cking1224

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!!!

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Sunday Blast 300 Workout

Need a new work out for 2014?

I have sent this workout to many many friends as some have stepped up to the plate and challenged with their times. Figured with the first of the year starting tomorrow and people beginning their New Year's workout goals it would be a good time to post this workout and let anyone who is interested to give it go and let me know your times!!!

Here are the details of the workout and then a video showing you all exercises at the bottom.

Everything is set up in "30's" - so it totals 300 at the end!

1) Burpees (30) - push up and jump knees to chest

2) Side Lunge (15 each side/leg touching the ground) - in the video I use 25 lb. dumbbell but you could use any weight

3) 1/4 Squat to Curl to Press (30) - 40 lb. dumbbells in the video

4) Full ab stand ups (30) - using weight 20 to 25 lbs.

5) Plank (1:30 regular and then .45 seconds on each side (add on time if you rest during this)

6) Jump Lunges (30 each leg - 60 jumps total)

7) Goblet Squat (30 - 40 lb. dumbbell)

8) Ski Jumps (3 jumps = 1, do 30)

9) T Push Up (15 Each side, 30 total)

10) Tricep Straight Leg Ab Raises (30)

(I would print this out or right it down as I still have to look at mine each time I do it)

1, 4, 6, 8 - those are the ones that you can get better speed at each time! As I try to beat you time each go,

All the others have to be pretty technical sound if you know what I mean. Like obviously I could do the Side Lunges a lot quicker than I show in the video but with those it is more about doing them right, same with curl to press, Goblet squats, t push ups and tricep abs. And obviously the plank is a timed full 3 minutes so no cheating with that anyway gotta do it for a full 3 minutes.

Video of all exercises!!! Have fun and let me know your times! I will post the best times on here mid 2014!

Friday, December 20, 2013

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Red Faced

It isn't too often in my life that I really feel embarrassed. Thinking back post high school... I would have to say the time I wiped out on my skateboard in front of the main dining hall at East Carolina University may top the list, at the same time I would say it is the biggest applause I may have ever received for anything in my life though. The next time would have happened at ECU as well, when I decided to go to an Alpha Phi Alpha kickball game by myself freshmen year, just thought it would be fun to make some friends. Well, come to find out and definitely didn't know before going is that Alpha Phi Alpha is a 99% African American fraternity, lets just say I was a bit of outkast on the kickball field. Other than those two times at ECU I would say that all other times have fell on my birthday. I just don't know what it is, but I just don't like a big deal made out of my birthday.

But I have never really had pictures of an embarrassing moment until now. Last month on my birthday, Morgann sets it up for my brother to fly down for a birthday weekend. We meet him in the airport, we walk over to baggage claim. (waiting for a bag that he checked for a two night trip? obviously that doesn't hit me as a little strange) Jon says he needs to go to the bathroom, so he goes and while standing there I am not really thinking much of it except for the fact that he took his other bag with him to the bathroom.

About four minutes later I see my brother come out of the bathroom wearing a cow costume that has utters in the front of it shouting. "EVERYONE, EVERYONE CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, IT IS MY BROTHERS BIRTHDAY SO I WAS THINKING WE COULD ALL SING HIM THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG" and begins to lead the entire airport baggage claim section at the Charleston airport in the Happy Birthday song.

First: I am surprised he didn't get tackled as he was shouting in an airport with a cow costume on.
Second: Something I will never forget, embarrassing moments may only last for a second, but is something you can always talk about later. And for that, thank you embarrassing moments for being AWESOME!

Before walking to baggage claim!

During (Red Faced)

After (still wearing the cow)

Side Note: Jon had no bags to pick up from baggage claim.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Is the Bible still RELEVANT Today? (Part 1 of 2)

The beginning of a two part post:

Part 1 - Is the Bible still relevant today?

Part 2 - As a Christian how should I look at/use the Bible?

"What do you think about the Bible?"

It's a question I have asked several people in the last couple years, in which the 99% response rate is usually this..."I just don't really think it is relevant to today and the world we live in now" (Something my wife Morgann would definitely admit to saying to me when we began dating eight years ago)

I will admit I struggled trying to find the answer to make the Bible seem relevant in a blog post. However after doing tons of research to answer this question, I finally found it. I didn't find it on the internet or in a book, but I found it my heart, so I am just going to give you "my" response to the question.

I think the first thing that comes to everyone's mind is technology, it is changing/has changed this world so much so why shouldn't that be a reason why the Bible is irrelevant to today? But if I were to dig into deeper issues other than technology I begin to find out that the world of now and then really aren't too far apart. Murders, Affairs, Drug Abuse, Wars... All in the Bible! Isn't all that relevant to today? The Bible can show direction and help decisions we face in every day/every year of the world we live in now.. What job should I take? Where should I live? What girl/guy should I or should I not date? How do I deal with death of a loved one? How do I handle family and friend relationships? ... and many more questions that we all deal with on a day to day basis... it was all dealt with in the Bible!

Chances are very high you can find whatever situation you are dealing with right now, also happened in the Bible! The diversity in the Bible can be seen for every person in any stage of life, no matter your age or situation. In the Bible we can find every emotion, confession, conversation of philosophical debate, and Jesus confronting ALL of these issues, of life, and death, and showing us the eternity that is ahead for all of us.

A person that may say the Bible is not relevant to the world we live in today... is that just an excuse? That is what I really wonder. If the Bible has never been a part of a persons life how can the Bible start to be now? Not when they have been living without it for so many years. I wonder if they may be scared about what reading the Bible could change about their life?... enjoying the drinking, enjoying the gambling, enjoying the excessive shopping for material items, enjoying lust... it is fun, brings instant happiness and gratification... "If I actually start reading the Bible won't I have to stop all of that and what will everyone that I hang out with now think of me then?" The humbling experience, the thought of telling a friend that you may not have the same values anymore and you might need to go your separate ways... does that thought haunt those that don't read the Bible? Is... "it is not relevant to today" an excuse to not have to go through that humbling experience really worth it?

For some I am sure it is time... time to find the PURPOSE in your life that the Bible can give. As terrifying as it might be, how it would eat you up inside to open a Bible. It might be time to deal with it!

One great thing is the Bible will NOT leave you there sitting in your own regret! The Bible can take you from filling convicted to changing your heart, your ultimate goals in life, and giving you PURPOSE! Now opening the Bible doesn't mean that God is just going to stand there and smile at you saying I haven't seen anything that has been going on in your life and now everything is going to be all good and happy in your life with all answers about life complete. Definitely NOT! In fact, what Jesus is really going to do is show how He has already stood up for you by taking your SIN upon HIMSELF, He took that pain we deserve. He literally hung on a cross FOR YOU! And then he rose from the grave on the third day to show you how powerful God really is! I say that to say... as a Christian... I find that RELEVANT to my life TODAY! As a Christian, I have PURPOSE, my journey is not empty at all, and from opening the Bible I can find and read about how I can pursue a purpose that is greater than me and my selfish ways - (if you noticed above when I listed all the "decisions" we face everyday - they all had one word in all the statements ..."I"...) Opening the Bible has done that for me, helped me face my day's in this life knowing this isn't about ME, it is about a PURPOSE MUCH GREATER than ME!

It gets me pumped knowing that we ALL can find OUR role in God's design of His kingdom, and how OUR life has meaning by opening this book.

If we can fathom thinking about the end of our days here on earth, thinking about our death in the future, whether you are laying in a hospital bed or where ever we may be, what questions will you ask at that point in your life? Where will you turn for the answers to your why questions.. why me, why now? Will you wonder if there is a God or if the Bible is true/relevant at that point?

When you are about to actually die will the question of how relevant the Bible actually is fade away? Will the comfort and hope embodied in the Bible suddenly become totally...
RELEVANT?

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Mission Possible - Your J O B

When Morgann and I moved and were searching for a new church to attend we both were looking for one that was very "missions" based, and after many weekends of seeing where God may lead us as far as a church we definitely feel like God has found that right spot for us.

With that said...about a month ago Morgann and I were asked by friends at church to start praying about going on a mission trip with several people from church. We have had the desire to do this since we got married, so we said we would pray about it and then let them know if we felt that this was the trip God was wanting us to go on. Well, after praying over it we both felt that God wasn't pulling us to this particular trip at this time. (but will continue to pray for God to lead us to the right one)

But I say all of that to talk about the word "mission". A lot like the word PURPOSE! Definitely through this time of thinking about this trip God put it on my mind to focus on the word "mission" and what that means to me right now and how I can live every day through my Purpose with a particular "mission."

Mission - a particular assignment carried out for a specific purpose!

So I came to the realization that as Christians we can really be on a "MISSION" every day if we are really living for a PURPOSE. I have begun this week to take that a little farther to look at my job as a mission from God. Sometimes our job that we do everyday can take control us - in a positive or negative way. I feel like it is so easy to look at our job every day as something we feel like we have to go do whether we like or not or something we love to go do! I have always been a person that looks at my job and says "that is not the most important thing in my life and I will make sure that it never is". But then this week it hit me... (or I should say God hit me with)

What if my job is the exact "MISSION" that God wants me to be on?

What I mean by that... What if God wants my job to be my "Mission Trip" that I take every day? I had never looked at my job as a mission from God before this week, it was looked at from the standpoint of God gave me this ability and this opportunity but I will not make it first priority in my life over my faith, family, and friends. But what if the one thing that I do every day, five days a week, is the very thing that God is calling me to be on a "Mission" for?

So this week on my ride to work I have started saying to myself - "I am heading on a "Mission Trip" today!!! So far it has changed my heart a little, and my attitude, and I think that is exactly what God wanted to happen.

And he said “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15