ContemplativeJourney

As I have watched the Presidential race unfold during the past 15 months, I have at various times supported different candidates, but throughout these long months of argument and debate, the core values which inform my voting decision have remained the same. I don't know who will read this blog, or what your personal and political views might be...given the strong and opposing views of our fellow Americans, and the nearness of the Election on November 8th, I've begun to turn my thoughts toward our future under a new President.  I am voting for Donald Trump.  He was not my choice during the primary season, but he is my choice today.  Not because I'm deceived or naïve about his behavior and comments in past history, or because I necessarily disbelieve the women who have accused him of unwanted sexual advances. I don't know what he did or didn't do or say...and unless you were present, neither do you. I realize my ability to vote for Trump might seem outrageo...

I have been wrestling with this blog idea for several weeks, and was admittedly hesitant to take on the "problem of sin." Here's where it all began...a sunny day in Murphy, and I'm on my way to the City of Murphy Municipal Court.  I was pulled over by an officer a few weeks ago, due to having an expired registration sticker.  The solution turned out to be a simple one, and I had until August 26th to appear at the Court with a copy of my license, my ticket, and my new registration paperwork.  I walked in, and was immediately grateful to live in a small community where there is little activity in the Municipal Court.  Within 5 minutes, my $20 fee was paid, and I was happily on my way. As I walked outside, a thought struck me...a reminder of what the scripture says about the impossibility of any one of us keeping 100% of the law perfectly. In the New Testament book of James, a letter written to the church, James is talking to believers about the problem of sin, an...

School is back in session, all around us.  On Monday, school begins in the districts surrounding my neighborhood. It's been my habit to blog periodically on the topic of each Sunday's sermon. I sometimes get out of the habit, as was the case between May and this month, but our sermons at Elevate Church myelevatechurch.com have been so good, I can't help but share.  Something I was taught long ago, and still practice today: taking notes.  You will always absorb and remember more of what you hear, when you take notes. It's also true that sharing information with others helps us to learn the material ourselves, and part of my reason for sharing is my own desire to internalize these messages. We are excited to welcome new children's ministers to our leadership team this month, and today's sermon was shared by Phillip Heider, our new Children's and Family Life pastor.  He began by sharing about God's calling on his life - a passion for discipling the...

Some days feel like a vortex. Today was one of those days.  Not a bad day at all. No.  Just a swirl that seemed to go faster and tighter as the day progressed.  I looked at the clock and it was 2:15. The next time I had any awareness of time, I had missed a scheduled call at 3:30. Jumped on the phone to re-initiate the call, and the next thing I knew, it was past 5 o'clock.  Heads down in an attorney's redline of a Lease, it was suddenly 6:30.  Suffice to say, the time got away from me, and I didn't come close to finishing everything I had promised to various people before I left the office.  Finishing up those items comes next, after I take these few moments to process a few things. During the month of August, my church has been focused on a 21-day prayer challenge. We do this every August, which I think is a spectacular way to lead up to the beginning of the school year.  I don't have kids in school, but the seasonality of the school ...

What? A plan for personal growth? Yes. That's what the experts tell us.  We actually need to take time, sit down, and create a plan for our personal growth.  It doesn't happen automatically.  I suppose one way to say it could be, "Aging is not the same thing as growing." Personally, I have been in a disjointed mental space for the past several weeks. I could point to several factors and circumstances which have impacted me during this time, but bottom line, it's up to me to take care of me, and I have not been doing an excellent job in this regard during the month of May. If we sat down over coffee today, and I asked you this question: What is your plan for personal growth....?   Would you have an answer?  Would you be able to grab a journal or a notepad, or even a sticky note, and say, "Here's my plan!"?   Mind you, I'm not talking here about your goals and aspirations...I'm talking about a specific plan to grow personally in w...

It's time to cross over from the monotonous march of the spiritually mundane into the full abundance of all God has promised us in Christ Jesus! Such a transition is worthy of no less than your best red shoes, so I left church and went straight to the discount shoe store to grab mine!  Yes, I did! I'm very serious about what these red shoes say...I hope people ask me everywhere I go, "Why are you wearing those red shoes?"  Because, you know what? I intend to wear these red shoes with outfits to which they do not belong...they are a signpost, designed intentionally to draw attention to a message people are hungry to hear! In his letter to the church, Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15-16, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who ask you to give the reason for the hope that you have." Today at Elevate Church in Murphy, Texas, Pastor Kalyn Brassfield began a sermon series entitled, "Crossing Over....

An odd title for a blog perhaps...I hope it caught your attention. The underlying idea I wanted to talk about today is our common temptation to sin, and the how we can learn from what the Proverbs say about the temptation of the prostitute. For decades now, I've been reading through the Proverbs each month, in order of the days, because there are 31 chapters in Proverbs.  And for decades, I have endured the chapters that focus on the prostitute, because I wrongly thought these admonitions had nothing to say to me.  I was wrong about that, and I'd like to share what I think all of us can learn from the temptation of the prostitute... In Proverbs 5, 6 and 7, the writer spends almost the entire chapter warning against adultery; which, as I've said, has always been a frustrating few chapters for me, because I wanted to move on to a topic more applicable to my life.  Not very long ago, I asked God to show me what I could learn and apply from these chapters, even...

I feel compelled to address this enormous lie that exists within the network marketing industry.  It is the worst thing about our industry, and causes many people heartache, self-doubt and disillusionment.   What is the lie??   Here it is, brace yourself:  If you spend a modest amount of money to join a great network marketing company, and simply share it with your family and friends, within just a few weeks or months, you'll be earning a six-figure income!!   This is, in a word: poppycock!   When I talk to folks about Nerium International, and my dream to build a family of Brand Partners who work together to build an enormous business all around the world, many of them recoil in horror! Why would I get involved in such a thing?  After all, isn't it a "pyramid" scheme?  A scam? A no-win deal for all but the "few who got in early?"   Actually, no.  The real pyramid that I'm involved with is the company I own.  Y...

Who could have imagined the tremendous response that would be generated by such a simple statement?  In one of those moments of sheer joy in life, I posted to Facebook that today might just be the greatest day in the history of ever! I was surprised by the number of people who responded to the post.  So...what exactly would such a wonderful day be like? Let's dissect it, in hopes it's something that we can repeat day after day! I woke up...all is well.  Health, life, all of my needs met, and a meeting at 8am with a fine young man who works for Chase Bank as a Small Business Banker.  There is nothing quite like having an unpleasant experience with a banker to make you truly appreciate having a great banker!  This has been my experience for the past year, as our growing company began doing business last February with a small boutique bank that offers a 'banking concierge' service.  Sounds wonderful, right?  It wasn't wonderful. Ha!  My Mr. Won...

    Where you are today reflects exactly where you are today.  I love to share stories and ideas surrounding the topic of personal development, and what each of us are capable of achieving.   I can't explain exactly why these topics engage me so consistently and so insistently, but after many years, I've come to believe these passions are placed in me as part of how God designed me; and because this is how God designed me, I also believe it's part of my calling in life to share these ideas with others.   Where you are and where I am...is a direct reflection of you, and of me...today.    In our work, our income, our appearance, our relationships, our spiritual lives...in every way...our external circumstances reflect the cumulative effect of all the little choices and actions we have taken in our lives until this very moment.   For some people, this very idea is an anathema...an unacceptable conclusion...

Today was the final Sunday of our sermon series "Good to Great" at Elevate Church in Murphy, Texas.  Thank you again to Pastor Kalyn Brassfield for continuing to share the Word with us so faithfully, and in ways we can so readily apply to our lives.  This morning we talked about the 4th element of living a life that is 'great' in the eyes of God.  It's important to understand the distinction - we are not worried about living lives that are great in the eyes of men, but only in the eyes of God.    As a very quick review, we live lives that are great in the eyes of God by:   1. Praying great prayers - authentic prayers, trusting prayers, prayers that come directly from our heart and trust God's goodness and His faithfulness to answer our prayers. 2. Choosing great attitudes - we choose every moment of every day whether or not we will have a great attitude or a bad attitude.  Our attitude is never the result of an outside force, but is always...

I was inspired this morning by my pastor's sermon at Elevate Church in Murphy, Texas.  If you live anywhere in our area, I hope you'll come visit with us some Sunday. It is an amazingly group of believers, and I know you'll be encouraged! Last week I blogged about setting goals, and our sermon today was part of a series to begin 2016. The series is entitled "Good to Great," and has been outlining the ways in which our lives can move from good to great in this new year. We began 2 weeks ago with the most important first step - our lives and our experience will go from good to great when we pray great prayers.  Not fancy prayers or complicated prayers. Great prayers are authentic prayers, prayers from our heart...prayers that come to God with trust and confidence that He can and will answer. Last Sunday we talked about our ability to choose a great attitude. We are to have the attitude of Jesus Himself, which Paul described in his letter to the Philippian...