Counter-cultural

Culture: Be yourself.
Jesus: Find yourself in me.

Culture: Because you’re beautiful you’re loved.
Jesus: Because you’re loved you’re beautiful.

Culture: If everyone likes you, you will feel loved.
Jesus: I love you at your most unlikeable.

Everything Costs Something

There is an old saying that there is no such thing as a free lunch. The idea behind this saying is that there is a cost to everything, and I’m not talking about a monetary price. For that free lunch of yours, someone had to not only buy the food but take the time to prepare it as well. So if it’s not free for someone to offer something like this, why do they do it? The answer is clear that there are some things worth more than money.

Although this should be obvious I’m going to say it anyways – The greater something is, the more it costs.

The cost of a free lunch is not the same as getting into shape. The cost of sitting on the TV is not the same as creating. Each of these have a cost, some of us are okay with paying and others we are not. The cost of being successful is high, but the cost of freedom is higher.

On the heels of Memorial Day where we honor the men and women who have died to protect our freedoms, I am reminded that even freedom has a cost. You can’t pay for freedom with money or you can’t barter for it with your favorite material item in your house. Freedom comes with an even greater cost, blood. Why pay such a high price for this? Because it’s worth it. Men and women across the world not only serve, but die to pay the price for our freedoms. They believe that the freedoms they protect is worth more than their life. For that I am grateful!

Never Tell Me the Odds

Leicester City of the English soccer Premier League clinched the Championship this week after having 5000-1 odds of winning at the beginning of the season. In the Premier League’s 24 year history since they reorganized, 4 teams have won 21 of the 24 titles. In general, the top of the League is so powerful compared to the rest of the League, the top 4-5 teams are the only teams that have a real chance to win the League. But against all odds Leicester City, a team that is only in it’s second year in Premier League and were at risk of being relegated last year, fought all year long to become the first non top tier club to win the league since Blackburn Rovers in 1995.

5000-1 odds seem insurmountable. In sports terms, that is the oddsmakers basically saying there is no chance this is going to happen. To put in perspective these odds, the odds of the 1980 US miracle on ice against Russia was only 1000-1! And who can blame them giving these odds? With several teams in the league that have way more money, world-class talent, and deeper youth academies, history showed it was a long shot that Leicester should even be able to compete against those other teams, much less win. But they believed in themselves, played hard every day, committed to constantly improve and ended up defying the odds to go on and win the Premier League!

If there something you should take away from this, I think it is what Han Solo replied to C3PO when he was told the odds of successfully navigating that asteroid field. “NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS”

The odds don’t matter. The odds of so many great things in our lives happening are always going to be high. But that doesn’t mean they are unattainable and even if we can’t achieve them doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. The only way you can find out what we are capable of is if we go after our dreams and try to defy the odds, no matter how big they may seem.

To-Don’t List

A lot of people keep to-do lists. Mostly to keep on track and make sure they get done what needs to get done, but what about things you need to make sure you don’t do. I think these types of things are just as important as things we need to-do. For example:

Don’t lie.
Don’t cheat.
Don’t belittle.
Don’t imitate.
Don’t pretend.
Don’t procrastinate.
Don’t make excuses.
Don’t blame others
Don’t interrupt people.
Don’t be wasteful (with your time or money)
Don’t settle for mediocracy
Don’t let your emotions rule you

Just a short list of things off the top of my head. By no means is this comprehensive or for everyone. Just a starting point for me. These might not be easy, but important for sure.

What would you add to this list? What would be on your to-don’t list?

It’s funny how God works sometimes

I asked for strength, I was given challenges to make me strong

I asked for wisdom, and I was given problems to solve

I asked for prosperity, and I was given a brain and brawn to work

I asked for courage, and I was given danger to overcome

I asked for love, and I was given troubled people to help

I asked for favors, and I was given opportunities

I received nothing I wanted

Yet, I received everything I needed

I want to be Filthy Rich

Rich in Joy.
Rich in Love.
Rich in Faith.
Rich in Mercy.
Rich in Wisdom.
Rich in Family.
Rich in Laughter.
Rich in Compassion.

You know… in the stuff that is worth more than money

Holiday to-do List

Since today is Black Friday, I need to get ready for Christmas!