Footprints

I was in church this past weekend and the Pastor made a statement that really caught me.  He said "people will enter your life, and might quietly leave.  They will leave footprints on your heart.  Some big.  Some small.  Others will stay a life time and leave the prints that matter."

We know the "Footprints" piece where the person asks Jesus about the one set of prints.  Jesus carried that person during those moments and left only His prints.

What prints are we leaving in the lives of the people we love?  Are we walking with them hand in hand, proving encouragement and direction and strength and support?  When we see our loved ones struggling with something do we try and help them find a solution?  Are we empathetic and loving and offer them an understanding shoulder?  There are often times our loved ones struggle in areas that we flat out do not agree with.  They do things we disapprove of.  Or they believe things in their hearts that we do not agree with.  In those times do we work to move them toward resolution?  Do we take a moment and say something to the effect "I do not agree with your thinking, or your decisions, or your actions, but I am going to love you through this"  Those are the footprints on their heart that they can look back on and smile because they know we went above and beyond to love them unconditionally.

What about the footprints that stomp hope and happiness from our relationship with them.  Do you ever wonder why you make the decisions you make in those moments?  I remember feeling so very betrayed by one of my children one day and openly venting about the decisions.  I had no idea he was down the hall and heard me.  Even though I was right, I was was wrong.  I hurt him.  I saw it in his eyes when he confronted me moments later.  I knew damage was done.  Damage that might take years to repair, if ever.  I regret making such a poor decision in that moment of hurt.  Are there decisions you made in a moment of uncertainty or hurt or confusion that you wish you could take back?  I have so many. 

I want the footprints I leave to be ones framed with love.  Even for those that have come and gone in my life.  Those momentary relationships with friends that were for a season.  I want them to think of me some days and say "Ya he was a great guy.  I miss that one."  I want the people I love to be at my grave many many MANY years down the road and tell stories of things I did to show them uncompromising unyielding unfailing unquestionable love. 

I want to leave big footprints. 

Resolve to Restart

Happy New Year !!!

I know everyone associates the new year with resolutions and plans to change their lives in some fashion.  So many promises we make to ourselves and others about how we plan to conduct ourselves in the "new year"  So many broken promises being made that have no hope of being lived out.  So many let downs coming.  So much heart break and ache.  Why do we do it?

The answer is simple.  Because we believe we should make the change.  It really is just that simple.  There is something that is not good for us that we are doing - like smoking or cheating or lying or eating bad food -, or something that is good for us that we are not doing - like the gym.  We THINK we want to make a change, and we make a big deal out of it.  But it just doesn't get very far.  If we are lucky...we make it to February 1.  sad I know.

So let me ask you this.  Why wait for December 31 to make a promise you have no intentions of keeping?  Why not just let them fly fast and furious.  Since they have no real value anyway, just wake up every day and rattle off the nonsense you would as though it were 12/31/201? at 11:59PM.

Problem solved.  Right?

Or what you could do is actually decide that the people in our lives are more important to us than empty promises made to them, and ourselves.  You may think it doesn't hurt them to conduct yourself in a way that you would utterly embarrassed if your children found out it...but it does.  Because they will find out.  They will know.  You may think it is your personal life decision to smoke, or use recreational drugs, or drink too much, but you are making decisions that affect the people you love most.  You may think having lunch with the cute receptionist is OK because she knows you are in a relationship, and she is too.  Stop it.  It is NOT OK.  You may think your partner knows you love them.  TELL THEM.  Every day.  Show them.  Every day.

Chose them.  Make the changes that protect them.  That protect your family.  Your relationships.  Your integrity.  Your children.  Your career.  Your health. 

Make a change for the people that matter to you.

If you don't.  They don't matter.  It really is that simple.

Side note:  I got married :)  12-13-14.  Epic Day.  Epic Love.  Epic Life.

Share your ideas.  Brainstorminglife@yahoo.com

The Best Gift

OK before I start let me be clear about something.  The BEST gift was the one God gave mankind when He sent His son to die for us.  There is no disputing that.  That being said, I want to share a quick thought on relationships.

The best gift you can give someone if your love.  This all-encompassing idea includes your efforts, your energies, your time, your devotion, your availability, your loyalty, your fidelity, your trust, your respect.  The list is long I know. 

As Christmas fast approaches I hope everyone takes a minute to examine their relationships and give the things that are missing.  Trust me, it is the best gift you can give YOURSELF.  YES!  SELFISH!  SO WHAT!!

I have come to realize that the more I love my girl, the more love I get in return.  When I look at her with that look that tells her I love what I see, it always produces the biggest smiles on her face.  That my friends is the circle of happiness.  I crave seeing her smile.  I crave hearing the happiness in her voice.  I crave the responses I get from her.  And I know when I love her with my actions and my emotions and my efforts, I will get those responses from her.

If you have someone loving you like that...Thank God for the gift they are in your life.  If not, ask God for a gift like that.  Ask God to BE a gift like that.  The rewards are amazing.

Merry Christmas my friends.

I Just Called - Stevie Wonder

I know I said I was pretty much done with the song idea...BUT I wanted to add this to the list because of the wonderful ideas presented in the song.

I just called to say I love you.  I just sent you a text for no reason to let you know I am thinking about you.  (I abbreviate that as TAY)  I just sent you an email that says "I thank God for sending you to me"  simple as that...and wow does that work wonders for your relationship.

KISS.  Keep it simple, silly.  Do the simple things that are often neglected, overlooked, or simply not "important"  I said before and I will say it again...open the car door for her.  Let her friends and family see you do that and you will come around and sit in the drivers seat and look over to see a girl grinning from ear to ear.  Her friends and family just saw you love her.  They saw you spoil her.  They saw you tell her she is important to you.  And she is in heaven.

The little things like that are big in a relationship.  They let her know your love is not just an emotion that will fade.  Your love is an action.  A VERB.  It is something that can be physically witnessed by her and those watching.  You taking the time to do things for her that proactively show her you love her will reap amazing rewards not only in your relationship, but in those around you.  Your children will see it and they will come to expect it in their relationship.  How many times have you heard someone say they wish their daughter (or son) was treated better by the boy/girl friend?  They wonder why the child allows themselves to be treated poorly.  Well heck, they only know what they see.  And if they see a less than loving relationship devoid of affection and RESPECT, then why should they expect to be treated with affection and respect?

Be an example in your relationship to your family, your friends, your children.  Do things that demonstrate your love for your partner.  You might be surprised to hear them say "I have never had someone love me the way you love me." 

no song lyrics...we know the song by heart don't we?

HEARTWORK:  Do it.  Call them and tell them you love them.  Text them.  Email them.  Open her door.  Bring him water when he is working in the yard.  SHOW them you are thinking about them.  Show them you are loving them out loud :)

Email me with your ideas:  Brainstorminglife@yahoo.com

When Love Finds You - Vince Gill

I wanted to close out the song concept with a slow, powerful, thought-provoking post.  I spent a lot of time going over every song I could think of and for some reason I kept coming back to this one.  Why?  Because it is a game-changer to how we go about finding and falling in love.  You see, we are taught to think we have to go find love.  That we need hunt love.  Then spot it.  Then chase it.  Then catch it.  Then pray to God that we can keep it.  What if that is the wrong way.  What if it is the reason we are not finding or keeping the love we so desperately crave?  

Here is a new way of thinking.  Let love find you.

HOW?

I have seen so many Facebook posts that say “Stop praying for the perfect girl.  Pray to be the perfect guy.”  Pray and ask God to make you the most amazing partner you could possibly be.  Pray and ask God to mold you and shape you into a person that someone would consider an amazing gift from God.  Be the person you are hoping to find.  And let them find YOU.

There is a line in a Lee Roy Parnell song that I LOVE.  “If you look long you will find the one who was looking for you.”  Do you get it?  There is someone out there looking for you.  Maybe you don’t realize that yet.  But there is.  And they can’t find you because you are running out like a wild soul looking for them!  STOP.  Grab hold of that concept that when you are lost you stand still, and let the search party find you.  Otherwise you seem to stay one step ahead of them and they won’t locate you.  

You see, it is then that you least expect it, that something amazing will happen.  God will open the right door and the right person will be there.  In the flesh.  Smiling at you because they know you are the one they asked God to send to them.  They found you.  (With a little help from God) 

What now?

Give it all you can give it when your love comes around.  God has given you an amazing gift.  A hand-picked love that you asked Him for.  How amazing is that?!?!  

Make sure you take every moment you can to grow your love with that person.  Celebrate in your heart every morning that God blessed you.  Make sure they know that you are so happy to have them.  Make sure there is no doubt.  LOVE THEM.  In word – That means tell them every single day.  In action – That means show them every single day.  In Behavior – that means when they don’t see what you are doing you are loving them.  In eternity – That means you pray for them.  In life – that means you support them and protect them and defend them.  LOVE THEM.

"When Love Finds You"

Love sure is something no one can explain
It can bring you such joy, it can bring you pain
And with every emotion, love puts us through
There's nothing you can say, when love finds you

Love is the power that makes your heart beat
It can make you move mountains, make you drop to your knees
When it finally hits you, you won't know what to do
There's nothin' you can say, when love finds you

[Chorus:]
Give it all you can give it, when your love comes around
If you put your heart in it, then it won't let you down
You'll find out it's true, baby, someday when love finds you

And when you least expect it, it will finally come true
There's nothing you can say when love finds you

[Chorus]

You'll find out it's true, baby, someday when love finds you

HEARTWORK:  Do you have a love in your life?  If you do then make sure you are doing everything in your power to keep them.  If you don’t have someone, STOP.  Be Still and Know that God loves you.  Ask God for the right person for you.  Never ask him for the desires of YOUR heart.  Ask God to give you the desires of HIS heart for you.  

If there was a song you thought would be great to discuss then email me.  Brainstorminglife@yahoo.com

Live Like You Were Dying - Tim McGraw

Every day we wake up we have are given the gift of another day.  What are we doing with that gift?  Do we find ways to show (not just tell) the people that we love that we love them?  Are we finding ways to be a better person?  Are we finding ways to make the most out of our day?  Of our life!?!?!  Or are we wasting it away, neglecting all the most important things.  We all know the death bed discussion.  Will someone wish they spent more time at the office?  Or home loving their family?  Will they be sad at that moment for the person that they were their whole life?  Or will they be there rejoicing with those loved ones replaying all the wonderful memories of a life well lived?

I was finally the husband that most the time I wasn't. I am a big believer in better late than never but why so late?  Why in the world do we start being good to the one person who should mean the most to us only when the end is near?  The end of a life, or of the relationship?  Why did we squander so much opportunity to be good to them?  To be loyal?  Loving?  Caring?  Understanding?  Attentive?  The list can go on, you know that.  Add in there all the things you KNOW you are neglecting and ask why?

TODAY is the day that changes.  TODAY is the day you make things right, and you set your heart on a different course.  TODAY is the day of the epiphany.  When you realize all you have to lose if you don't change direction.  TODAY you make a step in the right direction because you love them.  Don't wait until the end  is upon you.  DO IT NOW!

All of a sudden finding time for our loved ones was not such an imposition.  Wow.  We make time for such worthless meaningless fruitless things in our lives and miss out on the ones that are most important.  I thank God I was there at 90% of all my kids sports games, school events, memorable moments.  I am sad that I was not able to make it 100% I wonder about dad's that miss their childs lives.  Miss out on seeing them grow and do things.  It kills me to think back on opportunities I had to spend more time with them and I made a bad decision.

Love Deeper.  Speak Sweeter.  Give forgiveness you have been denying.  Powerful words.  I tell you now I wake up in the morning and I pray for patience, kindness, understanding, compassion, generosity.  I tell you that I have forgiven those that wronged me and I pray God bless them and pour out abundance on their lives. I harbor no ill feelings that I am aware of, and if so, I pray God help me resolve those.

Tomorrow is a gift.  Great.  But we are not starting tomorrow.  We are starting NOW.  RIGHT NOW.  Start SHOWING them that you love them.  Be a better partner in your relationship.  Not in word.  IN DEED.  Dont tell them you are going to change.  CHANGE.  Dont tell them you are going to be kind and loving.   DO IT. Don't wait until you are at exit to start.  Don't make that mistake.  Or you will find you are nothing more than a memory.  And not a pleasant one at that.


He said I was in my early 40's,
With a lot of life before me,
And a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
I spent most of the next days, lookin' at the x-rays,
Talkin' 'bout the options and talkin' 'bout sweet time.
Asked him when it sank in, that this might really be the real end.
How's it hit ya, when you get that kind of news.
Man what ya do.
And he says,

[Chorus]

I went sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.

He said I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all the sudden goin' fishing,
Wasn't such an imposition.
And I went three times that year I lost my dad.
Well I finally read the good book,
And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do
If I could do it all again.
And then.

[Chorus]

Like tomorrow was a gift and you've got eternity
To think about what you do with it,
What could you do with it, what can
I do with with it, what would I do with it.

[Chorus]
Sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I watched an eagle as it was flyin'.
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.

To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.


HEARTWORK:  Make amends today for the things you have done.  Commit to being a loving partner, parent, or friend. Tell your partner, children, friends, the things they need to hear, and then SHOW THEM the things they need to see. Live like you knew tomorrow was it.  (But be smart...don't gamble your home away silly !!  Plan to be there for a lifetime still)

I Just Call You MINE - Martina McBride

This song is nothing short of amazing.  Every man alive should pray that this is how the woman in his life views him.  Every man alive should read the lyrics, watch the video, and make a conscious effort to become this kind of man.  We often hear people say they are searching for someone to complete them.  Someone to make them whole.  Someone perfect for them.  Why not take a look at a song like this and flip the script!  YOU become perfect for someone.  YOU wake up every morning with the simple goal of being everything for your partner that they need.  YOU work on being a better YOU.  Find ways to be a better friend to everyone.  Find ways to be the person that others can count on.  Be the person that everyone wants to know.  Be the person that brings smiles to everyone’s face when you enter the room.  

Read the words this woman feels in her heart about the man she is clearly in love with.  “I’d be a fool not to see or even worse, to forget, that you’re more than I deserve.”  “I fall apart and just a word from you somehow seems to fix whatever is wrong.”  “Nothing makes sense when you’re not here.”  “You’re the dream that I’ve been chasing after years of waiting for a chance to finally shine.”

Do you get that?  She waited for years for a man like this, and he makes her shine.  Do you make your partner shine?  Do you find ways to show them how much value they have?  How valuable to you they are?  Do you realize that people are treasures that are often overlooked and under-valued.  And a wise and loving soul will see the treasure and shine it up and hold it up for the whole world to see what they hold in their hand.  Are you shining your treasure?  If not, why not?  Tell me.

She is in a dream.  Her life is a dream come true.  Thanks to this man.  What can you do in your relationship to be this man?  Ladies what could you do to be this kind of woman?  Every day I wake up I pray for patience, kindness, understanding, compassion, and a list of qualities I want to be the building blocks of my character.  I ask they flow into my relationship so I can be this man.  What is on your list?

I pinch myself Sometimes to make sure I'm not in a dream.  That's how it seems

I close my eyes and breathe in the sweetest moments I've ever known.  It feels like home

And here I am.  I want to be your everything

There you are.  Turning winter into spring

And everyone that sees you Always wants to know you

And everyone that knows you Always has a smile

You're a standing ovation

After take years of waiting For a chance to finally shine

Everyone calls you amazing.  Yeahhhh.

I just call you mine

I fall apart And just a word from you

Somehow seems to fix Whatever's wrong.  Ohh

You reach into the weakest moments and remind me that I'm strong

You gotta know I'd be a fool not to see or even worse to forget

That you're more than I deserve

Cause everyone that sees you

Always wants to know you

And everyone that knows you

Always has a smile

You're a standing ovation

After take years of waiting

For a chance to finally shine

Everyone calls you amazing

I just call you mine

Nothing makes sense when you're not here

As if my whole world disappears

Without you what's the point of it

Cause everyone that sees you

Always wants to know you

And everyone that knows you

Always has a smile

You're the dream that I've been chasing

After years of waiting

For a chance to finally shine

Everyone calls you amazing

I just call you mine

HEARTWORK:  Write down a list of things you need to change to start becoming this man.  This woman.  Write down things you will change, things will stop doing, things you will start doing.   Create a mission statement for your relationship.  WHERAS she is the love of my life, WHERAS she is the blessing from GOD I prayed for, WHERAS I could never be happy without her, THEREFORE I RESOLVE….well?  What do you resolve?

Email me your list.  brainstorminglife@yahoo.com