Bigger Dreams

This is the first official "guest blog" post here.  It comes from my good friend, Sara Napier.  To check out more of her writing, click here. I will only preface this by saying that I hope you are as encouraged by this post as much as I was.

Bigger Dreams

This has been a pretty interesting year, if I do say so myself. If someone were to have walked up to me a year ago to tell me that my life would be like it is today, I'm not sure I would have believed them. The more I talk to people about this subject, the more I see it's a re-occurring theme. 2011 was a year of change for many and for more people, that probably means some major discomfort and perhaps a few sleepless nights. The end result? Hopefully clarity and strength for the days to follow.

So, what's in store for this next year? I can't say for sure but I can't shake the feeling that it's going to be one of greatness! Possibly the most amazing year I've ever seen. I feel like it will be a year of dreaming and reaching goals. Perhaps it is just the optimist in me but I think 2012 could really be my/your/our year! Here is something to think about: If dreams can only be limited by what we anchor them with, if they can only be challenged by trying to reach them and if they simply cost a moment of thought to the vessel they inhabit then why should our dreams ever be small?

I don’t remember anything great coming from aspiring to just "get by" (I mean, isn’t apathy revolting for anyone else, yet?) So, how do we change our lives? How do we reach our dreams? Well, my dear Watson, I feel it's all mind over matter. Simply stated: Change your thoughts, change your life.

Now, I can't tell you how to do that from an exact, psychological standpoint though I know the place to start would be in the word of God. The verse in Romans that says

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." -Romans 12.2

is not just there for decoration. We must renew our minds. In other words, we need to change the way we think about some things! There are a lot of brilliant truths that can be focused on in Romans 12.2 but for now -- since this post is about changing our minds -- let's focus on just that! Over the course of the last few months I have seen where my mind needs to be renewed. Here are the simple facts I thought I already knew and lived. By renewing them in my mind, they are seriously changing my life right now. Perhaps, they will do the same for you:

1. I anchor my own dreams. I limit what is possible in my own life.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” -John 14.12-14

2. I need to stop getting so worked up over stupid details. I limit God in my own life just because I look around a little bit too much and use “worldly” methods for problem-solving rather than applying some faith. I think I’ll live a more peaceful life from that alone but then bonus! He promises peace!

“Jesus answered them, 'Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.'” -John 16.31-33

3. There is not a person that loves me like God does. This passage is kind of a trip for me. He loves me! So much so that He would prepare a place for me. I could write an entire entry, blog theme or book on this very passage (in fact, I'm pretty sure people already have) so without saying too much, this passage has really helped me to heal and put some things into perspective.

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” -John 14.1-4

4. My dreams are meaningless if I don’t hang them on the One that inspires them. God gives me a vision but also the provision to carry it. I cannot for a second think that it’s going to work out best if I let another person handle it for me or allow myself to believe that a person could ever take the place of God.

“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' ” -Matt. 19.26

5. There is not a thing that can separate me from the Love of God. Though I can walk away and I can break His commandments, I will not be abandoned by or cut off from Him. It’s honestly my fault when I fail in that area.

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8.37-39

With all of this in mind, what stands in my way of achieving anything great? Why should I be fearful of the journey ahead or jaded by the paths behind? No, I believe this coming year is one that should be celebrated, a year where every opportunity should be seized and relished. I am not one for "New Years resolutions", per say, but if that will help you act on this then by all means, consider it that. Let's all strive for this together. What are some of the things you can renew your mind with? What thoughts do you know need to change?

Let us move forward this coming year and be the people that God tells us we can be. The sky is the limit and dreams are free so let's get on with this new year with renewed minds, renewed hope and renewed strength!

Dream big and dream often!

Let the Revival Begin.

Sweet Nothings

I was told that it was okay to blog about nothing, so this is going to be a blog about nothing.  But by the end of it, it might have some meaning to it.  We'll see.  I think I will just write some random things in the space below.

My sister is giving her Facebook friends a "25 Christmas Memories" list.  I think it's pretty cool and I am considering loaning her the space on my blog to put them down.  I also want to republish her "25 Best and Worst Christmas Songs" list.

We got a new printer at the church.  It prints really fast, even while duplexing.  This makes me very excited.

My brother and I broke something yesterday.  I'm not telling what it was.  But when we broke it, I was really upset. Now, it's kind of comical. I just hope we can get it working again. And soon.

My office is cleaner than it was last week.  Big thanks to my buddy Randy.  I've been challenged to keep it clean for a month.  I'm gonna do it.  If you put something in my office that you think is mine and it's not, I'll probably just throw it away.  Just so you know.

Beware, this next one is a little deep:
My mom has a "friend."  It doesn't really bother me except for the fact that he doesn't trust her sons to help her make good decisions.  Specifically about cars.  I'm no auto mechanic, but my brother is pretty smart when it comes to those things. I would like my mom's friend to understand that we are looking out for the best interests of my mother.

My coffee cup is empty.  I need to go make some coffee. Be on the look out for those Christmas lists!

Good Grades

A note to my readers:  I just want to thank you for reading my blog.   Last month I started this blog  and only posted for two weeks in a row and my total page views for November were 271.  Even though this might not be much for some people, I am flattered that so many people have taken the time to read.  Thanks!

Today, as I was driving, I decided to just take in some of the views around me.  I had the radio turned off as I often do, and I was just able to see the things around me.  This is probably good, considering that I was driving.  But I'm talking about actually paying attention.  None of that zombie driving stuff. And before you judge be about the zombie driving, know this:  You've done it too and I've never been in an accident where I was driving.

Side note: The only accident that I can recall being in was when my brother rear-ended my mom's van. My mom was driving and her dog and I were passengers.  Thank God that no one seriously injured, even though I wanted to deck my brother in the face, in a loving kind of way.

Getting back to the story-  One of the things that I noticed this morning was a bumper sticker that said, "My Child is a Good Citizen at Cerbat Elementary."  My first thought was that the parent in front of me should just go ahead and pat themselves on the back.  Give yourself a cookie, because your child is well behaved.  However, as it often goes, one though led to another. And then another.  And finally, another.  The following is a chronicle of the thoughts that I had while looking at this bumper sticker.

I started remembering the bumper stickers that my siblings and I brought home when we were kids.  I think most of us kids had been given more than one bumper sticker that read something like this: "My Child is on the Honor Roll at P.T. Coe Elementary School." This was a green bumper sticker with white lettering.  No matter how many my mom already had on her car, I always felt like we should just keep adding them.  It would act as a scoreboard in a sense.  But that never flew. So the extras went on bulletin boards, filing cabinets, and I think I even put one on my bike once.

Now even though the green bumper sticker with the white lettering was something to be cherished, it was pretty much a blessing from God to come home with a white bumper sticker with green lettering.  This meant that you were on the "Principal's Honor Roll" and that you had made an A+ in every subject. I'm sure that my sister, Sarah, had several of these, but I only remember ever getting one.  It was like I had won the lottery! Like the Lord's favor just shined upon me!  I'm pretty sure that I convinced my mom to add this one on her car because it was a pretty special occasion.

I don't really know if they still give out Honor Roll stickers, because I  haven't seen one lately. It got me to thinking about something else:
Has society gotten so consumed with the fact that achievements shouldn't be rewarded?  I mean, good behavior is great, but that should be expected.  It was expected of me. I would get a good whopping if I acted up in school (which happened a lot).  Why do we think that we should be rewarded for things that are normal?

My daughter is only 3 so I haven't had much experience with the public school system, but I know what's going to happen when my daughter achieves something more than what is expected of her.  I will make my own bumper sticker telling the world that my daughter went above and beyond.  Not because I'm trying to have a contest with other parents, but because I want everyone to know that I am proud of her and give her a reason to keep going.  Of course, there are more things in life than just bumper stickers, but that's just a thing I'm going to do.

This all brought me to my final thought (for now).

How many "Christians" believe that God should reward them for good behavior?  I used to be one those people that thought that just doing good things and loving God was going to be enough.  But why should we get rewards for being good citizens? Just because we go to church once a week, or sing in the choir, or help in the nursery doesn't mean we are doing what God wants for us.  Before you get upset, remember that I am speaking to myself as well.  I want to be more than just a good Christian. It's hard, but that's what I want.  Someday I would like to hear the Lord say, "Good job, Brent.  You did more for me than what everyone else expected."  Not because I want to be better than everyone else, but because I want to fulfill the calling on my life.

I woke up with a thought in my head, and wrote it down (I think I can write a song about this). As I was praying this morning, I told God that "my purpose is to declare that You are Lord."  It's more than just existing.  What's your purpose?

Unknown Gifts

Unlike my last post, this blog has a hint of sarcasm and humor.  Reader beware. Also, because you REFUSED to comment on my last two posts, you are required to comment on this one.  By reading the following post, you agree to the Terms & Conditions of Brent, which is basically to comment on this post.  Or to comment on one of the last two posts.  You get the point.

Black Friday will soon be upon us.  And I'm not talking about Rebecca Black's Friday, either. And in case you forgot, watch the video so you can get the song stuck in your head for the next week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVsfOSbJY0. But, getting back on track...

It is my philosophy that we should celebrate one holiday at a time.  Now, before you Jesus juke me, hear me out (because I know that we should celebrate the birth of Christ all year round, but I'm specifically talking about the Christmas holiday).  I basically took this philosophy from Nordstrom, but I've always believed it.  Those of you who are going to Walmart at 10pm on Thanksgiving should be slapped for two reasons: Reason #1 - You should be at home with your family playing Monopoly, Risk, or electronic Clue; Reason #2 - You have defiled the traditions of our forefathers. The first reason is good enough.  As if Christmas shopping isn't hard enough, you've got to challenge us to start 2 hours early?

Anyway, enough with my rant about black Friday.  It's not the reason I'm posting.  But I DO want to talk about Christmas shopping and how difficult it can be.

I personally maintain the principle that I should make it easy on you to do birthday and Christmas shopping for me.  I will tell you what I would like for a gift if you ask me. I am not one of those people that say, "I don't know," or "be creative," when asked what they want for Christmas.  I find it frustrating and annoying.  I think it's mostly because I don't want to walk around Walmart for three hours trying to figure out what to get someone.  At least give me an idea.  And honestly, I don't care if I don't get a single thing on my list, so don't worry.

If I ask you what you want for Christmas and you give one of the above mentioned reasons, then know this:  I am getting you a giftcard.  Why? because I'm not going to spend hours trying to find a gift for you only to find out you'll never use it or that you're going to return it for something else.  I will save us both the trouble.  "But it's the thought that counts."  Yes.  And I am thinking about both of us and about the trouble we can avoid. On a side note, if you want to get me something for Christmas, a giftcard to Lucille's would be about all that I could ask for.

The one person that I won't get a giftcard for is my wife.  For some reason, I am attracted to the idea of being incredibly creative in giving her a gift.  She has never really told me what she wants for Christmas so I'm always daunted with the task of getting something good.  I admit, I've had some hits and misses.  But this year I think I've got a hit.  I won't know until December 25th, but I'll give you the results.

In all reality, I'm attracted to being successful in my creativeness.  It gives me a thrill to realize that I knew what she would enjoy without her telling me. Sometimes the gifts she enjoys are the ones she probably never even thought of wanting.  Those are the best. All of this got me thinking about something:

You know those times when you either don't know what you want in life, or you just refuse to tell God what it is? And somehow He always manages to give you what you need?  I don't know about you, but I've been there several times.  And sometimes you get the things in life that you never even knew you needed or wanted.  It got me to thinking that I'm glad that God didn't just give me a giftcard and say, "Just go get what you want."  We all know that sometimes what we want is not good at all.

On the flip side of the coin, how many times do we fail to receive blessings from God because we don't make our needs known?  Because we are proud. Too proud to even tell God what is that we want.

 What are some of the things that God has blessed you with that you didn't know you needed, but you were glad you got anyway?

Quiet Remedies - Part 2

Read Part 1 if you haven't already: http://brentingroum.blogspot.com/2011/11/quiet-remedies-part-1.html

In the words that follow I promise to divulge the reason why I cried yesterday.  But before that, I need to finish telling you about what happened between my father and I.

So there I was. Wait.  What a dumb way to start a post.  Let me try again...

I sat on the couch in my parent's living room about to tell them what I had done and about the mess that I had gotten myself into.  I wasn't there because I was in the neighborhood and just decided to stop by.  I had basically made an appointment with my parents because "I need to talk to you about something."  That, in and of itself, applies a huge pressure to any situation.  I don't know if my parents knew what was coming next or not.

Now, I'm not going to go into detail about what I had done because I'm not going to scratch at an old wound.  I'm sure there will be a day where I feel like talking to you about it but not today.  At any rate...

After I had told my parents about what had happened, I was shocked at my dad's response.  There was no hint of surprise on his face.  He was not enraged, as I thought he might be.  In the calmest form I have ever seen my dad, his exact words were as follows: "Okay. Just know that I love you."  Whoa! Wait. What happened to my father.  This was a guy who was accused of throwing scripture portion books at Bible Quiz matches. And I promise he tried to run me over in the car once (the jury was still out on this one up until the day my dad passed, and will remain unanswered until I actually make it to heaven and ask the Lord Himself about it).

I had seen a part of my dad that I can't consciously remember seeing before this point.  He was kind.  He was gentle.  And most of all, he didn't have a whole lot to say.

This is where it started.  It was my realization that I could just go and hang out with my dad. There was nothing like just going over to his house and sitting with him.  It always seemed like he knew my troubles. He knew about the stresses that I was going through and in most cases, I could tell that he had been there before.  The one thing that I loved about my dad is that he never tried to tell me how to fix my issues.  He just let me sit there and think about things.  If I had a question, he was there to answer it.  So on most days, after we had lunch, I would just go over to the house and sit on the couch. We had already had our conversation about all the things we liked to talk about. So that's what we did.  We just sat there.  It was so refreshing.

Now, getting back to yesterday:

I've been pretty stressed out about a few things, mostly having to do with Christmas, and I was looking for that place.  When I had remembered it, I started balling like a baby. I had to text a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) just to tell him that I missed my dad.  I really wasn't sure what was going on.

After a few minutes, I came back to Earth.  I started thinking about God. I feel really bad about this but it wasn't until yesterday that I realized my dad had become an amazing example of my heavenly Father.  They both knew what was going on with me.  They both understood my hurts.  And here's the most amazing part of it all:  Through the silence of my Earthy father, he had taught me to listen to the sound of my heavenly Father. Wow.

Although I miss my dad, and I miss going over to hang out with him, I have figured out that I need to find that new place of peace.  Just a place where I can simply take comfort in the silence.  The Lord is there sitting with me, and He's ready to answer my questions.  He even gives me some advice.  I can thank Mark Ingroum for teaching this to me, even though its been about a year and a half since I've seen him.  I would say that I hope to be at least half the father that he was to me, but no: I want a double portion of that blessing.  Just as Elisha said to Elijah, "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit."

Where is that place that you like to go to hear from God?  What have your parents taught you about God with just their actions?

Until next time...

Quiet Remedies - Part 1

Just a warning: this is a long blog.  I'm not going to make it a habit to blog this long, but I need to explain why I'm doing this.

I don't blog.  At least I never have before.  I've always thought that there was enough blogs in the world and that no one needs to read another one, especially one written by myself. "So," you ask, "why now?"  That's a great question.  Allow me to explain:

I have been on a Facebook fast since September, and plan on continuing on with it through December.  It's been rather liberating to be honest with you.  I think everyone should try it.  I've missed out on all the drama that people post on Facebook, and better yet, I've been given a lot more free time.  This is the main reason I've decided to write.  There are others, but none that are incredibly important.

I've been thinking about this for a long time.  I've been waiting for something to write about.  This morning it came.  It was a feeling that came out of nowhere and slapped me in the face.  I actually cried.  Unlike Pierre Napier, crying is a normal thing for me.  My big brother can attest to that.

I started thinking of a place that I needed to go.  I place that I could just sit with someone and just keep quiet, not saying anything.  Somewhere that I could go and just be refreshed.  I could go to the park but there would be no one there to just sit with.  I could go to the church and sit in my office, but there'd be too many people there to interrupt me.  I knew that I've been to a place like this before and for some reason I couldn't remember it. But wait.  Here it comes.  I remembered.

Switch gears for a second.

In the later years of my father's life his health begin to deteriorate a little bit more than any of us expected.  Because of my flexible schedule I would take up the task of transporting my father to various doctors appointments and mainly to the dialysis clinic on certain days.  I would often have lunch with my dad.   We would carry on conversations about music, sound systems, and computers.  It was great to be able to shoot the breeze with my dad and realize the commonalities that we had.

During my high school years I was usually upset at my father.  I thought of him as mean and strict.  I still loved him, but my disposition towards him was not accurate.  I took the first opportunity I could and moved out of the house (but you must know that my parents bought me a luggage set as a graduation present - hint hint).  Four days after I graduated high school I moved out.  The next year was pretty interesting.  My parents moved to another town, I moved to Texas, and somehow the connection changed.  Oddly enough, we all made it back to Kingman, AZ (insert joke here).

As I begin to evolve into a man, I began to seek council from my father.  I started to learn about all the things that we both enjoyed doing.  This was great!  There was an open road for our conversations. I started to see my dad in a different light.   Shortly after I had discovered my new relationship with my dad, something happened.  Something that changed our relationship forever. I had experienced what I thought to be my first big failure in life.  I had to face my dad and tell him what was going on.  I was deathly afraid to tell him what I'd done.

I hate to leave you like this, but I'm going to have to split this one up.  I have a comment question for you:  How's your relationship with your parents today in contrast with how they've been in the past?  I promise tomorrow I will give you the rest of this blog, and I promise to tell you why I cried this morning.