I would like to thank my beautiful and patient wife for taking time to film me ride on my birthday. She did awesome!
Enjoy!!!
Love and Blessin’s,
Birthday Ride
Tag: goals
The cure for anxiety, stress and worry!
It always seems the holidays bring on a new level of stress and worry. Afterwards, many experience a different kind of stress as they decide if this year will be the year they finally make “the change”. Some go back to work and it seems everyone waited until after the holidays to bring the problems in. Either way, if you are human, you know some level of stress, worry, or anxiety.
The most famous sermon ever, the “Sermon on the Mount”, is captured in Matthew chapters 5-7. It takes about 15 minutes to read and is filled with simple and deep truths for all people. The Kingdom of God is mentioned eight times in this relatively short sermon. The famous book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “The Cost of Discipleship” (Nachfolge), is an excellent exposition of the Sermon on the Mount.
How “I will” changes “I didn’t” to “I did”!
“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you are right.” Henry Ford
It took me over 15 years to start writing. I talked myself out of it thousands of times. I would tell myself, “I don’t“:
- have enough time
- know enough information
- have enough content
- know the process for publication
- have a platform large enough to sell any books
- know grammar or spelling well enough
I look over the last few months of blogging, and I can see that once I decided “I will“, then the “I don’t” began shifting to “I didn’t“. I still have a lot to learn, and I am okay with that. Pretty soon, I will look back and say:
“I don’t” became “I didn’t” and “I will” became “I did”
The truth is, I could:
- adjust my schedule to make time
- read more books, listen to podcasts, go to conferences
- write about what I do know, and write more as I learn more
- study the process for publication, talk to other authors
- expand my platform by putting myself out there for others to see
- review language, writing, and spelling classes, and have others proofread before publication
The shift from “I don’t” to “I did” is like the remote control. I can see it across the room, but I have to move to get it.
My first 5k “run” was about 6 years ago. I had never ran more than a mile on purpose before then. Since then, I have “run” two other 5k’s. Each took me between 45-50 minutes.
This year I signed up for a half-marathon. This wasn’t on my bucket list. I am not a “passionate runner”. I ride BMX bicycles and do tricks for fun (more on this on my Wednesday blog).
I am doing this half-marathon for a cause – raise $3,000 to give clean water to communities in Africa. Learn more and/or help support me by clicking here.
When I look back to the day I said “yes” to the the half-marathon, I remember telling myself, “I don’t”:
- have the skill or the time
- have the resources
- have the discipline to exercise for that type of run
- have the capacity to run that long or that far
- know what to expect
In October, I will look back and say:
I didn’t. I did.
Each Sunday we have been talking about weekly planning. Today, I encourage you to think about the “I don’t” that keeps you from making meaningful progress towards a goal you want to achieve.
“I don’t” will not become “I didn’t” until “I will” becomes “I did”.
COMMENT: What is one action (“I will”) you can take to change your “I don’t” to “I didn’t”?
Three keys to successful projects!
I had never replaced a garage door before, but I knew a few things:
- I needed instructions
- I would need help
- It would take time
So, I went to the place where I knew I would find what I needed…YouTube.
The most consistent thing in life!
I love sunsets. The shift from day to night. The end of a productive day. It’s as if all creation is preparing for rest. On Pinterest I have an album where I have pinned some sunset pics others have posted. Check it out!
The most consistent thing in life is change.
God hid my checkbook!
It was about 1998, and Missy (my wife) and I had lost our checkbook. We looked everywhere. Emptied her purse, cleaned out the car, and pulled the cushions out of the couch. It was gone.
We didn’t have any debit card, and the idea of a smartphone was a long way off. We had no way to buy anything without going to the bank and pulling out cash.
And the worst part, the youth group leaders we were working were inviting us to dinner after church. We told Terry that we would love to go, but we had lost our checkbook. Terry understood, and prayed. Then, another couple offered to buy our food that evening.
We pulled up to Ponderosa in Grandview, MO. I opened the car door, and the long lost checkbook literally fell out of the car onto the ground! WHAT? We had cleaned the car. I had gotten in the car through the same door. How did this happen?
I believe a few things took place that Sunday. Continue reading “God hid my checkbook!”