Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Bob Goff, from his book, Dream Big (Kindle Locations 861-862). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We do, don’t we? Bob says, “The fix is a simpler, more intentional faith, not a busier or easier one. Complicated theology isn’t bad; Jesus just never said it was a prerequisite or qualification for the unschooled, ordinary people He invited to follow Him. Certainly, learn a ton about what you believe, but don’t be like the self-identified teachers who gave educated waves to Him. You don’t need a bunch of twenty-dollar words to couple your faith to your ambitions. When your faith is anchored by the few things God said we should care about, it will be more than enough to keep you clear and focused on the road ahead.” Bob continues, “Let’s say you clear the room of everything in your faith and ask yourself, ‘If I had to add one thing back to my life, what would it be?’ It sounds like one of those mome

A thought by Bob Goff, from his book, Dream Big (Kindle Locations 769). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And that is a very good question, isn’t it? Bob says, “God made us to enjoy each other and to reflect Him, and He derives tremendous joy when He sees us pursuing our unique desires with the skill sets He put in our individual tool boxes. I’m not really sure where He stands on corndogs, but I know He’s inviting us into lives that are more expansive and expressive, more loving and unselfish. He wants us to reflect His character in what we want and have these desires dwarf anything else that gets in the way. I’m certain He’s not asking you to mimic someone else’s ideas, desires, and dreams. Sure, be inspired by the lives other people are living and riff on them if it helps you get clarity, but as Sweet Maria tells me all the time . . . keep your eyes on your own paper.” He goes on, “So, let me ask you agai

A thought by Bob Goff, from his book, Dream Big (Kindle Locations 717-718). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And there will be push back on our dreams. Bob says, “If the front door is locked, you can walk away or look for a window that’s ajar to crawl through. Some of your ambitions are going to take time or a little creativity to figure out. Don’t quit on them. Wake up to new ways to get there, then do what it takes so you’re ready when your time comes.” He goes on, “Guess what? For years you’ve already been quietly curating your life without knowing it. You know what works and what doesn’t. What lights you up and what bums you out. What lasts and what disappears. We need to figure out what you’ve come up with so far so we can figure out what to do next. Trust what you’ve learned already; let it be your Sherpa. “Once again, the best engine to drive our ambitions is a strong sense of purpose. There’s

A thought by Bob Goff, from his book, Dream Big (Kindle Locations 650). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) So, where are you? Bob says, “I have a silly game I play with myself a dozen times a day when I walk into various rooms. I try to figure out where north is. Try it now: count to three, then point your arm in the direction where you think true north is. Even if you’re in an elevator or a waiting room, in a classroom, just got pulled over by a cop, or are in the dentist chair. Ready? Go. I carry a compass with me in my pocket, but you can check the compass on your phone and see how far off you were. Here’s the point: nobody has it all figured out. With the speed we’re moving, it’s easy to get a little turned around and a couple of degrees off.” He goes on, “This tees up the next question I have for you: Where are you? “At first glance, this one seems a little easier to answer. We’re in the line at Mc

A thought by Bob Goff, from his book, Dream Big (Kindle Locations 626-627). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And we need to do what we can to find it. Bob said, “You may not even know about these places or have taken the time to explore them. Answering the question Who are you ? requires we stop entertaining ourselves building snowmen on the surface and get under the ice cap. That’s the only way to figure out what’s really going on underneath our actions.” He goes on, “If we can learn what the core motivations behind our actions are, we can figure out where they came from and take the action necessary to make progress forward. Not a course around them but through them. It can sometimes be weird and ambiguous work to access our big ideas, and headway is often made through small openings. Yet this work is absolutely necessary if we want to make some bold moves toward those few ambitions that will be worth t

A thought by Bob Goff, from his book, Dream Big (Kindle Locations 586). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Striving to understand is so very important in life especially when it is us. Bob says, “A few years ago, someone I loved had a stroke. This is a cruel medical problem because often, in addition to causing physical limitations, it robs its victims of some of what they cherish the most—their memories. The doctor explained how the brain attempts to knit itself back together and recreate the pathways and circuitry disrupted by the stroke. The doctor recommended photographs be up on the walls of the hospital room to help jog her memory as her brain reconnected with itself. She would stare long and hard at the walls and point. One by one, she figured out the photographs. ‘That’s my husband. That’s my daughter. This one is our dog.’ It took a while, but eventually she figured out every photograph—except one. It wa

A thought by Bob Goff, from his book,     Dream Big (Kindle Locations 519-520). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) No he didn’t. Bob says, “He didn’t tolerate rookies who pretended to have gone All-Pro and have it all figured out but were just faking it. Once we get real with where we actually are and our desperate need for God’s help, He’s got a person He can do something with, and He’ll drop the people you’ll need in your path to help. Your job is to find them.” He later says, “Start with acknowledging that deeper longing within you. If I had to take a guess, that’s why you’re here. You can feel it. I don’t even have to define what it is—you know exactly what I’m talking about. It is that ‘something more to life’ rumbling around in your gut, that tug drawing you toward a scary, audacious dream. It nags you when you feel stuck at a job you once wanted but have since outgrown. It fuels the late-night conversat

A thought by Bob Goff, from his book,     Dream Big   (Kindle Locations 449-450). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That is the truth, isn’t it? Bob says, “We smoke or cuss or dress or act like someone we really aren’t to gain acceptance from people we don’t really know. We’re all going to make mistakes. Some are premeditated and weirdly intended to be self-destructive. Others just arise simply because we don’t understand what is happening around us. Those are the mistakes that remind us of our humanity and help us be truthful with ourselves about the fact that we don’t have it all figured out.” Later he says, “I used to think that we had to have our act together for God to use us and for our ambitions to be attainable, but I don’t think that anymore. Here’s the incredible thing: I couldn’t even take my own temperature, but God still finds a way to use me. He’ll use you, too, if you’re willing. Something happ

A thought by Bob Goff, from his book, Dream Big   (Kindle Locations 391-392). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   That’s an important thought, isn't it? Bob says, “It’s not found in familiarity or approval or popularity either. It is discovered somewhere far deeper within us. Maria (his wife) lives her life solely and sacrificially for our family and a handful of friends. She not only helps us better understand the complex world we live in, but she also helps me get ready each day so I don’t leave the house with one pant leg tucked into my sock. “I’ll admit, it’s a lot of work to live with a guy who acts like he’s sponsored by Red Bull. They call my drink of choice at the local coffee stand ‘Goffee.’ It’s two shots of energy drink and three shots of espresso. I may die young, but I’ll be wide awake when I do. Sweet Maria likes to say I’m the balloon and she’s the string. This beautifully describes the

A thought by Bob Goff, from his book, Dream Big Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That is an interesting thought that I didn’t know. Bob says, “I’m glad they did because I’ve erased in my life much more than I’ve kept. We all get to do this. We take what we’ve written about ourselves, what we truly believe God thinks of us, and decide what to keep and what to erase. We’re not the only author of our lives either. Like the ones who have signed the pages of a high school yearbook, other people who have intersected our journey have written over us too. Some of what they said is true and beautiful and lasting. Other things not so much. ‘Never change’ was written in my yearbook by at least a dozen people. It’s the worst advice I’ve ever received. We’re supposed to change constantly—into kinder, humbler, more faithful versions of our old selves. This change and growth happens when we sort out the truth from the lies in

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 138). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   And each one of us has experienced times where we have felt confused and stationary, haven't we? Bob goes on, “We shouldn’t be surprised when we don’t understand what a God who says He surpasses all understanding is doing. God doesn’t want us to get stuck scratching our heads or overanalyzing our circumstances.   He doesn’t send in all the plays to get us out of our funk and He doesn’t carpet-bomb us with instructions about what to do next.   Instead, He continues to be with us.   He’s not entirely silent when He is either.   He’s sent us books about Him and has included a lot of letters, and He’s sent us friends too.   He’s given us success and failures – plenty of both.” Bob says, “When we dream up something where the outcome seems uncertain