Put Down the Balls!

     One of the many Legacy’s my Dad has given me is the power of His life verse. My Dad’s life verse is Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” And this last week it brought renewal, revival, and refreshment to the heavy load I was carrying around.
      As I found myself overwhelmed with trying to juggle my passions, goals, and pursuits it seemed like I was maintaining mediocrity at best when I desired excellence in all areas. When I was starting to feel good about one area, the others seemed to be neglected. As I was studying my scripture memory cards one night I felt God’s prompting to spend this week memorizing my Dad’s life verse. I spent as much time as I could with this verse while praying, running, driving, and studying. As I was driving in to work one morning and God's reminder hit me like a brick in the face. Here I was trying to juggle all of these different things at the same level of importance as my relationship with the Lord, and I was feeling stretched thin and burnt out because 100% of my focus wasn't on the right thing, God. I felt God telling me that if I do exactly like this verse said and “Seek Him first,” then all of the other passions and desires that He has given me will fall into place. So I pressed the reset button, put down all of the balls I was trying to juggle, and set my focus on Him.
      Setting out to be diligent and disciplined about this over the last seven days, I have experienced God’s power and grace in an amazing way. This was one of the busiest weeks I have had in awhile and it seemed that when I had free time my minutes were like hours and I was incredibly productive. My time with the Lord was fruitful and empowering and filled me up to the point of overflowing. When it was late at night or early in the morning I had the motivation and energy to get up and study, do my workouts, and practice. When with my wife and daughter God’s love seemed to poor out of an endless supply. Before, I had been spending time with the Lord daily, but when I made Him my primary desire it was a game changer.
      God is a God that “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20) and when we seek Him first, He will take all of the passions and desires that He has put in us and work them together, laboring out of His energy (Colossians 1:29), to do exceedingly and abundantly more than all we could ask or imagine.

     This week, put God as your focus, spending time with Him first and foremost at the beginning of your day, reading the Bible, praying, and memorizing His Word, and watch how He will blow it out of the water and do exceedingly and abundantly more than you could ask or imagine.

                                               

                                                   Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children...”

A Different Kind of Weekend Planning....

Making service a part of your family’s values.

I have a few friends that come to mind when I think of the word service. They are the kind of people that will do anything to help out a person in need at moments notice. I have been thinking this week about our family and how I would like this value of service to be more of a part of what we do. It is my goal when making plans for the weekend to plan something that will bless someone, a family, or a group of people, and to make time to go do that as a family, amidst all of the things on our agenda. It could be making cookies or a meal for someone, making crafts for people at the local elderly home, mowing a yard, trimming a tree, or writing a letter of encouragement, the possibilities are endless.I am sure that we will find much more joy, love, and unity as a family as we try to put more of the selfless pursuits into the seemingly packed schedule. I am excited to pray together as a family and ask God what He would like us to do this weekend. So join us as we try to change the way we plan. A little thing, a big thing, a random thing, even if you just want to sing, as long as it is a blessing.

When we do these things, Jesus said this will be God's response to us (Matthew 25:40) ‘‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’’

Let's make service a part of our families DNA.

                                                 Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children...”