Sunday, September 29, 2013

Focus on the next play..

Life, at some point during our time here on Earth, will present itself with challenges and hard times. Whether it's a break-up, a job loss, divorce, loss of a loved one or losing a game, we will all face many challenges and hard decisions during our life. In sports, coaches always tell their players to focus on the next play. If you commit a turnover or throw an interception, it's an imperative part of the game to move on to the next play.
Life throws us unexpected curveballs, we shoot and miss opportunities and we fall short of that first down marker so many times in our life. When this happens, we are faced with 2 choices. We can either get back up and keep pressing or we can stay down and live a not so happy life. We must learn to focus on what's important. People will let us down, we won't win every game and we will fail at something during our lives. Through these hard times we need to focus on the importance of standing back up. "God gives His toughest battles to His toughest soldiers."
The next time something doesn't work out the way you had planned, stay focused that God has something better in mind. Don't dwell on past mistakes and make them again. Get focused and ready for the next play in life. Train your mind to move forward and know that your "next play" in life is going to be the most important. 

What are you focusing on today? 

Romans 5:3-5
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.



Tuesday, September 24, 2013

If we only have 100 years to live...?

My dear friend and avid facebook friend, Shelia Bobo, posted something the other day that I want to expound on a bit.

These were her words:

" Have you ever stopped to realize that all of us, or most of us anyway, will no longer be here in 100 years or even 50 years...some of us 20 years. Do we really understand how short that is? Time passes so fast, it is incredible. So what then do we need to do with this short amount of time left? For me...be close, no be very close to your family, cherish your best friends, tell those you love that you love them and forgive those who have caused you pain. After all, we would want to be forgiven. Please think about this and figure out your own answers. What is truly important for you to do with the time you have left in your life?"

So as Mrs. Sheila expressed, "think about this," well I did think about this....I thought about it a lot.
It's crazy how God can show up in any place. Quick story: One of my good friends here in Cookeville knows a girl who was helping with a benefit river float for a woman who had major complications with her pregnancy. She is now paralyzed from her waist down and in wheelchair. We all loaded up our kayaks and attended this wonderful event. When we finished our float, there was a meal, silent auction and live entertainment. As we got our food, there were no tables left, so we sat on the front row next to the stage. A young woman and her husband were seated to the left of the stage. When the band stopped performing, the young woman made her way to the stage. She and the woman that the benefit was for had met while they were both in Vanderbilt hospital. She began to tell her story:

She had a 4 year old and a new born baby. Her mom had come in town to help with the baby like most most mothers do after a baby is born. She, her mom and the 2 children were driving to the mall one day. A man driving, who was under the influence of marijuana,  hit them head on at almost 100 miles per hour. While she was talking about this story, it was so emotional. She then stated that her mom and the 4 year old did not make it through this tragic accident, but that herself and the baby survived. WOW!! This hit me like a ton of bricks. You never know when God is going to call us home. Her faith telling this story was unbelievable.

After driving home that night, I got in bed and began to think about this tragic situation. It made me realize how much my family and friends mean to me. So often we get caught up in ourselves, our jobs and every day life that we forget to let the ones we love know how much they mean to us. You can never say it enough. The older I get, the more I realize how short life really is.

I want to encourage all of you to do 3 simple things every day that will help make a difference and help spread God's love to all those we meet:

1. Call or text someone that you haven't talked to in a while. Each morning when I wake up, I look through my phone and pick out one person to text to have a great day.

2. Leave someone a little note at work, or a piece of candy or something to make them smile. Remember, we all have bad days, but we have a choice as how we handle it. Don't let circumstances determine if you have a good or bad day. Each day we have is a gift and another day to make a difference....never forget that.

3. Have a little devotion each morning. It's so important to start your day right. Be disciplined in doing this too. God wants our time so He can use us for his purpose. Pray! Shine your light!!

I hope this has challenged you to look at your life. Cherish each day because we never know if it could be our last. Be a Spark! Dream! Forgive! Love! and Pray!


****Thank you Mrs. Sheila for your daily words of encouragment! You have always been one of the sweetest ladies I know. Blessed to call you a friend! Thank you for letting me share this. We often forget the simple and try to make things complicated.

Monday, September 16, 2013

The World is Our Gymnasium...

John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

We have all at one point in our life questioned what our calling or purpose is for this short time we are here on this Earth. Why would God create such a huge world with so many different cultures and types of people in it if He didn't believe that we could learn to play and grow with each other?

The world is our gymnasium where we find out who we are, what we stand for, the hobbies we enjoy participating in, how to compete and get along with others and what the important areas of life will trun out to be. We have this huge playground that is waiting for us to discover it.

When we were little growing up, the playground is where we first met our friends, where we first fell off the monkey bars, where we first got picked last for kickball, where we snuck our first kiss on the cheek and where we first felt like we were able to run free without a care in the world. We learned failure, we learned how to get back up, we learned how to improve and we learned life lessons that we never really think about when we grow older.

God loved the world so much that he has provided us with this huge gymnasium to play in each day. We fall down, we win, we get rejected,we experience loss and we experience all the common emotions that help us become who we are and grow to become better people.

So use this world to grow strong in who you want to become. There is still so much hate and not enough kindness in this world. Sit back and analyze your life. When you look in the mirror, do you like who you see? Are you living each day to be the best that you can be and making a difference in someone's life? God made us all to be on the same team....His Team. He doesn't care about all the trophies and awards that we receive here on this Earth; He cares about how we live our lives for Him, on His team, striving to spread His word through love and kindness. Come together and work together in this beautiful gymnasium that He has created for us to show love and support to help everyone get to our final destination which is with Him in the ultimate gymnasium of life... heaven!

So as we continue our journey in this world, remember to:
"Play Hard, Play Smart and Play Together!"

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

5 Man W.E.A.V.E.

Our lives are sewn into many different pieces. Every person we meet, every heart break, every loss, every disappointment, every victory and every success are all fabrics of our life that make this journey of life our own masterpiece. People weave in and out of our lives, we spend our lives trying to find a purpose and we begin to realize the only constant in our life will always be change. I was thinking about 5 things the other day that should be some focal points for us to consider to enhance how our lives are sewn together. I call them the 5 Man W.E.A.V.E. A simple basketball drill to reflect some of life's toughest lessons.

W. Web: Who is in your web? It's so important to have the right people in your life. If you hang out with positive, energetic, optimistic people...chances are it will be contagious. Find people that believe in you and challenge you to be a better person each day. A spider's web is an intricate design that enables it to catch food and spend time. Such is your life. It's a very fragile and intricate design. Make sure you have the right people helping you spin your web of life.

E.  Errors: We all fall short and make mistakes. We learn from the past and we learn from our previous mistakes to help make us better people, better friends, better parents and better co-workers. Forgiveness is a big part of life. We must learn to forgive others in order to free ourselves. When forgiveness takes place, we naturally release those disturbing thoughts and emotions that drain our physical, mental, emotional and spirtual well-being. So learn to let go and move on and forgive. Noone is perfect and we all make mistakes.

A.  Attitude: Attitude, I believe is a defining characteristic of one's life. When you wake up in the morning, you can choose to have a good or bad attitude. There are always going to be bumps in the road, but our attitude about those bumps help define who we are and who we become. Having a positive attitude is much healthier and prevents stress. Be an optimist!!! Is your glass half empty or half full? Look around....you will see that you have much to be thankful for and be blessed for each day you receive here on this Earth

V.  Vitality:Vitality can be defines as a measure of the life force energy a person has. Eating well, exercising and getting enough rest are all key components to our vitality. I perceive vitality as having a love for life or having a mission to work towards and be passionate about what you do. Do you give off positive energy and enjoy life or are you negative and think of life as a drag? BE POSITIVE!!

E.  Encouragement:Throughout scripture, we see instructions in verses to encourage others and verses that encourage us. I believe encouragement is necessary in all walks of our lives. We all need encouragement in our jobs, in school, in athletics and to be the very best we can be. Without encouragement, we feel overwhelmed by the pain and loss. Without encouragement, we feel    unloved and unworthy. So encourage each other and remind each other that God loves us, He equips us and struggles often lead to blessings. Encouragement gives us the will to carry on. So be an Encourager!! You never know who is watching and what life you may touch.

Continue to allow God to weave your life as He wants it. Each of our lives are woven at different paces, in different situations to create our own journey.


Below is a great poem!! Stay strong, keep the faith and always believe!

Life's Weaving

My life is but a weaving
between my God and me;
I may not choose the colors,
He knows what they should be;

For He can view the pattern
Upon the upper side,
While I can see it only
On this, the under side.

Sometimes He weaveth sorrow,
Which seemeth strange to me;
But I will trust His judgment;
And work faithfully;

'Tis He who fills the shuttle,
He knows just what is best;
So I shall weave in earnest
And leave Him with the rest.

At last, when life is ended,
With Him I shall abide,
Then I may view the pattern
Upon the upper side;

Then I shall know the reason
Why pain with joy entwined,
Was woven in the fabric
Of life that God designed.