I dare you...

Each day is a gift from the Lord, and each day is so unique. This day will never return. I dare you to get out and do something with this day! Today is like no other day you've ever had! Sure, maybe you've gotten up and gone off to work or school today, like yesterday, but today is new. Today will be filled with new conversations, new opportunities, and new adventures. You've got a choice to make my friend.

Will you enjoy the day the Lord has blessed you with? or Will you keep looking ahead to the future and forget that there is a gift of grace right in front of you?

Psalm 118: 21-24
'I will praise you, for you have answered me and have become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it..' (NKJV)

How will you rejoice in the Lord today? It does not have to be complicated. Spend time in His presence, in worship, through music, reading his word, or sitting outside and enjoying His creation. God allows us to make a choice each day. How will you glorify Him with all that you do? How do you plan to enjoy God today, and enjoy the blessing of common grace that you have been given?

Today, and everyday is an adventure and with that, I dare you to...

• Get outside! snowy or warm, wherever you are, get outside and appreciate the beauty that is waiting for you out right out your front door!
•  Sing. It doesn't matter if you think you're the greatest singer out there, or if you think you could use some more lessons. Sing to the Lord; it's all music to Him. Sing to the "audience of one"
• Dance! Same thing, it doesn't matter if you're an expert, or if all you know how to do is the 'sprinkler,' get out there and dance your heart out simply because you are given an opportunity to do so!
• Take a chance. I know this one isn't always easy, but I promise it will be worth the satisfaction of taking a step in a new direction. Sometimes God moves you into a direction or compels you to do something new. Take Him up on the offer, He won't let you go through this new chance by yourself. Don't let fear hold you back. Remember that this dare, can be as simple as making yourself talk to someone you have yet to talk to. It could also be as extreme as sky diving. (Don't worry, that's pretty extreme, and might not be for everyone ;) ) The point is, you never know what opportunity you could be missing out on, if you don't let yourself take the chance.
• Smile. I feel like this one is self explanatory, but honestly, you never know how far a smile can go. You can smile at someone and that simple act can make a bad day into a great one for someone else, as well as for you. Have you ever forced yourself to smile? Do it right now, and see what happens? If you're not laughing at how silly it is, keep trying because I promise if you're not laughing yet, you will be!
• Complete a project. For those of who you have a pinterest, look up some crafts, or a delectable dessert, and the make it! Or if you see something you like in a home magazine, such as a recipe or a DIY project, do it! Projects are a great way to spend time with family or friends, or just to give you something to do. Don't just look at the pictures; see if you can make it happen!
• Laugh! Laughing is so good for your health! I'm pretty convinced it helps you live longer. I dare you to laugh; let yourself enjoy today and enjoy your life. Sometimes the reason we aren't happy is because we get in our own way and focus on the negative aspects of this life. Let yourself laugh! The best kind of wrinkles to get are from laugh lines!
• Spend time with your friends and family. There's nothing that can bring more joy than spending time with people who love you and care for you! Another way to bring joy, is to show someone else you care! Do something nice for someone today, in your family or not. Show love and care to others.
• Finally start toward that goal you've been putting off. Really, I'm challenging you to stop making excuses for yourself, and work toward something you told yourself you were going to do. Maybe it's your new years resolution that you gave up the second week of January, or maybe it's something you just thought of today. Whatever it is, take a step forward and get to that goal! Give it your best, and give it your all! Doing your best in something is a way that you can glorify God who gave you the ability in the first place!

Those are just a few dares for this little adventure we call life! It's really simple, but so often we forget to look at the gift that is right in front of us. Have a great day, rejoice, be glad, and Shine on! 

The Gift

When I was in high school, one of my language arts teachers handed out a story for everyone to read. He gave it to us for pure enjoyment and discovery, not necessarily for assignment purposes. 

The story was about a little boy who went to talk with an old man. The old man proceeded to tell the boy about this extravagant present. A present so precious, it will make you happy for the rest of your life. The little boy took the news with such excitement and wonder. As the boy grew he was frustrated because as a child he never received such a present that made him content and happy. 

The boy, now a young man went to the old man and continued quizzing him to find out just what this precious present was, to which the old man replied "THE PRESENT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WISHING. . . WHEN YOU HAVE THE PRESENT YOU WILL BE PERFECTLY CONTENT TO BE WHERE YOU ARE. . . THE RICHNESS OF THE PRESENT COMES FROM ITS OWN SOURCE. . . THE PRESENT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE GIVES YOU. . . IT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU GIVE TO YOURSELF. . ." 

The man continued on his journey to find this precious present. As he searched, and thought back on what the old man had said, it finally hit him. The man realized how many moments he had missed, how many opportunities he has skipped in order to find this gift that was going to make him happy for the rest of his life. The gift or present, was right in front of him the whole time; he had the precious present his entire life!
 In case you haven't guessed, the "precious present" is the present time.

-My paraphrase of The Precious Present by Spencer Johnson

I feel like sometimes the biggest challenge I face is to look at what is right in front of me and say, "yeah this is good, I'm good." or "Thank you God for this day, this new morning, afternoon, and evening."
I've come to realize something; I want to plan my entire life. I want to know my future, who is in my future, what I'm doing, where I live... You name it! If it is in the future, I want it, and I want it now! Just me?

In the midst of all of that, this year God has shown me something so great. That I can plan ahead, and I can look forward to my future, but in the end God already has it under control. Trust me, there's a reason that He is God and I'm not. Looking forward and being excited for what God has planned for the rest of your life is great, and can be uplifting, however, I've learned that the future is called the "future" for a reason... it's not here yet!

God puts you where you are for a reason. I am here, at Colorado Christian University for a reason, that I might not realize yet, but that's not important. God knows why I'm here and He will lead me to the right things and the right path if I follow Him. I don't have to know the exact reason why I'm here, but the least I can do is be thankful that God has placed me here, right here. I have a choice to enjoy it and be thankful that I don't have to know my whole life, because if you think about it, that would be insanely stressful!

I'm not saying that planning for your future is a bad thing, but if you spend too much time looking forward, you might miss everything great that God has put right in front of you. This includes opportunities, friendships, and any other relationship. The man in the story had missed out on so much because he spent his whole life looking for what would make him happy when happiness was right in front of him.

God gives this gift of the present time every day. Enjoy each moment, while it lasts because in a second, that moment is gone.
Basically, here's what I'm trying to say.

Enjoy the "precious present" of the present time, because it is a present.

That sinking feeling

May you be warmed by the morning sunlight,

after a starless night.

May you glimpse in a shimmering rainbow,

a promise that storms will cease,

and know that God is always beside you,

assuring you inner peace.

Dorothy J. Hampton 1996

This poem was written in 1996 by my "Great-mother." One of the kids in the family had a difficult time saying 'great grandmother'  and Great-mother was what came out. That became her name from all of the grand-kids. Great mother was an extraordinary woman with a full understanding of God and His common grace that we experience every day. Everything mentioned in that poem is a beautiful expression of little things that we are blessed with each day. 

When I think of grace, I usually only think of the bible verse I've heard over and over, "...for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves lest anyone should boast, but it is a gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8) That verse is true, our salvation comes only as a gift of the Lord who perished on the cross for our sake, but grace is so much more than that.

 Have you ever stopped to think that everything we see in this life is by the grace of God?

The morning sunlight is something to behold. Have you ever been awake to see it, either by accident or intentionally? Next time you have that opportunity, take it! Let God show you His grace and glory every morning! It's there, I promise! Take a minute to appreciate the little things that we are given. 

When was the last time you looked a rainbow and just stopped everything you are doing to just breath and allow yourself to be immersed in that moment of grace? A rainbow seems so rare, why not appreciate the glory of God that is right in front of you? Each moment you have is a gift of grace. I forget this sometimes when I feel that God is nowhere to be found, and I'm faced with the black sky of the worst storm I've ever seen. Even that storm is a gift of grace because it gives us a moment to step back and really experience the Lord and His plan. What a blessing that is!

When the rain begins to fall and there is lightning all around, you don't have to be happy about it, or even enjoy it, but be thankful that God is allowing you to fall into Him. God is faithful and never leaves you. He is still in control and if you allow Him, He will direct you out of the storm. That is Grace! There is nothing commanding Him to help you, or move you forward, but He does because of his love for you! We are not worthy of this grace, but He gives it freely because of who He is!  There are reminders every day of God's presence and His never-changing grace.

David Crowder summed it up perfectly in the song, How He Loves, when He used the lyric,
"If His grace, is an ocean, we're all sinking!" So that "sinking feeling" can be a good thing! 

Let yourself sink in the ocean of grace-be fully immersed in the Lord's mighty power and love!
Allow yourself to experience the incredible mercy and grace of God, and extend it to others as well :)

"For from his fullness, we have all received grace upon grace." John 1:16

You are "The Greatest" a story for Friday

             There was a little boy who loved baseball more than anything else in the world. So he went out to a field by his house to play. As he began he yelled as loud as he could, "I am the greatest hitter ever!" He threw up the ball and watched as it started coming back down. As it was coming, he swung his bat with every piece of strength he had. The ball hit the ground without a single smack of the bat. He did the same pattern again. "I am the greatest hitter ever!" The ball went up, and back down again without a hit. He listened to the cheers of the imaginary crowd, and tried a final time. The ball went up in the air, and fell yet again, strike three. Finally, it was time for the boy to head back home. As he walked home he thought to himself, "I knew I was the greatest player ever, but I never knew I could pitch like that; I'm the greatest pitcher ever!" 

(Paraphrasing of The Greatest, by Kenny Rodgers) 

I love this story! It's a story of confidence, perseverance, and more importantly, perspective.  That little boy could have hung his head the whole way home and been depressed about his performance. But he gave himself a new way to look at things!

Good or bad, life happens. God brings new adventures and takes us on various trails throughout this life. Each little adventure is a part of who God has created someone to be. These adventures are meant to grow and change someone in order to bring them closer to Christ.

Something that I have learned and have been learning since last summer is that sometimes, I'm really not happy with the the part of the adventure I'm experiencing. The fact is sometimes we climb up mountains, and other times we walk through the lowest of valleys, or get stuck in the thickest of fog. On the other side, we could be walking through beautiful meadows with flowers and sunshine. I don't know about you, but the meadows are my favorite! You can see everything that is coming, and everything is beautiful and warm. I wish I could lay in that warm grass all the time. 

What about the times that life does not feel warm and beautiful? What about when it seems like all you can think about is getting out of the waiting period, and just moving on with everything? In those times, I challenge you to remember that being content in where you are and the situations you are in, does not mean you have to be ok with the adventure at that point. You are completely justified in being frustrated, angry, hurt, and impatient. However, something that you can be ok with is that God is still God! He still has control and when you are stuck in the fog, and frustrated that you can't see what is next use the brightest light you have-- Christ! Cry out to Him! 

When Habakkuk was in doubt and frustrated this is what God had for him-

Habakkuk 1:5 "Look among the nations, and watch. Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days, which you would not believe, even if it were told to you."

Remember God's ways are different form the way that we would do things. Life does not have to be perfect for us to praise God and be thankful that He is with us in every step of the adventure. 

So when life is confusing, and messy, do a handstand and see your situation from a new perspective!