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01
Feb 2012

New Year’s Resolutions – Remember Those?

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I used to think that I controlled most aspects of my life.

{Editor’s Note: This post was written by Jake Harvey. You can learn more about Jake at the end of the post.}

“I’d like to end my gym membership – I just don’t have the time to go.”
“I’m so very sorry to hear that. Maybe you could rework your schedule and find an extra hour in there to get to the gym.”
“Thanks for the tip, but I’d rather just end the membership.”
“How about a free session with a personal trainer to help you refocus your training goals?”
“That would require me to drive to the gym. I think we’ve already covered that I don’t have the time.”
“How about we suspend your account for only nine dollars a month until the Spring?”
“How about we end my membership so that I am spending zero dollars a month for the whole year?”
“So there’s nothing we can do to get you to stay?”
“Nope. Good talk.” [Read more...]

Categories: Stewardship Tags: ,
12
Jan 2012

Is Your Dream Driven by Your Mom or By God?

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{Editor’s Note: This post was written by Jake Harvey. You can learn more about Jake at the end of the post.}

There's a time for resolve and a time to quit. Do you know the difference?

American Idol is a show I enjoy very much. You may agree and say, “I love to see the competition and then the agony and anticipation of who gets voted out!” I never get to that part of the show, though. The absolute best part of the show is the initial auditions. I don’t like the finding of diamonds in the rough but, instead, I like when the judges have to listen to what sounds like silverware in the garbage disposal.

And not because I’m an auditory sadist, but because of the response of the judges and then the reaction that follows. Granted, the evaluations of a person’s voice can be quite harsh, but the most curious part is what the applicant does with the evaluation of their horrendous song screeching. Will they be defeated? Will they have their heart broken? Or (and this is the best kind) will they be indignant? [Read more...]

Categories: Stewardship Tags:
10
Jan 2012

The Fact and Fiction of Accountability

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Ending the vicious cycle of self-help...

For years of my adult life, I found myself stumbling into the same traps over and over again. I could identify what was getting in the way with the progression of my relationship with the Lord, but despite good intentions, I would constantly find myself in weak moments returning to the same vices over and over.

…And year after year I would proclaim, “I am going to trust God, try EVEN harder, and never mess up again!”

A week would go by and I would mess up…again. This, in turn, embarrassed me in front of God as I felt like He must look at me as a big, fat liar that can’t even follow through with what I set out to do for more than a week or two.

The vicious cycle went on for years and, in spite of all the good intentions, I chased my tail endlessly, unable to figure out why I could not help myself. I was equally embarrassed to tell even some of my closest Christian friends of my struggles because I felt like they certainly never experienced the level of disappointments and weaknesses I had been through. [Read more...]

Categories: Relationships, Spiritual Growth Tags: , ,
06
Jan 2012

Resolved: Learn New Cuss Words and Treat Myself

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Owning the Treadmill in 2012...check.

It is after a day that included biscuits and gravy for breakfast, sandwich and chips for lunch, a holiday feast for dinner, and multiple trips to the dessert table that I decided I needed to write about my plans for 2012. They are as much for me as anyone else.

The holidays are a time that many splurge on calories, only to find themselves cursing the second helpings of turkey and pumpkin pie as they huff and puff on the treadmill in January. My last few years have been characterized by so much weight yo-yoing, that my family has renamed me “Duncan.” (A joke tailored for children of the 80s.) [Read more...]

Categories: Stewardship Tags: ,
03
Jan 2012

Surely You Can Do Better than the Sunday School Answer…

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{Editor’s Note: This post was written by Jake Harvey. You can learn more about Jake at the end of the post.}

It must be nice...

I like solutions.
I don’t mean saline solution or math problem solutions, but ideas and actions that fix problems.

Got a flat tire? Here’s a spare.
Feeling hungry? There’s a McDonald’s down the road.
Elbow hurts when you touch it? Stop touching it.

These are all things that fix an imminent problem, but these are rarely the problems which cause me to lose sleep or worry up some new gray hairs.

Do you lack direction? Find some direction.
Uh oh, that’s not really a solution.
Are you depressed about the circumstances of your life? Stop being depressed.
Dang it. I liked my formula better when we were talking about cheeseburgers.

So what is the solution to these problems? I could say, “Jesus” and just stop there, but it’s not that easy. [Read more...]

Categories: Spiritual Growth Tags: , ,
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