God-Wrestler

Put Your Dream To The Test
By: John C. Maxwell

When I saw this book come out I was excited instantly. First I was excited because it was a new book by John C. Maxwell, and second because this book was about making your dreams come to reality. One thing that I have always been is a dreamer. In the book Put Your Dream to the Test, John C. Maxwell guides you through ten thought provoking questions that will help you take your dream to another level.

Each question made me sit back and take a deeper and harder look at what my dream really was. I studied entrepreneurship throughout college and I wish I had been asked these questions when I put together my capstone business plan. I believe I would have had a much clearer plan to present. One question after another inspired me more and more to go out and pursue my dream. I found myself becoming more and more motivated to set out and accomplish my wildest dreams.

If you’re a dreamer who thinks that it’s only a dream and it will never actually happen, I recommend you get yourself a copy of Put Your Dream to the Test by John C. Maxwell. You never know, your dream could become your reality.

This weekend is the 2nd anniversary of a major turning point in my life. It was a major turning point because it was the first of a sequence of events that just really threw me for a loop. It spun me off in directions I never thought I would have gone. Two years ago this weekend I broke my ankle playing a pick up game of baseball.

I never intended on playing that day but they were short players so I said why not. The game was fun even though we were losing. Then in the eighth inning I made the mistake of trying to slide, and here is the result of that.

 

Coffee has become such a cultural icon for today. If your successful, prosperous, well liked, or cool you drink coffee. A long time ago coffee was a drink for the ordinary man. The man who worked hard, played hard, and needed a cheap pick me up to get up in the morning. Now coffee is found in corner boutique like shops and you spend as much for a cup of coffee as you used to for a pound.

People have become coffee snobs. A cup of joe is just not good enough anymore. I spent a month working the office for a Young Life camp and had the responsibility of being the town runner. My job was to fulfill the needs of the camp and campers by running errands in town for them. Our camp medic would have me make a special trip in a different part of town to get him this special locally grown coffee. Starbucks coffee from Walmart wasn’t even good enough for him. Why? Now I understand that coffee has degrees of quality to it but seriously.

You have your;

• 1 Filter Coffee
• 2 Espresso
• 3 Coffee with milk
• 4 Cafe mocha
• 5 Cappuccino
• 6 Frappuccino
• 7 Mochasippi
• 8 Cortado
• 9 Macchiato
• 10 Affogato
• 11 Liqueur coffee
• 12 Cafe Americano
• 13 Flat white
• 14 Galão
• 15 Greek frappé coffee
• 16 Indian filter coffee
• 17 Yuanyang
• 18 Ca phe sua da
• 19 Iced coffee
• 20 Instant coffee

On top of all of these different types people spend immense amounts of time adding to their coffee so its just right. You got to add your sugar/sweetener, cream or milk. Then its one pack or five packs and has to be stirred so many times. There are also the people who want their coffee fresh but then add ice because its too hot. Is the drink really worth all this work?

What happened that coffee became this fad? Now maybe I’m biased because I don’t drink coffee, but I missed the days where a plain old cup of joe was acceptable. As for me, just give me a nice refreshing Coca-Cola for my caffeine fix. 

What would you do if you could do what ever you really wanted right now? What would you change or try to do differently? I have been asking myself this alot lately to try and really focus on what goals I have and how to work towards them. Here is the conclusion that I have come to. 

If I could do what I really want to do right now, it would be to go to grad school. I really have a strong desire to go back to school for my masters. The next question is a masters in what. I have gone back and forth on this and its down to two choices. First choice would be a masters in divinity. My second choice would be a masters in some type of counseling, like to be a high school counselor. So if this is what I really want to do then why don’t I go do it. 

Well I have run into some problems. First problem is that I have no idea how I could pay for it. I took out more loans for my undergrad than I would have liked and I dont want to have to take out more for my masters. Then well my lets just say that my final gpa wasn’t too wonderful. It was way better than I needed to graduate but still not good enough for the programs I’m interested in.

So where do I go from here is the next question. What do I have to do so I can do what I want to do? I don’t know. I just felt like ranting a little. If you would of told me this is what my life would look like almost at age 25 back in high school. I would have laughed so hard at you. I guess thats life and how God works in his time and not my time.

Here is the camp video from my senior year. I didn’t even know I had this video till the other day. I can’t believe how old I am now.

I was watching TV last night and the show I was watching closed with this song. “Someone to Watch Over Me” done by Frank Sinatra. Now I have heard this song so many times for some reason this time I actually got the lyrics to it. I just loved it.

Here is my reflections on what I am thankful for:

1.  The relentless, all forgiving, always there when I need it; Love from God
2.  My friends, I honestly don’t know how I am so blessed with so many good friends. I really don’t know where I would be with out them.
3.  My family, that they love me so much and support me in all I do.
4.  Young Life, that I get to share in the ministry and how it made a difference in my life.
5.  My pets, they love me so much, the can always make me smile and I never feel alone with them.
6.  My toys, keeps me busy and gives me things to do.

So I haven’t been in the mood or really wanting to write anything lately. I feel like all the creative juice has just been sucked out of me. If you weren’t aware I actually have a job now. Well its a job in the fact that they pay me for being there. I took the night auditor position at Forest Park Suites. If you can’t tell i’m not the least bit excited about this except for the fact that i will actually be bringing some income in.

I had so many dreams, desires, and ambitions. They all seemed to fly out the window when i started working here. This is not what i had in mind at all and well it has sunk me into a reality that i never saw coming. I would venture to say that i am depressed. Well as depressed as my personality will let me be. There is nothing happy about this job, but I am trying to learn the joy that this job can offer me. I know God has to be using this situation in my life for something, I guess i was hoping that i was past this learning phase of my life.

I was hoping that I would be doing something that I found meaningful. I know that I do many meaningful things through young life and sharing my life with others but I just wanted my job to also have a greater purpose than just taking people’s money and printing useless reports.

I don’t know what more to say, I’m tired of saying it. Just pray for me that God gives me peace with this job or leads me to something new.