Branded X

I was watching the show Brand X the other night and they were in the midst of an interesting social experiment. One of the audience members stated he was on the way to South Beach a.k.a. Miami, for sex to put it bluntly and the Russel Brand volunteered a backstage area as a porn shoot. (I haven't lost you yet have I? Keep following, I'm going somewhere.) So the debate came to the rest of the audience if they wanted to watch this unexpected turn of events and one woman, mature in age, stated that even though she knows the amount of pornography produced in America and around the world, she's never confronted with it publicly even though she knows it happens and it is against her morals. Now here is where we get to the heart of the matter because Russel points out that we as a society know that immorality and injustice exists and is happening all around us but as long as we are never confronted with them personally, we continually go along with the status quo. Too often we shake our heads at crimes we hear on the news and other things but when more schools are closing, communities are failing, bullying is still rising, shelters are falling apart, racism, sexism, and the list goes on but we do not take a stand on these things. God never wants us to accept things as status quo; He wants us to do justice and judgment (Proverbs 21:3) . In a world where there seem to be me more priests and Levites and less good Samaritans, people are hurting and left on the side of the road because society has said its a sad situation but it is what is. God is calling us to something higher than to accept things as is; He put in us to be different and to change situations. The first step to greatness is to not turn a blind eye but rather, extend a warm hand to those who are suffering in a cold world (Luke 10:25-37).

Willing To Wait

Recently, I mean very recently in December 2012, I saw a line begin to form one evening in front of a shoe store on Candler Rd in my hometown of Decatur, GA and the next early morning, the line got even bigger.  One can assume it was for the Jordan 4 or the D Rose 3 shoe; in any event, it was cold and the store was not going to do a midnight sale so those people had to wait.  It made me think, people can discipline themselves to wait for anything and go to any lengths if they think it is worth it.  We can hardly wait for the dinner to get done or for microwave popcorn to finish or even for a friend to hurry up so that we can get to where we are going; we have to build up patience for those things because in reality, those things are not of great value to us.  But things we really value and want to happen, we become very patient for it.  So I think that is an approach we should to take to our dreams and goals as well.  In Luke 2, Simeon was promised to see Christ before it was over and so he waited.  Abraham, in Genesis 12 and 13 was promised to have essentially, a nation of children but he had to wait on his first child with his wife, Sarah.  And there are so many other examples I could give.  The point is, we must have patience for things to happen because, like those customers that waited for about 15 hours in the cold, anything of value is not going to be given over night.  In the book, Outlier by Malcolm Gladwell, he gives us the "10, 000-Hour Rule," which is to work on your purpose, your dream, your goal, for a long period of time, working out the kinks and the wrinkles so that it and you are perfected.  It takes time + dedication (patience in other words) = to get perfection but you have to be willing to go through whatever it takes, good and bad, cold and hot, sun and rain, days and weeks, months and years.  In this smart phone and facebook/twitter/instagram society we tend to think that things should be done in a blink of an eye and that our dreams and goals should get presidential treatment (never having to wait on anything); but if you look at what it took for the person to become president, all the years of hard work plus the amount of the babies kissed, its no wonder he or eventually she, does not have to wait for an elevator or an airplane or limo.  So remember to go for your dreams and purposes but remember that it takes patience to keep going after them, and if you read Hebrews 11, you may not see the full completion of it in your lifetime but that does not mean you give it up.  Run with patience until your task is complete.

Expecting The Red Light

I am reading Justin Halpern's I Suck at Girls (who also wrote Sh*t My Dad Says) and I get to a chapter "sometimes you have to be hurled off a diving board against your will" in which Justin is retelling a story of his dad teaching him to drive. In this lesson Justin's dad would set up goals of driving from home to a place in ten minutes without breaking the law, with the pressure of having emergency scenarios. Justin stated that this type of pressure would not help him pass the driving test and his dad responded "I'm not teaching you to pass a test, I'm teaching you to drive." Justin's dad was teaching him to drive this way because his dad taught him to swim that way, which consisted of Justin being picked up by his swimming trunks and thrown off the diving board into the deep end (side note: I guess the best way to find out what is in you is to be forced to use it under extreme conditions i.e. young eagles pushed out of the nest). But back to the driving story, Justin is reaching his destination in good time before his ten minutes are up and he is noticing that one light before the street he is supposed to get to is still green. Now he begins to over think his situation and starts expecting the light to turn red. In a panic he starts slowing down while he's approaching the green and then hits the gas on yellow but by then the light turns red and Justin and his dad almost get into an accident.  Just think of what would have happened if he did not slow down at all. God gives us gifts and abilities and is right there with us, giving us wisdom and instructions and letting us know that we can go forward because we have the opportunity but we limit ourselves by over thinking and not understanding that God has put in us the ability to make the green light. Peter started walking on water but his expectation was that the wind and waves would make him sink and Jesus told him is all he had to do is have faith (Matthew 14:  22-33). We should have faith that we can walk on water and make that green light because God is right there with us every step of the way and the choice is up to us if we will go in faith or push on the breaks in fear but remember, in that decision, it will affect the destination on the other side because this is not about passing one test, this is about making the journey through life.

What's Your Religion Kid?

Earlier today, and I mean literally earlier today (October 18, 2012), I got asked about my faith in Christ by someone is looking to start a new chapter in life and it honestly took me off guard.  Now, since I started this blog I have talked about God and Christ but in the context of destiny and achieving life goals.  But the biggest thing I believe God wants us to do in all that we do is to glorify Him and show that we are His and that He puts us in position to be successful.  And with that success, we should be able to give others hope that God, first of all is love, and that He wants to put us all into great lives.  But, that's just the beginning of it.  It has been said and it is worth repeating that Christ Jesus did not take up a cross just for us to have a "good life" which is whatever you think of when it comes to having a good life (mostly material things).  Christ gave us a more abundant life that rather we work for a fortune 500 company or we make ends meet, God will take care of us and will show us that He is with us if we trust in Him fully.  That being said, when people look at our lives they should know God is with us and when they come with questions we should have answers for them because God just doesn't give us blind faith, He gives us love, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and when people see those qualities being used it is a very attractive thing.  Therefore, we should be ready to answer if someone asks, "what's your religion kid?"  Because those days will come and when they do come it's our chance to glorify God even more (1 Peter 3:15). Remember what the cross is about: dying for our sins and the Resurrection so that not only we can go to God our Father without shame, but that we also do not have to fear death because God is with us.  So next time, don't be nervous to share all that God has done for you because it gives hope to everyone.

YOLO!

YOLO! YOLO! YOLO! YOLO! Its a growing catch phrase since the song The Motto right? (Thanks Drake) But maybe its a wake up call for all of us too. You Only Live Once! Take a moment and think about it (I'll wait).  As MC Jin says (before he recorded YOGO), you only live once so never think twice, unless its to consider if its really worth the price.  So many times, we waste our time on things that really do nothing for ourselves or others. For some reason we either think we have all the time in the world or we have not counted the cost of what we put our time and effort into. It is funny how God gives us little to make much out of it and the number of days we live is no exception (Psalms 90). Here in America, its been put in our minds that our life is go to school, go to church, get a job, get married, get a house, get kids, retire as grandparents, maybe become great-grandparents, then die. Sounds ideal, but can we honestly say that we have seen and heard so many people that have regrets over the life choices they have made. How many marriages that have lasted 30 or 40 years end terribly or people become lost because of retirement or because of a lay off. Life is really an opportunity and life as a whole should not be wasted. If you love someone, family, friends, spouse, coworkers, tell them. If you are in position to help someone, help them. If there is a gift or talent that you have, use it, and use it for a purpose. If you think you do not have a special gift, help someone develop theirs. The one thing that can still sting you other than a heart break is a regret but, unlike a heart break, a regret is something you never even tried to do. You can correct choosing the wrong answer on a test but you can never correct a no answer. God has always called for us not to waste time because we only have so much of it to use and when its gone, its gone. Ask any professional athlete about time and chance; they can tell us all about it being now or never and that we should leave it all on the field, because in truth, there is only one chance, one shot, one opportunity, to fulfill your purpose.  And since all of us only lives once, we might as well give what we got and make this one shot we call life, a bulls-eye! Go for it because the kingdom of God is in you.

http://www.4regeneration.com/yolo/

Opportunity Is Always Knocking

I'm a huge wrestling fan, and somehow I began thinking on something that happened a few years ago when Lex Luger had a world championship match with The Giant (later to be named The Big Show).  Now, the first match, Luger missed the title match because of "traffic" so he granted another title match in which he missed again because of a "canceled flight."  After not one but two back to back opportunities there was a question of why Luger would miss two big opportunities back to back when world title matches aren't just granted to people on a whim.  Even his best friend, Sting, got in Luger's face about Luger's lack of focus concerning the most important opportunity of a life time.  Of course, since it is wrestling, Luger finally accepted the task and got his world title match opportunity.  And this is where, as the old saying goes, this is where the rubber meets the road because how many times have opportunities stared us in the face and we let trivial things stand in our way.  Sometimes, we look for heaven to open up and expect to see God's Hand point in a certain direction when He's actually already leading us in the little things we do daily. In Ecclesiastes 9:10 it says, "Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you go."   You could find yourself giving art advice to a kid and discover maybe you're an art teacher or cook so many meals that you can be a chef or run a soup kitchen or be good at technology and there could be an IT career right at your door.  Like I said, opportunities are all around us and if instead of waiting for God to give us a goose bump about our destiny when He daily shows us our destiny everyday.  So think about all the opportunities you receive everyday and ask yourself are you taking advantage of it.  Remember, the race is not the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all (Ecclesiastes 9:11).  Your time and chance is here and now so what will you do with it.

Bound By Water

While I'm on vacation at Myrtle Beach taking a walk along the shore I look out and see nothing but water-I mean there are no buildings on the other side, no mountains, just water for however far it is till there is something else. But what I also noticed is no one was willing to explore beyond waist level what was on the other side (and for good reason). It brought to mind a Star Wars clip in Robot Chicken where this sea creature, Krayt Dragon, was talking to another dragon on their limitations and there has to be more to their lives than in the water and the first dragon thought he could live out of the water. Eventually, that Krayt Dragon had the courage to see if he could actually go beyond his bounds of habitation (Acts 17: 26). Now the results of this exploration in Robot Chicken clip and the actual Star Wars was that this dragon's bones were found dried in a desert.  Obviously, the Krayt Dragon had zeal without knowledge but at least he tried. So many times, we blast people for getting things started but never finishing but we often lose an important lesson and that is, sometimes you just have to go for it and just maybe that will inspire and motivate others to come help you and close the deal, a la Lebron James and D-Wade or Denver Broncos defense and Tebow Time. Now, let's make it known for those who didn't try to swim out into the deep waters at Myrtle Beach, were doing the right thing because if you're not trained for that distance or if you're not in a boat, you're setting yourself up for failure. God gives us zeal but He also gives us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to go along with the passion inside of us because even though He does have us do things that are weird in man's eyes, He will never have us ignorant because He wants us to go beyond what's in front of us no matter how big it may seem, to get to the other side. So the question is, are you ready to find out what is on the other side of your coast line and are you preparing yourself to make it happen?  Remember with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Right In Front Of You

Sometimes I think we look for "x marks the spot" maps for success when truthfully, we should just look in the mirror.  Think about your wins and losses and what is the most constant thing-you are.  You are the x factor.  Its been quoted since the day it has been said but until its realized in everyone it must be repeated:  the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21)!  I was talking to a coworker and he told me the story of his friend who worked for this lawn company-his friend was on his first day after training looking around all morning for a house he was scheduled but couldn't find it; so he started crying and took a cigarette break and just when he was about to cut his loss on his quota and go on to the next house, he looks up and not only sees his first house but also the next few houses he's supposed to do right around the block.  Its a much funnier story than the way I said it but you have to understand the meaning; this guy went all around the world to find something that was close by the whole time, and not just one house but other houses too.  See God has put something in each of us not just for the moment but for work on the line also.  Think about it, a kingdom is, for lack of a better word, big, so you can just use your imagination when you think of a kingdom-and God put a kingdom inside all of us.  Its not something you have to go on an adventure for to find, or fight a war to take over someone else's kingdom as your own; all you have to do is submit to God's Way and He will bring it out of you in wherever your destiny is supposed to be.  Now you will have to make some sacrifices and do some work to reach that potential inside of you but as we all know, you'll be better in the end for it.   So lets stop asking God to bring things together for us and lets start asking Him to stir up what is in on the inside so that we can give it back to those who need to see that they are not far off from where God wants them to be as well.

Legend & Legacy

In the wake of a loss of a great singer Whitney Houston and what her life has meant to people all over the world, let us not forget what this legendary figure has taught us in her legacy. In all of her accomplishments we should understand that all of us have a great gift inside of us and that we should not be afraid to share it with the rest of the world. Who knows how many people we can inspire and encourage to bring forth what God has put in them. We all can reflect on Whitney Houston's career and all of the great songs from such a beautiful voice that brought so many to have hope and brought many to tears of joy through her words. Imagine, if she never picked up a microphone because she was afraid or thought someone was better than her; think of moments when you heard her sing and how her voice lifted you. Remember, you can do the same thing also with what is inside of you. Greatness is inside all of us and at this very moment, we need to ask God to give us the wisdom to "crack the bottle" sort of speak and unleash what we have kept hidden because the world is waiting for the light in you to shine (Romans 8:19). Do not wait another moment to get in gear the destiny that lies before. God will lead you every step of the way but hasten to His throne first so He can bring the greatness out of you. What legacy will you leave behind for future generations?