I'm a huge sports fan as many of you that read my blog probably are. My family has had season tickets to Vanderbilt and the Tennessee Titans for as long as I can remember. I'm a competitive person, I don't like to lose and rarely did I miss many games growing up in Memorial gym or at LP Field. College Coaching has hindered attending some games, but I do try to go to as many as I can. When you are a season ticket holder, you feel invested in the program that you support. When your team loses, you take it hard. When you attend the games, sometimes we turn into those people you never want to sit by, we tell the refs how bad they are and we get in the car and can't talk to the family because we are so mad at how "Our" team played. Yet, we cheer as loud as we can when someone hits the game winning shot or scores the winning field goal. We are a "True Fan" and because we invest money to get season tickets for our favorite sport, we feel like we are part of the team. Win or Lose we love our team.
I've often thought about Life. What if we invested in buying season tickets on God's team? What if we cheered as loud when someone accepted Him as their Lord and Savior as we do when our team scores a touchdown? Investing in buying tickets on God's Team is free and His team, in the end, will achieve the ultimate victory. So let's get on board and support the most successful team that has a membership that is always available at any time no matter how much money you make, many free perks and gives us the reward to know that no matter how hard the game of life may get, we will always be winners. We always have something to cheer about and so many players to support in their walk with Christ.
Are you a season ticket holder? Are you cheering for the right team?
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Saturday, March 15, 2014
What's on your playlist?
Music has always been one of my passions. I listen to all genres of music and taught myself how to play the guitar about 10 years ago. Music is all around us. We hear it in our automobiles, televisions, Ipods, at athletic events, concerts, restaurants, races, in the comfort of our own homes and even in the beauty of nature that is free to all of us. About 3 years ago, I went through a really tough time in my life. I remember driving around one day and hit scan on my radio. It landed on WAYFM out of Nashville. If you don't believe in God's timing, on this day I did. Lead Me by the Sanctus Real came on the radio station that day and blew me away. At some point in our lives we all need that reminder that we need to renew our faith and start over. I had reached that point in my life where I was at a crossroad and needed a change. I needed someone other than me to lead me and help me find my purpose.
After that day, WAYFM and K-Love became my favorite radio stations. They have been my favorite radio stations for the past three years. With all the songs that promote violence, drinking and drugs, it was refreshing to find stations that were uplifting and encouraging for my drive to work. I took the 30 day challenge on K-Love where you listen to Christian music for 30 days. It's been life-changing for me. The music that our youth listen to today becomes part of their vocabulary and how they think.
Music has and will always be controversial. We have a choice, though, to what our radio station is set on in the car, to what we download on our Ipods and what we play in stadiums. So what's on your playlist? Is it encouraging and uplifting? Does it help you make it through tough times in your life? Music and lyrics provide comfort, peace, soothe the soul and often help us to reminisce of the past. Sometimes when we don't have to words to say to express how we are feeling, there is a song that says exactly what we want to say. So I encourage all of you to evaluate your playlist.
Also, if we listen God's creation plays music for us every day. Sometimes we fail to listen to the sounds outside. Listen to the creek that runs through the trees, listen to the waterfall that crashes down over the rocks, listen to the birds that chirp outside the window each morning, listen to the wind blowing through the trees, the rocks that fall down the mountains, the sticks that fall from the trees in the forrest and listen to the ocean crashing into the shore. It is then we are assured of how small we really are and how He is everywhere around us. Sometimes all we need to do is just stop and listen and evaluate what's on our playlist.
A few of my favorites to add to your playlist:
Captivate Us by Watermark
Born Again by Third Day
Love song by Third Day
Lifesong by Casting Crowns
Praise you in this storm by Casting Crowns
Oceans by Hillsong United
Background by Lecrae
Every time you run by Manifest
Overcomer by Mandisa
Lord I need you but Matt Maher
Hello, My name is by Matthew West
Worn by Tenth Avenue North
Steal my show by Toby Mac
After that day, WAYFM and K-Love became my favorite radio stations. They have been my favorite radio stations for the past three years. With all the songs that promote violence, drinking and drugs, it was refreshing to find stations that were uplifting and encouraging for my drive to work. I took the 30 day challenge on K-Love where you listen to Christian music for 30 days. It's been life-changing for me. The music that our youth listen to today becomes part of their vocabulary and how they think.
Music has and will always be controversial. We have a choice, though, to what our radio station is set on in the car, to what we download on our Ipods and what we play in stadiums. So what's on your playlist? Is it encouraging and uplifting? Does it help you make it through tough times in your life? Music and lyrics provide comfort, peace, soothe the soul and often help us to reminisce of the past. Sometimes when we don't have to words to say to express how we are feeling, there is a song that says exactly what we want to say. So I encourage all of you to evaluate your playlist.
Also, if we listen God's creation plays music for us every day. Sometimes we fail to listen to the sounds outside. Listen to the creek that runs through the trees, listen to the waterfall that crashes down over the rocks, listen to the birds that chirp outside the window each morning, listen to the wind blowing through the trees, the rocks that fall down the mountains, the sticks that fall from the trees in the forrest and listen to the ocean crashing into the shore. It is then we are assured of how small we really are and how He is everywhere around us. Sometimes all we need to do is just stop and listen and evaluate what's on our playlist.
A few of my favorites to add to your playlist:
Captivate Us by Watermark
Born Again by Third Day
Love song by Third Day
Lifesong by Casting Crowns
Praise you in this storm by Casting Crowns
Oceans by Hillsong United
Background by Lecrae
Every time you run by Manifest
Overcomer by Mandisa
Lord I need you but Matt Maher
Hello, My name is by Matthew West
Worn by Tenth Avenue North
Steal my show by Toby Mac
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Take Flight
Every day there are thousands of flights that travel the world. Flying has always been one of my biggest fears, yet I do it quite frequently. However, it is one of the most intriguing things that has always amazed me. The events that occurred during 911 and how all those planes had to be grounded had to be a nightmare. Air traffic controllers gained a new respect from me on that day and the years that followed after that. Their job has to be stressful to know every flight pattern, when to land and when to take off and every specific time frame to make that happen.
When you think of all the flights that travel each and every day, I think about God as our air traffic controller. Though we cannot see Him, He has a major job of keeping track of all His people each and every day. So many times in our life, we start out on a journey and try to fly through the journey on our flight pattern and not His. Just as we have no control over where our plane is going when we board, God already has planned out a flight pattern for each of us. It is up to us to trust His plan.
What an awesome God we serve when you think about all the people that He has to coordinate plans for and all the logistics of our crazy lives that He has to figure out. Some of our flight plans are totally different each day. The people we meet, the situations in which we face and the places where He calls to go all shape where we end up according to His plan.
So the next time you take flight, look out the window and think about how wonderful our God is and how He is control of how we choose to fly each and every day....
Who is controlling how you fly today??? Spread those wings and trust and listen to Him.
When you think of all the flights that travel each and every day, I think about God as our air traffic controller. Though we cannot see Him, He has a major job of keeping track of all His people each and every day. So many times in our life, we start out on a journey and try to fly through the journey on our flight pattern and not His. Just as we have no control over where our plane is going when we board, God already has planned out a flight pattern for each of us. It is up to us to trust His plan.
What an awesome God we serve when you think about all the people that He has to coordinate plans for and all the logistics of our crazy lives that He has to figure out. Some of our flight plans are totally different each day. The people we meet, the situations in which we face and the places where He calls to go all shape where we end up according to His plan.
So the next time you take flight, look out the window and think about how wonderful our God is and how He is control of how we choose to fly each and every day....
Who is controlling how you fly today??? Spread those wings and trust and listen to Him.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Battle Scars
Scars usually never go away, but leave little marks that are always there to remind us of the storms that we have gone through to get where we are, accidents that we have experienced, surgeries that we have gone through or the loss of loved ones. These scars help you realize how thankful and blessed we are to understand the importance of growing and becoming the person we are meant to be, for friendships and for our families. Scars can be on our body or in our minds, but they all have some meaning into helping shape who we are.
We all have battle scars which are those scars that represent the hard work and preparation that we have put in to make a team, get a job or build ourselves into the people we have become. These scars are a reminder to us that nothing comes easy in this life and our reward after our battle here on Earth is over will be well worth the wait. The scars we bear are a sign that we are competitors and that whomever or whatever tried to hurt us did not win. Scars give us strength to know that we persevered through a tough time in our life.
Along with battle scars, we all have emotional scars. These scars represent the tough times in our lives, the people that have disappointed us and the loss of those we love. These emotional scars rekindle memories, give us hope that God puts people in our lives for a reason and and teaches us to persevere through adversity. Sometimes our scarred hearts rekindle a strength to push us to become better people, better friends, better teammates and appreciate the gift of family.
If you are going through a tough time or have many scars remember: Every storm cloud runs out of rain and that we have a God that His love never fails and never gives up on us! When we think we have ot hard, think about the fact that we were the thorns in His crown and we were the nails in His wrists, but He loved us anyway. Because of His scars, we get to wake up every morning with a chance to make a difference and help others heal their scars. "Turn your scars in to stars."...
We all have battle scars which are those scars that represent the hard work and preparation that we have put in to make a team, get a job or build ourselves into the people we have become. These scars are a reminder to us that nothing comes easy in this life and our reward after our battle here on Earth is over will be well worth the wait. The scars we bear are a sign that we are competitors and that whomever or whatever tried to hurt us did not win. Scars give us strength to know that we persevered through a tough time in our life.
Along with battle scars, we all have emotional scars. These scars represent the tough times in our lives, the people that have disappointed us and the loss of those we love. These emotional scars rekindle memories, give us hope that God puts people in our lives for a reason and and teaches us to persevere through adversity. Sometimes our scarred hearts rekindle a strength to push us to become better people, better friends, better teammates and appreciate the gift of family.
If you are going through a tough time or have many scars remember: Every storm cloud runs out of rain and that we have a God that His love never fails and never gives up on us! When we think we have ot hard, think about the fact that we were the thorns in His crown and we were the nails in His wrists, but He loved us anyway. Because of His scars, we get to wake up every morning with a chance to make a difference and help others heal their scars. "Turn your scars in to stars."...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)