Dents?

Hey everyone hope you are having a great day. Sorry I did not post this past week I had my family in town and was doing touristy stuff with them. I hope everything has been going well for each one of you. I have finally found a church down here that I truly grow in and am super excited about that. It has given me inspiration for more blogs and has made me consider doing more than once a week. So let's not waste anymore time and get right into it.

This blog is all about the past. I started to think about this blog when I was watching Cars 2 with my buddy Andy last weekend. Yes I do watch Cars, they are great movies. Well if you have ever seen the movie there is a scene when they take Mater (the tow truck) and are fitting him with disguises. They see all the dents he has and decide they need to remove them. Mater stops them in their tracks and proceeds to explain where each dent came from and how they are a part of who he is. This kids movie got me thinking about my life and my journey with God. There are may times throughout my life that I have made mistakes and I am sure that is the same with you. These mistakes are numerous different sins that I should have never committed but unfortunately I did. Many people, and I do this to, say we should forget about our past and move forward. I completely agree with that but with a stipulation. It is the past for a reason but also it is something we can learn from. Jesus Christ gave us a second chance so that we would not receive the punishment of hell for the mistakes that we made.

Some times we are so quick to forget about where we came from or who we are. You see this all the time with professional athletes. They come from broken neighborhoods and never having money and then all of a sudden they sign a multi million dollar contract to be in debt 5 years later because they forgot about where they came from and got spoiled by their new riches. Each one of us has parts of the past or experiences that we want to forget but they will always be a part of us. This movie helped to show me that we should look at what has put "dents" in us throughout our lives and learn from them. We should work to make sure that the specific dent does not occur again or get bigger but it is who we are.

Each one of us have gone through different experiences if it is the jobs we have held, the neighborhoods we grew up in, the lifestyle we choose, or the friends we surrounded ourselves with. It is important to share your "dents" with others so they can learn from the things that have shaped you. By telling others about your dents you allow yourself to be vulnerable and a part of that person's life. You never know what how that one experience could change something for someone else.

We all have had "dents" in our lives but they are part of who we are. Those dents might not be out favorite part of who we are but they are still a part of us. We need to show these "dents" and not try to cover them up. Show others the real you. Don't put up a mask just be you. The best news is Jesus Christ died on the cross for each one of us to knock those dents out. His love allowed each one of us to approach him on judgement day dent free. But for now let others see your weaknesses and flaws. Let them help you and allow them to show you there "dents". Having a dent is not a bad thing. It gives you an opportunity to tell a story and start a conversation. Maybe that conversation will allow someone to see God or maybe it will be as simple as letting them have a new friend. Whatever the case be proud of who you are and what has happened to you throughout your life.

John 3:16

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Your last day?

So lately I have been thinking a lot about the way I live my life. I thought about the choices I make each day and how I live my life out around others. If I change who I am depending on who I am with or am I always the same person. That made me start looking into the question of if today was my last day would I be happy with who I was? If I died in my sleep tonight did I make a positive impact on the world?

This brings me back to my step cousin who passed away after a fight with Cancer. She left two young kids and her husband behind. It was a very tough time for all in my family even though she was new to my family. The anniversary of her death made me realize any of us could be gone tomorrow or get the news that our time here on earth is limited. It made me evaluate myself and start asking the question of would I be ok with the impact I made on the world today.

Everyday each one of us is faced with thousands of decisions some decisions small like what are we going to eat today to big decisions like what am I going to do with my life in the future. There are many choices that we have to make but I tell you right now every one of those decisions are important. You may not see what you choose to eat or choose to wear in the morning as something that is important but it is. Do you know just by the clothes you were you can change someones perspective on you. And I'm not saying by not wearing the "in" thing but just your choices. I see all the time people wearing shirts with inappropriate words on them. What do you think that says to others around you? I'm not saying go out and just wear shirts that have a cross on them or say God all over them but think about what your wearing and how that represents yourself and how it could influence others. Those are the little choices that we can make daily to change our lives and others.

Now there are many big choices we can make also. Would the way you have given back to the community and treated others be what you have always strived for? I notice it so many times everyone going along with the group. Some people are different from you but isn't that what makes us a community. If we were all the same we would have some serious problems. It is easy to go along with everyone else and I am guilty of that too but what about standing out from them. What holds us back from stepping up and being the person God asked us to be. Can you honestly say that a majority of the people you have touched in your life would miss you for the joy you brought to there life. For the way you always treated them and the kind of person you were. I know we all wish this would be true but we all have work to do. There is thousands of people that you will contact in your life, are you leaving a positive impact on each one of them?

As a salesman part of my job is building relationships with my clients. In my short time in sales I have probably sold to close to 200 people. It is my duty to make sure that they feel special and everyone in their group. Sometimes I have to go into work early or leave late, sometime I have to respond to emails from home or miss part of the games to make sure that happens. That is a reason I do love sales but it makes me think why don't I do that with every person I meet in my life. Why don't I take the extra second to hold the door, why don't I smile most of the time, and why don't I take that extra time to step out. This is something that I will be working on for the rest of my life. I need to do exactly what I do in my job and turn it into what I do in life.

I challenge each one of you this week to take that extra time and help them out. I push you to go out and make 5 people feel special this week. I pray that you can have a positive impact on every person you come into contact with even if maybe your political, sports team, or religious beliefs don't match up. Take that time and meet with others. Make everyone out there feel special and let them know if they ever needed anything you are right there for them. Take the time to show your love to someone else TODAY!

1 Timothy 4:12
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

Giving

So today I was having a hard time of coming up with a topic that I wanted to talk about tonight. Then I remembered the news that my dad told me this weekend. My church is currently going through a large growing period and lots of new projects are getting started. As many of you know my church has a very good social outreach program lead by Dan Karlin. This man has a heart to give like nobody I have seen before. So Dan is a very connected individual and is working everyday to find a new way to help the less fortunate. He is the founder of Motown Soup (I suggest checking us out on Facebook GREAT SOUPS!) and works with many organizations within the city of Detroit. Well with this new expansion we had to add parking and this big ordeal had to be approved by the city for all the permits. Due to some code which I am not going to even try to explain the church is planning to set up a building for Dan to run a free medical clinic with. This is a great step to help so many new people.

Dan has had his struggles in our church unfortunately and has had those who have not supported every decision. But he has always pushed on. He has continued to push the envelope and develop new ways to help others. His outreach has reached hundreds of people and made an impact on so many. He uses himself and the volunteers to take these opportunities to tell others about God and show them His love. When nothing may be going right for them Dan is making sure someone is there to lift them up. For some people they do this by donating money. For others it is by purchasing the products that we sell and for others it is by donating their time. There are so many different ways to give back to the community.

With so many different ways to give back why do we not do it more. A lot of times we have these stereotypes that people in these situations abused a drug or alcohol. We see that they are lazy and are just looking for a free meal. And yes that is sometimes the case unfortunately but most of the time they have just feel on hard times and need a little help to get back on their feet. We need to use the tools we have to help them. Sometimes we are lazier than them by having a good job or supportive family and getting used to our blessings. By giving back to others it's not only following God's will but it will help our economy. By putting a little time or money into organizations that work to help others we are ultimately helping ourselves.

I challenge each one of you to find a program or company that gives back to the community and start supporting them. I challenge you to give an hour of your time a week to help someone else in the community. If that is by sitting down and talking or serving them a meal, everyone has their gifts and will give back differently. Take the time today to find out how you can give back to the community. Look for the organizations around you that you can support and in turn pour back into the local community.

Ask yourself How can I make a difference today?

2 Corinthians 8:7
But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Getting Knocked Down

Hello again everyone. Sorry for not updating this more often it is definitely something that I plan on changing right now. As many of you know I recently graduated from college and decided to move to the wonderful city of Nashville, Tennessee to pursue my dream of working in professional sports. I am currently a Sales Associate for the Nashville Predators of the NHL. It has been an amazing opportunity but has also presented me with a lot of change that I was truly never accustom to. Not only was I moving out of state but I was not just a simple drive from home. I was going to a completely new place that I had visited twice in my life and knew very little about. I knew a few people down here but not more than a handful. Let's just say my life changed drastically two months ago when I moved down here.

I noticed when I got down here I really had an opportunity for myself with my career but also my spiritual growth. I grasped the job opportunity immediately but kinda put my relationship with God on the back burner and did not work at it the way I wanted to. Well that is all changing today. And that is why I am back here on my blog. I hope to keep at the blog and give an insight that I see with God once a week. So keep following.

Well let's get to the real reason your here and let's talk about that big guy upstairs. So working with the Nashville Predators I get some cool opportunities and one of those is getting to work with the community. Since I am one of the few people in the office that knows how to skate I usually am always a volunteer for any of our hockey programs. This past week I got to work with our G.O.A.L program which stands for Get out and Learn. This program is a way to create awareness for hockey down here in the South where football is lived and breathed. (Kinda weird coming from Detroit). So this past week we had our first of a 4 week program. We welcomed to the ice 80 kids from 4-6 who had never skated before with the challenge of teaching them how to skate by the end of the month. I wish you all could of see these kids hit the ice because you couldn't help but laugh. One after another each kid stepped on the ice and their skates went in the air and they landed on their back. Twenty minutes later and with some help from me and the other coaches pushing them like they were a hockey puck we got every kid on the ice. For the next hour all the coach's worked to teach these kids the basic's of skating. I was selected as the one to help the kids who were really having a rough time. So during this time I worked with one kid trying to just get him to be able to stand on the ice. Finally after what seemed like an eternity he stood in the same spot for over 30 seconds without failing. I slowly worked with him to get him moving and the kid looks up at me and goes "This is easy!" Now remind you if he keeps moving at the pace he is going he will move 5 feet in the next hour. I can't wait to see what these kids accomplish in 4 weeks.

That kid and all the participants determination spoke to me and made me think about my life. It made me come back to my spiritual life and the stumbles I have had. With all the change down here I had forgot about some of the fundamentals and tried to move to fast. I did not think about just getting up but instead when I got knocked down I would stay down and say it was to hard. I would continually tell myself I will start tomorrow, instead of standing up right there and pushing forward. I know God was right there along with friends and family encouraging me to get up just like I encouraged the kids to get up and push on but I pushed them to the side. I thought I knew best and why start today I have already screwed that day up. I just needed to start with small steps not trying to make that huge jump. I needed to start getting into my devotionals more regularly and putting time aside for Him. I challenge you all to do that to. I know personally sometimes work and my wants to go out and do stuff will hinder my time with him but why can't I find 20 or 3o minutes to get in the Word. Today I really got up and decided to not waste anytime. I had plenty of time for his Word and had such a great day. Don't let school, work, or friends get in your way to have some time with your Best Friend, Your Father.

This whole program has been more of a build up for me than any of those kids. They have taught me a bigger lesson then I can ever teach them. I might be able to help them learn how to skate but they are the ones that are getting me back on track with God. They are the ones that showed me there is no better day to start then today. They showed me when it gets tough and you just can't stand up to keep trying. If you try hard enough nothing will keep you down especially with God on your side.

I ask you today what is keeping you down? What is not allowing you to get your time with God? Who have you chosen as your "coach" in your life to encourage you to keep pushing and to get up? Sometimes it is not as much of everyone else helping you up but your own determination that will get it done. Only you can decide how you live your life so make the choice TODAY to stand up and get back to the basics. From there you will be able to grow and be the coach for someone else!

Bible Verse:

2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”