Who

Who are you when all the titles and accolades are stripped away? Who did you want to be when you grew up? Are you that person? What happened? What's stopping you? If given the opportunity, do you still want to be that person? Are you happy with who you've become? If not, become who you've always wanted to be. It's not too late. You've got 363 chances to get it right. And if you get discouraged along the way, just look in the mirror and try to see yourself through God's eyes.

Why

What’s your why? Why do you do what you do? Why are you trying to accomplish that? Why does any of it matter? Why should we care? Your “why” has to be greater than any other question that can be asked. Your “why” has to be greater than your how. Your “why” has to be greater than your who. Your “why” has to be greater than you. Your “why” has to be greater than your when. As you set goals and resolutions this New Year, ask yourself….why?

Kindle

As another year is coming to a close, our minds are bombarded with our failures and our successes. What did we plan to achieve this year? What did we actually achieve? What did we completely miss the mark on? What were some areas of unexpected growth? Let go of your expectation. Revel in the blessing of today. Next year, next week, tomorrow, let your heart kindle with a renewed desire.

Knowledge

Knowledge is defined by facts or skilled gained through experience or education. Life has a way of educating us in ways the classroom never could achieve. Education is valuable when it is valued by the individual. Most of us hated waking up and going to school. It was simply a check on the to do list. College was the lesser of two evils for me, but grad school was a deliberate decision. I don't think I valued my education until I made the choice to go back to school. School isn't the only avenue of learning. What new skills have you learned? What do you want to add to your toolkit? What knowledge do you have yet to gain? We live in an era when knowledge is at our fingertips. We can google anything. Ask alexa. We are fresh out of excuses to be ignorant. 

"To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” -Lao Tzu

King

 Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

I think that sometimes between the ugly sweaters, the holiday parties, the Christmas lights and decor we forget about the miracle of the virgin birth. Yeah, we sing along with the Temptations as we decorate our Christmas tree and bolt out, "Christ the savior is born." But, do we truly grasp the gravity of that lyric? Do we understand that all the debates of when and where Christ was born are irrelevant. We celebrate the fact that this baby born to Mary and Joseph would grow up and die for our sins. Mary's baby boy would solve the problem Adam created. Jesus was born to die on a cross to save me, to save you, and to save the world. This Christmas, as the fireside is blazing bright, remember the real reason for the season...the birth of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Merry Christmas.

Decree

Back in the day, kings would decree things. They would set laws. They would call corporate fasts. They would give mandates. They would exert their authority publicly through decrees. God has given us this same power to speak, to declare, and to decree things. Most of us do not utilize this power. We speak lack. We speak illness. We speak ill-will into our lives everyday. (I’m sick. I’m broke.) We accept our circumstances and deny our power within. I challenge you to decree life, health and wisdom into your life and those around around you. I challenge you to reiterate God’s mandate for your life in this season. I challenge you to decree wealth and opportunities and blessings to overtake you. I challenge you to decree God’s perfect will be done in your life.

Develop

I remember when it took days to get your pictures back. Hoping and waiting to see if that picture came out just like you wanted. It took time for them to develop. Your film would undergo a chemical process in a dark room. Interesting enough, most of us don't have the patience to develop. Yet, God is calling us to endure patiently for our gifts and talents to develop.

Development does not take place in the spotlight. Development does not take place with others. We develop when we submit to being alone in a dark place. We grow when we plant seeds in a dark place. Don't rush the process. Don't despise the wait. Don't fear the dark. It's where we develop.