Day 38: "Becoming a World-Class Christian"

Today we continue, as we near the end of our journey, through the book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren. Today we are on Day 38.

This chapter talks about A LOT of things...like they all do, such as: going on a mission....well not just A mission...MISSIONS...regularly. It also talks about different ways to work for God's CAUSE & minister to God's PEOPLE. I'm going to share an experience I had...just the other night.

It was OVERWHELMING. So....for all of you that don't know. I made the CHOICE to leave 2 very well paying jobs (2 seperate occasions). I had reached some goals that I ALWAYS wanted to reach: be the first of my family to graduate from college, get a good-paying job where I had insurance & benefits, move up in the company & excel, buy a HOUSE, have a boat, be able to afford to send our children to daycare & give them things I didn't have growing up, become involved in organizations, help people, train others.....

Well...I did that...& it just wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I did all those things. I'm proud of myself for doing a lot of those things. I've learned A LOT from all of those things, but....well...I was STRESSED a lot....especially towards the end & a lot of what these companies were asking me to do was either busy work, not the BEST use of my time (from what I thought....an economic & company standpoint). Just an example is: We'd be asked to set a certain number of meetings with a certain number of people about a NEW product/service we were offering....well before the company itself had its head wrapped around. BELIEVE ME....I get the numbers game & having prospects in the pipeline to convert into sales....but to put in plainly.....THE FOCUS SHIFTED FROM THE NEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUALS/COMPANIES/AGENCIES to what our COMPANY needed. I was trained on NEEDS-BASED selling....& when you try & do both you can't. You'll never 100% FULFILL the needs of the client & the company, when your focus SHIFTS to the company & not your consumer. So I found myself in perdicaments. I was in a perdicament with my beliefs & values. I was in perdicaments with novice managers, who's MAIN focus was to IMPRESS everyone up the line OR invent the next cool thing to help them become noticed.....instead of putting their head down & working in the trenches to pull a team, a building, an office out of the gutter & back on dry land & upper management doing nothing about it & I realized that I WAS NOT REALLY ABLE TO HELP ANYONE...THE WAY I KNEW THEY NEEDED HELP. My hands were tied. I was wearing myself out. I was taking it out on my husband, my kids, myself..... I was grumpy.....even with a house & land & a boat & nice cars & MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY.

So I sit up one night....literally trying to UNDERSTAND the point & REALIZE...amongst other things that THAT JOB & what THEY expected me to be DID NOT DEFINE ME...it couldn't...That's why I was strugGLING with it. I realized that it wouldn't be easy, but that there was A LOT more. I just had to FIGURE IT OUT & God would be there in ALL of it. I LITERALLY acted on my gut, instincts, passion...whatever you wanna call it. I KNEW that staying where I was, was NOT doing myself any favors, but it wasn't doing my husband or my children any favors either....and I was doing it because we had become a slave to the almighty dollar.

So now we find ourselves..."in the trenches," if you will. We are making WAY less money than before. We are NEEDING to DEPEND on people in some areas....where we never had to & took pride in never having to....We bought a trailer house, which I never wanted to do (BUT...I'M REAL HAPPY ABOUT THE DECISION). I'm not "technically" using my college degree to secure that slam dunk job... I'm sure some people think we've lost it.  We were talking about FINANCES the other night. & well something was said (I honestly don't even know EXACTLY what it was), but I heard it differently than how I had been CHOOSING to here it. Well....it UNRAVELED me. It brought to LIGHT...the fact that I was doing all the things I ONCE took PRIDE in not having to do. Of being 100% COMPLETELY capable of handling that & more. My husband went to sleep. The kids fell asleep & I LITERALLY came UNDONE. I mean UN-FREAKIN-DONE boy! Crying to where I couldn't catch my breath & your nose gets all stopped up. QUESTIONING myself: my abilities, my choices, my reasoning, my spiritual journey, my worth.... WHEW! ALL OF IT. Then thinking...."Like hell, I'm gonna WASTE all this WORK & ENERGY....FRUITFUL work & energy I've done all year... What do I do next?" So....I say God just "TAKE IT FROM ME.... All this negative crap. All this worry & fret & frenzy & irrational thoughts....ALL of this misunderstanding & JUNK. Take it from me & let me sleep & awake clear-minded & FULL of purpose."  I mean....ALL I could do in that moment was SLEEP. I didn't wake up with ALL the answers, but I woke up with the KNOWING of what I would compromise & what I wouldn't. I woke up KNOWING that the devil KNEW just how to bring me to my knees... BUT I also knew it hurt a little, but I WOULDN'T GIVE UP what I KNOW now, for anything I once "knew".....I just had to get creATiVE.

I can't put into words how VALUABLE my relationship is with The Holy Trinity. I really can't....just go get you one! I mean...I think about that ATTACK on my pride....that I did myself & how it KNOCKED me down & how.....if I hadn't walked the walk I've been walking....how the devil could have won. How I could have gave in & abandoned the GOD work I had done. There's NO DOUBT that God would have taken me down a different path, but MAN!!! MAN. God took that situation &....I kinda feel like....took every ounce of my PRIDE that I once had (all the JUNK created by the WORLD's expectations)...handed it over to the devil & said..."Here's your souvenier. You can't have that piece of her anymore." As I woke, I was FILLED with the pride that I AM going in the RIGHT direction (even though I don't ever know what to expect next). That I am what I am & what I am is BLESSED. I'm going to be walking with God "moment to moment," like the book says because making these kind of choices opens me up to criticism & people NOT getting it. We can either let PEOPLE & PERCEPTIONS control us OR allow ourselves to CONTROL our circumstances & experiences TRULY based on what God teaches. It's a POWERFUL thing when you UNmuddy the waters....but you gotta swim through the mud first...

So as you sit there WONDERING how this story applies to this chapter....let me share a few important messages this chapter REVEALED to me through this experience:

"World-class Christians are the only fully alive people on the planet."

"...World-class Christians know they were saved to serve and made for a mission. They are eager to receive a personal assignment and excited about the privilege of being used by God."

"Of course, this is a difficult mental shift because we're naturally self-absorbed and almost all advertising encourages us to think of ourselves. The only way we can make this paradigm switch is by a moment-by-moment dependence on God."

"Your goal is to figure out where others are in their spiritual journey and then do whatever will bring them a step closer to knowing Christ."

"Prayer is the most important tool for your mission in the world. People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers." (Side note: It's SUPER COOL...when you KNOW all you can do is PRAY for them, you do, & then seeing God work in their lives.)

"The Bible tells us to pray for opportunities to witness, for courage to speak up, for those who will believe, for the rapid spread of the message, and for more workers."

"So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity."

"In one of his most misunderstood statements Jesus said, 'I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.' Jesus did not mean for you to 'buy' friends with money. What he meant was that you should use the money God gives you to bring people to Christ. They will then be friends for eternity who will welcome you when you get to heaven!"

"You have probably heard the expression 'You can't take it with you' - but the Bible says you can send it on ahead by investing in people who are going there."

"'Don't say that,' the Lord replied, 'for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with yo
u and take care of you.'"

"God doesn't want to use just some of his people; he wants to use all of his people."

"Jesus said, 'Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live!'"

Here's the DAILY stuff:

"Point to Ponder: The Great Commission is my commission."

Daily Bible Verse: "Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind." Psalm 67:2 (LB)

Daily Question: "What steps can I take to prepare to go on a short-term missions experience in the next year?"

From My Journal:
1) Research It.
2) Be somewhere close.
3) Go as a couple.
4) Save Up.
5) Book It.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus! There's only FOUR MORE DAYS left in this book, but I KNOW you've already Got LOTS of stuff to keep you buSy.

Day 36: "Made for a Mission"

Today we begin to learn about the 5th & FINAL purpose Pastor Rick Warren's Book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? discusses. We've learned A LOT so far...right? I mean...I look back on my journal entries, that I've been sharing with you guys, and see how I am thinking WAY differently from what I WAS thinking. Totally shows me MY growth.

I struGGLE finding the right words to drive this home for ya'll. I read the chapter again. I sat on it. I tried to recall some experiences of my own that HELP me to better understand a story Pastor Warren shares with us in this chapter...that is SO moving. I will share that story...it is lengthy & STRAIGHT from the book, but I want as many people to read it as possible....even my readers that may not go and get this book.

When I worked in nursing home sales, I officed with our MDS Coordinator & our Medical Records Coordinator. I became friends with both of these ladies & they have added to my life by sharing their experiences with me & us experiencing some together. One of those experiences was having a resident on our hall that was suffering from Dementia...among other things.

Every person I've encountered, suffers from Dementia differently. You will find some that slowly slide/progress into the disease. There are some that become happier/friendlier as the disease progresses...kind of...pleasantly unaware. Some become anxious or confused or timid...they regress. Then there are some that bitterly & angrily hold on to ALL they can as long as they can.

As I sit here & type this...it just AMAZES me at how we will CONTINUE to TEACH each other...until our final breath...and, by God's will, might be able to go on teaching people even longer.

This resident would scream different, random things all day long....most of the time. Sometimes they would holler for HELP. The 3 of us that shared an office & the other nurses, aids, & staff that were on duty, would take turns checking in with them. When you would go in...you NEVER know where the conversation was going. I can tell you that mine have ranged from conversations about their stuffed animal kitty to real life cats they used to have to our therapy cat to how their house was designed to them being the boss to blood-curdling screams & rants telling you how worthless & ugly you were (cuss words included...all of them). I had conversations with this person that could be about kitty cats one minute & then have them throw me the MOST hateful stare I have EVER gotten.

I share this with you because, you could see glimpses of their personality when you talked to them & I could see how hard they was clinging to whatever it was they still had. You could tell by the conversations what made them the happiest in their life, what made them feel the most secure, and ALL the insecurities they had throughout their life. It can show us what the things are we hang on to the longest.

Well...Now I will SHARE Pastor Warren's story with you. It is called "One More For Jesus"
"My father was a minister for over fifty years, serving mostly in small, rural churches. He was a simple preacher, but he was a man with a mission. His favorite activity was taking teams of volunteers overseas to build church buildings for small congregations. In his lifetime, Dad built over 150 churches around the world. In 1999, my father died of cancer. In the final week of his life the disease kept him awake in a semi-conscious state nearly twenty-four hours a day. As he dreamed, he would talk out loud about what he was dreaming. Sitting by his bedside, I learned a lot about my dad by just listening to his dreams. he relived one church building project after another. One night near the end, while my wife, my niece, and I were by his side, Dad suddenly became very active and tried to get out of bed. Of course, he was too weak, and my wife insisted he lay back down. But he persisted in trying to get out of bed, so my wife finally asked, 'Jimmy, what are you trying to do?' He replied, 'Got to save one more for Jesus! Got to save one more for Jesus! Got to save one more for Jesus!' As I sat by his bed with tears flowing down my cheeks, I bowed my head to thank God for my dad's faith. At that moment Dad reached out and placed his frail hand on my head and said, as if commissioning me, 'Save one more for Jesus! Save one more for Jesus!' I intend for that to be the theme of the rest of my life. I invite you to consider it as a focus for your life, too, because nothing will make a greater difference for eternity. If you want to be used by God, you must care about what God cares about; what he cares about most is the redemption of the people he made. He wants his lost children found! Nothing matters more to God; the Cross proves that. I pray that you will always be on the lookout to reach 'one more for Jesus' so that when you stand before God one day, you can say, 'Mission accomplished!'"

His father's life was given COMPLETELY to "bringing people to Jesus." Me reflecting on these two stories SHOWS me the importance of getting ourselves to Jesus first. WE have got to get there to bring other people to him. Not only that, but we have to get there while we can.

Another thing that STICKS OUT to me is : "one more." Probably the best SALES advice I EVER got were by two different gentleman. One is someone I knew ALL my life. I was selling raffle tickets as a little girl & I was afraid to ask people to buy them & this man said: "There's no need to be afraid. All they can do is tell you no. Then you can just go on to the next person. There is always 'one more' who will." The other was by a gentleman that was a regular at a restaurant I used to work at. He had retired from a career in sales & I believe I was just starting my first REAL job in sales. We were talking about cold-calling & he said: "When you've had a long day...even a bad day...& you didn't set very many appointments...BEFORE you wrap it up for the day...make 'one more' call."

Something that has just come to me.... Like I've told you before...MY VERSE right now is Mark 12:30. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind & with all your strength." It's a process. It takes work to REALLY love with ALL of anything. As I sit here typing out my reflections & take-aways from past experiences, I recognize that the FIRST STEP is to love God with ALL your heart. Once you do that...it will BECOME part of your SOUL. I believe our LONGEST & TOUGHEST battle will be to love with ALL our mind....it's no easy task to rid your mind of the bad & negativity in our world & our reactions to it.... & THEN...one day...when it seems like we have no STRENGTH left...we will MUSTER up ALL WE'VE GOT to give it all to Him.

What I've shared today doesn't even begin to tell you EVERYTHING this chapter holds. Here are some other important lines from the chapter:

"God wants you to have both a ministry in the Body of Christ and a mission in the world. Your ministry is your service to believers, and your mission is your service to unbelievers."

"Being a Christian includes being sent into the world as a representative of Jesus Christ."

"In the Great Commission Jesus said, 'Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you.' This commission was given to every follower of Jesus, not to pastors and missionaries alone. This is your commission from Jesus, and it is not optional. These words of Jesus are not the Great Suggestion. If you are a part of God's family, your mission is mandatory. To ignore it would be disobedience."

"You are the only Christian some people will ever know, and your mission is to share Jesus with them."

"There are people on this planet whom only you will be able to reach,  because of where you live and what God has made you to be."

"What we do know for sure is this: Jesus will not return until everyone God wants to hear the Good News has heard it. Jesus said, 'The Good News about God's kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come.'"

"You hand God a blank sheet with your name signed at the bottom and tell him to fill in the details."

"Jesus has promised, '[God] will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.'"

Here's the Daily Stuff:

"Point to Ponder: I was made for a mission."

Daily Bible Verse: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19 (NIV)

Daily Question: "What fears have kept me from fulfilling the mission God made me to accomplish? What keeps me from telling others the Good News?"

From My Journal: I feel like I am moving forward with His mission. Sometimes I think the things that stop me are: finding the right time, place, and/or way to do it, sometimes peoples perception, timing, over thinking it, inconvenience, fear of being judged, method and timing of delivery for the message, projected acceptance of the message, being overwhelmed by it.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus! Go get you that "one more" until you can't "one more" anymore.

Day 29: "Accepting Your Assignment"

Hey all! I tell you what! It's gettin' harder & harder for me to stay up & get these posts out! I'm gonna try and double up for ya today! Today we move onto our 4th PURPOSE: "You were shaped for serving God."

Today talks about "Accepting Your Assignment." This is Day 29 in Rick Warren's book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?

There are 3 parts of this chapter that I want to discuss, because I have had specific conversations about them OR I just think they are important.

Here is the first: "Another term for serving God that's misunderstood by most people is the word MINISTRY. When most people hear "ministry," they think of pastors, priests, and professional clergy, but God says every member of his family is a minister."

I had a conversation with a VERY dear friend. We actually met for lunch/brainstorming session & that turned into almost a 3-hour long discussion. One of the things I talked to her about was starting a ministry...& calling it "Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus." After our discussion (& lots of thought) I think I will call it a MISSION, but it will accomplish the same thing. Some of the things brought up were: "Is it necessary to use "Jesus" in the name of the ministry & would I be up there PREACHING to people?" We can speak VERY plainly to each other & know that the other has each other's best interests in mind when asking the questions we ask. After the first question...my head initially went to...."If I take his name OUT of it....that will be like taking his name out of the Pledge of Allegiance & out of schools & out of whatever they can get it out of." She stopped me and reminded me that Jesus was humble & doesn't need his name everywhere....& he doesn't. I know she was coming to me from a place of concern & she doesn't want ANYTHING to curtail my business....but he is ALL UP IN my business & I WANT to .

Then she asked: "What would this ministry do?" I told her my ROUGH vision: Have the ability to provide scholarships & grants to students & new business owners because I know how you can feel limited as both, if you don't have the money it takes to do something that you really think needs to be done. I'd like to also be able to provide religious education grants for children and adults. Then I told her how I'd like to take my employees & volunteers on specific missions to help spread our mission. Not only that, but the group of people that work with me have experiences that (if shared) can REALLY help others & I'm not opposed to speaking engagements...alone or as a team. So...to answer the question about if we would be preaching to people....not really. We'd be sharing our experiences with people...and doing for people.

I kind of delved into WHY it concerned her as much as it did & she shared some of her experiences, which were quite eye-opening. She is a BELIEVER...by all means, but LIKE MANY OF US (myself included...once upon a time)...is RESERVED about sharing her experiences or her FAITH because we don't want to offend anyone or rub anyone the wrong way. I agree that...depending on what you want to accomplish...some conversations have to be approached with finesse. She also told me about her childhood growing up & how many parents & adults kind of shoved religion down your throat & TOLD you what you had to be & what was GOOD & BAD...ACCEPTABLE & UNACCEPTABLE...ultimately leaving the impression that you had to be, act, dress, look a certain way to be acceptable to GOD. One example she told me was when she was a little girl one of her neighbors (parents of her little neighbor friend) gave her a Bible & then told her to take it home & tell her Daddy that he OWED them $2 or something for it.

All I want to do is SHARE MY GOOD NEWS WITH OTHERS. SHARE what I have learned & what I BELIEVE & give examples & tell stories & GIVE GOD THE GLORY. I'm not sure WHAT that will look like exactly... I just feel like I'm supposed to do it. I also know that I don't want to SHOVE IT DOWN PEOPLE'S THROATS. It won't mean a thing to them. I want to SHARE with who wants me to share it with them or who THINKS they want to know what I am talking about or who WANTS to be a part of whatever I'm doing. I don't want to FORCE anything. I realize that some people may put a wall up...just by the words I choose to use...but some won't & if something GOOD is coming from it the GOODNESS will spread & continue to spread...even if there are only a handful that want anything to do with it at first.

Here is the second thing I want to share that kind of reiterates what I discussed above. "The Bible says, 'He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose.' Peter adds, 'You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you.' Anytime you use your God-given abilities to help others, you are fulfilling your calling." After typing & re-reading this...something else struck me. In this business I have started I have found that A LOT of people don't UNDERSTAND where I am going with this, what the purpose is, WHY I'm doing it & just don't go out and get a job. HONESTLY...sometimes I'm not sure of the EXACT direction I am going or the EXACT purpose behind ALL these lessons I'm learning, but I KNEW before I went at it FULL-time I was supposed to be doing SOMETHING with it. I KNEW I needed to do more. It has been CONFIRMED to me I don't even know how many times now. I still can't say what it will look like 6 months, a year, or 10 years from now & I STILL have people trying to tell me how I'm supposed to live my life when they have NO CLUE...at all...about what has been done, what is in the works, what I have learned, & what God has GIVEN me. Heck...some of them don't even know what God has GIVEN them. YET...I still march on b/c I UNDERSTAND my PURPOSE for doing it. I share this because....We aren't even close to UNDERSTANDING GOD's purpose for our lives...God's purpose for saving us & blessing us with the gifts he gave no other living creature...what is SO special about us that God CHOSE to save us...WHY we have the experiences & feelings that we have... & (EVEN AFTER HE PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE) we QUESTION Him & get MAD at him & HIDE from Him, Some of us LOSE our belief in Him, we take his name OUT of things...YET he marches on....blessing families with more babies, loving us through our sins...teaching us to know ourselves when we don't understand WHY he doesn't just tell us. You know.... I don't UNDERSTAND his PURPOSE, but I BELIEVE in his PURPOSE & mine is linked with His.

Here is the THIRD thing I want to share from this chapter: "We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe. Impression without expression caused depression. Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation." AMEN!!!!! This happened to me when I took another job, when I KNEW I should pursue something with my auction license. This happened to me when I read the chapter about HARD conversations & SAT on it b/c I didn't want to have them. This happened to me when I didn't feel RIGHT to write posts for a blog called "Buck Up Baby!" when I couldn't even get the nerve to BUCK UP & do what I knew I was supposed to be doing. This happens when I see a friend I haven't seen in years that wants to catch up on old pals...which eventually leads to gossiping. Honestly...this still happens to me from post to post. I share this information with ya'll & some days....even though I KNOW what I SHOULD do....I just don't. I've told you before that I die daily...sometimes several times a day & my faith wains, BUT I can say that the more AWARE of things you become...the more you EXPRESS yourself & the less you put yourself in depressing situations.

READ the chapter. There is LOTS more in there. Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus! Find your ministry, name it what you want to, & go to sharin' that sucker! Here is the flyer for the BABY stages of my ministry/mission. I am HOPING to give as many $1000 scholarships away as possible to students pursuing a higher level of education, whether that be: a college, university, trade school, licensing school, or religious education school. It will be open to any high-school graduate student, currently enrolled college student, or someone wishing to return to school. The candidates will have to answer 1 of 2 essay questions: 1) Give us an example of an experience where you have had to "BUCK UP" & do something that has pushed you out of your comfort zone & how that made an impact on your life & possibly others OR 2) Tell us about an area/idea/dream that you have, but you have not mustered up the courage yet to "Buck Up." What is holding you back?  

Just realized...I didn't share the daily stuff....

"Point to Ponder: Service is not optional."

Daily Bible Verse: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Daily Question: "What is holding me back from accepting God's call to serve him?"\

From my journal the first time of reading: In December 2013 I quit my job to pursue my service/talent God has given me. The things that stopped me and still hang me up are: fear, family and friends not understanding, perception, pride, my perceived image, money. I can sit here - happy to say that I can feel the good Lord working in me, blessing others, and melting away some of my previous concerns.

A little more to say now...as some of those concerns melt away...some days others intensify. Daily...I tell you...DAILY you have to work through ALL the processes....of all the things & JUST HOLD FAITH that the PURPOSE you are working towards is worth it.

God Bless Pretties!!
Heather Schoenst Kaspar
TXL 17037

Day 5: "Seeing Life From God's View"

Welcome! Welcome!! For everyone that is a NEW reader...we are going through a book I recently finished reading. It is a chapter-a-day book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren.

I am inviting others to join in on the discussion. You can comment here OR on my Facebook Page. I am going back through each chapter to discuss it & share how I've started applying it to my daily life, the struggles I have/had with the discussion, & so on.

Today is Day 5!

 Day 5: "Seeing Life From God's View."

"Point to Ponder: Life is a test & a trust."

Daily Bible Verse: "Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones." Luke 16:10A (NLT)

Daily Question: "What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?"

From My Journal the Day of Reading:

Recent Happenings That Were a Test: My past work experiences, situations & disagreements with certain family members, less than ideal business transactions

The Greatest Matters Entrusted to Me: Sharing my spiritual journey, human nature - learning & understanding it, the exchange of goods & services, using personal connections to shine light to each other.

I can say...when you START thinking like this (How God views our lives) ALL the B.S. starts fallin' by the way side. There is plenty of drama that you can get caught up in...other peoples' drama, your drama, the drama you crEatE with your mind, the drama others create with their mind.....that literally... DOES NOT MATTER.

When you realize & AFFIRM that our time on earth is limited; you start making your actions matter more & you start focusing  on yourself & your family versus everyone else's opinion. You focus on your mission (if you know what that is.) If you're not sure what that is take a look at your gifts. They are sure enough clues.

I KNOW that I am supposed to BLESS people through auctions. I can't tell you EXACTLY how I'm supposed to do that...and I don't think there is an exact way... Since I have gone FULL-time at it I KNOW that I have created an atmosphere or setting to help estranged family members start mending their relationships. I've seen severed friendships MEND. I have created an environment where complete strangers are helping other complete strangers ALL because they have LOVE for one of the people involved OR they have gone through something similar. I have GENERATED IDEAS of how larger entities can help smaller entities & EXHIBITED how. I have SEEN a cancer patient become FILLED with SO MUCH LOVE for the people that came out to SUPPORT her...ENOUGH to take with her on the LONG journey ahead of her. I have witnessed people most would have forgotten about, find PURPOSE that they didn't KNOW they had. I have been a key player in generating LARGE sums of $$$ (a little from everyone with a little) - to really HELP someone in need. I have seen families of tragedies HELP other families of tragedies. I have seen causes with a small intent BALLOON out to WAY more than what they expected. I have seen families & communities RALLY around others that are down. I have made life-long friends out of COMPLETE strangers. I have been URGED forward by people of ALL kinds. I have made CONNECTIONS with other GIFTED & BLESSED people that I will be able to work with.

I also KNOW now that ALL the difficulties I have faced, have gotten me to where I am now. ALL the false perception, all the INTENSE feelings, the words from ALL the critics, all the disagreements.....EVERYTHING are tools to put in my tool bag for MY journey....BECAUSE there will be a time when it will REALLY matter & God is equipping me with the tools to OVERCOME it.

I second guess myself quite often, & in all different areas of my life. There is a sentence from this chapter that GROUNDS me, when my thoughts start whirlin' around: "Our time on earth and our energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are all gifts from God that he has entrusted to our care and management." -Rick Warren

So...when I start thinking about how I should maybe do something like this wife, or this mom, or this business owner, or this sister, or sister-in-law, or friend....I check myself. GOD TRUSTS ME with ALL the gifts, people, relationships, experiences, opportunities, THOUGHTS....EVERYTHING. He doesn't give the same ones to everyone. Everyone does not see what I see or understand what I understand. THEY ARE ENTRUSTED TO ME. On that note...once you wrap your head around this thought....you MOVE faster on the things you KNOW you have to move on.

I can tell you what I still struggle with is: OTHER people trying to get in OUR business. Say some prayers for me, because I don't KNOW the right or wrong way to handle that one. I've just been bringing it back to FOCUSING on MY actions & what I have to do to PROTECT my family & my mission & my blessings. We can't control others...it's not our gig.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus!! Join in on the discussion. God Bless!!