should, could, would...

why is it so easy to make goals yet so challenging to follow through with them??

i have a hypothesis: it's easy to set goals because we know what we "should" do, but unless we are actually motivated to do it, it's not gonna happen.

so how can i change this situation? i need to do more than just make goals for things i know i need to do. i also need to be clear on WHY i want to do those things. if i know exactly why i'm doing something perhaps i'll be more motivated...

that is my random thought for the day...

Fighting Back Mentor Program Video

This is the program that I coordinate. :-) We made this video in January.

Real kids, real stories.

We are having our annual "Mission for Mentors" Telethon on KEYT Channel 3 this coming Tuesday, April 8th from 5-8 p.m. Check us out! :-)

jonah.

i've been thinking about jonah recently and now have some questions.

1. why did god choose to use jonah to bring his message to the ninevites when jonah's heart was SO not into it? in fact jonah was directly opposed to the whole idea, did not share god's heart for the people, and attempted to run away from the call god had on his life?

interesting choice...perhaps "god's will" for our lives is not all about our interests and our "heart" or "passion" for something...maybe "god's will" has more to do with what GOD wants and what HIS plans are...maybe we're the ones who are supposed to be flexible instead of assuming that just because we have certain desires that is where he has us...hm...definitely something to think about...

2. isn't it interesting how jonah was one of the most effective prophets in the sense that the people he shared with actually repented and turned toward god? so often this was NOT the response...even after the fact, jonah did not rejoice in god's work...

thoughts? ideas? comments?

psalm 73

this is a psalm that i can relate to lately. (you'd have to read the whole psalm for the complete picture, but these verses are particularly salient for where i'm at right now.)

psalm 73:21-23
"then i realized that my heart was bitter, and i was all torn up inside. i was so foolish and ignorant--i must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. yet i still belong to you; you hold my right hand."

right now, as always, i am in need of jesus, but i have this terrible predicament i am creating--i am totally avoiding him. why? i'm not totally sure. i am not setting aside regular times, my time in the word is squeezed in when convenient, and overall, i am not really open to what the lord has to say. honest? yes. uplifting? not so much.

how did i get here? not totally sure. probably somewhat of a slippery slope. bleh. i am not a fan of "here" especially when i know i need to be "there" yet am very unmotivated to move. perhaps motivation doesn't matter. perhaps this whole matter is one of discipline...(see hebrews 12:11) in any case, i cannot do this on my own.

jesus and lisa combo please. with more jesus and less lisa.

change.

change.
i'm not generally a fan, but in this case something must change.
i don't want to sound overly dramatic, but sometimes change is a must.
this is one of those times.

it also seems important to note that change is not instantaneous, and it is not easy.
quite frankly, without the lord, the sort of change i am referring to is not possible.

with god all things are possible.

faith is a necessity.

help, lord.

faithful and present.

for some reason, the following truth has been ringing in my head the past few days:

god is not only faithful, he is also present. (as in present in my life, in my circumstances, in my world. not just present in the universe at large.)

i think that it's easy for me to fall into the trap of viewing god as a "faithful" god who's "somewhere out there" overseeing everything, making sure it will eventually work out in the end. this is NOT the god of the bible. the god of the bible, the one true god, is intimately acquainted with all of my ways. he knows when i lie down and when i rise, my coming and my going. this is the god i trust with my life and the lives of those i care about. let's be honest, no one is stoked on a distant god who is minimally involved. our god is one who wants to be involved in every detail of our lives. will we (will i) let him?

god IS good!

battle orders from the lord.

so i figured i would start out 2008 in blog world with words jesus spoke to me today...

do not wait until you feel strong to start fighting. just pick up your sword.

lately, i've been feeling like i slowly stopped fighting and ended up on the sidelines of the battlefield. not a good place to be really. i had this whole picture of me in full battle array, sword in hand, on an active battlefield on the front lines in hand to hand combat. then slowly i began to move backward and out of the front lines, allowing the enemy to push me back. i kept moving backward, put my sword down, and stopped fighting. eventually, i ended up on the sidelines, sitting on a bench, sword dragging low. this is not the place of victory the lord has for me! he has SO much more for me. am i willing to receive it?

so, now that i've received the command, what am i to do? i need to move forward in victory. oh, help, lord! i for sure can't do it on my own, and isn't that the point? god wants me to be weak in and of myself. when i am weak, then he is strong. his power is made perfect in weakness. as the scripture surrounding the spiritual armor says, i am to be strong in the strength of HIS might. oh, lord, i can't do this. i so badly need you to do it...