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Live a Legacy: Spiritual Principles for Strategic Living

Live a Legacy: Spiritual Principles for Strategic Living

Is available for purchase on the Balboa Press Bookstore.

Check it out! 
A great read for your meditation and devotinal time all year long!

Paperback, Hard Cover, Kindle, and Nook editions available online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

For my UK readers, Live a Legacy is available for purchase at Amazon.co.uk in Paperback, Hardcover, and Kindle editions.

Abundance v. Scarcity Mindset

I had dinner with a friend recently and embroidered across the front of her t-shirt was the following:

THE UNIVERSE IS FULL OF ABUNDANCE

I couldn't get away from the idea as I had been meditating on the themes of scarcity v. abundance for a few weeks. Surely, this message was for me.

I find that many people I meet view their world through a lens of scarcity.

It sounds like this:

There's never enough.

I've too many bills and not enough money.

I'll never find love.

I'll always be sick.

I'm just waiting for the shoe to drop.

I'll never get through this.

I know I've had to break myself from such fatalistic, absolutist thinking. Sometimes it's easier to not believe than to believe.

Doubts come easy. Faith requires more action and more effort but produces far better results.

Steven Covey wrote:

"People with a scarcity mentality tend to see everything in terms of win-lose. There is only so much; and if someone else has it, that means there will be less for me. The more principle-centered we become, the more we develop an abundance mentality, the more we are genuinely happy for the successes, well-being, achievements, recognition, and good fortune of other people. We believe their success adds to rather than detracts from our lives." 

I'm learning to celebrate abundance where I see it, especially in the lives of others. There's a saying that when the tide comes in, all the ships must rise. Oftentimes though, we jump ship before the tide ever comes in. We've got stay in the boat if we are going to get the benefit of increase.

In the Gospels, Jesus is quoted as saying that he came that we might have life, and life in more abundance. (Yo he venido para que tengan vida y para que la tengan en mas abundancia! John 10:10--I love how it expresses in Spanish. It has punch.) His teachings show us how to live in the place of spiritual abundance, even when we are surrounded by lack.

Take on a win-win mentality today. Drop the all-or-nothing, back-and-white thinking. Choose to live by principles of faith, goodness, hope, love, and abundance, in spite of your present reality.

Choose an abundance mindset today!

The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality

In this video Matthew Vines offers a thorough, systematic, and scholarly treatment of what are commonly known as the six "clobber" verses used against same-sex attraction and relationships.

The video will take about an hour to watch. His last ten minutes is an excellent summary of the talk. His full transcript is available here.  His lecture occurred on March 8, 2012 at College Hill United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas.

I began studying these six scriptures in their cultural context and original language about ten years ago and came to similar conclusions as Matthew. Not exact conclusions, but very similar.

His treatment is respectful, humble and definitely food for thought for any thinking, religious person or serious student of Scripture.

Some of my readers might struggle with this view. If you are not interested in amending your position on this subject, I recommend you not watch. This is probably not for you.

However, if you are looking to view the Scriptures in their original language and cultural context, you might find this talk enlightening and thought-provoking. I think most of my readers will benefit greatly so I commend the lecture to you.

  

A Christian Approach to Physical Abuse of your "Effeminate or Butch" Kids

If you are reading this post it might because the title caught you. Full disclosure, I intentionally put some shock in the title. But it's not nearly as shocking as what Pastor Sean Harris at Berean Baptist in Fayetteville, NC had to say:

 

So this clip has outraged a lot of people, Christian and non-Christian alike. He clearly advocates physical violence against children. 

Truth be told, there are a lot of Scriptures in the Bible that advocate for physical violence, even murder. The difference is most thoughtful, spiritual people don't take them literally today. Thank God we've given up stoning, severing limbs, and gouging eyes (although some would argue we still do it figuratively).

I read his retraction and you can hear him in his audio file trying to express his heart while navigating inconsistent ethics and conflicting theology. He says it was hyperbole and talks about Jesus using it in his sermons as well. But Jesus was pretty adamant on condemning any harm done to children.

I really feel for this pastor. Layers of disconnect come through--theologically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually. He now finds himself in a firestorm.

This is when I have to trust that somehow God is working through ALL things, even things like this.

There must be a better way to dialogue on this subject. Here's an article I found helpful which the blogger calls "A Nicodemus Approach." 

Right relationship rather than being right.

Thoughtful discussion rather than thoughtless diatribe.

We can do better than this. In the Church and outside of it.

Meaningful Purpose

From Chapter 13 in Live a Legacy, a few of my thoughts on living a meaningful and fulfilling life by knowing your purpose

 

More Feedback on I Was Bullied

I didn't expect the amount of feedback I would get on this post.

I'm understanding now that through my telling my story, a lot adults are getting in touch with unhealed wounds and unresolved issues from their youth. 

It's really beautiful. Thanks to all of you who have shared.

I wanted to share a couple of excerpts and I'm keeping them anonymous.

From a high school friend:

I read your post today and I wanted to respond to you and say how thankful I am that you wrote this. I am sorry that you were tormented by some of the guys in our class. (high school) was a tough place. In spite of the strong Christian background, there was such an underlying and pervasive tendency towards judgment and rigidity, that I think it did more harm than good.

I remember the incident in Bible class and was appalled as well. Unfortunately, I saw that from pre-school on. I remember being told that my father was a satanist because he came from a Muslim country. They had no interest in the fact that his father legalized religious freedom in his country because the religion was Catholicism. Very hard for a four year old to understand.

I do hope you know that so many of us really admired you for your strength to be yourself in a hostile and judgmental environment and that you were an inspirational Christian because you did not preach at the rest of us, or judge, or turn up your nose at us because we were different than the classic mold but were friendly and accepting of all of us, especially those of us who liked to dance! You were our friend and classmate and I will always admire and treasure you for that.

From a friend:

Just read your blog again and it brought tears to my eyes. I feel that hurt that was done to me being healed. Thank you for being both vulnerable and bold in speaking out and sharing your story. May healing come to all who read your blog.

 

I'm the One That's Cool

A fun video and great song that relates to bullying...from The Guild.

Thanks to Aric in America and Jeff in the UK who tipped me off on this.