Suffering, No Thank you

Think on this…we can be our children’s worst enemy as it pertains to their health and development. We can be so focused on giving them what we didn’t have that we forget to give them what we had, that got us to where we are. I grew up with very little, so I would often have to eat what ever what was available. To my chagrin that was often liver, yuck! Liver, although disgusting to my palate is rich in iron and very good for you. But, ever so often it would be what’s for dinner and if you didn’t eat it you didn’t eat.

There were no special meals for little people who were not pleased with the selection. There was no, “If you don’t like your veggies then you have the option to opt out”. It was eat or starve. Many of us are so far removed from that life that we have succumbed to the pressure from ungrateful mouths that don’t know how good they have it. Now we have to give our kids supplements because they don’t have the enough vitamins in their systems because we have acquiesced to their desires and not given what they needed most, to gives them what they wanted most. If we as their parents don’t give them what they need they will be malnourished.

Spiritually the same thing applies, we often want what sounds and feels good and not what is going to be most beneficial. Suffering is one of those things, which the church has lost a taste for. Early Christians saw it as a necessary part of their journey. Now we want fast food faith that tells us we can have it our way. No, God does not care about our childish ranting; He wants us to eat what is necessary for growth. The Bible says, ““ . We can kick, scream, hold our collective breaths, proclaim prophecy, quote scripture and the same thing will be waiting for us, when done complaining. God loves us too much to keep suffering off our plate. That is good news for us…Just a thought.

National Exposure

Think on this…I recently had an opportunity to do my first national interview, and it was amazing. I did better than even I expected. I have an extensive production background so I know what makes for good broadcasts, but my experience has been being the camera not in front of it. I did have a cheat; in that, my local church has been using me to do video devotionals, which gave me a chance to develop my skills. Then following the national interview, I had an opportunity to go into a studio and shoot promotional segments for my book. This has been a great learning and marketing all at the same time.

One thing I have come to learn is that just because you have a video, interview, promotional material, people won’t necessarily purchase the product or bring you out to speak about it. I was keeping my eyes on the book sales, and there has no direct connection. The people who book my speaking engagements were waiting for nothing. All I could think was, “COME ON!” I have hustled to get this resource done. Students that have received the book, love it. Still, trickle, trickle, trickle… What do you do when you have done everything you know to do?

I believe the answer is wait. Wait for the people who have it to read it…wait. Wait for the people who are waiting to view the interview to view it…wait. Wait for those who are interested in having me come to their event to move on it…wait. Wait for the right person to mention back both the book wait and me... Wait for God to do what I can’t do…wait. The Bible says, “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” …Just a thought.

Damian Jr.'s Story

I have a new favorite blog. It just so happens to be one telling the story of my favorite little kid of all time. Please visit the site and make it a regular stop.

Welcome to the story! Damian Jr is a young man full of joy, laughter and musical passion who happens to have multiple medical diagnoses. His story is one of hope, determination, and love as he fights for the best life possible! We hope you find inspiration, resources, and support! Enjoy! http://damianjrstory.blogspot.com/

Squash Lessons

Think on this…my wife and I have been growing squash on our deck. I don’t know if you have ever seen squash growing, but it is wild. It grows like ivy in that it quickly stretches wide across everything. We anxiously awaited the moment when we could harvest this crop which was talking over our deck. We would check them everyday while water them (they take a lot of water and fertilizer). We even began to talk about what we would make with them once they arrived.

Well the day was quickly approaching and we were more excited then ever. I was waiting for them to begin to turn the proper color. Well, calamity hit when I saw small holes in my squash and upon closer examination I saw that some small creature had eaten its way into every one of them. It was devastating. I put time, serious time into caring for what was supposed to be our dinner and now it’s some insects dinner.

I realized something, that is the way many Christians live. We do our best to grow and take care of our spiritual well being. We struggle to water and feed our souls. But, we forget to get rid of the small things that are looking to sabotage our progress and it ruins us. The bible says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up…” Hebrews 12:1 It’s the small things that get us off track. This week carefully consider addressing at least one thing that trips you up…Just a thought

College Impact spoken word by Sam Tulin

This is just awesome. I am honored to lead amazing students like Sam. Request your copy of College Impact where ever books are sold. ...Just a thought!

Overwhelmed

Think on this…When creating the College Impact resource I did it with the greatest of intentions with hopes that God would use it to make a difference. The truth of the matter is, that no one really knows if the work they are doing will be well received. Especially, when you are doing something for the first time. That has been my experience.

So, I finished the book and trusted God with the rest. I was anticipating quick responses from the people who had received advanced copies and those who ordered it early, but that didn’t happen. Then I thought, ‘Well I will get feedback from my family because they love me’, to no avail. Then I thought, that since the book was quickly being purchased at my local church, sure my church would read it and nothing.

All I wanted was some feedback. Why, because I wrote it and thought it was good, necessary, and vital, but as a person who was barely literate until the 7^th grade you never know. So I waited, and waited and finally an adult from the church responded with, “I wished I’d had this as a student”. Then my siblings started reading it and they were complementary. That was a big boost.

More and more responses started coming in and I started to see that what I’d hoped for was happening. Students were connecting with the material and it was showing them how to make an impact on their campuses. It’s about what God wants to do through them, and they saw it. I even had one student say that he believed God wanted me to write the book for that purpose.

I am simply overwhelmed. I take it this is what all writers and musical artist experience when they put projects out their hoping that people actually embrace them. So, hearing the rave reviews on the book doesn’t change my resolve, but it is confirmation for what I trusted God to do. It’s encouraging, but now I must do all I can to continue to get the out to students and those who love them…Just a thought

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Come on In

Think on this…my wife and I enjoy having people over to the house. It’s actually a pleasure to host people and to serve them. I usually cook a lot of food and she labors for hours to get the house ready for our guest. It takes us maybe 6-9 hours of preparation for about 3-4 hours of connection time. It may seem like a waste, but for us it is an act of service that brings blessings to our home.

For the holiday we fed what seemed like the world. There were two soon to be married couples at the house and a college student. Then we had an older couple and their mother as well. There were even more people invited, but they could not make it. The conversation jumped from such trivial issues as the love or hate for thrift stores to weighty issues as breast cancer. The group was so diverse that we all learned from each other.

You see it’s enriching to our lives when we serve others. The Bible says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians 6:7 You see we feed and welcome people, because we love them. Then in response God makes sure that we are taken care of. We don’t do it to receive, but its good to know that as we give out of our desire to love on people we have watched his provision in our lives. It’s a blessing to be able to bless others…Just a thought.