Dismantling the “What’s in It for Me?” Mindset

Stop thinking about what social media can do for you…

And start thinking about what YOU can do for social media.

Adopt a servant mindset.

GIVE without an expectation of a return.

We live in a world that is broken.

Many have been consumed by the darkness.

They thirst for a message of hope.

They yearn for stories of redemption.

They are reaching for arms outstretched to embrace them.

When are we going to come to grips with the fact that this isn’t about us at all?

Let’s make a commitment to flipping this self-centered world upside down.

Let’s do good, simply for the sake of doing good.

Because it’s the right thing to do.

Because it’s a reflection of faith, love and all things pure that flow from the goodness in our hearts.

#perspective
#giving
#faith
#mentalhealth
#WinTheWinter

Will You Trust Him When Your Plans Fall Apart?

December 9th, 2019.

While on board a flight back from LaGuardia (NYC) to RDU, I snapped this selfie as tears began to fill my eyes.

I was overcome.

Everything was coming together.

The hard work was finally paying off.

I felt like for the first time in years, I was catching a very elusive and much needed break.

My daughter had been born two months earlier and our family was filling out perfectly.

In ten days we would close on our first home in NC.

And I had just nailed an interview that had landed me a lucrative offer from a company on a radical growth trajectory.

I was finally on the path to fixing all that I had broken over course of my lifetime.

2020 would surely be the year of my great reset.

Fast forward three months.

While on my first business trip, the pandemic hit the U.S.

Soon after, I received a 30% comp reduction.

3 months later, I was laid off.

Shockingly, I felt no fear.

Only hope.

But why?

Because I knew God.

And I recognized that He had carried me through every storm I had ever faced.

This situation would be no different.

I had planned my course.

But the Lord was about to establish my steps.

I just needed to Trust Him and follow His lead.

And now…

a book..

a business..

freedom.

Will you trust God when your plans fall apart?

#faith

Run Toward The Fight

Above my desk I have three vision boards that I completed many years ago.

On the first, I attached a quote that I clipped out of a magazine that reads “in times of crisis, some run toward the fight.”

This morning while I was running I spent some time thinking about the sacrifices of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I remembered that in every single crisis that I have faced in my lifetime, Jesus always has always run to me.

No matter the state of our relationship, He has always come to my aid without hesitation.

And also, without judgment.

Like a father to a son Jesus has continued to run to me with the purest of all love in His heart.

So what excuse am I left with for my own hesitation?

Why would I not run to the fight in the Name of my Lord and Savior?

Doesn’t He deserve that from me?

Doesn’t He deserve that from all of us?

Win the Winter

December means shorter days.

Shorter days create more darkness.

That results in colder temperatures.

And more time spent inside.

December signals the start of a season when our mental (and physical) health will be tested mightily.

It’s critical that we flip any perceived vulnerabilities upside down.

We must choose to…

WIN THE WINTER ❄️ 💪🙏

Commit to spending energy in the faith and the Holy Spirit will create in you a NEW energy that will continue to fuel you throughout the coming months.

Each morning, have a dose of God’s rocket fuel with your vitamin C… 🚀

And remember, you are the light in a season of a darkness.

#faith
#mentalhealth
#winter

Risky Business

I remember when I first discovered I was different.

By early adolescence, I began dealing with OCD.

I felt great shame for my condition.

I understood that my thoughts were irrational, but I could not shut them off.

The anxiety attached to my condition was relentless.

My invisible enemy was desperate for control.

And I was vulnerable.

I wasn’t ready to accept the risk associated with confronting my demons. That would require me to reveal the depth of my suffering. And I was terrified of the judgment and criticism that I would receive if my real story was ever told.

So for 15 years I hid.

I focused on what was visible.

I stayed in good shape.

I graduated at the top of my class.

I made money.

I drove new cars.

But underneath my façade the war raged on.

A gambling addiction.

A mound of debt.

2 broken engagements.

Panic.

Agoraphobia.

My life was a mess.

But I could not risk my reputation for the sake of healing.

Then I was reborn in Christ and the value of my soul was made clear.

The idea of risk and vulnerability was flipped upside down.

I realized that I was ONLY at risk when I wasn’t being my authentic self. Everything else was an illusion. An illusion I complied with for 15+ years of my life.

What illusions of “risk” are holding you captive today?

Rocket Fuel

I’ve always had a sincere affinity for pain.

Sounds crazy, but it’s true.

I enjoy adversity.

Throughout my life, I’ve been in relentless pursuit of it.

For me, the experience of overcoming adversity has always been my fuel.

I’ve loved being the underdog, the afterthought, the guy they counted out.

I’ve taken great pride in proving critics wrong.

And in the midst of external opposition, I’ve fared rather well.

But in the war beneath my own skin, I once struggled mightily in my own strength.

My desire was no match for agoraphobia, OCD, anxiety, panic and addiction.

I needed help.

One day I swallowed my pride and I asked for it.

I called out in prayer…

Don’t deny me the ability to feel.

Just show me the way.

I’ll go where You lead.

I will step into the fire if that’s what is needed.

Use the flames to shape and mold me.

I’m OK with pain.

I do not desire a quick fix.

I trust You.

Strip me of everything that I ever was and make me new in the purity of Your grace.

And in the nakedness of my reborn innocence I will stand unashamed.

I will look my demons in the eye.

And I will recognize the root of my adversity and how to disarm it.

I will know God’s power.

And that will be the fuel for a tank that will never again run dry.

Rocket fuel, anyone?

24 Hours…for Eternity

What if you only had 24 hours to live…?

In reality, that’s all that any of us have.

And even that is not guaranteed.

How many times have you awakened and taken for granted the blessing that it is to simply open your eyes?

To take another breath?

To have another crack at life?

It’s amazing how easily we can be deceived into thinking that we have supreme control.

We trick ourselves into believing that there is security in our own strength.

And we attempt to act as the gods of our own lives.

But we are not gods at all.

Every miracle that we experience throughout our lifetimes including our own birth has NOTHING to do with us.

It is ALL about God.

Always has been.

Always will be.

Imagine if we lived our lives 24 hours at a time with a heart of gratitude and hands working in reverent submission to His will?

How might things look different?

Where might we go?

With whom might we spend our time?

What outlets might we turn off/on?

How might we view our profession?

Our finances?

Our freedom?

You are not promised tomorrow.

If you receive another day, view it as a gift.

Get up and begin living as though the clock is ticking.

Do not take any regrets into the night.

Your security is an illusion.

Live for eternity…

24 hours at a time.