Say yes...

I remember one of the first times I said "yes" to God. It was 2006 and I was involved with an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ. This organization facilitates discipleship programs all over the country called Summer Projects and I was given an opportunity to participate in one.

I had been working full time at a bank, and I heavily relied on that income stream to get me through college. Going on this Summer Project made no logical sense. Quitting my bank job to live in a hotel in Branson, MO with 40 other college students and work at McDonald's...seriously? Oh yeah, and I had to raise over $2,000 to do it!

As crazy as it seemed, God graciously gave me the courage to take a step of faith. I raised the money, quit my job, loaded up my pickup, and moved to the tourism capital of the Midwest to flip burgers and learn more about Jesus. I could go on for days about how God stretched and grew me that summer, but as I look back on the experience today I remember this: God is faithful, and being obedient to His call creates LASTING reward.

I got back from Branson after a life changing summer and guess what? I got my job back at the bank...and I got a raise! Seriously God?! This was proof that God is bigger than I ever understood.

The following summer I quit my job again to work at a camp in Panama City Beach, and you guessed it...I got my bank job back. The Lord had now showed up two summers in a row to prove his adoration, grace, and faithfulness towards me. The next summer was Africa, followed by the next summer working camps in North Carolina and California. Nine months later God opened a door to do what I do now in Orlando. You bet your tail I said yes to that one!

Each of these yes's resulted in immense growth and beautiful friendships. Saying yes was by no means easy, but I can say with conviction that each yes was significantly easier than the one prior.

The God of this universe loves you deeply. The Creator of heaven and earth bought you at the price of Jesus' blood, and He desires to use you in a very tangible way.

What is it that God wants you to say yes to today? Is it starting the business you've always wanted to start? Is it supporting an organization financially that God has put heavy on your heart? Is it giving a 100% tip to the waitress that's having a rough night? The first big "yes" will probably be the hardest. Rip the bandaid off, buckle up, and enjoy the ride! You won't regret it.

Go and love the tar outta someone today. You guys are incredible.

James

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

Snow plows in July

I've spent the better half of the last month preparing for a large event that we just finished in Indianapolis. On race day, all of the planning comes together and ideally results in seamless execution. Inevitably, however, something always seems to happen that could have never been foreseen. Yesterday was no exception. 

The morning was going great. Our helicopter operation was running flawlessly thanks to Jake and Jim, and our ground activity was moving right along thanks to an incredible team of men. Then the clock struck 9am and the wheels started to fall off...literally.

I got a phone call letting me know that one of our buses had run over a snow plow that was parked in the back lot of our client's property. Yes, you read that right...a snow plow. Needless to say, the snow plow won. 

From that point forward, my iPhone kicked into high gear. I made approximately 40 phone calls within the next hour, trying to work through a solution with the bus vendor, the officers facilitating our escorts, and our on-site team. I was pacing, sweating, and screaming a little more than I care to admit. I started to beat myself up. I could've made decisions quicker...I could have done "this" instead of "that". 

It was right around 11:30am when it got through my thick skull that God was trying to teach me something.  Why don't I pace, sweat, or scream about other issues? Like kids that won't get to eat today. Issues that involve little girls being sold to the highest bidder. Problems like entire communities that don't have clean water to drink.

Did God want me to work diligently to find a solution for our clients? Of course He did. But there are other things that He wants me to work diligently towards as well...like actively engaging a hurting world. 

Robb and David handled pressure like champions. Tyler, Ryan, George, and Paul effectively responded to problems without blinking an eye. Edwin and Brian provided a sounding board that was essential. Our team this weekend was made up of absolute rock stars, and because of this, everything worked out fine. The clients made it to the race track an hour after their originally scheduled arrival time, and all was right in the world again.

I woke up this morning to see that God gave me another day. This day comes with a new perspective.

Love well,

James

I need to love better. So here's the plan...

I've recently started reading a book called "Love Does" by Bob Goff and it's been stirring my heart in a very cool way. This book has made me painfully aware of the fact that I do very little, most days nothing at all, to love with action.

1 John 3:18 says this: "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

I don't really have a tough time loving people with my words. Whether it's a text message, a Facebook note, or a verbal interaction, I'm pretty good at letting people know why I love them. My struggle comes in the "doing". I'm typically the last person to volunteer to do something for someone that in any way makes me uncomfortable. I can tell someone they're awesome until I'm blue in the face, but when it comes time to show them love with my actions, I'm nowhere to be found.

I was struck yesterday with the thought of how much "love" someone gets on their birthday. People do crazy things to celebrate the day a friend or family member entered this world, but there's no reason why anyone should only get to feel special, cared for, and valued on one day of the year. I am personally committing to making sure that this is NOT the case for five individuals throughout the remainder of 2012.

Involving as many people as possible, we're going to make sure that these five folks have a day that they will never forget. They will lay their head on their pillow that night having no question that they are not only loved by countless people on earth, but that they are loved with reckless abandon by their Creator.

Flowers will be delivered, letters and notes will be written, and parties will be thrown. Songs will be created, cars will be decorated, and PA announcements will happen in grocery stores. All of this will be done in an effort to put hands and feet to the verb spelled L-O-V-E.

Love is action. Let's do it.

James

What's the craziest thing you've ever done to show someone you love them? Leave comments on the Facebook post, reply to the tweet, or leave the comment under this post on the blog. I'm going to need all the suggestions I can get! 

Personal Mission Statement

I finally put my personal mission statement on paper. And by paper, I mean a 'note' on my phone. Here it goes...

"I will be a man that loves God in such a way that people around me can't help but notice. I will intentionally seek out men wiser than myself, inviting them to speak life into me. As I grow through God's Word, time in prayer, and the molding from mentors, I pledge to share that growth with other men. I will lead by serving. I will challenge others to operate out of their God-given gifts. I will encourage, empower, and believe in the dreams of the people in my life. I will strive for financial freedom so that I can give generously, believing that it is better to give than receive. I will forgive quickly, lean on grace, and do my best to love well. I will do these things while surrounding myself in biblical community, understanding that life is not meant to be lived in isolation."

I'm looking to get this put on canvas with some cool calligraphy. If you know of anyone that can do that for me, let me know!

Love you guys.

When you're really pissed off...love anyway

Anger is not an emotion that I feel often, but today I felt it. Without going into great detail, I'll tell you that a decision was made that I did not agree with. I took this decision very personally. I felt hurt, unvalued, discouraged, along with a laundry list of other negative emotions.

Was it wrong for me to feel those emotions? I don't think so. Is it wrong for me to respond out of those emotions? Yes. Here's why...

My reading plan on YouVersion has me in 1 Corinthians right now, and today was chapter 13. That's right, the sappy love chapter that you hear at EVERY wedding that's ever taken place. The verses I hear most are 4-7 (Love is patient, love is kind, etc.) Surprisingly, these verses aren't what God used to shake me up tonight. Instead, God punched me square in the mouth with the first 3 verses in this chapter.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

I 'm amazed at how clearly Paul communicated this message to the church in Corinth. He makes it seem so simple. No matter how much knowledge I have, how much money I give away, how many gifts or talents I've been given, it's all worthless without love. If I don't love, I am nothing.

God knew that I needed to hear this today. He knew that I'd been hurt and He lovingly told me that my response to that pain should not be bitterness or spite, but love.

Is it the end of the world because the decision mentioned above was made? Of course not. The sun will come up tomorrow and life will go on. This doesn't mean, however, that the emotions I felt weren't real or justified. So in the reality and the pain of the emotions that I'm feeling in this moment, I will choose love as my response.

People get hurt every single day, whether it's because of a decision that was made, a comment that was said, or the actions of someone close to you. That pain is real and I don't want to discredit that. The test in character and in faith comes in our response to that pain.

My challenge to you is this: the next time someone pisses you off, respond in love. This won't be easy to do. In fact, it's going to be EXTREMELY hard. However, I genuinely believe that if we do it, God will be right next to us...giving us strength, affirming us, and loving us.

Life is too short to live it angry. Love well.

James