“Finish each day before you begin the next, and interpose a solid wall of sleep between the two. This you cannot do without temperance.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let’s try an experiment today.

Want to?

1. Let’s finish today’s work today.
2. Let’s get some sleep tonight.
3. Let’s do tomorrow’s work tomorrow.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It does sound that way, but in reality… not so much.

It is, however, easy to get distracted by something we know is coming – whether it be tomorrow, next week or whenever. If you give into the temptation to go with the flow on those thoughts, you’ll begin to lose traction on what’s right in front of you. In addition to getting off-task, you also run the risk of not being present for your co-workers, friends and family.

Each day for its work and each work for its day.

I’m not saying don’t plan. I’m just saying we should be vigilant to stay present. Today. Just today.

Then tomorrow.

After some sleep, though.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” ~ Matthew 6:34 (MSG)

“Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” ~ Luke 1:78-79 (NLT)

That’s why it’s Good Friday.

Sunday’s coming!

Via Twitter: So Bad So Good

Einstein was not just a brilliant theoretical physicist. He was that, but he was also a brilliant man, a thinker that deeply understood creativity and the power of imagination. The quote in the graphic above is proof of it.

According to Merriam Webster, imagination is “the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality.”

Your imagination is the key to the future that only you can see.

It doesn’t matter that nobody else sees the possibilities that you see. How could they see it? It’s YOUR imagination. It’s YOUR dream for what the future holds. It’s YOUR preview of life’s coming attractions, shown on a screen that only you can see.

The fun part is figuring out how to make it real so others can see it too. Fun and hard. That’s why they call it work.

It might be time to return to imagining and dreaming again. Your future depends on it.

Ours might, too.

What’s in your imagination?

What do you see that we can’t see?

Don’t have time to take a photography class? No problem!

This app is an awesome way to get to know the controls on a DSLR (big body, removable lens) camera. Before you know it, you’ll be shooting like a pro!

Right here, on the blog, take some time with this. Adjust the controls. Snap a few shots.

You might be the next _________________________ (insert your favorite photographer here.)

Enjoy!

Well sure, who hasn’t seen a cat pushing a dog down the street on a toy horse.

OK… maybe it’s a LITTLE unusual.

That’s why I thought it would be a perfect image for you to caption.

You know what to do. Leave a comment on this post, with your own special brand of humor.

Caption, please!

Let’s get real about whiners and complainers: you probably won’t be able to stop their whining and complaining. What you MIGHT be able to do is stop them from whining and complaining to YOU.

Also, if you are the guilty party, you can stop yourself.

This sign at our church office works pretty well, too:

My point?

Don’t be THAT guy. You’re better than that. Let it begin with you.

I’m asking you to commit to a day of no whining.

“A whole day?”

Yep. A whole day.

Start out with just a few minutes, then a few more and so on.

If you want to take it a step further, police yourself. Give a dollar to anyone who has to listen to you whine or complain today. That may just shut it down right there.

“Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (Colossians 4:6 NLT)

“There is no use trying, said Alice; one can’t believe impossible things. I dare say you haven’t had much practice, said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” ~ Lewis Carroll (from Alice in Wonderland)

“The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own thinking.” ~ Robert H. Schuller

Struggling with the impossibility of something? That battle is in your thinking, in your believing.

You may be forgetting that you have help from Heaven waiting for your call. You may not be remembering that God is on your side. You may have lost your memory that “if God be for us, who can be against us.”

With God on your side, impossible is, well… impossible.

Every day of the world you decide what’s possible and what isn’t, based on the facts in front of you. If you decide something is impossible, you are right. It will be impossible for YOU. If you decide that with God on your side NOTHING is impossible, you are right. Nothing will be impossible for you.

All the help you need is waiting. You don’t have to do this alone. You shouldn’t try to do this alone.

Take the limits off.

Dare to believe in the help God is making available to you today.

“What is impossible for people is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27 NLT)

We’ve all had the inner dialog where we try to psych ourselves up for something that’s out of our comfort zone. Deep down we know it’ll be worth it, if we just find the courage to do it.

I love this video. This 4th grader lets her inner dialog be heard out loud. It’s all here. The back and forth. The here I go… but not quite yet. The trying to decide if it’s worth it. And then the action.

What a beautiful representation of the process of (literally) taking a leap of faith.

On a ski jump. By a 4th grade girl.

If she can do it, so can you.

Let this 2 minute video help you get over yourself and take your leap!

Aaron Brown recently interviewed me for Terminal Podcast. He wanted to talk about “Social Media’s Importance in the Church.” As many of you know, I lead the teams at Eagle Mountain Church that oversee our media, including Social Media. I’m a firm believer in the viability of social media as a way to engage people in discussions about their lives and faith.

Here’s what they had to say about the interview:

“Social Media is sometimes reduced to internet brain-drains for zombie-esque youth with some in the Church seeing it as a waste of time and energy.  But what about the segment of the Church that sees social media as a vital part of their day-to-day lives?  What can the Church do better to connect with this segment of believers? How well are we sharing the Gospel with Social Media?  That’s where Scott Allen comes in…”

Go and check out our conversation on their blog, listen to the interview and subscribe to their podcast.

You won’t be sorry.

Listen to the interview on Terminal Podcast’s site by clicking here.

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” ~ Albert Einstein

Are you OK with mystery?

Are you OK with not knowing or understanding everything before you start?

I think Einstein knew what he was talking about.

What do you think?