My life is too fast.  I seem to rush around from one task to the next.  Or from one appointment to the next appointment.  When I'm in the car and sitting at a stop light, I constantly check my phone for various email updates, social media updates, etc.  Life is just going by too fast.  I try to live my life as intentional as possible, but there never seems to be enough time.

I can't believe it's already December 1.   30 more days and the year is over.   It's been said the older you get the faster the time goes by.   I'm "only" 37 and time seems to be flying for me.   Many others I talk with feel the same way.   Perhaps the technology that is supposed to help our lives and make us more productive actually restricts us and makes the time go by faster?

If you examine the life of Jesus, I think you would conclude that He was a very busy guy.  Healing people, teaching, eating, traveling and casting out demons makes for a busy life back then!   Consider the crowds that followed Him and the constant pressure He must have been under.  I bet He didn't feel like life was going too fast.  I think he thought it was perfectly timed.

As you examine the life that Jesus lived, there's one thing that really stands out that He did.  Jesus frequently got alone to pray.   Why is it so hard for us in our busy culture to do this as well?

Let's try for the next 30 days to take more time for solitude and prayer and see if that helps slow us down.  Make it another step along the journey for a more intentional life.  Any takers?

[UPDATE]

Vortex Ministry has launched a 30 Day Slow Down Challenge to any and all interested.   Click here for more information.

[image by sunside]

Yesterday my wife saw a little naked man running around our back yard.   Call the cops you say?  Nah, it was just our 3 year old Caleb.   You see, he likes to be naked.  Plain and simple.  He hasn't quite learned the social etiquette that you can't just run around naked outside. (we're trying).  Caleb was outside playing with his brother Camden and they decided to get in the sandbox and throw sand at each other.  Typical boy stuff.   Well, after getting covered in sand, the next logical step, if you're Caleb, is to get naked.  Enter Holli: to find him running around naked.  Caleb got in trouble and had to get dressed bringing the naked romp to an end.

So, Holli tries to call me to talk about her day and what do you think I do?  "I'm busy, can I call you back?".   Umm, let me tell you, might not be the best response to your wife, guys.  But that's what I did.   And then I didn't call her back for another 3 hours.  Hey, just trying to keep it real here; who can relate?  I definitely get the "unsupportive husband" award yesterday.

What are two things a husband can learn from a little naked man? 

1. Be a little more free spirited.    No, don't run around outside naked, that's just creepy.  But when it comes to leading your family, take some risks and make sure to enjoy the time.

2. Actions have consequences.   If there's something you're doing or not doing that can get you in trouble, stop.   Like taking a phone call from your wife or at least calling her back promptly.

Do you have any great "3 year old" stories you can share?

[image by chrisandjenni]

How often do you think about the purpose of your life?   Is it often or infrequent?   I have to admit that I think about it a lot.  Many days I wonder if I’m fulfilling all of the plans that God has for me.   Sometimes I get depressed because I don’t think I’m pursuing His call on my life.   What is the call?   I don’t know for sure, hence the round and around struggle.  I have some ideas, but it is still getting revealed to me.

Many times I wonder if we’re making our “purpose” out to be more complex than it has to be.   I was reading in the book of Isaiah and one thing that jumps out to me is that God didn’t “Call” Isaiah.   Isaiah responded to God’s question.

Isaiah 6:8 says:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"  And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

God was searching for someone that could go out and fulfill things that God was interested in.  Isaiah simply responded.   He stood up and said “Send Me!”    And God did.

Is there a situation in your life that you feel like God is searching for someone to step up and say “Send Me”?  Perhaps today you could take that intentional step and tell God “Send Me”.     If you do that, make sure to have an open heart and be ready to listen for what God asks you to do.   Talk about a life of adventure if we could live that way every day. 

How can God use you today?

[image by amboo213]

The title for today's Two on Tuesday post sums it up: Migraine's Suck. I've been getting hit with Migraines more and more frequently. I'm trying to tie them back to foods I've eaten and I've found MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) is big trigger for me as well as processed deli meats.

If you suffer from migraines, what are your triggers and how do you deal with them?  Any advice?

[image by migrainechick]

Do you consider yourself a leader?  Or, do you have aspirations of leading?   I consider myself to have leadership traits and characteristics.  I enjoy leading teams and helping to motivate and encourage people.   As leaders, we need to push people.  We need to help them become more accountable and keep them on target. 

I find myself being a good leader at work, on volunteer committees, at church, but what about at home?   Husbands, what type of leader are you at home?   For me, my wife has asked that I help push her towards goals she has shared with me.  She has asked, and she expects it.   She has specifically said “I need you to Push Me.”  Many days I fail at this.  I get too busy with my own agenda.   Today I had to apologize to my wife for not leading at home like she needs.  

Guys, if your wife hasn’t yet specifically asked you to help keep her accountable in some area, today would be a good day to ask her how you can help.    Even if she says there is nothing, the act of asking her will speak volumes into her life.

[image by stevendepolo]

When you think of somebody as “childlike”, what comes to mind?  Is it immaturity? Recklessness?  I look at the word “childlike” through the eyes of my two boys.  I see adventure, no fear, joy, peace, trust and open mindedness.    My boys are bold in the things they ask of me.   I may not always say “yes” to them, but they nevertheless continue to ask with boldness.   They have no doubt in their minds.   They ask questions and accept answers.   Of course Caleb (3 years old) asks the typical 3 year old question “why?”, but it’s his curiosity for the world that drives his constant questioning.  

I was reading in Luke chapter 10 today and Jesus is talking with the 72 messengers that he had previously sent out.  They returned and were filled with joy because of what the Lord did through them on their missions.    Jesus responds full of joy and praise and says “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.  Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”

What Jesus was saying here is that everyone has equal access to God the Father through him.  We don’t come to Jesus through our strength or intellect or good looks, but through a childlike faith.   There are plenty more verses about having the faith of a child and I think what Jesus is trying to tell us is that trusting him doesn’t have to be a difficult or scary thing.   It just takes the faith of a child to say “Yes, Jesus, I need you in my life.”    Then, just as a child would do, we should trust and not have fear.

Are there any situations in your life where you know you’ve had to step out in childlike faith?

[image by teckie kev]

If you could only describe yourself with two words, what would they be?   I’ve thought a lot about this and the two words I think of for myself would be “Hope Giver”.    At times this is a challenge for me because I get very focused on myself, but being a Hope Giver implies that I must be externally focused on other people and their needs.

There are a lot of people that you cross paths with that need some hope.   Perhaps they’re dealing with a broken marriage, or financial troubles, or infertility troubles, or self esteem issues.   You never know until you intentionally get past yourself and focus on the other person.

How can you become a Hope Giver?

Listen.   That’s pretty easy.   Just listen more than you speak.

Encourage.   You don’t need to preach someone a long sermon or even have any answers.  Just say a few words of encouragement to help lift up their day.

Duplicate.   Start teaching others how easy it is to be a Hope Giver and pass it on.

What two words would you use to describe yourself?   How can you be a Hope Giver today?   Share your thoughts.

[image by niznoz]

One thing I've noticed recently is when I'm texting and I try and type "Love You" to my wife or family, most of the time I end up typing "Live You". I've hit Send sometimes too fast and sent the text with "Live You" in my message. It got me thinking though that the words "Live You" really are applicable to our daily lives.

When I think about the words "Live You" I think they are a declaration of action for a person's life.  It's a reminder to live our lives with intention and purpose.  Yes, I love you, but I want you to live!  Hence, Live You.  

I want to encourage you to live your life with intention.   Seek out ways to live with purpose and truly live the life that God has called you to live.

PS:  What does "Live You" mean to you?

I've been thinking recently about how I can be more proactive in keeping up with my blog. One idea that I'm going to be trying out is to create a weekly series that is similarly themed.

Last week I started "Wednesday Worship" and this week I want to introduce "Two on Tuesday".    Two on Tuesday is pretty simple:   Every Tuesday I plan to post two words and what they mean to mean, how they are speaking in my life, etc.

If you haven't done so already, take a moment and subscribe to my RSS feed to stay up to date.

Also, I added a new category called "Two on Tuesday" and you can view all future Two on Tuesday posts by using this link:   http://www.vortexministry.com/category/Two-on-Tuesday.aspx

[image by Martin LaBar]