Shooting for the Moon

Another year is upon us and many of us are making our annual New Year's resolutions. Unfortunately, we have good intentions, but so often we never reach our goals. In fact, according to www.realscienceofsuccess.com, 50% of Americans make resolutions and only 15% keep them. I've often wondered why such a breakdown occurs. While I'm far from perfect, let me share with you what has helped me to achieve many of the goals God has put in my heart.

I believe that one of the keys to attaining a goal is understanding the pathway to it. Often we are so focused on the goal that we overlook the small steps we must take to move closer to its achievement. It is similar to the trajectory (or the path) of a rocket. Take for instance the space shuttle. The other day, I found this trajectory from a flight in 2005. Notice how every second is calculated in order for the shuttle to reach it's destination. Study it more and you will find that any deviation from this path at such a speed and distance will cause the shuttle to completely miss its target.

The lesson here is that the small steps matter. Marriages don't fail overnight. Financial ruin doesn't happen in one day. Prayer lives don't go cold in an instant. All of these come as a result of many smaller decisions that slowly change the trajectory and consequently compromise the mission.

This year, I want to encourage you to shoot for the moon when it comes to your dreams. But don't forget to focus on the little decisions that determine your trajectory. Ask God to help you stay on course with every decision you make along the way and never forget that the small stuff matters.

BTW, this year marks the 40th anniversary of Apollo 8, America's first trip to the moon!

Christmas Cheer!

Proverbs 17:22a tells us that "A cheerful heart is good medicine..." With this in mind, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite music videos. Merry Christmas everyone!

Two Very Different Banquets

"A man had a dream and in the dream he was taken to the portals of hell...he was intercepted by two ghoulish emissaries, who led him to a large banquet room. The room was darkly lit...with sounds of cursing and fighting. At the center of the room stood a long banquet table spread with the finest meal he could possibly imagine. Through the misty candlelight he saw hundreds and hundreds of waif-like creatures...surrounding the table and trying to eat. Upon closer examination, he saw that the utensils they were using extended about 6 inches beyond their arms. Every time they attempted to shovel spoonfuls of turkey dressing into their mouths, they couldn't manipulate the spoons beyond a certain point...And there they just sat. Unable to eat any food, they were wasting away in an infinite agony of starvation.

The man found himself suddenly transported to heaven. He stood before heaven's hotel, which was grander than the Taj Mahal...more elegant than any palace he had ever seen...two men in dazzling apparel met him and escorted him to the banquet hall. There he found a room gloriously lit, stretching far into the distance with a banquet table spread out before him. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were using the same kind of utensils he had seen in hell...the difference, though, was that the creatures, instead of trying in vain to feed themselves, would take forkfuls of food and gently feed the creatures seated right across the table.

The moral of the story is obvious: As they gave, each one was nourished."

As we continue through this Christmas season, let's never forget that our God is a giving God and he has called us to give to others. In this way we will all experience his blessing!

Quoted from I Am by Steve Fry

Music with Power

"Music is a gift and grace of God, not an invention of men. Thus, it drives out the devil and makes people cheerful. Then one forgets all wrath, impurity, and other devices...The Devil, the originator of sorrowful anxieties and restless troubles, flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God....I wish to compose sacred hymns so that the Word of God may dwell among the people also by means of song....I would allow no man to preach or teach God's people without a proper knowledge of the use and power of sacred song."

-Martin Luther, after writing A Mighty Fortress is our God in the midst of a spiritual battle

I Am Second

To all of the performers out there (this includes me at times!), this video is a great reminder...

Top 10 Worship Taboos

I ran across this video today by a Chi Alpha guy named Curt Harlow. Fasten your seatbelts! I couldn't stop laughing the whole time...