Purpose Driven Life – Day 9 Questions to Consider

Day 9 – Since God knows what is best, in what areas of my life do I need to trust him most?

I really see this not as an area or areas were I need to trust God the most, but rather that I should be trusting God in all things in my life.  This would include family, friends, work, studying, writing, school, prayer, teaching, exercise, groups, finances, leading and so many other areas.  I just think I need Him all of the time.  We are on a journey together.

Purpose Driven Life – Day 8 Question to Consider

Day 8 – What common task could I start doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus?

 I think I will go with Exercising.  God gave me this body to last me a lifetime and the least I can do is take care of it the best I can.  I think Exercising is a good place to start.

Man in the Mirror Chapter 2 Question 5, 6

5) There are two yous: the visible you that is known by others and the real you that is known only by God. Agree or Disagree and Explain your Answer.

For me, I think are definitely two yous because there is a side of me that no one ever sees.  I think we all have things from our pasts that we keep sealed tightly away from the world, but it is very important to remember that God can see those.  And he loves us just the same.

6) Are you willing to allow God to show you yourself as you really are?  What are some of the things you might find out about yourself?

This has been an ongoing process for me for the past 10 months.  Some of the things I have noticed is that I get very argumentative with people and it probably gets out of hand too often.  I can also have a really bad temper and yell to much.  But God has also shown me how to work on these and he has blessed me with a very patient wife who reminds to work on these.

**As I have really covered the answer to No. 7 more or less above, I am going to skip that one.

My Spiritual Desires

I have put off posting this for too long.  I originally wrote this poem for an assignment for my Christian Writing Course.  It is my first try at poetry (or prose I am still not very clear on which is which) since grade school.  But it really sums up my hearts desire for my life, my writing and my relationship with God.  I was later invited to read it at my church, Manchester Christian Church.  I was also interviewed for a video. Both experiences were very enlightening for me and reminded me what a difference that Jesus has made in my life and how much my life has changed over the past 5 years.

My Spiritual Desires  by G. Scott Hughes

How small I feel
When I think of all the glory that is God
If only I could bring a small amount of that glory
To each person I meet

How small I feel
When I ponder all that God has given me
And all He asks me in return is that I trust in Him
And to share that trust with others

How small I feel
When I realize the responsibility God has given
To bring His words to those who need Him
And help them know Him better

How small I feel
When I pray to God and give Him thanks
For all the big things that He does each day
To make His presence known

How small I feel
When I dream of His return
I want to be worthy of all of these
So He will smile at me and say “Good Job”

Purpose Driven Life – Day 6 and Day 7 Questions to Consider

Day 6 – How should the fact that life on earth is a temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?

Work is a great analogy for this question.  During my quarter century of work experience I have met several different types of people.  I have worked with people who were not interested in the company at all and they were there more or less to play and get a paycheck.   I have been employed by people who haven’t had a clue of what was going on in their own companies and made many a decision without getting any information just to look like they were in charge.  And I have also worked with people who felt, the company would let go of me without a second thought so why should I doing anything beyond the minimal for them.

But I beleive that when we are at work we are not just working for a paycheck or to have a job.  We should be working like God is our boss.  A quote I once heard said something to the effect of “A true judge of a man’s character is what he does when no one will know the difference.”  But in those cases we forget that God will still know the difference. 

And that is the change in my life that has occured as I realize we are on temporary assignment here on earth, remembering that even when I am alone, God still knows my heart and sees what I do.  This is not a “make myself feel guilty” kind of presence, but a “I am right there with you and will help you out as you go through this” kind of presence.  Because that is who God is.

Day 7 – Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God’s glory? 

When things get really stressful I have a tendancy to forget that it is all for God’s glory.  These don’t really happen on a regular basis so they tend to blind side me or I gradually slip into them without even noticing.  A good example of this for me is some of the challenges I face at work.  That would be a good starting place for me to be more aware.

Note: From here on out I will be covering only one chapter per day from the Purpose Driven Life book.  I plan to catch up to were our group is in Man in the Mirror and then start with Ortberg and McClarens books.  I also have a couple of non-book related articles I am working on so keep an eye out for those and as always, thank you for taking the time to read and responding if you left comments.

Purpose Driven Life – Days 4 and Day 5 Questions to Consider

Day 4 – Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?

I should stop arguing over foolish things.  Each day I seem to get caught up in arguments over very unimportant things.  It becomes more a matter of I must win.  In the view of eternity though, it is really very small and not worth the energy or potential hurt feelings.  The one thing I should start doing is to stay in touch with people better.  I have the habit of out of sight is out of mind and so if I don’t see someone then I don’t think to call them. 

Day 5 – What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?

Not having to have surgery for my back and trusting the physical therapy would be enough.  It was really a test of faith and a chance for God to show his power in healing.  The greatest matter he has currently entrusted me with would be my writing (the writing course, weekly blog posts, book ideas etc.) There is certainly a big responsibility in writing, getting to the truth.  But I love it (here I am typing and it is closing in on 1am).

Purpose Driven Life – Days 1, Day 2 and Day 3 Questions to Consider

Day 1 – In spite of all the advertizing around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?

1. Prayer – I think prayer is key and helps keep me focused on it being about God, not us.
2. Reading the Bible and other study guides – This increases my knowledge of his word but also gives me a greater understanding into who God is. 
3. Community – Being involved in the community reminds me that I am part of a much larger world that I can’t control.
4. Small Group – Sharing my challenges in life with the other members of my small group and then we can prayer over them.
5. Writing – This is something that God and I do together.  But I can feel God in control, when I am writing. 

Day 2 – I know that God uniquely created me.  What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?

I sometimes struggle with having ADHD. I know in my mind that it is part of my purpose, but often, right after my mouth works before my brain kicks in, do I feel like it is more of a curse then a blessing.  It also creates challenges in group which I ussually shy away from but amstarting to get a lot better with.

The other area I rarely but sometimes struggle with is my age.  At 41 (which is not old) i sometimes feel I should have accomplished more and had a bigger impact on the world.  Thankful, writing isstarting to make that change being something that I struggle with to being something I embrace.

Day 3 – What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life?  What do I want it to be?

I believe they would say it is my Faith in Jesus Christ as my savior, my relationship with God and my writing.  I would also hope they would say it is reaching out to others with the Gospel, but in an everyday average guy kind of way.  I am no evangalist or preacher.  I am just a regular guy who does regular things every day.  But I have a joyful relationship with an extraordinary God and in turn I may sometimes do things that others see as extraordinary.  I just want to be the man God made me to be and connect (whether through Writing, Fantasy Football, Trips to DisneyWorld or having a BBQ) with as many people as I can in whatever time I am given.

Man in the Mirror Chapter 2, Questions 4

4) Are you the kind of person who gives thought to the why questions of life, or are you content with life as it is?  What are some of the risks of leading an unexamined life?

I’m definitly a “think of the why” kind of guy.  I know that I am here for a purpose, I just haven’t figured out exactly what that is yet.  But I am learning more about it every day.  Not to long ago I would not have really been asking why, I would have been content to just roll along.  To me some of the risks in doing that are:

1. No real motivation to grow as a person.  I was hearing a lot about spiritual transformation and I remember really wanting to do that.  Just not willing to take the time to examine my life first
2. Unable to find real Joy.  Our growth is part of the real joy of the universe.
3. A tendancy to make the same mistakes over and over since they are not examined honestly and therefore do not change.

Expanding the books I am going through

So I have been doing the Man in the Mirror and I am starting to get into a rhythm with that book.  But as my hyperactive nature dictates I am not ussually of the habit of reading one book at a time.  I am currently reading two others that lend themselves to this kind of review so I am going to be starting to write on those as well.  They are Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and Everybody’s Normal Till You Get To Know Them by John Ortberg. (Note: I still plan on doing The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren, just not yet)

My church home went through the Purpose Driven Life a couple of years ago and we are going to be doing 40 days of purpose regarding community involment in a month or so.  Because of this I was curious to read the previous book. 

Everybody’s Normal Till You Get To Know Them by John Ortberg deals with the community and our involvement in it.

The Secret Message is primarily about delving into the four Gospels and is a new way of looking at things.  I explained it to my kids, to imaging they were looking through a window, now if you change the window color to blue, it changes the perception of what is seen.  This book deals with taking the Gospels and using them as a filter for the world around us.

So look for posts on these first two great books tomorrow and the next day.  I will probably start writing on the Secret Message of Jesus sometime in the begining of October.

Also, the site should finally be stable now, no more layout changes.  I hope you like the new look. I wanted my about info to show up on the main page so it would be easier for people to send me prayer requests.

Man in the Mirror Chapter 2, Questions 1, 2 and 3

1) What would you like on your tombstone to summarize your life?

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” from Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV.  Jen, Chris, Taylor and Jackson, I love you and will always be proud of you.  Stephanie, it will be a long few hours, but I’ll be waiting.

2) Which of your experiences and relationships do you think have had the greatest impact on how you think, speak and act?  In what ways have they influenced you for good? . . . for bad?

One experience which had a huge impact on me was reading the Left Behind series.  It  sparked me to get recommited to my relationship with God/Christ.  From there I have just grown in all my relationships through my church, family, friends which have all had an impact on the way I think, speak and act.  I would say these have all be positive experiences for good.  The Lord has blessed me by putting people in my life who help keep me focused on the right paths.  The most important of these being my wife Stephanie, who keeps me focused on the good and stearing clear of the bad.

3) Of the two life views, the Christian life view and the secular life view, what percentage of each are you?  Describe the thinking that brought you to this answer.

I would say it is about 80% Christian Life View and 20% secular life view.  I say this because I still have a tendancy some times to feel like I am the one in control and it is my will that makes things happen. It is at time like this when I foget that God is here and active and it is not all about me.  I am pretty sure I could never hit 100% but if I do, watch out mountains. 

World Trade Center – Movie Reaction – Part 2

I went to see this movie with 2 of my children, Chris and Taylor.  I was curious what there reaction would be.  Taylor was 7 and Chris was 10 when the original events occurred.  Both agreed on several key points of the movie.

1.  It gave them a better understanding of what the families went through on Sept 11, 2001.  “… Made it more personal rather then being something that happened far away.” said Chris when asked his reaction.  They both felt it brought it much closer to home.

2. They both also agree that as tragic, sad and horrifying as the events of that day are, it also showed the good that we as a race are capable of.  It showed the strength that holds us together.

But most importantly, they noticed how there relationship with Christ/God had helped them through these difficult times.  Taylor noted, “It is sometimes is hard to realize but you have to know that every thing happens for a reason and sometimes you don’t want them to happen but they do, and i have many reasons to believe that is true.”

I for one can definitely relate to their feelings.

World Trade Center – Movie Reaction – Part 1

Like so many people, I remember were I was.  Walking through the hospital to visit my father who had quintuple by-pass surgery the day before.  As I walked through the hospital I just felt that something was wrong.  I passed by the waiting room and noticed everyone gathered around the TV set, but I didn’t think twice about it. 

When I got to the floor my dad was on and as I wallked the hall to his room, I noticed in every room I passed people were watching those little hospital tvs.  Now that was weird.  When I got to the room my mom told me about the first tower being hit by the plane, and moments after she said it, tower two was hit, right there on tv.

Stunned, overwhelmed, sickened and scared, don’t begin to do justice to how I felt.  During the day I began to hear stories from friends and family.  My Cousin was suppose to meet some customers of his at the WTC.  He was just getting off the subway when people fleeing the building came pouring down and he decided to turn around and ride the subway out of there.  Or one of my friends whose company was based out of the WTC and was suppose to be there for a meeting.

World Trade Center the movie brought back many of those feelings.  The movie plays out in such a way that you feel like you are participating in the movie rather then watching it.  One young man at the theatre mentioned he had to “keep looking to the left and right just to remember that he was in a theatre.”

At several points in the movie I jumped or was startled by a creak or the sound of a rock slipping, just waiting for something to happe.  The tower collapse scenes put you right in the middle of it and makes the movie a shared experience that you will never forget.

More tomorrow…..

Man in the Mirror Chapter 1, Questions 4 and 5

4) It appears that many men have been lulled into mental and spiritual complacency.  How has consumerism and the media impacted your own values and the way you spend your time and money? 

Prior to last October, consumerism and the media had a far bigger impact on me then they do now.  I was more interested in getting the next upgrade to my computer or the latest tech gadget I saw on TV.  However, now I am more comitted to focusing on God’s glory.  It doesn’t mean there aren’t still things that I want or that the latest tech gadgets aren’t cool, I just have other things that are more important and I desire to spend my time and energy on those. 

 5) Madison Avenue works hard to define for us who and what we are, usually in terms of the beautiful, wrinkle-free life.  What practical steps can you take to unloose yourself from its influence?

Part of it for me is focusing on my writing.  On a typical night, I find myself glancing at the clock and I am surprised to notice it is 2am.  I just get completely lost in it.  And it doesn’t matter if it a short story, poetry, brainstorming ideas or just emailing for information for a news story. 

Writing is a blessing from God that lets me give something back. 

Other steps that I take are focusing on Gods Word and on Prayer.  Both of these are uplifting and help keep me stay focused on what is important.  They are both similar in feel to chatting with an old friend and yet I gain something new from every discussion that helps me grow.

Man in the Mirror Chapter 1, Questions 3 (4 and 5 Tonight)

3) In what ways has your material standard of living gone up since you were a child?  In what ways do you think your moral/spiritiual/relational standard of living has been affected?

My family did not have a whole lot when I was growing up.  My parents divorced when I was 14 and my Mom raised 3 boys alone.  I am certainly materially better off then I was then.  I don’t believe that any of those standards were affected by my material level.  Going through most of my life, I have been blessed by people who have helped me keep my Material Standard and my moral/spiritiual/relational standard in proper order.

Man in the Mirror Chapter 1, Questions 1 and 2

1) “Most men are caught up in the rat race”. Agree / disagree and why?

I agree, most men are caught up in the rat race.  Fancy cars, Fancy houses.  We want everything to be bigger, better and faster then what we currently have.  And once we get the better item, we just want something even better.

2) If the Rat Race is an unwinnable race, why do you think so many men run in it? What are they trying to accomplish?

I think part of it is society/family/friends expectations.  We believe that if we don’t, we will be viewed as failures by those around us.  By being “successful” we create a sense of validation and purpose to what we are doing.  I think another part is to be impressive.  Whether it is “getting the girl” or showing off to ones friends just to look Cool, we want to be the winners of the “Rat Race”

How Do You Listen To God? (Reprinted from my other Blog Site)

Today, someone at work and I were having a discussion….. OK. Let me back up a step. I am reading (among the other recent books) John Ortberg’s, “If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat”. It was given to me by a very dear friend about 2-3 years ago and I never read it. Wish I had, but anyways. I was so into it last night, that I brought it to work to read at lunch. I left it out on my desk and several people commented on it. One of my co-workers asked me what it was about and I told him it was about taking risks and learning to surrender in faith.

He asked me how do you know which risks to take. I mentioned a few ideas but my last and probably most important one was you listen to God, to know that what you are risking is right.

Then he asked me the stumper. How do you listen to God?

I had no answer straight off. Prior to 2 months ago, I wouldn’t have had any idea what that was and at that time I had been a Christian for over 4 years. Oh, I knew how to ask God for what I wanted in prayer, but listen to God, not happening. Not that I didn’t want to, but I just never thought about it.

Now, I am finally listening to God, but I never really sat back and thought of how I listen. This questioned ran around my mind all day and I am still not sure I have a clear answer or if a clear cut answer exists, but here is how I see it basically anyways. I guess this is the first three things that come from a day of thinking about this but I am sure there is more.

1. The Holy Spirit – The changing spirit that is like a fire inside your soul. I believe God talks to my spirit through the Holy Spirit. The question is can my brain calm down enough to hear what the spirit is telling me and how do I know when it is the spirit and when it is my own desires clouding the way.

2. The Bible – Like so many of my daily relationships at work and home, I need to understand the people that I deal with. I know when my son is being sarcastic and when he is serious based on my years of experience with him. At work, I know who to joke with and how much based on the time I have known them. God is no different. The way I learn about God is the Bible. By understanding God, I can understand my direction is based on what God wants or what I want.

3. People – I believe God speaks to me through the people around me. The network of people that help me through life. At just the right moment it seems, someone will say something or be there just when I needed them. The person from work whose question inspired me to write this would be a great example, as well as countless others in my life.

Well, Not sure this really clarifies the answer because to be honest it feels like there is a whole lot more that I am leaving out. I am only beginning to understand this subject and there are probably whole books written on listening to God by people who know far more then I. All I know is that in the future, this is one of the exciting areas I am going to explore.