gets more wonderful;

his resurrection gets more astonishing;

the work of the Spirit gets mightier;

the power of the gospel gets more pervasive;

its global extent gets wider;

your own sin gets uglier;

the devil gets more evil;

the gospel's roots in eternity go deeper;

its connections with everything in the Bible and in the world get stronger;

and the magnitude of its celebration in eternity gets louder.

So keep this in mind: Never let the gospel get smaller in your heart.
Pray that it won’t. Read solid books on it. Sing about it. Tell someone about it who is ignorant or unsure about it.

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel.... For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Embracing the journey...

MVP

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." - Warren G. Bennis

Great leaders create the destiny and direction for their organization (church) that motivates their team to pursue the mission. Powerful visions galvanize groups and take them to new places and heights.

Just think about these:

Disney has a vision to put a smile on the face of every guest to make families smile.

FedEx had a vision for overnight, guaranteed next morning package delivery.

Dominoes had a vision to deliver quality, hot pizza to your door in 30 minutes or less or it's free.

Coke had a vision to have a refreshing beverage within the reach of every person around the world.

Microsoft had a vision to create beneficial software that would compel people to have a computer on every desk at work, home or school.

M.D. Anderson has a vision to make cancer history.

Your vision is your MVP ... Most Valuable Property

As leaders, we must realize that our vision has a cascading effect on everything else in our organization.

Cloudy visions foster blurred and confusing priorities, employees, and disappointing results.

Sharp visions foster clarity and powerful momentum.

Are we spending enough time creating and implementing our vision?

Pursuing His dream...embracing the journey

On Mission

Every believer is a missionary, no matter if we are in the middle of Guatemala or if we are grilling out with our neighbors.

The exciting part of living a life on mission is to see where God will take us and who we will meet.

We can all pray the old Franciscan prayer:

Lord, take me where you want me to go;

Let me meet who you want me to meet,

Tell me what you want me to say,

And then keep me out of the way. Amen.

Embracing the journey, pursuing His dream.

One Day

One day....we've all heard the phrase...one day, I'll get a round to it, one day, I'll slow down, one day, I'll go on a vacation, one day it will all work out and more. Perhaps, here's a fresh look at one day....that one day could be today as Mark Batterson has said.

A little two-word phrase in Scripture: one day.It's in I Samuel 14:1. It's the story of Jonathan climbing the cliff with his armor bearer and engaging the Philistines. That is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. One act of courage saves a nation. But have you ever noticed how the passage starts out with that little two-word phrase? One day.

It's almost the Bible equivalent to the classic movie line: once upon a time.It's hard to put into words, but I live my life with a profound sense of destiny. God orders my footsteps. If I believe anything, I believe that. And that fills me with holy anticipation. At any given moment, God can invade the reality of our lives and change everything.

So read through Acts and there is that little two-word phrase again: "One day about three o'clock in the afternoon, Cornelius had a vision."You never know when. You never know where. You never know how.But one day, God can invade the reality of your life and change everything. That is what happens to Cornelius. Of course, it doesn't just change his life. Those of us who are not Jewish trace our spiritual lineage back to this vision on this day. If it weren't for this vision at three o'clock one day, the message of the gospel would have remained a Jewish thing. This vision at this time on this day bridged the racial divide. Whosoever will may come!One day.

Today could be that one day! It might not be. But it could be. May you be filled with holy anticipation knowing that at any given moment God can invade the reality of your life and change everything.

Embracing the journey,

If you are cruising through Orlando on I-4 you can look out the window to see this sign.

If you think about it, you might say what? When you exit this highway you can make your way to either of two destinations; you can travel to the Mall at Millenia or you can experience the Holy Land. Talk about options!

At one you get the attention of normal people acting as if they think you are important.

At the other you get the attention of actors who actually think you are important.

At one you may spend money you don’t have, to get things you don’t need, to impress people you don’t even know or like.

At the other you give the time you have, to get the faith you need, to love people you don’t yet even know.

At one you give so you can get. At the other you get so you can give.
This sign is so clarifying. It makes the options in life obvious to us all.

One thing is apparent. If you turn your feet one direction, and take steps that way, you’ll end up at a different place than if you turn your feet the other direction and walk that way!

For each of us, we must ask which way we will decide to go? The choice is yours...the choice is mine...everyday we make the choice.

Psalm 25:8-10 - God is fair and just; He corrects the misdirected, Sends them in the right direction. He gives the rejects his hand, And leads them step-by-step. From now on every road you travel Will take you to God. Follow the Covenant signs.

Embracing the journey, seeking to make wise choices...that serve others and point them to Him.