Limited Resources

If I gave you $113 you probably wouldn't have a hard time spending it. There are bills to pay, things to be repaired, needs for our kids, and groceries to buy. You might choose to go shopping, take your family out

for a good meal, or blow it all in a poker game. Whatever you choose to do, you would have a lot of options and probably wouldn't debate for too long- especially with an amount as small as that. 

At midnight tonight there will be 113 days left in this year. They are a more valuable resource than money and have the potential to change your life in a more powerful way than $113. Much like a windfall of cash it can be gone very quickly with only fleeting memories of how we spent it or we can choose to leverage what we have to create the best opportunity for growth and personal change. It won't happen accidentally or by some random chance either--we need to plan carefully and step into action to see the results we want. 

Only 113 days left in 2013. What will you do with them?

Expect the Unexpected

Like other parts of life, ministry brings unexpected twists and turns. Life circumstances, decisions of others, disease and tragedy can occur without a lot of warning. It causes uncertainty and confusion and honestly makes you more than a little bit weary when they hit you in clusters. 

When you choose to follow a God whose ways and thoughts are higher than ours however, things don't always go according to our plan. He provides opportunities for our faith in Him to increase and for our attention to be brought directly to Him. When our circumstances are unexpected to us we need to remember that they were expected by Him. Now God has a chance to show what He can really do.

Expecting the unexpected is an adventure worth experiencing when you know that God is in control.

Making Plans

Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines His steps." On the surface this seems like an easy verse to understand, but as I reflect on it at this time in my life, it gains a depth of meaning I didn't know before.

I have always been a planner. In fact, I get frustrated with myself when I don't plan accordingly for things. I write them down in the huge Franklin planner on my desk, sketch out ideas & notes on whiteboards, send myself e-mails and make notes in memos on my Blackberry. Through all of my own endeavors however, God continues to work His great plan.

If you had asked me when I graduated college where I saw myself I can readily assure you that I would not have told you that I was a pastor in Milledgeville, GA. I would have had no clue that I was going to leave the high school to work in ministry in Florida. Actually, I wouldn't have been able to tell you that I was going to spend nine years working at the high school level either.

I didn't always get things right (still don't), but I believe that because I was willing to open myself up (sometimes in very small doses) to what God wanted to do in my life, He chose to re-order some of my steps. It's easier to see this on the other side and to look back at the detailed work that God has done. I don't pretend to understand it, but I am definitely grateful.

It's definitely comforting (and a touch scary) to serve a God who has a better plan than I do.