You Can Do It!

The power of the mind is extremely powerful when it comes to the body being able to accomplish something. I don't know how many times in my life I have had to change my mental outlook in order to have the physical portion of my body accomplish what it needed to do. Examples of areas in which I had to "push through" were exercise, tasks on my job, or homework. Once the mind was changed then I was able to press on to the goal.

I can remember several nights in preaching school where I would stay up late preparing for an exam. I would use multiple ways of studying to help me remember the subject matter. There have also been nights that I have worked through being tired to accomplish tasks for work. Those tasks were not even "last minute" but simply because I get a lot of ideas at night.

There are also times where I see the end coming up when I have been exercising and will push through to get to the end - to cross the line or hear the timer beep. It was challenging but the end is exhilerating!

When I would cause my mental capacity to be stronger than my physical I knew I could do it! That brings us to this week's quote...

I have always believed that anybody with a little guts and the desire to apply himself can make it, can make anything he wants to make of himself. ~ Willie Shoemaker, Horse Jockey and Trainer

Some days there are going to be times when the physical side is more submissive to the mental side. In other words, it may be easy to push through your fatigue or lack of interest. Where as others are going to be the opposite. You are going to have to have your mental state climb high to become higher than your physical.

Of course, there are other areas that are not simply physical where you must climb high with the mental. Maybe it is an area like forgiveness, that you must work through some obstacles in order to allow yourself to release the weight you're holding on to daily. Another area may be spiritual. You are having lots of doubts in one or more areas of your spiritual belief or state. You are going to have to challenge yourself to work through and find what you need to achieve the belief that you're hoping for.

As you go through life, remember that the mental can be stronger than the other areas of your life. This will allow you to beat the odds when you are trying to accomplish things in life.

Now it's your turn...What areas in your life are you needing the "mental" to rise up so that you can make something of yourself?

Leaving a Legacy of Yourself to Yourself

Legacy...something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past (reference Mirriam-Webster). As a parent, I am often conscience of the fact that what I do with and in front of my children will have a long-term effect on them. I am creating a legacy for how they will operate (act, prioritize, associate, etc.). Whether that is how I treat their mother, how I walk the Christian walk, how I treat others, how I act in public, or how I raise them, there are so many areas which this applies.

I was just thinking that I will often say to people, in person or on the phone, with sincerity, "Have a good day!" Lately I've heard my 4-year old say that to people when we leave. It gives you that warm fuzzy feeling because you know you are showing a positive example to your child.

I think that when we go day to day, as parents, we may forget that compromising on some areas in life may have some detrimental outcomes to our children's future. But think about how some of the same areas of compromise can have detrimental outcomes to our own future. That brings us to this week's quote...

Create the kind of self you will be happy to live with all your life. ~ Foster C. McClellan

If you've ever played Jenga you know that it is inevitable that the tower will fall. You build and build, but sometimes things happen that causes the tower to fall and you start the game over. In life, I think we have a tendency to operate the same way. Each day is a building process, even adding to others' lives. Some days we may "tear down" some others with a choice we made. Then, other days we are building back up. There seems to be a constant building and tearing down. Hopefully, there is more building than tearing down!

As you are building on your own life, you should look to have a day that is creating a legacy, within you, that you are going to be building up most days that the future will be a good one.

I am not talking just about morals, treating others, the Christian walk, but also our physical health is important. Whether it is our diet, exercise, smoking, drugs, alcohol, etc., the future may reflect on how we treated ourselves years prior. One nutrition fact I heard of late, that it takes about 60 minutes of walking to expend a 12 oz. can of soda. So, you can either increase your exercise for the day or decide to cut out that extra and drink water for one meal. That really put it into perspective for me, both from a personal and parenting perspective.

What will the "you" look like in 5, 10, or 30 years? Will you be happy to live with yourself at that time in your life?

Now it's your turn...what choices have you made that caused you to learn from, to change to make your future better?

Starting Fresh in the Fall

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the Colby High School's "Freshman Retreat". I participated in helping the Regional Prevention Center do their Jeopardy-like game to educate kids on drugs and alcohol. It was very enjoyable to see the kids come through before they begin another venture along life's path.

The very first thing on the agenda was a "welcome". Colby High's principal, Don Krebs, was one of the ones giving an introduction. His was also met with a charge to these new students. One of the things that he said stuck out. It was something that mayl come across logical and, possibly, kind of elementary. He said that the word freshman was a good name, because it meant that you get to have a fresh start as you begin this next chapter in your life.

High school is memorable for almost everyone. Something significant happens to almost everyone in those four years. I could write many stories on my ventures in high school. Some of these significant events are highs, where others are lows.

Though January is a time when resolutions are made (and dropped), this time of year is also good time to give yourself a fresh start. There is something psychological about the fall. It marks going back to school, fall sports, people getting together, and the temperatures start to cool down.

For a lot of students going back to school is a time they anticipate. They've had fun in the summer, but now they are ready to see their friends, get their new clothes, get their new school supplies, meet their teachers, and just get back into the swing of things. Each student begins the year with straight A's, regardless of how they finished out last year.

Whether or not last year's seasons were successful, this year's can be. A new start for every sports program out there. This is a good time of the year to start 'fresh'!

What about you? What are some things that have been dragging you down? What has been stressing you, lately? How can you use the fall to 'start fresh' again?

You may not be able to erase any situations, but this 'starting fresh' could be as simple as getting a new attitude about something or giving it another chance.

September is National Back to Church month. Have you been away for awhile? Maybe the reason you quit going was one of several. Everyone has their reasons why they may stop attending. Maybe it is because religious people are just 'hypocrites'. Maybe it is because you took a job. Maybe it is because you no longer believe in God. Maybe it is because there were not enough kids for yours to be around. Maybe it is because the preacher, or someone else, offended you by something they did or did not say. The list could go on and on.

Why not use the fall to make a fresh start? Not only are kids returning back to school, but maybe this is the time to return back to church.

It may not only be good for you, spiritually, but it may be a good idea to return to church from a physical standpoint, too. According to WebMD website that I checked out last week Harold G. Koenig, M.D., of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, did a study consisting of 4,000 64-101 year olds and found that even after dissecting the group down in age, race, current illnesses and other health and social factors, "there was still a 28 percent reduction in mortality." (http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/spirituality-may-help-people-live-longer)

Which means that part of one being totally healthy, you not only need to exercise and eat right, but another factor is to be apart of a church!

So who's with me? Let's go to church and get a fresh start in the fall!!!

E-mail Encouragement: Don't Lose Character

The week is coming quickly to a close. How has your week been? Have you had any "surprises" that God sent your way? If so, do you like to share?

Being lost or losing something is almost always a negative concept. That is no different with today's quote. Hopefully when you lose something or have been lost, you learn a lesson for any "next times". That is the positive result - learning the lesson. Certain things that we might lose are more important than other things. Some things are replaceable, whereas others aren't. That brings us to today's proverb...

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;
When health is lost, something is lost;
When character is lost, all is lost!
~ German Proverb

Character, similar to trust, may take a while to develop, but seconds to lose. Look at celebrities - be it a singer, actor, athlete, etc. - they may have lots of money and/or good health, but none of that matters if they have a bad character. Pete Rose, a very talented baseball player, hasn't made it into the Hall of Fame due to poor decisions which defamed his character. The list could go on and on with people who lost character by making different decisions that were poor ones.

We can learn a lesson by other's mistakes which will help us not lose our character. As Christians we are going to be looked at through a looking glass. So if our character is marred, then our influence for Christ will be marred.

Among other things in life that are important, do everything to maintain a good character!

Have a great end of the week!

Peace & Grace ~

Monday Mentionings: How's Your Health - I Thessalonians 2:17-3:10

How old are you? There are different ways to determine that. One is your mental age versus chronological age. Another is your your physical body's age versus chronological age (i.e. you may be 50 but have the heart of a 30 year old). Last, there is just our chronological age, which most of you probably thought about when I asked the question.

Our health determines how long we will live. A couple of factors in determining life expectancy are lifestyle and genetics. Our spiritual health can have the same factors. With lifestyle, even normal "church" lifestyle, we can either decide to be comfortable with where we're at and never be willing to change so we get faith "sclerosis" - our heart hardens - or we can adapt to the times and remain alive and vibrant. Genetics play a part, simply, by looking at the influence of family. What you learn growing up will factor in on how alive you are for how long. Like in actual health, you aren't destined to be like this, but certain factors increase your chances. How's your health?

Paul was not concerned with how big the congregation was or other superficial things. Rather, Paul wrote to find out about the FAITH of the Thessalonians. Not the kind of faith that asks if they still believe in God, but the kind of faith that is active and vibrant! Here are some other applications you might be able to use from the lesson...

1. Our faith is always needing to become stronger. It could be faith in God, in our brothers and sisters, our leaders, etc. How's your faith in the church? If you are one that tends to complain first when something new is mentioned, then pray about the situation first and ask God to help you see the blessing from this new idea/concept instead of worrying about the burden.
2. We're not going to get to know each other very well when our only contact is inside the walls of the church building. Keep it on your conscience to get together with someone outside of normal times about once a month. This will help you get to know people "deeper" than just assembly times.
3. What has been going on in your life that is good?...that is bad? If we do not share or are not willing to share, we will not increase our faith in the church that Jesus built. The church that Jesus built wants to rejoice when you rejoice and weep when you weep. It is here to be of support, not to destroy. So...how have things been?
4. I was encouraged yesterday by seeing you participate with the kids in singing their songs. Thanks for showing your "happiness" and "letting your light shine!"
5. Pray that you will be willing to ask for help, from the church, when you need a "faith fill", so that your faith will not become "moldy" or be lacking in any way. If you need something to be prayed for or something else, I would be glad to pray about it with/for you.

We're only as strong as our weakest member. If your faith is lacking, then we need to do something about it so all can be on the same plane. No one needs to be left behind!

Let me know how God has been working in your life...or even the lack of God's presence...