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A few days ago, I ran into someone I rarely see anymore. That person is about to start a journey to become a Navy Seal. This is a feat that few men aspire to achieve. In order to accomplish this task Bryan will have to endure physical pain and mental stress that most human beings could never withstand.
I do not believe most of us will or should pursue a career as a navy seal, an army ranger, or a member of delta forces. Yet, I do wonder why many of us are complacent to the point that we fail to live lives that are bigger than ourselves. If you have it within your power to make a difference in this world and you consistently fail to do that, I only can wonder why. I believe the main reason I fail to make a difference is because of my own selfishness or even fears I possess. Despite my excuses, in the end I must make a difference.
I hope and pray that you find it in yourselves to step outside your own world and impact the lives of others. I want to personally thank Joe Palmer for his service as an Army Ranger. 
His service will not be forgotten. I also pray Bryan Dunn will aspire to be all he can be as he pursues his goal of becoming a Navy Seal. In a discussion with Bryan’s dad a few days ago, I walked away with something special from our conversation. Bryan’s dad told me he encouraged Bryan to spend time each night in his bible as he is away pushing himself to his limits. It is encouraging to see that people all around us see the importance of God as we push ourselves to fulfill callings that are bigger than ourselves.
Life is often a confusing and difficult journey. However, I am confident that if you take the time to step back and observe the world from a proper perspective you can see the miracles all around us. I remember the days of high school so clearly. Life seemed so big; there was so much to be discovered. Now just 9 years after I started began my time in high school I have a completely different perspective. Life is happening all around us. Life is unfolding all around us. With each day that passes more of the story is written.
Thankfully the story is has a writer with a plan. Despite many different opinions, I am 100% confident that God is allowing his story to unfold under his guidance. While people have choice and free will, God still continues to direct the show. Just as the orchestra has a director and musicians, so to is God the director of the world and we the musicians. Think about it, during a concert the musicians can make mistakes and go off rhythm, but if they want to be part of the grand show they need to stay in sync with the director. The director wrote the music and knows how everything should sound. From there he directs the show. Thankfully, God gave us the bible so we to have the notes to follow the show. When we go off the course of how the music is supposed to be it hurts us seriously (on stage it makes us look foolish). If we fix our mistakes and find our way to be in sync with all the other members of the orchestra everything returns to how it should be.
God’s story is unfolding. I can’t express how quickly. The history of the world is unfolding before our very eyes. Shows like LOST and Heroes reinforce this for me. Writers such as C.S. Lewis make God’s story all the more understandable. My aim each day is to remain in sync with the director of my life, the LORD Jesus Christ. Each and every day this is my aim.
Life on the water is something I am accustomed to. I believe some of the inspiration comes from my grandfather who sailed most of his life. However, most of the time I spent on the water is a result of my father’s passion of taking his sons fishing. Let’s assume my burning desire to be on the water is part of my genetics. Despite the fact I’ve spent over 1000 hours on and around the water, I never got around to driving a boat before. This past weekend changed all of that. Within a few minutes I had learned the essentials of driving a boat. I owe all the thanks to my brother. I now believe I have a good understanding of the critical aspects to running a boat, but I am sure I still have much learning to do. 
The knowledge I lacked just a week ago prevented me from exploring the waters of North Lake on my own. From just 10 minutes of learning I am now free to roam the waters as I please. To have this awesome privilege it was as simple a taking a short amount time to learn.
Thanks for sharing this moment with me Jenna. This experience taught me to have a much better understanding of how being tentative can keep you from incredible opportunities. Obviously we all only have a limited amount of time. Yet when we let our business and current responsibilities get in the way of new opportunity we can often miss out on a chance of a lifetime. Promise me you will never make the saying ‘you can never teach an old dog new tricks’ a reality in your life. Keep learning, keep growing, and keep exploring the world around you. New blessings are under every rock your turn over.
There is music and then there is great music. If you stopped by my Facebook interests section you would notice that my favorite bands are: 1) The Fray 2) Coldplay & 3) Fall Out Boy. These are the bands I can listen to over and over again. There is something about their music that captivates me. (The Fray: Look After You…You Tube)
Now unfortunately when you are with other people and you are listening to your favorite songs it generally does not work out if you sing at the top of your lungs. When you choose to sing loudly, strange looks or demands to stop are often directed at you. (Obviously this might not apply to people who can sing, but I can not.) So I propose the question why can’t I sing louder?
There is something special that happens when you sing along with the songs you appreciate the most. It gives you an experience that is incomparable to anything else in the world. I believe this is way famous musicians are able to get individuals to pay 50 to 100 dollars for tickets to their concerts. It is their music and the experience of singing their songs that is incredibly desirable to us. For this reason I say thank you to the musicians who give us a reason to sing.
So go ahead, sing out loud! Make a fool of yourself, don’t worry about who is around. Enjoy the music that lights up your world. God gave us ears, a voice, and the ability to create music. Lets all take advantage of that as best as possible.
When you see something inappropriate or see an injustice right before your very eyes, how do you respond? 9 times out of 10 I admit I would probably be silent. The problem with silence is that everything remains the same. Now I believe the world is a good place; however, I think each of you could agree that there are some things that could be changed. The first step in making change is breaking the silence regarding the problems that surround us.
When you make a stand for what is right believe that things will change. I am not saying everything will change immediately, but realize that progress will be made. 1st Corinthians 15:58 explains this concept, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless (New Living Translation).” By making a stand for the Lord your choice and your words can move what seems immovable. Silence allows the evil in this world to continue all the more. Hopefully together we can break the silence.
From our earliest years of life we see the importance of friends. I remember the days in elementary school when we would ask others, “Will you be my friend?” Those were the days, when friends came simple.
Even now, as we’ve all grown in age, friends are even more important. It is friends that listen to our triumphs and failures. With these same people with create some of lives best memories. Next to family nothing can compete with friends, not cars, not Iphones, not the stars in the sky, not even a giant house. Friends are one of the few things that are consistent in this world. When girl friends leave, even when tragic divorces happen, friends are still there.
The best definition of a friend is: someone to share life with. I thank all the people who have been kind enough to share their lives with me. One of my favorite ways to validate the importance of friends is by examining the lives of celebrities. By definition, a celebrity is a “widely-recognized or notable person who commands a high degree of public and media attention.” Most often this status is acquired from hard work in film or sports; sometimes it is also achieve from successful business ventures. Sadly it takes a tremendous amount of work to achieve fame. Often all the work required to reach celebrity status comes sacrificing both friends and family. As a result all the work to reach this status is nothing compared to the value of friends. If my argument didn’t win you over, please check out the lyrics to ‘Lost+’ (a Coldplay & Jay-Z song, You Tube Link), these lyrics tell the story far to well. Take the time to read through them. The life of a celebrity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
The bottom line is that friends are priceless. All the while friends come at a cost, friends cost time. And regardless of what people tell you, time is the most valuable thing you have. The choice is yours: You can either spend you’re your time wisely, or you can spend it in ways you will regret. I pray you send your time wisely.
The eyes enjoy nothing more that to stare at something beautiful. Scientifically speaking it is the brain, but simply put our eyes always enjoy a great view.
Recently I had the privilege of traveling to Niagara Falls. I was out near Buffalo for a wedding, so it was no problem to jump up to Niagara to see the falls. There is no better way to say it other than to say, “The falls are breath taking”. It blew my mind away how much water pours over the falls every second. When Jenna and I took the Maid of the Mist down by the falls I felt as if we were in a hurricane. Water and wind rushed all around us as we moved closer to the falls. From my observation the power of the falls fits perfectly in the category of nature’s unmatched powers.
While you spend time on this planet do your best to enjoy and take in all that nature has to offer. God didn’t mess around when he created this planet. Nothing man makes can compete with the true wonders of nature. If you want some good examples of how wonderful nature is, just check out the TV series planet earth. Check it out at this website: Planet Earth. You can rent the series at blockbuster or sometimes catch it on discovery channel reruns. There is also a new movie out in theaters called 'Earth', the movie is a synopsis of the planet earth series. I promise you will enjoy if you are one who appreciates the earth that our great God created!
His service will not be forgotten. I also pray Bryan Dunn will aspire to be all he can be as he pursues his goal of becoming a Navy Seal. In a discussion with Bryan’s dad a few days ago, I walked away with something special from our conversation. Bryan’s dad told me he encouraged Bryan to spend time each night in his bible as he is away pushing himself to his limits. It is encouraging to see that people all around us see the importance of God as we push ourselves to fulfill callings that are bigger than ourselves.
