B. Wang

I feel that joy is something that we all need on a daily basis. However, there are those circumstances in our lives that consistently drain and rob us of our joy. We are called to be a light to those around us, but sometimes that is impossible if our light is dim. It’s in the times where you light is dim that you need to seek out the Lord with everything you have. It’s even better if you can get away and go to a place where you are filled with Joy. I usually find the most joy when I get away from the everyday and seek the Lord in his creation. It’s during these quiet times that I’m able to reflect and recover my joy. When that becomes a priority for you, your able to be a light in numerous dark places. Don’t let anything rob you of your joy this week, and if it does…DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

‘Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.’

- Romans 12:12

St. Petersburg, FL

In a world consumed with blogs, twitter, and facebook we get to control what we listen to, what we read, and who we listen to. And regardless of whether or not people are listening we can speak our mind whenever and wherever we want. Plain and simple that is the world we live in. But is it healthy? As we wrap up the final topic on “What Do You Know Now That You Wish You Knew Then.”  We take a look at 3 reasons why it is pertinent to develop relationships with people who see through us! (more…)

B.Wang

There is a constant battle that is played out in our everyday lives. It is something that I am aware of at times, but honestly it’s something that can be easily hidden from my thoughts. It’s one simple word, that has the power to both make and break our lives. With it, we have the chance to live lives that millions of people around the world would call lavish. Without it, we have the chance to ruin not only our lives….but those around us.

That one simple word is content, and it can be best defined as:

‘satisfied with a certain level of achievement, good fortune, etc., and not wishing for more’
- Dictionary.com (more…)

Oh how the time flies!

Where did all the time go?

There’s not enough minutes in the day!

Did I blink?

Life is passing me by.

And the list of one-liners goes on and on of the things we’ve heard all our life pertaining to the shortage of time.  And it seems the older we get the more fragile time becomes.

When we’re in High School we can’t wait to graduate and leave the house. When we’re in college we can’t wait to get married and start a family. Then we start working the 9-5 and get caught saying things like, “Oh to be young again.” It seems that 10 years ago when someone asked how we were doing we would reply with, “Good.” And now the answer seems to have shifted into, “busy.” But perhaps we’re not a busy as we claim. Could it be that we are really busybodies who are distracted by text messages, apps, television, facebook notifications, and twitter feeds. So as a result we actually feel busier than we are because we have such poor time management skills? That brings me to the next segment on “What Do You Know Now That You Wish You Knew Then?” Time Management-Without It Time Will Control You! Here are 3 reasons I believe we need to become better at time management: (more…)

Where I seek silence and solitude!

The past two months can be simplified into one word for me. LOUD. There have been numerous things that have continued to grow louder in my life as one thing seemed to grow quieter and patiently wait for me. In the past two months I have experienced: getting engaged, chairing a ministry fundraiser, hosting my parents for a weekend, having a close family friend pass away, experiencing a root canal, the Thanksgiving Holiday, endless rejections of wedding venues and dates, numerous BIG life decisions for me to ponder, setting a wedding date, my sister’s last trimester, stuck in bed sick another week, attending two weddings, being in one wedding and supporting a family as they said goodbye. The past two months have been filled with so much life. There was not a minute that went by that something was not on my mind. It was cluttered with a plethora of urgent needs that my mind grew tired and weary. To simplify it in two words. LOUD NOISE. I desperately needed the quiet, yet I was wrapped up into so much life. I was able to spend time with the Lord, yet my mind was heavy and I needed solitude. But I didn’t have time for it. The Loud Noise began to slowly dissipate as I went home for Christmas with my family. (more…)

Winstar Farm

We live in a culture that creates overnight super stars. Thanks to shows like American Idol, X Factor, and youtube creating internet sensations we have almost forgot what patience is. What it actually means to work hard and persevere. Patience is all but a lost virtue. And to be honest, patience is one of my biggest struggles. I hate sitting in traffic, grocery lines, procrastination, and waiting in sitting rooms. But as we continue with “What Do You Wish You Knew Then That You Know Now” , we take a look at-Learn to value patience, you’re likely to learn more while you wait. How true this is, but how difficult it is for me to practice. Do you know where the term hold your horses comes from? It’s origin is traced back to 1844, where the master would tell the driver of his horse drawn carriage to hold his horses if he felt he was going to fast. Perhaps fear of tipping the carriage, a bumpy ride without any shocks or hydraulics in these buggies would be rather uncomfortable. Nevertheless, if horses went to fast there was danger involved for the passenger. As a result the master would shout out, “Hold Your Horses!” You see there is great danger when we move to fast, fail to hold or horses, or never value patience. Here are three reasons we all need to hold our horses: (more…)

To be honest with you, a little over 6 years ago if you would’ve mentioned Worldview I would’ve looked at you with a dazed and confused look on my face. I was 25 at the time. Mind you, 25 and following the Lord with passion, yet I had no idea what a worldview was, or what it meant. Without it I found myself justifying actions in my life by the way culture behaved, rather than responding with a Biblical worldview. Today I can’t read the news, watch a commercial, or get lost in a movie without dissecting what Worldview may be driving these forms of media. You see everyone has a Worldview whether they realize it or not. Simply put, it is the way we look at the world and function in it each day. Or to put it another way it’s our basic presuppositions about life. So why does establishing a Biblical Worldview matter if we call ourselves Christians? Allow me to suggest 3 reasons: (more…)

Time is the most valuable thing that we can store up. It’s something that we need to protect and cherish, yet at times we don’t know where it goes. Over the past month and a half, time is something that I have not protected well. There have been numerous things that I had no control over, but then there were other times where I did. I slowly have taken the time I am given on a daily basis and taken it for granted. There are numerous conversations that I’ve wanted to have, projects I’ve wanted to start, books I’ve wanted to read, time I’ve wanted to invest in loved ones and the list continues to grow. My time with the Lord has been great, yet it has been scattered. It’s been consistent, yet I’ve felt rushed. It’s in those times when I know that I need to fight for more time with the Lord. That’s when I need to show what my true priorities are. By giving Him the anxieties and stress that take up my time, my priorities change. The way I spend my time no longer is complacent. During this Christmas season I want to encourage you to not take time for granted. Make the most of your time with your family and friends and your time with the Lord! Take a step back and look at how you spend your time and change it now. Don’t wait for the New Year’s Resolution, start now.

Photo by Luke Miller

For the first 18 years of our lives, make that 22 if you go to college, we read and take tests. We learn stuff we like, and other material we hate, but we learn the material because we are told we need to in order to succeed. Then we complete college. No more tests, just deadlines and paychecks accompanied with television and movies. We figure we no longer need to read if no one or no test is holding us accountable, and for the vast majority of college grads we stop learning. We shouldn’t, we should be life long learners if we desire to have life long impact. So as we look at week 12 of  ”What Do You Wish You Knew Then That You Know Now.” We look at, Don’t Stop Learning-You’re Not As Smart As You Think. Here are 3 reasons I believe it is absolutely vital that we continually push ourselves to learn and grow: (more…)

Austin Mann Photography

Perhaps it’s the media that controls our thinking more than we would like to admit. Or perhaps it was just the environment we were raised in. Worse even still it may be the bitterness and anger we refuse to let go of. Whatever it may have been there is no escaping the fact that now is the time for us to get re-focused.
We so easily get distracted by this world and its ways. Following is a list of things in our lives that may need to be re-focused:

*Criticizing or Judging Others+Re-focused= encouraging and examining yourself.
*Bitterness or Hate + Re-focused= Forgiveness and Love
*Complaining+Re-Focused=Thankfulness
*Laziness or Excuses + Re-Focused= Disciplined and Admitting when your wrong.
*Selfishness + Re-Focused= Servant
*Me Focused + Re-Focused= Humility

Whatever it may be, now is a great time for us to re-focus. The easy thing for us to do is to focus on things of this world, especially when we see them all around us. But just because we can see it doesn’t mean we have to focus on it. Your behavior is probably reflected by where your eyes are fixed. So with great encouragement I leave you with this verse, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” -Hebrews 12: