Let me say that again,

I

love

Mondays. 

Most people dread Mondays but I love what Mondays represent. They represent an opportunity to start over. They represent a new beginning. It doesn’t matter what I did or did not do last week, I have the chance to do it all over again this week and maybe even do it better. It doesn’t matter what mistakes I have made in my past, it doesn’t matter how I have been hurt or broken. Today I am a clean slate. My story, my life, is a blank canvas. I can make it whatever I want it to be. 

Does this mean that I can just forget about the past?

Probably not….. 

Our experiences shape us so it can be nearly impossible to forget about the past but too many times we let our past determine our future.

I’ve got some good new for you. Your past doesn’t have to determine your future.

Today is the beginning of a new week. You get a do-over.

I like you. I might not like you as you are currently manifesting yourself but I like you. Who you are right now isn’t necessarily you. You are spending so much time trying to become something when what we all really want is for you to be you.

You matter.

Your life matters.

You have influence.

You. 

God made you.

God has uniquely gifted you.

So stop trying to become something and just be.

I like you.

We moved across town.

Up.

We downsized from renting a house to renting an apartment.

Up and down. (Cheaper rent, less space.)

We added a new member to our family (Lorelei- or as Larkin calls her “Worewei.”)

Definitely up!

Financially this has been a down year but somehow we still have had everything we need and more.

Up and down, up and down. Our life seems to be filled with ups and downs..

I have noticed myself developing some bad habits in relationship to the ups and down of life. If things are bad and I am in desperate need of something, be it money or some other thing, I become very spiritual. I start praying very fervently and feverishly but then when things are fine again my prayer life becomes non-existent.

My spiritual-life is very much based on my circumstances. As humans I think we are inclined to react to life based on our circumstances so it makes sense that we have a tendency to do that in our relationship with God but I don’t think that is really what He has in mind for us.

I have been reading for the last several months (with the frequency of my reading dependant on my circumstances) in the book of Numbers. In Numbers 10:8-9, the priests are given a command to blow their trumpets as they go into battle and if they do so they will be remembered by God and rescued from their enemies. They are also commanded to blow their trumpets at times of rejoicing- during their appointed festivals and New Moon Feasts.

God is telling them to acknowledge him when they are in the middle of really tough or difficult circumstances but also in the midst of the good times.

This is something that I struggle with. I very easily move on to other things once God has given me what I want. What about you? Do you struggle with living a spiritual-life that is based on your circumstances?

We love it but it’s not always easy. There are days when I come home from work to utter chaos. Going out is more complicated and at times it doesn’t end so well, however, even though it isn’t easy, within a matter of seconds your day can go from bad to good.

Last night, for example, we went to the store, I was walking around looking at manly stuff, Court was walking around with the girls looking at girly stuff, as I rounded the corner, this is what I saw: 

In midst of stress, in the midst of chaos, God uses the small things to turn a bad day into a good day.

In your life, what kinds of small things can make a bad day turn to a good day?

Sometimes right in the middle of a bad day, though, we get a surprise that turns things right around.

The other day I was having one of those days. Nothing major, just a bunch of little things that were getting to me, then, right in the middle of feeling frustrated and worn out my wife sends me this picture and the caption underneath says, “We love you!” Totally turned my day around.

There are some things that can just instantly make a bad day good.

A cup of coffee.

A good song (listening to Mumford and Sons as I am typing this).

A kiss from my hot wife. (My love language is physical touch, me and every other guy on earth.)

Going to the movies.

Sitting and doing nothing just for heck of it.

Saying a prayer.

What are some things that help to make a bad day good for you?

Blogging is so important because it is a free and fast way to get information and knowledge out to a large number of people. I have a Google Reader acount and I subscribe to about 50 blogs. That is 50 different people that I can get information and knowledge from every single day! If you do not have a list of blogs that you are regularly following I would highly encourage you to do so.

Here is a short list of people that I am currently following to help you get started:

1. Brad Lomenick- Brad is the director of a movement called Catalyst. Catalyst is arguably the best conference out there for the next generation of church leaders.  

2. Aaron Niequist- Aaron is one of the worship leaders at Willow Creek Community Church.

3. Re:Focus- This is the blog of author Simon Sinek. His Ted Talk is amazing! You need to take 20 minutes and watch it.

4. Donald Miller- Donald is the author of several books including the best-selling “Blue Like Jazz“.

5. Tim Sanders- Tim is an author and speaker. I recently read his book “Today We Are Rich” and have found that I have a much more positive outlook on life as a result of this book.

Reading blogs is one of the main ways that I obtain information and knowledge. How do you obtain information and knowledge?

You are a brand.

In the world of social media we are all our own brand and we can and should control how we are perceived by others. I have heard countless stories of employers looking up a prospective hire on Facebook or Twitter and deciding not to hire them because they didn’t like what they saw. We should be cautious about the way that we allow ourselves to be perceived in the digital world but at the same time I also think that we should be transparent and allow people to see who we are. We live in a world where people want and need to hear our story and if we mask our true self we may cutting ourselves off from potential relationships and opportunities. So how can we build a brand that allows people to be on the inside but also protect the integrity and reputation of the brand?

I am not a pro at this but I am building a brand (Shift) and this is how I am building my brand:

1. Blog 5-7 times per week. At this point I am the face of the Shift and I want to give people an opportunity to connect with me and see who I am. Blogging is a great way to do that. Most well-known bloggers will tell you that one of the best ways to increase traffic to your site is to write consistently.

2. Strategically follow people on the various social networking sites- Facebook, Twitter, Google +, etc. I don’t think it is very efficient to just connect yourself with a lot of people just for the sake of numbers. I do think that numbers are important but I think it is more about who you are connecting with. I am intentionally following and friending people that work with students and/or young adults at a church or are running a ministry similar to what I am starting with the Shift.

3. Face to face or phone conversations with people that I have a relationship with that are in one of the categories I listed above. I have called or met with a number of friends of mine that are pastors or have spoken/lead worship professionally to tell them what I am doing and see if they can help me spread the word.

We all either have a brand or are the brand. How are you building your brand?

I moved to Nashville to attend Trevecca Nazarene University.

I graduated from college and married Court.

We moved to Michigan where I worked at a church (for 5 months) and nearly lost my sanity. (Michigan is not on my list of places to live…..sorry if you live there).

Moved to North Carolina for a year to work at another church (one step closer to losing my sanity).  

Moved back to Nashville to work for Dave Ramsey.

Had Larkin.

Moved across town.

Started a second job delivering pizzas.

Quit delivering pizzas.

Moved across town again.

Had Lorelei.

Started the Shift (technically still starting).

As I have been reflecting on the last 10 years I have also started to look forward to the next 10 years and ask myself some questions. What am I accomplishing? Are my priorities in order? What are some passions of mine that are being put on the backburner? Is my family getting the best parts of me? Is my health where I want it to be? 10 years from now, what do I want to look back on?

Has your life changed a lot since 9/11? What are some things that you hope to accomplish in the next decade?