Thursday, January 26, 2012

Finding Joy in Work

There are too many people in the world that dislike, hate, or feel trapped by their job. With most of us working at least 80,000 hours throughout our working lifetimes, it only makes sense to do something that we actually enjoy and are good at.

You are unique in your talents, interests, and experiences from anyone else in the world. This equips you to do things that no one else can do. No one.

Maybe it’s being an amazing leader, or a terrific mom to your kids, or the best teacher your students ever had, or a construction worker that is an outstanding craftsman, or a bus driver that always gets people where they need to go on time with a smile, or a nurse that brings healing and comfort to people. God has created you and made plans designed specifically for you.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”-Ephesians 2:10

Don’t ever settle for something that doesn’t bring you alive and light your fire. If you’re not there yet, start moving in that direction. The world’s got enough darkness. It needs you shining brightly.

There is great joy in that sweet spot of God’s blessing, your talents, and the things you love. You wake up energized, your creativity is stimulated, and you accomplish great things during the day.

Let us seek, therefore, the intersection of our passions, unique giftings, and God’s calling in our lives for it is there that we’ll find unparalleled joy and effectiveness in our work.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Monday, January 16, 2012

Turn Around

Two songs that I like that capture the idea of someone who’s stepped out of close communion with God are Turn Around by Matt Maher and When My Heart Runs Dry by Matt Redman.

It can be as simple as just getting a busy schedule or as bad as deliberate sin that takes you out of communion with God.

Maher says: “You don't have to take the broken road
You can turn around and come back home…
If you're scared that you don't matter
If you're lost and need to be found
If you're looking for a Savior
All you gotta do is turn around”

Redman’s lyrics say:
“When my heart runs dry
And there's no song to sing
No holy melody
No words of love within
I recall the height from which
This fragile heart has slipped...

And I'll remember You
I will turn back and do
The things I used to do
for the love of You”

If you find yourself stuck in sin or have just lost focus on God, turn around, reach out to Him, and draw near again. Don’t get down on yourself, rather pick things up from where you’re at and move forward in relationship with Him.

Fill your world with the things that keep your thoughts on Him. Memorize scripture, listen to and sing worship songs, read the Bible, and pray lots. The past can’t be changed but the good news is that it doesn’t have to be repeated in the future.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Unbroken

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

If not for so much documented historical research, the events of Louis Zamperini's life would seem unbelievable. After a life of mischief as a boy turned Olympic runner, he proceeds to join the military during WWII and becomes a bombardier involved in a number of bombing raids. While on a rescue mission, his plane crashes and he survives for weeks on a life raft. He and 2 other members of the plane's crew floated on the raft with scant provisions, dehydration, sharks and enemy fire to deal with. They are finally picked up by a Japanese ship and subsequently placed in a POW camp.


While imprisoned, they undergo torture incorporating hunger, sickness, dehydration, and both psychological and physical abuse, much at the hands of a man called The Bird. The Bird took special pleasure in tormenting Zamperini and made his life horrific while a prisoner. Incredibly, as the date for their mass execution approaches, the war comes to an end and they are released.

When Zamperini returns to the U.S., he is hailed as a hero come back from the dead and gets married shortly afterward. He then proceeds to flounder from one job to the next and sinks into alcoholism as he deals with the horrors of war. With his marriage on the rocks, a seemingly random interaction with a neighbor, introduces them to the evangelist Billy Graham who was holding meetings in Los Angeles at that time.

After his wife attends without him, he grudgingly joins her at a later date. He is unable to shake the pull of God on his life and becomes a Christian. Through this experience he finds peace and is subsequently able to forgive his captors and move on with life, becoming a Christian speaker and eventually starting a camp for troubled youth.

Hillenbrand did a remarkably thorough job of researching Zamperini's life and the surrounding events in great detail. The book reads like a novel rather than dry non-fiction. I highly recommend the book as an outstanding account of an incredible life.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

New Year Exhortation

May you know God more than you've ever known Him in the coming year and structure your life in such a way that facilitates a vibrant, growing relationship with Him. May you not just talk about Him but actually talk with Him and know Him on an intimate level. May you worship Him with abandon, without concern for what others think, and with no reservations.

Let nothing stand in the way of your pursuit of Him. Throw off hindrances and run with perseverance, setting your eyes on Him and seeking Him above all else. Pay no mind to the siren call of popular culture or those who would have you place other things first. It is only in Him that you will find a heart fulfilled, satisfaction, and lasting joy.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." -Matthew 6:33

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew
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