Every generation needs a hero to start a revolution, and God often sends the hero that nobody wants to do what no one expects.

Gideon and Samson are the more popular examples from Judges.  Jesus; however, is the ultimate example.

• Life will kick you in the pants, but my God kicks harder.
• That’s right!  My God is MY God.
• I believe when I finally get to ask the Apostle Paul how cool it was living during the early church that he’ll ask me how cool it was to live during the last days.
• 1 Corinthians 13:11 is my goal as a Student Pastor.
• Great Day To Be Alive by Travis Tritt could possibly the greatest song ever.  Especially given that Darrell Scott, the author, was having a terribly bad day when he wrote the story.
• Some people say that we live in the worse time in the history of the world.  I say that we live in the best times ever.

Lately, my job (my “real” job) has me and my co-workers working upwards to twelve hours per day including weekends.  Through all of this working two thoughts have come to mind:

1. I have a new-found respect for men/women who work these long hours on a regular basis.

In fact, it is normal for them to pull 50+ hours per week.  I’m used to 40 hours even.  No more.  No less.  But I’m learning that these long hours are tiring, but sometimes necessary.

2. “Sometimes when we ask God for a harvest he gives us a handful of seeds. Stop expecting a handout, & do some work.”

God gave me this thought on July 4th.  What’s funny is that God knows I could use the extra cash so he’s given me an opportunity to work extra hours to get overtime pay.  Wow!  God’s got a wicked sense of humor.

But at the end of these long days I can sit back and revel in the knowledge that God has taken care of me, and got me through it yet again.  Wow!  How awesome is God?

This got me thinking: how many days have I lived?  The answer: 10,345.  This gives me 17,030 days left to live assuming that I’ll live for the number of days above.  The question now is how will I live these days.  The only answer I can give is the best I can while making sure that God is first in everything I do, as well as, spending as much time with Bridgett and my family as I can.

Do the math, and leave me a comment with how many days you have left and how you’ll use those days.

At our churches, we are always looking to do something new.  Are we really doing something new or are we doing something old and claiming it as new?

Just a thought.

What’s your take?

So true!

Makes me wonder why we (and I mean WE for our own individual lives) rationalize a problem away instead of eliminating it when it is recognized.

What’s your take?

“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God…” (NKJV, emphasis mine).

There was no form or reason to anything of the earth. It was chaotic. “Then God” showed up. God came on the scene, and everything changed.

It got me thinking.  How many times have you thought that Murphy’s Law had just taken affect in your life?  Where everything is going to hell in a hand basket, then you had a “Then God” moment?  That miraculous moment when God seemingly shows up (although he’s always been there), and turned all of your circumstances back around to your favor.

If you’re that person who’s going through too much where it seems that you can’t handle it anymore?  Where you just need some relief from all of your problems?  Please hold on for your “Then God” moment.  God hasn’t left you, and we won’t now or ever.  And if you want me to pray for you, then please leave me a comment, and I will.

Here’s the way I see it.  Everything gets accomplished through some sort of motivation.  We are either motivated by forces outside of our control or we motivate ourselves.  Either way, motivation is what gets us up to accomplish whatever we need to do.

Back to me.  What motivates me?  Sadly, I’m not always sure.

I know how I want to be motivated.  Simply put: to make God smile.  I just want to make God happy.  Like a son wanting to make his dad smile.  But I can’t say that this is always true for things that I do.  And, that makes me sad.

I’m not perfect.  I never claim perfection, because I know I’m fallible, and although I am a youth pastor I pray that other people will know this, too.  But that doesn’t exempt me from trying, and from here on out I’m making a life-changing choice in determining that everything I do will be influenced by one sole motivation: to make God smile.

So, chime in!  What’s your motivation?

Thinking about my life brings a lot of things to my mind. A quick list would be:

• Why was I born in South Carolina?  Why not another state or even another country?
• Why did I grow up a part of the IPHC?
• How cool was it to race bicycles around my parents house?
• It was more awesome when I hit a golf ball over the same house with a sand wedge (woohoo, I didn’t break a window!).

Honestly, what comes to my mind every year on my birthday is how God chose my birth date and time to bring me into human life.  Then how he chose my parents and family.  Then how he chose where I was to live, grow up, and reside.  Then who he chose what schools I would attend.  What friends I’d hang with.  What teacher’s I’d have.  What companies I’d work for.  What churches I’d serve.  My wife.  My personality.  My likes and dislikes.  My interests.  My calling as a pastor.

Then I think about the future.  How God will direct my life day-by-day.  How many kids will I have: blood-born and adopted?  How long will Bridgett and I be alive together?  Will we ever move to another community, state, or country?  Where will God take us?  Will God allow me to become a senior pastor?

These are just a few questions that I have.  And to think of it, I don’t want answers right now.  I want experience them as the answers are provided.  I love my life, and can’t wait for what’s next.