Mind in Motion

In these posts I will discuss topics dealing with daily living to challenge all of us to live to a greater calling and higher purpose.

What’s it worth?

~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

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I watched a movie recently that I had an emotional response to which I absolutely did not expect. I had looked forward to watching this movie, believing that it would be an “edge of my seat thriller.”

The movie was called Everest, recently released in 2015. The story surrounds a tragic expedition in May of 1996, with the goal to reach the summit of Everest.  Climbers from two commercial expeditions were caught by a violent storm, engulfing the adventurers in one of the fiercest blizzards ever encountered by man. It quickly turned into an epic battle to survive against nearly impossible odds. Sounds like the making of a great film doesn’t it? Well it certainly was very well done and I believe it captured the essence of their struggle on top of the world’s most enticing mountain amidst nature wrecking havoc. However, this is not meant to be a movie review.

After watching the movie I was left with an overwhelming sense of frustration and sadness. The emotions were so intense that I vented to my wife for like an hour straight. She just listened like the amazing wife she is– Let me pause for a moment. I was not angry with any one person in particular. I wasn’t angry at the movie producers or directors. I was extremely frustrated with people who choose to risk their lives for a thrill or for a temporary  “accomplishment.”

Spoiler alert: Several people die in this film. One of those is a man who is leaving behind his wife who is seven months pregnant. Being a father and husband myself I cannot imagine risking my life to reach a personal goal, or to be able to say “I did it” for any such accomplishment. I just don’t understand it. The people in the movie reached the summit, they raised their arms, and shouted “Yeah, I made it!” Then they had to start climbing back down because they were literally dying. I don’t want to take anything away from those who have accomplished this incredible feat, but what if they were among those 150 plus bodies still on Everest? What if their families and friends lost them because they felt the need to stand on top of a mountain?

In the movie, one of the climbers is a journalist, Jon Krakauer, who is known mostly for his book “Into Thin Air” which describes the event that the film is based on. Part of me believes that Krakauer wrote that book to discourage future expeditions-but it hasn’t . Two even more tragic expeditions happened after the one this movie is based upon. Anyway, In the movie he asks the climbers the simple question: “Why? Why climb the most dangerous mountain in the world? ”                                                                 No one can really answer. They stumble through the question. One man says that it is to inspire children to try and do the impossible. Others say that they do it because the mountain is there. Krakauer is quoted saying that the Everest climb was the worst mistake of his life and that he suffered from PTSD for years afterwards. I’m sure many climbers share in his sentiments. I understand why people risk their lives to save others, charge into battle to defend the helpless and innocent, run into a burning building to rescue someone trapped, working a life risking job in order to provide for your family, or take a bullet for someone. John 15:13 says that, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” Our lives are no more important than anyone else’s life and to give ours for others is the greatest expression of love their is. But to risk your life to stand on top of a mountain in no way applies to using your life for the betterment of others. It may seem like I’m downplaying what it means to climb Everest, but let’s be honest, it means risking your life to say you stood on top of a mountain. What is that worth? Really…what is it worth? Your family? Your future? Your limbs? Your life?

I don’t know. Maybe I’m struggling with this because I have an extremely high value of life. Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” I don’t think we were created to use our lives on personal accomplishments that could end our lives. I know that this applies to far more than climbing Mt. Everest. My wife challenged me the night I vented to her, about ways that I may devote my life or risk my life for things that don’t matter in the eternal perspective. I have spent about 28 of my 33 years in some way devoted to the sport of wrestling, whether training, competing, or coaching. I admit, looking back, that I poured far too much of myself into that sport. It became a lifestyle not a hobby. I don’t think that sports are a bad thing. I believe they teach people many valuable lessons, and some bad ones as well. I told my wife that wrestling isn’t life threatening so it’s not comparable to hiking Everest. When in reality, the risk is there. Many have become disabled or suffered from the effects of concussions and various other injuries that plague them the rest of their lives. Very few have actually died in that sport, or most other sports, but the same principle applies. People, like myself, devote their life and health, and put relationships at risk in order to accomplish a championship or records. Others risk their families, health, character, etc…in order to become wealthy. I know a young couple who do network marketing and they just reached a major milestone. Both are bringing in a lot of money. But at what cost? They never see each other, or live life right now. They are sacrificing the now, for their future. Which none of us are guaranteed. I have a student who just won a state championship in wrestling. He spent countless hours in hard work to reach that pinnacle. But now that it’s done, what does it matter? He will have a gold medal hanging on his wall and maybe stories to tell for years to come but in the end, what does it matter?

My view of why people risk in order to accomplish is this: they have a hole, a void, within themselves, that they are seeking to fill. Their desire to fill this void is so strong that the cost can never outweigh the benefit of the possibility of filling that “need.”

In the movie Everest, one character, Beck Weathers, said that a dark cloud followed him in life, accept for when he was ascending a mountain. I believe that dark cloud he spoke of is just one illustration of the vacant part of all people who are searching for that missing thing in their life. A major problem is that nothing on this earth will or can ever fill that need. Would you agree that there is a void, a huge one, in all of us? I spent years of my life trying to fill it. Some try to find it through thrills, accomplishments, wealth, or even addictions. I think when being honest, everyone would admit that none of these can satisfy. That’s because they aren’t meant too.

As previously stated, we are created by God. We are His workmanship. This means we’ve been handcrafted by the Creator of all things. We are a masterpiece of the greatest Designer of all time. With that said, we are designed for a purpose. Our purpose is not to climb a mountain or to be a champion at whatever sport or make “X” amount of dollars.  If it were, what a sad and empty purpose that would be.

Ephesians 2:10 says that we are created for good works that God has already prepared for us. What type of good works does the bible talk about? Loving others as ourselves, serving others, laying our lives down for others, and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing can be more fulfilling or rewarding than a life devoted to Christ.

Genesis 1:27 says that God made us in His image and apart from that image we are nothing. Apart from Christ we are nothing. Apart from Christ our lives will be the sum of standing on mountaintops which in the end will mean absolutely nothing once we have eternity laid before us. A life that is devoted to serving Christ and loving others is a life that never,  ever ends. It is a life that has lasting impact on those we leave behind as well.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, what are you willing to trade (and what am I ) in order to reach your mountaintops in life? What cost are you willing to pay for temporal things?

“In him (Jesus Christ) was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” John 1:4

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me (Jesus Christ) will save it.” Luke 9:24

Carry Me

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

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“Carry me”…I have become awfully fond of these two words. I don’t say them, although I should. They aren’t from a favorite song, poem, story, or quote. These words are spoken by the precious lips of my two year old daughter. They sound more like kaywee me but it’s a beautiful sound. She’ll come running up to me or my wife, usually when we are in the middle of doing something, and want us to pick her up. I have to admit, there is a part of me that wants to continue doing the project I’m in the middle of, but I am completely disarmed by those two words.

A month or so ago I was praying with a friend of mine and he spoke the following words, “Lord give us the hearts to run to and want to be carried by you.” My mind immediately envisioned my daughter running to me with her arms out wanting nothing more than to be lifted up and held by me. I confess, I got a little emotional. I kept telling myself that I needed to get it together before we were done praying so my friend didn’t see me crying (I know it’s a dumb guy thing).  But it was pointless because the Holy Spirit was melting my heart. I was overwhelmed by the knowledge that God wants the same from His children-from me. Christ’s entire mission is to heal our hearts and adopt us into the family of God. Our sin no longer stands between us and running up to our Father and speaking these words, “carry me Abba…carry me Daddy…carry me Jesus.”

I don’t think that it does anything to just speak the words unless our hearts actually want to be picked up and held. And more than that, we have to want it continually just like my daughter does. When presented with the choice of walking on her own or being carried by us, our little Anna wants to be held. I know that this won’t always be that way but I am praying that she will have that same, yet greater, dependence on her Father in heaven as she grows older. I am also hoping for that same dependence in my life. I don’t want to have that desire to walk alone when I have been given the choice to say to the Lord, “carry me.” Fortunately He is never too busy and will never tire. I imagine He is simply waiting to hear those two little words from you and me and I have no doubt that it warms His heart more than it even does mine.

Christ calls us to carry our cross and follow Him, but what we sometimes don’t realize is that He will actually carry us and our cross. He will do that because, one, He already carried our cross up Calvary’s hill, and two, because He is perfect love is far greater than any earthly father. From the beginning of time God wanted a relationship with His creation that He made in His image. It’s not a passive relationship, which I’m afraid describes most of our relationships in the western world. He wants the intimate, passionate, heart-felt love that He expressed, not only in making you and me, but in taking our place on the cross. How can we love our earthly family in such a way that our hearts hurt when we are apart yet we struggle to crack open our bibles or spend a few minutes in prayer? God doesn’t deserve a portion of our times when it’s convenient, He deserves the passion of our hearts. The passion that would pay any price so as to never be separated from Him. He deserves followers who act like His children and want nothing more than to please and be with Him. He deserves a love and a humility that would run to Him saying, “carry me” and never want to be put down. I want that heart for myself, for you. For everyone in this hurting, lonely, depressed, prideful, suffering world. What will it take? I’m convinced He has already done enough to make this happen. He risked it all, to carry you. Will you let Him?

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Mark 10:15 (NIV)

I feel like I’m starting to understand what that verse means. Thanks to being a parent I’m learning what it means to be a child. Now to love Him as I should.

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

Cleaning with a dirty rag

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

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I’ve been blessed these last five years to have a Window Washing business that provides my family with a little extra well-needed cash throughout the year. I’ve cleaned a lot of different types of filth off of windows during that time. You’d be amazed at what people allow their windows to look like…During one window job I had an epiphany. I know what you’re thinking: how enlightening can washing windows really be. Well on this occasion it happened to be very inspiring so I’d like to share it with you.

On this day I happened to be doing the windows on this gigantic house. If I lived in a house this size I wouldn’t want to clean my windows either. We’re talking like a 5-6 hour job here with professional equipment. So as the job went on I noticed that it was becoming more and more difficult to get the windows streak and smudge free. I would clean out my gear fairly regularly to ensure that I wasn’t transposing dirt from one window to the next, but after a while that didn’t seem to help. It began to be frustrating. I was getting so close to the end of the job but I wanted to make sure my last window got as clean as my first. It was starting to take a long time just to complete each window.

Then it hit me. I had a super stubborn smudge that would not come out no matter which part of the shammy I used. Each wipe just spread the smudge in a different direction. I just cleaned this shammy too so why wasn’t it doing the job it was designed for? Then a spiritual bomb got dropped on me. “A dirty and used rag, no matter how clean I try to get it, will never be good enough. The rag has to be new.” If you’re familiar with the teaching of Christ you probably have an idea of where this is going.

If you’ve ever used a shammy to clean before you know that no matter how much you clean it, there is still residue from previous uses. There are stains that won’t come out no matter the method of cleaning. Shammies are designed to suck up moisture and clean better than most anything else. They work so well that this can be their downfall as well. My point is, that people and shammies are very similar. We have been designed by our Creator to be so efficient, creative, intelligent, strong, funny, and so much more. Psalm 139:14 says that we have been fearfully and wonderfully made by God and Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God’s workmanship (handiwork/masterpiece). God made each of us for a purpose and equipped us to carry out that purpose way more so than a shammy. But the similarities continue. We are all stained from life…from choices…from sin. And no matter how much we try to clean ourselves, those stains remain. Many of those stains are outwardly obvious and others are below the surface just like the ‘stuff’ held in the fibers of the shammy. We try to purify ourselves by being good, following lists, avoiding bad things, believing in ourselves, reading self help books, listening to motivational speakers, achieving high accomplishments, making money, buying nice things, keeping a smile on our faces, and so much more. All of these things are simply a facade without heart surgery. No matter how good we are in life, our goodness is like a filthy rag compared to the pure holiness of God. Our scars/stains will always affect those around us as well just like my dirty shammy was just smearing the glass. The only way for me to get those windows clean…the only way to be clean ourselves…is to be made new.

Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us that everyone who is in Christ is a new creation. Jesus Christ removes the deepest stains in anyone’s lives. God promises to erase any stain and purify anyone who calls on His name and receives forgiveness through Christ. Just check out Isaiah 1:18. God goes on to tell us in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that Christ, the Holy and Perfect One, died so that we might have the righteousness of God. So our filthy rag becomes a spotless garment pure as the driven snow. So my plea to anyone reading this, who battles with deep seeded scars, struggling to mask pain and hurts from life, if you don’t know Jesus Christ, today is your day. In Him is healing…in Him all things become new…in Him is rest and peace. No formula in life will ever work outside of Christ. Everything else is just cleaning with a dirty rag. And lets be honest, every day we get our shammy dirty in some way and Jesus is the only way to remove it.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

 

 

I’m Back!

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

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My life has been somewhat of a whirlwind the last month and half. My wife and I have sold our home, we’re in the process of buying another home and moving to another town, and my wife had our second child! Beautiful little Selah Autumn was born on October 11. Through these last several weeks I’ve experienced a couple life lessons that I’d like to share with you.

First: Faith is REALLY hard!

While this is not a new concept and this is by no means the first experience in my 33 years that have taught me this crucial life lesson, I have been most definitely reminded of. Previouslyit was my belief that faith was so hard because of the uncertainty that lays ahead. However, this time around it’s been a somewhat different twist. Faith is so hard because we all have a desired outcome. We have a time frame that we want things to take place in and we have ‘expectations’ of what will happen. This is true for whatever the situation is. We wanted our house to sell for a certain amount, we wanted Selah to be born while I was on fall break, we wanted so many of our offers on homes to work out, and we wanted a contract done on a house weeks ago. Guess what…none of those things happened. Faith comes as reassurance that what is taking place is far better than our own desired outcome. When we pray “Lord your will be done in my life” we better mean it because if we don’t we’ll be a mess the whole time God is working His plan out in our life. Faith is believing that God works ALL things out for the good of those who love Him like Romans says.

Second: Perspective is key.

It’s easy to get caught up in our circumstances when they cause us pain, discomfort, and inconveniences. But most of the time, someone has it worse. God cares for everyone’s life and listens to prayers no matter how ‘small’ or ‘big’ they may be. One day I found myself in self-pity wrapped up in anxiety so I started praying. While doing so I found myself praying for those on the streets, women and children caught up in sex slavery, and Syrian refugees forced to flee because of Isis. Instantly my inconveniences didn’t seem like such a big issue. Trust me, I’ve experienced some of the worst pains life can bring (divorce and death of my father to name a couple) and it would be easy to be disheartened and disillusioned by life’s hardships and trials. But it brings life to focus on what we do have, because so many in the world don’t have even a fraction of it.  1502398_10152970238627502_3178632756373832348_o-1024x1024

While so much in this world is uncertain, God’s love and faithfulness are not.

God bless!

 

 

The Hypocrisy of Tolerance in America

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

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Ah yes, bumper-sticker mania. Many a day have I been cruising down the road and noticed one of these labels on the rear bumper of a car. While I believe that the idea behind them are solid, the practice of many who fly the banner of tolerance in this country do so with exception clauses. Allow me to explain through a few examples of questions that are resulting from the tolerance movement.

Intolerance

Why are all religions and opinions encouraged to voice their views in this nation besides Christians and Jews? Why can a person choose a homosexual lifestyle as being okay but a person can’t believe that homosexuality is immoral, because if they do, it’ll result in having their businesses shut down for not condoning it? Why is it when the owner of Chick-fil-A exercised his First Amendment right to be open about his opposition to homosexual marriage and he was heavily criticized yet three mayors — from Chicago, Boston and Washington — retaliated by saying that they didn’t want Chick-fil-A’s business in their city but that isn’t viewed as discrimination? Why is it that Bruce Jenner receives an award for changing his gender and is hailed by the media but people are seen as bigots if they believe that is wrong and promote the idea that we are all created by God to be the gender that He made us to be?  Why is that our nation is allowing Sharia Law in communities but people are demanding that the 10 commandments removed from public places and government buildings? Why is it that we can’t teach the virtues of abstinence and purity in schools but instead “safe sex” outside of marriage is promoted? Continuing on the topic of schools…why is the anti-God evolutionary theory (a theory constantly changing)  taught but a teacher gets ostracized if he promotes a pro-God concept of creation (a concept that has never changed)?  Why is it that people who support the death penalty for criminals who commit heinous crimes are deemed as hateful yet we are supposed to accept the murder of millions of babies a year through abortion because it’s a “choice”? More on that topic…why are people so outspoken for the rights of women to have an abortion but disregard the right of the baby to life?

 

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Tolerance is defined as “the ability or willingness to endure something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with.” The double standards in America are not only hypocritical but they are intolerant.The reality is that many people who promote tolerance should probably scratch out a couple letters on their bumper stickers because what I have been seeing in our modern society is a growing lack of tolerance. The people who hold to the Way , the Life, and the Truth, otherwise known as Jesus Christ, and His teachings, are being less and less tolerated and accepted. Everyone’s personal truth is acceptable in the public’s eye besides those who hold to the truths contained in the Bible, which happen to be the ones that this nation was founded on. I simply don’t understand why the “tolerant” one’s want to silence the voices of those bearing the greatest message of love, peace with God, and the ultimate sacrifice that this world has ever seen. I don’t understand why those bearing a message of purity, sanctity of marriage, standards of morality, and love and obedience to the God that created us are shunned by many in today’s America. Perhaps it’s because of our fallen nature. Perhaps it’s because we don’t want anyone, even God, telling us how to live our lives because, lets face it, that’s just intolerant. Sarcasm aside and regardless of the reason, if I am expected to be tolerant of people promoting values I don’t agree with than those same people should be tolerant of me when I stand for God’s truth and try to share the love of Christ with them.

Romans 5:8 “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

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God Bless!

Inspired by the Padres

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

DATE TAKEN: undated---San Diego Padres minor league pitcher Matt LaChappa. ORG XMIT: UT16841

In this day and age it is easy to criticize professional sports for the amount of money paid out to athletes. Of the four big professional team sports (football, baseball, basketball, and hockey) Major League Baseball does not have a set salary cap for each team. This makes it possible for teams like the Dodgers and Yankees to spend over $200 million on player’s payroll. The San Diego Padres rank towards the bottom of the league teams (22nd) in terms of the payroll amount with $100,675,896. Still a hefty amount, no? The Padres, however, are somewhat unique. If you look at their payroll you’ll find the name of a player who has never played in a major league game for them.

Matt LaChappa was drafted by the Padres as a pitcher 20 years ago yet he hasn’t played since 1996. If you’re a Padres fan the name is probably very familiar. But not because he hit game winning homeruns, or pitched no-hitters. It’s because he has inspired many, and so has the the Padres organization has shown him. While warming up as a relief pitcher in a minor league game, LaChappa, a bright 20 year old prospect, suffered a massive heart attack. This heart attack left him with debilitating brain damage and confining him to a wheelchair ever since. So why is he still being paid?

The Padres director of minor league operations, Priscilla Oppendheimer was quoted saying, “Matt LaChappa is a Padre for life,” She was the one who proposed that the team could just go on paying LaChappa, renewing his basic minor-league contract.

“It was the right thing to do, the right and proper thing,” Oppenheimer. “He’s such a good kid… and I’m so happy the Padres have kept it up after all these years.”

Matt LaChappa has been covered financially since the day of the unfortunate accident because the San Diego Padres have kept up his contract and covered him with medical benefits.

This story is one of those that causes some serious self-reflection. Deuteronomy 16:17 says, “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.” Out of their abundance, the Padres have been giving generously. It’s not a publicity stunt or promotion to raise fans. It’s genuine. I am definitely not as well off as multi-million dollar baseball organizations, but I have been blessed by the Lord far more than I deserve. We all have in fact. Love and compassion is at the very heart of the Gospel. Stories like this show that we should all give to those who can never repay us because it’s right and it’s good and it’s part of what God has created us to do (Luke 14:13-14). Let’s face it…it’s the least we can do in light of what we have received. Because no one has given more generously than God Himself.

“For God so loved the world (for God so loved you and me) that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him wouldn’t perish, but would have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

 God Bless!

Distracted: Who Doesn’t Have ADD These Days?

~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

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Ever watched the movie ‘Up’? If you have you’ll probably remember the part where the Golden Retriever is talking with the man and the boy on their way to Paradise Falls and in the middle of a sentence his attention is stolen away and says, ‘squirrel!’ If you’ve ever had a Golden, they’re just like that and so are a lot of people I know (myself included). There’s a lot to learn from that. In today’s society the ‘skill’ of multitasking is nearly viewed as a virtue. Since I am a high school teacher I’ve witnessed students playing the part more and more over the last 10 years. What’s to blame for this phenomenon? Well I believe it’s more than any one thing and it’s having tragic consequences on people and society as a whole. Allow me to explain.

Technology has given us so many fantastic advancements in medicine, travel, and communications. Such advancements have improved our lives and I would include myself among people who wouldn’t want to live without most of them. But technology is stripping us of our focus. This may not be as true with older generations but people my age (30’s), and definitely younger, rarely do one thing at a time. Even as I type this I am also doing something else, and thinking about countless other things. Why is this possible? Because I have a smart phone that I can use to type a blog and do research at the same time while being involved in other tasks too. On top of that, technology in phones and internet have made it possible to do this quickly so that I can hurry and move on to the next thing on my list. If someone were here with me I am certain I could have a conversation with them while not stopping any of the things I’m currently doing. I say I’m certain but really I’m just deceiving myself, and so is anyone else who thinks they can text, drive, and carry on a meaningful conversation with someone, or any other combination of tasks.

There use to be a time when it was considered extremely rude to not give someone your full attention when talking with them. I’m not too young to have been taught that but I’m also in limbo between the era of manners and the technology revolution. Don’t get me wrong, I know there’s young people still today that honor others by giving them their undivided attention and still have the virtue of focus to a task. But those people are a minority today and I find myself slipping further away from that.

What’s it like to drive in a car with someone, with no music or phone, and carry on a conversation with them…just be with them. I think for far too many in the grand ole US of A that situation doesn’t look familiar, rather the silence would be deafening. How many families sit at home with no tv, movies, or phones, and just talk? How about studying, reading (like a book), cooking, sitting in a meeting, working, hanging with friends and family, etc…? You can continue the list. I find myself doing fewer and fewer things one at a time. I’m living distracted and I sincerely doubt that I’m the only one (more like 90% of Americans). Don’t you love it when someone makes up a stat like that?

We live in a very fast paced society, and that puts pressure on us to keep up or fall behind. Kids are brought up with that engrained in their minds, not necessarily because someone told them that but because they’ve observed those who have gone before them. Older generations are being assimilated into this fast paced technology society as well. What’s the result? Cultural ADD (attention deficit disorder).

Being in a high school I see so many cases of diagnosed ADD and ADHD and many undiagnosed cases as well (me being one). Fewer and fewer people are able to sit for long periods of time or focus on just one thing for a considerable length of time. True, technology has made it possible to accomplish things so much quicker and has even made new achievements possible so there are numerous benefits. However, I would argue we are a people who struggle with balance and because of this, there are tragic consequences.

You’d think multitasking would be exhausting…but wait…we have caffeine for that. I would argue that people’s emotional stability suffers as well. I know there’s a fix for that too; but let’s get real for a minute. Technology keeps a lot of people from being content. I doubt that would come up in a counseling session but think about it. Technology has made it so that we need to be doing something (and mostly doing multiple somethings) to be content. Watch a teenager get his or her phone taken away or observe the modern family at dinner all plugged in and you’ll see what I’m saying. It’s getting harder for our society to be happy and content with less or waiting for anything. Ever get anxious if someone doesn’t text you back right away? The conversation we’re having with the person right in front of us isn’t good enough so we need to be texting others too. Ever get frustrated when the web page doesn’t load instantly? Take technology out of our lives and we become discontent because it’s becoming more than advancement, it’s becoming a crutch.

Not only is our emotional wellness at risk but so are our relationships. But I have 398 Facebook friends and many more following my Twitter feed, I’m relating just fine. Actually I don’t have either one. I’m talking about the people we invest time and energy in doing life together. We’re all faced with the same question each day. We have 100% of our time in our hands…how many people and things are we going to parcel that out to? The greatest relationship that struggles because of technology is our relationship with God. Because of our fast paced culture we ‘don’t have time for God’ and more and more are saying that ‘we don’t need God’ because of this false sense of security in ‘our advancements’. When that relationship suffers everything falls apart and that’s when nations implode and relationships become unhealthy. Jesus Christ said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew‬ ‭22:37-39‬) I would say we can’t do either one effectively while we’re plugged in and with divided attention. No one can do more than one thing at a time 100% well.

I still believe there’s hope for myself and everyone else who relates to what I’m talking about. That hope lies in setting our priorities on God and people, slowing down and being present, and finding that balance with technology so that we’re running it and it’s not running us. We can and should use technology to advance and reach out to a hurting world but not at the expense of what matters most…the One who created us and the the one’s He has blessed us with. Alright my daughter is awake from her nap, time to unplug and hang with my princess.

God Bless!

The ‘Good Enough’ in All of Us

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

imageThe other day I was working out and I arrived at a point where I almost always come to…the crossroads where I decide whether I’ve done enough or if I should complete the full workout that I set out to do. Now for those of you who workout I know you’ve been here. You may not have this internal battle as frequent as me but I’m sure you have none the less. If you have no idea what I’m talking about let me paint the picture and I’m sure you’ll be able to associate it with something more common in your life.

So here we go. Forty five minutes or so into lifting weights my body is starting to fatigue. My mind takes note of this and starts having a dialogue with itself. (I swear I don’t have multiple personalities). Thoughts of all the things I could be doing instead start to flood in. Then what seems like the minority voice in my head says, “you won’t be lifting again for several more days, just finish.” Then here comes the argument, “you’re 33 and you’re not training for anything. Why be so hard on yourself?” I could give you the entire conversation but I think that’s probably adequate.  I am at a place where I have achieved enough but not as much as I could or initially even wanted to. The barrier to moving on lies fully in my mind. My body is no where near its limit yet it’s decision time once again.

I have made up my mind to try and not give in to the part of me that would limit how I live, even in the small stuff like working out. I call this the ‘good enough mentality.’ Now you might be thinking that I’m blowing this out of proportion but bear with me. This scenario is common in so many areas of daily life. Your job, projects around the house, serving others, loving others, giving time and money, taking care of possessions…you name it…it fits.

I want to clear something up before I say any more. I am not promoting perfectionism by any long shot. Perfectionism is a false belief that any of us could be perfect at all short of a relationships with Jesus Christ. I am talking about taking short cuts in life. I would venture to say that whenever one does something of importance in life the ‘good enough monster’ is going to come out to convince you that you don’t need to do something to your greatest ability every time. Thoughts like ‘you loved well enough today,  you did your job well enough or as good as the next person, you’ve given your share, you’ve prayed enough, you’ve eaten well ‘most’ of the week (or more like you had one good meal today in my case) so splurge a little, you’ve spent enough time with your spouse and/or kids…I don’t think I need to go on. These thoughts are poisonous.

Giving in to the good enough leads to compromise that will more than likely affect more than one area of your life. Would cutting my workout short mean I would start neglecting my family or job? Who knows. If you phrased it like that anyone would laugh at the connection. But what if you asked the question more like, “if I settle for good enough in one area of my life, won’t I be far more likely to settle in other places too?”

Colossians chapter three in the bible puts it like this, “whatever you say or do, do all things to the best of your ability like your doing it for Christ” (my paraphrase of course). That doesn’t leave room for short cuts or the ‘good enough’ side of us to come out. Plus, who is getting cut short in the process? Rarely just the person giving in to doing good enough. We owe it to the people in our lives to not settle for doing good enough. More importantly, we owe it to our God who didn’t settle when creating us or dying on the cross to save everyone who would believe in Him. So let’s live and love and serve and give greatly, not just good enough.

God Bless!