“You can exist without ever failing, but you can't really live without facing it.”

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment (Kindle Location 1502). Kindle Edition.

That has been the picture of Margaret and my life. It is really unbelievable the life that we have lived. I am right now sitting outside at Zeli Coffee Bar on the street where the Rose Parade goes down in Pasadena, California with the sun shining on my face. A little over a year ago we were finishing three great years of adventure living on Long Island just outside New York City. We then moved to Seminole, Florida for an exciting nine months on the Gulf of Mexico with my mom, my sister and brother in law and my brother but then the opportunity came and here we are in Pasadena. A lot of potential failures along the way but here we are.

I was reading this morning in the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of Philip. He had had the privilege of meeting an important Ethiopian official and made a difference in his life because he had gone where an angel of the Lord told him to go. He baptized the man then was taken by God to Azotus and he travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

He was one of the 11 apostles of Christ who left all to share the news. What if they would have said, “No way, I don’t want to fail like Jesus failed. He was killed.” But they knew they had to face their potential failure to continue doing what Jesus came to do. They did so we can truly live today.

But some would say “That’s them. Not me.” But we have all been given a purpose to live out. And their probably will be some failure, some risking along the way. But you can’t have success without some failure. It goes with the territory. So face the possibility of it happening.

Philip could have said, “I’m not going to talk with that very successful man. I might make a fool out of myself.” But He knew that God would be with Him and would take his humanness and abilities and make a difference in this man’s life.

In each of those moves that we have made this last year, we have made a difference in someone’s life. Yes, it hasn’t all been easy but it has been worth it. That is what real life is all about.

So what is keeping you from really living?

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"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...

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