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Disney Pixar’s Soul: A Spiritual Review
Disney Pixar’s latest feature film, Soul, follows the unassuming life of Joe Gardner. ( Caution, if you haven’t already seen the movie this blog includes spoilers.) He is a middle school music teacher with dreams of making it big. The character’s angst to accomplish his life’s dream drew me in as I sat and thought of my own unfinished goals. Joe’s desperation to become a successful Jazz performer highlights humanity’s struggle with meaning and purpose. While the movie Soul may not be a biblical guide to life, it echoes biblical principles without even knowing it. Joe Gardner’s search for purpose and fulfillment is reminiscent of the book of Ecclesiastes. After…
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New Year’s Resolutions and The Slow Process of Change
I have a love-hate relationship with New Year’s Resolutions. On the one hand, I’m enamored by the idea of a fresh start and a clean slate every time that big, jeweled ball drops in Times Square. Reflecting on the past and looking to the future with anticipation and hope – who wouldn’t enjoy that euphoric sense of optimism? And yet – I’ve been around the block for enough countdowns to know that, though I may have my sights set on a handful of goals in the new year, life has a tendency to distract me from those ideals, often before Ryan Seacrest wishes us all goodnight. Apparently I’m not alone.…
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Eyes on Eternity
Perspective is everything. The lens we use to see will determine how we prioritize our activities, our necessities, and our indulgences. Recently a friend shared with me an illustration used by Francis Chan. He pointed to a rope on the stage where he was standing. It began on one side of the stage and extended across the stage and off the other side as though it went on forever. The beginning section of the rope was dyed red. It was just a tiny little section of a very long rope. He asked the audience to imagine that this was the extent of their life on earth. The rest of the…
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The Pursuit of Success
I’m delighted to see women using their gifts by serving in more prominent positions in public life. The UK, Denmark, Thailand, Trinidad, Iceland and Bangladesh all have female prime ministers. The 116th U.S. Congress includes a record number of women. Women serve in more diverse ways within the Christian community as well. As opportunities for women broaden, a batch of books geared toward helping women live up to their potential currently fills the shelves of book stores. Three of the five non-fiction hardbacks on the New York Times best seller list are written by women. Girl, Stop Apologizing, by Rachel Hollis, a pep talk for women’s success, is number three…
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New Year: New You or Old You? — Actions vs. Resolutions
It’s January and as expected, class attendance exceeds the maximum room occupancy at the gym. These (will prove to be non-faithful) newbies are bubbling with excitement to start their “New Year’s Resolutions.” They start with high hopes that this will finally be their year to change. But after years of observing this New Year’s phenomenon, I know the gym will return to normal by the end of February (if not earlier). It’s easy to make resolutions. It’s sticking to them that’s the problem. When asked to speak about his book, Put Your Dream to the Test, John C. Maxwell, internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, coach, and best-selling author, gave me…
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Expectations!
2015 was quiet the ride for me and my family. With the number of ups and downs we had I’d swear we were on a roller coaster. So much of this last year has been about adapting to new situations and overcoming challenges. It was both rewarding and defeating and was filled with overwhelming joy and unbelievable sadness. Overall 2015 wasn't all that we hoped for or dreamed of but then again perhaps our expectations were a little too high and maybe we set ourselves up a bit for failure by putting too much weight on what we thought the year should look like. Don’t we all do…
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Managing Our 2016 Expectations
Back in the saddle of weekly activities, 2016 is already barreling along, the stock market and the weather jerking around like a bull in the Houston Rodeo. (Or…maybe that should be a bear?) Whether we write down our goals and vision for the year ahead or not, we all have this picture of the way we'd like things to be. And then life happens. Here are some reminders to think about, pray about, as we try to live on purpose when life starts bucking around: We hold our expectations with open, God-trusting hands. Like Nehemiah, we may long to see certain outcomes and ready strategic plans for the moment when…
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Making New Year’s Resolutions as a Family
January has long been heralded as a month of renewal and a time to set goals for the coming year. We make resolutions concerning all kinds of things. Maybe you want to get a better grasp on your finances or pay off the loan on a car. Or perhaps it’s more spiritual sounding like developing a deeper prayer life. Regardless of the goal, don’t make your resolutions a solitary event. Take some time this month (if you haven’t already) and sit down with your family to discuss goals for the coming year and the motivation behind the goals. As Christians, all goals should ultimatly honor God and draw…
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You have a dream you believe God gave you…and it shatters. Where is God when dreams die?
Just today I heard a terrific businessman say that he tries to set his goals for the following year in mid-November so he can ease off and let them marinate during the holidays, then tweak them and be ready to charge forward come January 1. And immediately I thought of Phil Vischer, aka Bob the Tomato and the creator of VeggieTales. If ever anyone set a big hairy audacious goal it was Phil. Phil believed God wanted him to create a “Christian Disney” company. He even called it “Big Idea.” The company soared. Millions were blessed. Then Big Idea went bankrupt. Phil had to sell Bob and his entire…
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Live Out Your Purpose
Do you want your life to make a difference? Look around you. How satisfied are you with your life? What about purpose? Do you seek to live out your purpose? My drive to succeed as a college student was solely to find purpose in changing the world. I wanted to have an impact on others so badly that I worked really hard. Never mind my pursuit of excellence in my education, I served at church and I even adopted a child from Guatemala—okay not really, I just sponsored one. Even though I barely had enough money to eat in college, I still made sure Manuel had his monthly donation.…
