25 lessons I've learned in the last 25 years.

1.  Sometimes what I think I want isn't really what I want.  What I think I want isn't what I need.  What I need may not be what I want!




2.  Appreciate my health and take care of myself because it will catch up with me.



3.  Being "right" is incredibly over rated (unless you are a neurosurgeon or an anesthesiologist).



4.  Relationships matter more than "stuff".



5.  Make sure when I'm asking for advice to ask advice from the "right" person.  Someone who shares the same worldview (for me that's from the Bible) as I do, or I will get off course.



6.  Spend time creating a Life Plan not a "vacation plan".  I don't want to have to escape my life with a vacation.



7.  My children have taught me more about myself than I have about themselves.



8.  I will always make a point to add value to people's lives around me.



9.  Finding a hobby/passion that excites me warrants more time doing those things.



10.  It's important for me to have a community of people I trust surrounding me for when I get off track with my thinking or habits.



11.  I will always be open to learning lessons not matter how old I get.



12.  It's important to have people in my life who are "further along" emotionally, mentally and financially in order to ask questions and learn from.



13.  I Understand there are people I will meet that are not meant to be in my life forever so don't hold on.



14.  When it's right - I will know it.  Somethings are not meant to be "hard".



15.  Don't try to conquer big things by myself.  I wasn't designed to go through tough times by myself.



16.  Trust God.  He's there to help me succeed.  He's my LIFE COACH.  If I study his word and learn how to hear Him.  He will be my best advisor.



17.  When people hurt me, I will pray for them and wish them well.  I can't stay mad at people I pray for and wish well.



18.  Unforgiveness is a way to poison myself.



19.  It's important to be kind to people, everyone has a story.



20.  When someone asks me, "How are you?"  I will really answer them.  This gives them permission to be authentic with me and I have found developed real friendships from this authenticity.



21.  It takes ONE person to want a relationship to work.  If I am that ONE person, I will make sure the relationship I am holding onto  is a healthy one.



22.  Healthy love is patient, kind, forgiving, gentle, trusting, doesn't keep score, not easily angered or offended.  If I am not those things, my number one goal would be to learn HOW TO BE those things
.

23.  I don't have to be like everyone else to accept everyone else.  Accept and love people and embrace their uniqueness.



24.  It's perfectly natural for my kids to grow up and want to be separate from me- it's not rejection - it's human nature!!



25.  Love my kids and spend time with them when I can, it will make all the difference when they are older and it will define a legacy which will outlast me.



BONUS:
26.  Find a career I love and don't waste time in a career I am not gifted to be in.  This doesn't mean I don't make sacrifices, but I let those sacrifices be material things (not my time) until I find a career I fall in love with.  I am gifted for certain professions, figure out what those are and DON'T GIVE UP until I get there!!



27.   When you get married, it's not about choosing the perfect person, it's about loving the IMPERFECT person you chose.


28.  Figure out the top 5 roles you want to play and get really good at those roles and don't spread myself too thin.

Enjoy every day of your life...

Growing in the Seasons of Life - 
ENJOY EVERY SEASON YOU ARE IN.

Seasons of life - beyond our control - can't control duration, location or anything about them.  Your schedule just gets thrown out the door.

Grief/Loss is a season of life, and you will go threw that many times in life.  Through death of someone you love or people you love, like your kids, growing up and moving away.

Waiting is a season of life.  Some seasons speed by and others drag on.  Seasons can be confusing.  We understand the season AFTER they are over.

God determines the seasons. See Daniel 2:21.  God is in ultimate control moving towards a destiny He ultimately designed.

God wants to teach you to life by faith not by explanation.  The Christian life lives by faith.  Ecc 3:11.  God does everything just right and on time but people cannot completely understand what he is doing.  If we could understand everything, we would be God.  Our brain isn't big enough to understand why God does what he does.  He has a purpose for every season of our life.

Do I hold on or do I let go.  Difficult times.  A time to keep and a time to throw away.

How can I make the most of each season.  Regardless there are four questions to ask yourself:  Every single season there is an important lesson to learn.

1.  What can I learn in this season of life?  Only learn through experience.  How can I grow from this?
2.  Life is a test.  You will spend far more time in eternity than in here on earth.  God wants us to learn a whole bunch of things before we get over there.  Learn character qualities and will take into eternity. Life is preparation for eternity.
3. What is most important in this season of my life?
4.  ENJOY THE SEASONS

Those who forget the past make the same mistakes.  Don't forget the lessons you learn or you have to relearn them.  Write down the lessons you learn.  So here it goes.

Yesterday I learned that maybe I don't have to be all or nothing on every aspect of my life.  Balance for some areas is healthy - like eating healthy and exercise.  I'm either focused on eating healthy or not at all.  How do I balance the two?  I also learned that I have a "straw ministry".  I am one end of the straw and God is at the other end and He is flowing straight through me to the outside world around me in everyone I meet and encounter - AS LONG AS I AM BALANCED.

I also learned that I'm learning to be content with what I have and that things don't need to be perfect for me to be happy.  People ought to enjoy every day of their life.  Each day is a gift from God.  "Give thanks in all circumstances".  Time is life and life is short.  You can't have it all - all the time.  Make some decisions about what really matters at this time of life.

If you are wise, you will begin to enjoy every single moment of the season you are in.

Father, help me to see the joys of the season I am in, help me to have the discipline to write down my lessons and not have to relearn them.  Help me to make the most of every season and see you in it every single day.

*notes and thoughts from "Understanding the seasons of life" by Pastor Rick Warren.

God's power

Where to put God first?

Whatever you put Him first in your life, will be blessed

5 places

F - Finances - If you want God to bless your finances, you MUST tithe.  God must always get paid first.

I - Interest - hobbies, interest, recreation.  Give God consideration in all your interests.

R - Relationships -  Bring Him into the center of all your relationships.

S - Schedule - Give Him the first part of every day.  You give him the first consideration in all your decisions.

T - Trouble - Need to turn to God first, when you have a problem.  PRAY first.  Don't pray LAST.

Live in His Kingdom, live BY His power.  God does not bless self-reliant people.  He blesses people who are submitted to Him but are God - Dependent. God does what you expect Him to do.  God doesn't give us what we deserve,  He gives us what we needs.  The more we depend on God instead of yourself.  God can do more in ONE week than we can do in our entire lifetime.  That's why it's never too late to surrender to God.

How do I get God's power in my life?

1.  Praying - prayer is the connection to God's power.  Much prayer, much power, little prayer, little prayer, no prayer, no power.
2.  Taking risks to obey God.  If you do what God is telling you to do, God will pour out His power in your life.  We only grow when our faith is being stretched.  If you aren't taking any risks, you don't need any faith.

Don't wait to be confident.  DO IT AFRAID.  Do the thing you fear the most.  Move ahead in spite of your feelings.

God does a miracle when you take the first step, the moment you step out in faith.  God is waiting on you for a miracle....if you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.  Never be afraid to get out on a limb, that's where the miracle is.

What do you know God wants you to do that you haven't done yet?  What is scarying you to death?  That's the very thing God wants you to do, step out in faith and let Him show you a miracle.  Don't give up.

God, I ask you at this moment to bring to my mind that which scares me the most that you want me to do...put in my mind where you would have me step out in faith.  Let me go forward bolding and with faith be a part of the miracle you want to do in my life so I may give you all the glory.  Amen.

*notes from Pastor Rick Warren's "Connecting with God, The Prayer of Fulfillment, Part 2".

Passing the Tests of Life: Lessons to get unstuck and prepared for where you want to go - Book Review

George Davis wrote a book that is so practical and relevant to the average every day Christian.  His book "Passing the Tests of Life" had made such an impact on me that I felt compelled to have a 7 week book study on this in my community.  It has proven to be instrumental in spiritual development and growth.  If you apply the principles in this book you will gain perspective on why things happen over and over and what lesson you are meant to learn.  Life will give you opportunities to learn lessons over and over until you finally pass.  Read this book and get a proactive approach.  Learn about how to deal with confrontation, being misunderstood, disappointment, offense, gratitude, pressure and more.  The life lessons are as follows:

1.  The Self Test

2.  The Time Test

3.  The Pressure Test

4.  The Distraction Test

5.  The Lot Test

6.  The Test of being Misunderstood

7.  The Confrontation Test

8.  The Money Test

9.  The Disappointment Test

10. The Offense Test

11. The Gratitude Test

12. The Perfect Storm - (when all the tests converge on you)

This book not only defines the tests but also gives you steps to PASS the test and move towards more spiritual maturity.  You will learn how to know when you are being tested, who is testing you, why you are being tested and how to pass the test.

I recommend this book to anyone who is tired of dealing with the same issues over and over.  It's an easy read, easy to follow and understand and VERY practical.