So... What Did You Learn?

At the end of a year it is so important to begin to focus on the year ahead of you. However, I feel that it is just as important to take some time to reflect on the year behind you. The reason why you and I need to reflect is that we truly learn when we reflect. Just plugging away, doing the same thing we do everyday will not teach us lessons we need for this life.

So I gotta ask? What have you learned in 2006? What has happened and how have you responded to it?

Before you answer that question, I'll tell you some things that I have learned.

-On my trip to Nicaragua I learned to be thankful. In an American culture where we take, take, take, and want more I don't think we realize what we really have. If you have $20 in your pocket to spend however you wish you are doing better than most of the world around you. So for that I am thankful.

-Through a few rough experiences I have learned to stand in the midst of people disagreeing with my opinions. That was very hard for me to do because I want everyone to be happy. However, I am quickly learning that if I don't set my agenda that other people will set it for me.

-Throughout 2006 I have learned that there is still so much more of God to be discovered. The depths of his love are endless, and the heights of his majesty are limitless. He is truly amazing. If you have yet to experience a true relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ I recommend you give it serious thought. Your life will change. It won't all be easy either. But the trade is more than worth it.

My prayer for you is that 2007 will be the best year of life for you yet. But don't forget to stop and reflect to learn along the way. You will never regret slowing down for a moment to grow wiser from your past.

-PD-

Full Speed Ahead

Lately it seems like I have been pressed on pretty much every side. Opposition and challenges are coming one right after the other. It seems like as soon as I deal with one and resolve that issue, another one pops up. On more than one day I've thought "What the heck is going on?".

One thing God is teaching me through this all is to keep my focus on the direction I need to be going. When I ran cross country in high school our coaches drilled into us to never look at the ground when we ran. We were supposed to focus on a point far ahead of us. The reason was that we would become distracted and mentally defeated if we focused only on where we were at in the moment. I am finding the same to be so true in my life right now. The temptation is to focuse on the "pains" of running right now and to flirt with the idea of taking a detour, or even worse, quit the race set before me. But that is not an option for those who are called heavenward. Just check out Philippians 3:14 and see where our focus is supposed to be. I am not saying that I am neglecting my responsibility to resolve current issues. That is not Godly at all. I am saying that my resolve to press through this moment to get to the finish line is greater than it has ever been before.

It never ceases to amaze me how God uses the junk in our lives to produce strength.

God is pretty dope if you ask me.

Thankful

I just got back from a ten day trip to Nicaragua. We worked hard, sweat, prayed, served, played with kids, sweat, served, prayed and sweat some more. It was an amazing trip. While we down there it was amazing to see everything that they don't have. Warm showers were a luxury, electricity was a perk, flushing toilet paper didn't happen (in the garbage can it went), and did I mention people were poor?

I have come back so thankful for everything that I have in my life. From a nice house to live in to a nice motorcycle to ride I am beyond blessed. I will forever remember what I saw and how fortunate not only me, but everyone who lives in the United States is. The average person in Nicaragua only makes $2800 a year. Most people make that a month.

So count your blessings and take a hard look at your thankfulness level. Are you thankful? You should be.

Searching For Significance

There are so many directions we can go in this life. We could literally choose to become one or more of thousands of things. We can be prep, goth, punk, emo, playa, playa hater, Jesus Freak, reclusive, extroverted, fun, boring, athletic, a gamer, and the list goes on and on. In the midst of all these possibilities I find myself feeling empty as I read through the list. I just can't shake the feeling that belonging to one social group or having a certain set of talents is all that this life is about.

So I guess you could say that I am searching for significance. I want my life to matter in the end. I want it to be said about me at my funeral that I made an impact on this spinning globe during my life time. And I want the people talking about me to be telling the truth and not just "being nice". Because in the end what does really matter? Will it be my money, my cars, my motorcycle, my house? What really matters? I know that having stuff is not bad but if that is all one has do they really have anything at all?

I know that there is a higher purpose for life. I find it in God's word and it challenges me to live for Him. Because it is in him that I find my purpose and my significance. Just like a car knows best how to be driven by its designer my life is best handled in the palms of my creators hands.

Yes I am still searching for significance, but I think I found the path.

What are you searching for and how are you finding it?

PD

Wanting More

Have you ever come to the end of a movie and found yourself saying "Is that it? Its over!" I have sat through many movies like that. I know what it is like to be left wanting more, and today I do want more. I want more of God. I am at a point personally where I am nearing desperation to hear his voice clearly again because I want more.

I have been at this Christianity thing for quite some time. I was raised in a Christian home and was at church pretty much every time the doors were open. However, my life began to change radically after I re-committed my life to Christ after my seventh grade year. That is when I made my faith my own.

Since then, I have been really close to God some days and have been distant from him other days. I'm not talking about salvation or my final destination. I'm saved by grace through my faith in his son Jesus. I'm talking about the depth of my relationship with my creator. Some days I swear I hear his voice loud and clear. Other days, I don't hear a thing. But I want more.

I don't want to go back the "good old days of my relationship" with God because I can't. I want to go forward to experience even more than I ever have before. The God who created the heavens and the earth is waiting to reveal more of himself to me. Just like an iceberg is mostly under the surface of the water and "invisible" until you dive deep our God is deeper than the deepest ocean. I want more.

How much I experience of my God is completely up to me. What do you want more of?

Jeremiah 29:12-14 (NLT) In those days when you pray, I will listen. [13] If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. [14] I will be found by you," says the Lord.

Unmerited What!?

For the longest time I had no concept of Grace in my life. I was always working to earn God's love in my life. It took me years to finally understand that I simply cannot buy it, earn it, or wish God's love into my life. I was trying to earn something that was being offered for free: God's Grace. I could tell you about my spiritual disciplines (praying 2 hours everyday, fasting once a week, street witnessing every week, etc...). The sad thing is that even though I was doing all those things, I was not content in life. Something was missing. I now know that something was God's grace. Now that I understand what grace is I am much happier, and am enjoying life now more than ever before.

In most churches you will hear the word Grace defined as "God's Unmerited favor towards us". But what in the world does that really mean? Unmerited=unearned. Okay got that. Favor=God really likes us??? It can be so confusing to understand what Grace really is. What do you say Grace is? How should God's grace in our lives cause us to live? How has grace changed your life?

What Were You Thinking!!!!!!!!

There have been so many times in my life when I have done some pretty stupid things. I've been locked out of my house, put on the wrong clothes for an event, said things that I wish I could have taken back, and the list goes on. I have had to ask myself many times "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" The reality is that I do stupid things. The reason why I do stupid things is because I am either not thinking or just thinking the wrong thing. It never ceases to amaze me how what I think (or not think) impacts my life.

I am learning that in order to achieve the future dreams and goals I have for myself that I am going to have to keep my thoughts in check. I know I am gonna make mistakes, but I also realize that I have to put my all into thinking on purpose.

What do you think? (Ha! Get IT!?).