On the 17th of August I got a tweet that has been going through my mind over and over again. The tweet was sent from a friend of mine in Milwaukee under the Twitter name of @samuraijr. He tweeted “Just reflecting on how I am in SUCH a better place than I used 2 be 5 yrs ago. Wow… there was a time… Gods mercy and grace endures 4ever“.

It’s things like that that really get the gears in my head turning. I have been evaluating (judging if you will) the changes I have made in my life over the last five to ten years. I will tell you this, I am nothing like the person I was 10 years ago and I would even go as far to say I am nothing like the person I was 5 years ago. It’s truly God’s mercy and grace though that has kept me. The last 10 years of my life have contained some of the brightest and yet some of the darkest times of my life. There were times in the last 10 years that I really didn’t know who was for me and who was against me. There were times when I felt like I was on top of the world and other times when I felt like I just needed to disappear.

Let’s be real … being a leader doesn’t mean you are always on top of the world. Some of the greatest leaders in my life have went through situations that have rocked their world like nothing else but just like Job they stayed strong. Job is a really great role model in this area. I think we could all learn a lot from Job. Job was determined to stand when all the chips were down.

Job trusted that God was in control. Sometimes we remove God out of the picture. We act like He is in control but really our heart and mind runs our lives. Many times in my life I heard the voice of God but went with my heart or my mind. We have to learn to listen to Him and trust Him no matter what that means even if it costs us everything. If we truly listen to God’s voice and trust Him, He will replenish everything we loss plus more.

Today I want to encourage you to hold Proverbs 3:5-6 close to your heart. It’s not just words … it’s a way of life.

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!” Prov 3:5-6 MSG

This past Thursday and Friday I had the awesome opportunity to attend the Global Leadership Summit with hundreds of thousands of leaders from around the world. Over the course of the two day summit leaders we were blessed to hear many awesome speakers including TD Jakes, Jack Welch, Andy Stanley, Jeff Manion and many others.

Below are just a few of the awesome things spoken at the conference.

“Team member should complete you, not compete with you.” — T.D. Jakes

“Good teams complete you, they do not compete with you. Surround yourself with people who are good at what you are not.” — T.D. Jakes

“Understand the ‘upside’ of the opposite side … understand the ‘downside’ of you.” — Andy Stanley

“One of the jobs of a leader is give people self-confidence to make decisions.” — Jack Welch

“You can’t be bashful if you want to make change.” –Blake Mycoskie

“People have to be animated by something larger than themselves.” — Daniel Pink

“When you throw yourself into any form of spiritual leadership, you will have moments where you come to the end of yourself.” — Jeff Manion

“Before Martin Luther King Jr gave his “I Have a Dream” speech he gave hundreds of speeches that could have been considered “We Can’t Stay Here” speeches.”" — Bill Hybels

“There are two levels of integrity: the integrity of the leader to those they are responsible for and the integrity of the Church to be the Church.” — Adam Hamilton

“Don’t let the Devil ride because he’s going to want to drive.” — Adam Hamilton

“Leaders have to lead from a point of influence.” — Terri Kelly

“Stubbornness is a virtue if you are right.” — Tony Dungy

These are just a few of my favorite quotes. There was so much to process that I am still processing it. It was one of the best conferences I have ever attended and I am already looking forward to next years conference.

Blowing out the candles
on another birthday cake
Old enough to look back and laugh at my mistakes
Young enough to look at the future and like what I see
My best days are ahead of me

Life hasn’t always been a party
but mostly it’s been good
There’s only one or two things that I’d change if I could
I dont get lost in the past or get stuck in some sad memory yah
My best days are ahead of me

Age ain’t nothing but a number
Sometimes I have to wonder
What does it really mean
But heeeey im still putting it together
I keep getting better
if I keep getting better
I can be whatever I want to be
My best days are ahead of me

Age ain’t nothing but a number
Sometimes I have to wonder
What does it really mean
But heeeey im still putting it together
I keep getting better
if I keep getting better
I can be whatever I want to be
My best days are ahead of me

I’ve got sunsets to witness
dreams to dance with
beaches to walk on
and lovers to kiss
there’s a whole lot of world out there
that I can’t wait to see
My best days are ahead of me
My best days are ahead of me

Have You Seen It?

UPDATE: Just got home from the movies. It was a great movie! Lots of laughs. Wouldn’t be that great of a movie if the minions weren’t in it. Worth seeing … especially in 3D.

Several weeks ago I got a call that made time stand still for a few seconds. One of my mentors in children’s ministry became deathly ill. I got the call around 9:30pm at night that she was rushed to the hospital and they didn’t think she was going to make it through the night. She had infection that was really bad, her blood pressure was super low, her body temp was super low and her kidneys were shutting down.

As I drove to the hospital I thought about her life and the impact that she made in my life and how she was that force that pushed me when I wanted to back up. How she was that person who would always ask me to go to the children’s ministry conferences. How she has always been there for me as a support even when she didn’t agree with what I was doing. She has made a huge impact not just in my life but in the lives of hundreds and even thousands of kids AND adults.

Sometimes our thinking and purpose in life get’s so messed up. Life becomes all about us and not about Him. We do things for ourselves and not Him. I personally have caught myself on many occasions doing things for people but not really for them or for Him but for me. Kinda selfish to be real and I am not saying that we can’t do things to better ourselves however I think that sometimes we can get caught into making life about us and not Him.

Matthew 5:16 tells us to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

I want to live my life For Him … Not Me. I want to make an impact. I don’t care if people know my name. I don’t care if I make 60 grand a year. I don’t care for a title. I just wanted to be used by Him to reach the world. My life is not for me and things I do in life shouldn’t be all about me either. Let’s make an impact!

A Guy’s Guide to Life: How to Become a Man in 224 Pages or Less is a teenage guy’s handbook to becoming a man with a healthy mind, body, and soul.

Society has created a harsh image what a man should be. The author, Jason Boyett, calls it a stereotype. Our society demands that men never be sensitive, never to cry, and to always be rough and tough. The realization is that that is not what God created. God created us in his image, if you want to know how to be a real man then follow the example set in the Word of God.

This book is really aimed for young men (aka teenagers) and I would encourage any and all young men to get a copy of this book. This book is a guidebook that asks and answers the questions that others a reluctant to discuss. This book addresses the myths of manhood with a straightforward approach that teenage guys will appreciate and absorb. Author Jason Boyett understands what many fail to realize—that somewhere between the awkwardness and braggadocio, the goofiness and the developing body, there is a real person struggling to make his mark on the world.

I personally enjoyed this book because I grew up as a momma’s boy. I am not the rough and tough guy that the world expects a man to be. I am that sensitive guy. I am that guy that would hide when I needed to cry because I didn’t want anyone to see me cry. I wish I had a book like this 15 years ago.

If you have a teenage son or know of one who really needs a good book about becoming a real man I encourage you to pick up this book. It’s available on Amazon.com by clicking here. (Starting at just $8.01 NEW)

Disclosure of Material Connection: Thomas Nelson Publishing provided a copy of this Bible for my review. They have asked me to post a review about the book with my honest opinion whether positive or negative. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.