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.”