Friday, January 31, 2014

Month Challenge - Every Month 2014

I have goals written down for the year...
Faith Goals
Personal Goals
Family Goals
Financial Goals
Being able to dunk Goals
You name it I am pretty sure my goals covered it!

I have these written down and ready to go just like I have been doing for the last 3 years!  Morgann and I have even posted "our" goals in our bathroom so we can see them every single day!

But apart from these goals a couple years ago I started this "activity/challenges" for each month that I would do everyday during that month.  Which lead to me doing pushups everyday for a month, or not eating anything that has sugar in it for a month, or not eating "out" for an entire month.  I did most of these on a whim, just on the first of the month thinking to myself "what am I going to do this month".

Well, the year 2014 I decided to actually put some thought in to these monthly challenges.  These are separate from my other "goals".  This year I actually have a plan and know what I am already doing for every month and have already written them all down.

So I am taking this blog post to announce what this past month of January's challenge was and if I completed it.

January Challenge - FLOSSING


I challenged myself to floss every single day.  For some of you this may come as, well that is just too easy, who doesn't do that?  Well, I will tell you this, I didn't grow up flossing, never have liked flossing, and always thought it to be a waste of time.

So to me - this was a challenge!

I figured I would start this at the beginning of the year and make it month one just in case it became a habit then I could continue to do it throughout the year... for fun?

So just to let you know - I did it!!! I have gone every single day and flossed between every tooth!  Pretty pumped about it!  (Well I obviously didn't floss in between my two front tooth as that is where my Michael Strahan gap is)

Will I floss tomorrow?  More than likely not because that is going to be my day of celebration of not flossing!

February's Challenge - Praying on my knees everyday!
I haven't done this since I was a child, and to be child like (which I love) I figured this would help grow my relationship with the man up above.  So here we go... bring it on February!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Perseverance -> Confidence -> Faith

Things I have learned from my wife Morgann over the last 6 to 7 months:

During Morgann's three years of teaching she would always wonder/ask herself if that really is her purpose?  Is that really what God wanted her to be doing?  Asking these questions to herself everyday for three years.  Then God decided to send Morgann and I on a new journey.  One in which I would be accepting another job and we would be moving, which lead to Morgann saying "I am going to try something new, I don't know what it is but I am going to put my Faith in God to find out what that is for me"

So over the last 6 months, Morgann has been searching, digging, and ultimately giving her life to finding out what God may want to her to do to work for Him.

It has been hard.

But these three things are in Morgann's heart and I had the pleasure of witnessing these over the last 6 months.

Each one lead to the other!

Perseverance - "steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success"
This isn't something I believe everyone has in them.  The will/drive inside them to make it through the bad days, knowing in the back of your head you could just take the easy way out.  Knowing she could just go teach and didn't. Knowing she needed to take a part time job at a grocery store to help us make ends meet.

Confidence - "the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust"
She knew that it was all going to work out.  She would even begin to not talk to friends because of not wanting to tell them she still wasn't able to find a job.  So, Yes, some days were harder than others, but deep down with confidence she pushed through this, knowing God was on her side with a plan.

Faith - "complete trust in something or someone"
That is what she had.  True Faith.  Trust.  Knowing that God was going to work it out.  Knowing that if she put her confidence in Him.  Knowing if she persevered that He would work it out for the better.

During this time we lived by this scripture verse:
... we will walk by FAITH, and NOT by SIGHT... 2 Corinthians 5:7

Morgann turned down 3 jobs during this 6 month span, jobs in which we needed the money.  But we gave this opportunity to God as a teaching lesson for us, knowing that His plan would ultimately succeed in the end.  Walking by Faith in Him and not by what looks good in the moment for "us".

Last week Morgann started her first day for "Blackbaud", a company that is helping over 17,000 non-profit organizations excel in fundraising.  We are super pumped!!!

Do we know if it is a great fit?  Do we know if it will be where she works for more than 3 years?  Do we know if the people will be great to work with?  Do we know if she will enjoy most days?

No!

But what I do know is that during this process of looking for a job, God helped Morgann:
-  Build more Trust in Him
-  Gain confidence to know she can do immeasurably more (Ephesians 3:20)
-  Persevere through a hard time in life and not lose sight of our real purpose here on earth, to live for His glory
 And to show me what REAL FAITH looks like!!!


Wednesday, January 1, 2014

2014 Goals - Happy New Year

I was planning on posting my 2014 goals on here to give myself a little more accountability, but God had some different plans.  Yesterday during my devotion time I was lead to end my year by reading Philippians, which I realized had every single goal for the year that I truly need to keep in my heart all year so I figured I would share what they were/are to help you out with any goals you might be setting.

Top 10 Goals for the year from Paul in Philippians:
1)  Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (1:27)
2)  Do nothing out of conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourself.  (2:3)
3)  Make your ATTITUDE that of Christ Jesus (2:5)
4)  Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is working in you.  (2:13)
5)  Do EVERYTHING without grumbling and argument (2:14)
6)  Rejoice and SHARE YOUR JOY  (2:18)
7)  BOAST in Christ Jesus, do not put confidence in flesh/man (3:3)
8)  FORGET WHAT IS BEHIND AND REACH FORWARD TO WHAT IS AHEAD (3:13)
9)  Don't worry about ANYTHING, but in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God.  (4:6)
10)  Do ALL things through Him, He will give you the strength to do so.  (4:13)

Happy New Year!!!  Lets make 2014 AWESOME!!!