Progress

So I recently started taking my golf game more seriously.  I have a lot I need to work on but I started taking lessons two weeks ago.  I have been playing a little bit more since the lesson and it has not been good.  But before it can get better it has to get worse.  That's the way it goes.  But today I played 9 holes and there were a few moments of brilliance.  I can see it, but it's just not all there yet.  It would be so easy to just do what I've always done and shoot 78 most of the time.  But I would rather shoot a couple of 85's trying to get it right than keep doing that.  If I can just stick with the plan my instructor gave me...I will have a better chance of playing par golf.  It does get tough though hitting as many bad shots as I have been hitting since that last lesson...it's worth it though.  I love this game.

Right Where You Are

When it comes right down to it, I'm a huge nerd. I love all things technological. I have recently been really getting into Google applications. The idea of being able to use online applications is incredible. Everything is heading this way. Soon we will use online apps as much as we use desktop apps. The idea that I can enter information wherever I am no matter what I am doing no matter whose computer I am on...is life-changing.

This is an ingenious idea. Meeting someone right where they are no matter what they are doing and offer them something that will change their life. I might use that approach some day. I can't think of anything presently, but I'm sure it'll come to me.

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For

Today is the day.  It's June 29...or to those who are technically savvy and cool...Iphone launch day.  I will no doubt be attempting to purchase this game-changing, life-altering mobile communications device.  To all of those who will be joining me in the journey I say good luck and I hope I get mine first.  I'll report back as to what my favorite features are.  

And if you are still a pc person...enjoy your old school voicemail as I enjoy my visual voicemail.  

Divine Design

I love being me.  It didn't always work that way.  I used to be more concerned with what everyone else wanted me to be than I was about trying to find who God made me to be and being that man.  

In school I never had enough confidence to be me.  I acted confident but it was a cover-up.  I did whatever I could to fit in and be accepted.

Now I just want to be me.  I want to be accepted for who I am not for what I do.  One of the greatest revelations I have ever gotten from the Lord was just to be who He made me to be and anything else He sees as unfaithfulness.

I never knew how freeing it would be to be comfortable in my own skin.  It's good to be me.

Credit

When I have thought of this word recently, I haven't thought of buying things one cannot afford. I haven't thought of debt, loans, interest rates, balances or minimum payments. There is one word that I have thought of though as it relates to credit...it's the word recognition.

Here's a question: Who gets the recognitions when you succeed? Is it you? Is it a spouse? Is it a boss? Is it God? I was reading something interesting just now about Abram and this idea of recognition.

Abram had just defeated a 4 kings (who we'll call the fantastic four) and their respective armies with nothing but 318 of his trained servants. By beating these kings he saved Sodom, Gomorrah and three other cities, we'll call them the feeble five. The feeble five had just lost a battle to the fantastic four and lost all of their possessions as well. Not only does Abram defeat the fantastic four but he gets the feeble five's people and possessions back.

After the victory, Melchizidek comes out to bless Abram and the bible says Abram gave Melchizidek a tithe of all. Then Genesis 14:21 says "Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, 'Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.' 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich'"

Now think about this for a minute. Abram deserved all their stuff. He risked death and great loss in order to get it all back. He deserved it. He had returned what they could not retain. But Abram knew better. I don't know how but he did. AND HE TITHED. The tithe hadn't even been instituted yet and he did it. Abram got it. And God responded. Everything Abram was doing was pointing back to God. God was getting the credit.

In the very next verse starting in Genesis 15, it says that "After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying, 'Do not be afraid, Abram I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.'"

Abram did not want any one man or his kingdom to get the credit for blessing him. He knew that only God deserved that recognition. He turned down the possessions of 5 kings and their kingdoms. That's a lot of stuff. But listen to what God says..."I am your EXCEEDINGLY GREAT reward". I don't know how much stuff you have to have to qualify for exceedingly great, but I know this, that it has to be a whole lot more than 5 kingdoms worth.

So I ask again...Who gets the credit, the recognition, the glory for all that you have and all that you have attained and accomplished?

Little Things

When I was in college nothing mattered more than the big things. Life was all about the big things...goals were big, ideas were big, stories were big, maybe even egos were big and there weren't many little things...or at least I didn't notice them. Now, I don't care very much for the big things. But I do find myself noticing the little things and enjoying them even more.

This past week Rylie, our 4 year old started swim lessons. Two weeks ago I tried to "get her ready" for lessons by putting her in the water myself. She went crazy. She was screaming like I had never seen before. It mad me very concerned that she would freak out at her lessons and not even get in the water. Monday came and she went to her lesson. There are only two other kids in her class and their parents are in the water with them. Holly and I decided not to get in the water with Rylie because she would rely on us too much. Her teacher in less than thirty minutes had Rylie swimming around with nothing but a noodle keeping her from drowning. She was so proud of herself. Shoot, I was so proud of her. It was huge.

I find myself not really even asking the Lord for the big things lately. Maybe it's because I don't want the pressure of the big things...or maybe it's that I enjoy the fact that my life is made up of many "little" beautiful moments where if I am in the right frame of mind I see them for what they really are...LIFE moments.