A Wasted Day?

Yesterday I played hooky with my wife. Yes, on a “work” day, we drove about two hours north and hung out in Port Huron, Michigan; a place we had never been. No phone calls. No work at all. No agenda. For those of you who don’t know me, this sort of thing is very difficult for me to do.

A friend of mine just spent the day there with his wife and he recommended it to me, so I decided to kidnap Connie and do the same thing. And, it was truly an awesome day.

Not only was the weather perfect, but we were both amazed at the color of the water in the St. Clair River (shown in picture above) and in Lake Huron. It literally looked like we were staring at the crystal blue water of the Caribbean. But it was only two hours from our home. Incredible.

We spread out a blanket and ate a picnic lunch by the river. We took a leisurely walk. Then we drove to a beach on Lake Huron which reminded us of beaches in Cancun. Again, amazing.

Another great part of our day was the two hour car ride there and back. It gave Connie and me some great time to talk and to listen to some great teachings on CD by Joyce Meyer which really hit home with us.

Yes, you might say I wasted a work day and I might agree with you. However, I believe I invested a day…in my relationship with my wife. And you want to know something that I discovered? The world was still spinning on its axis when we got back. Imagine that.

The Power of Failure

I was watching Joyce Meyer on TV with my wife Connie a few days ago. She had John Maxwell on as her guest. To be honest with you, I can't remember what it was they were talking about exactly. However, I remember one thing that John Maxwell said that has still stuck with me.

He said, "We impress people with our success but we impact people with our failures."

Wow. I know this to be true, but why is this?

Here are a few reasons why I agree with Maxwell that we impact others through failures more so than through successes:

• I listen to people who seem like they have it all together. But I really listen if they reveal to me that they have failed. Perhaps it is their humility that draws me toward them. Humility significantly increases the chance of making an impact.
• All of us fail at times. We are thus able to relate more easily to those who have also failed.
• When someone is really hurting about something, who else can best speak to that wound? Someone who has been wounded in the same way.

So remember, God never wastes a hurt. Fail forward!

Choices

I have heard it said that life is about choices and our choices will determine how fulfilled we are in our lives. I believe this 100%.

Joyce Meyer has said that love is not a feeling, it is a choice. When we are married, there will be times that we don't really like our spouses. However, we need to choose to love them anyway. Hollywood messes up our minds on this by trying to get us to buy in to the notion that love is a feeling. Not true.

A friend of mine asked me the other day, "Jim, if someone spit on you does that make you angry?"

I said, "Absolutely!"

He said, "No, it doesn't. It makes you wet. It is your choice to become angry."

After thinking about this for a second, I had to agree. Again, choices.

Jesus promised us trouble in John 16:33. When trouble or adversity strikes, it's not what happens that will determine our destiny; it's how we react to what happens. It's the choice we make that will matter.

Check out the above video to see some inspiring stories from others who have decided to make great choices.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 16:33

Are You A Porsche?

I love my wife. She has this incredible heart for others. This was exhibited to me, yet again, yesterday as she was watching a documentary about Farrah Fawcett who passed away last week. I kept hearing my wife say things like, "Oh, that poor thing" and "I can't believe she had to go through that..." Then they showed a journal that Farrah wrote in that had a cross on it followed by a picture of her with a cross on a necklace she was wearing.

Connie (my bride), in her hopeful enthusiasm, said, "I think she might have been a Christian!" My 13 year-old son Robbie then said, "Mom, just because she has a cross doesn't make her a Christian!"

Connie knows that, she just wants what's best for people. What we know in our family, including my son, is that we can get caught in the trap of believing we are Christians simply because we go to church or we own a bible. Believe me, we know this all too well as this is where we lived for many years of our lives.

I love what Joyce Meyer says about this. She says, "Going to church doesn't make you any more of a Christian than standing in your garage makes you a Porsche!"

It wasn't until I humbled myself and realized that I needed Christ in my life and invited Him in (almost 10 years ago) that I actually became a Christian. Then my family followed after that and our lives have been changed forever.

If you have not done this and would like to learn how or you would like to investigate this a little closer, I encourage you to check out this site which was done by my friend John Beckett.

Make it a great week!

Nothing Happens Until Something Moves

I just had breakfast with a friend of mine who was just let go last month from the company he had been with for 30 years. The reason I bring this up is that he could be bitter and he could be wallowing in his pity. He could be doing nothing but complaining. He could say, "I'm 60 years old and out of work. Who's going to want to hire me?"

But he's not saying that or thinking that.

He said when he was escorted out of the building he was angry and hurt. But he also said he went into action shortly thereafter, contacting people, networking, putting feelers out.

One month later, he has four opportunities in front of him. He has no idea where he is headed, but he now has hope. All because he took action. Because he did something, God is opening up doors for him.

I recently heard Joyce Meyer say, "We need to do what we can do so that God can do what we can't do." We must take action, especially when adversity strikes. This action first and foremost should be prayer, then go as the Lord leads you.

Watch this short video for some great examples of others who didn't let their tough circumstances weigh them down.