Determine what you are Determined about!

5. Refuse to stop pursuing the Dreams God has given YOU!

What are you Passionate about? What is the dream of your life? What is the one thing that you long to achieve? If you could do anything what would it be? I find that a lot of people have let their dreams die. Someone said they couldn’t do it, they weren’t good enough, it would never happen, or they have even experienced failure in pursuing. I think some of the saddest individuals, are those who have watched their dreams die, and the spark of life is gone from their eye. They have chosen instead to live a life of the mundane instead of a life of adventure. I can’t help but think that when God says we are His “Workmanship” which literally means One of a kind, that He designs one of a kind dreams and adventures for our lives. In fact Ephesians 2 goes on to say that these “Workmanships” “were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Don’t you think that those good works are “one of a kind”, crazy, outrageous, incredible, works that He designed just for you. He could have created them for anybody but He thought of you and made you a “one of a kind” for a “one of a kind task”! Wow! That to me sounds incredible. It sounds fun. It sounds like life should be pretty amazing. That we, who are created in Christ, should live a life that we are determined to live out and to watch unfold, as God designs it! It seems to me that if you believed that you would be passionate about it. Passion, is the understanding, of what are you willing to suffer for. So when you determine what you are passionate about, you are determined what you are willing to suffer for, and you have determined what you are determined about. You have found the dream God has planted in your heart, the God centered dream that He has created you for, and you live your life pursuing it, knowing that the living out of that dream brings maximum Joy to Christ and ultimate satisfaction to our life. We become men and women who will not stop, not give up, not walk away, not lose heart, we must live the life God created us to live exercising the gifts He has given us, so that this short life brings Glory to Him! When we live that way, we find our ultimate Joy in Christ, and He uses us and our lives for His ultimate Glory! Refuse to give up on the dreams God has given you! Be faithful in the gifts and talents that He gave you. Be passionate, be courageous, be faithful.

Refuse to sacrifice the permanent on the Temporary

4. Spend time with those who will cry at your funeral.

One of the greatest statements that my mentor ever said to me was simply, “Phillip, Spend the majority of your time with the people who will cry at your funeral.” I must admit, that statement caught me off guard. I really didn’t know what he was telling me. But what I have learned is that one statement may be one of the greatest and hardest lessons to learn. I spend so much of my time and my day pleasing people I think I have to please. I’m constantly wondering if I have done enough. If I could have done more to meet the needs and desires of that other person. The truth is that I have 3 boys, 1 daughter, and a wife who need my attention. They have simply request like, take me to dunk’n doughnuts, or let’s play outside, or can you rock her to sleep, and most of the time I’m too busy meeting the needs of others. How many times have I been guilty of not taking the time to rearrange my schedule so I can be the one to tuck my boys into bed. Or say no to that meeting so that I can be the one who is helping with my daughters first baby pictures. The fact is, many people would like to have our attention, but there are a few people who God has given us, that NEED our attention. When these days are over, it will be the ones who NEEDED me that will CRY for me. As one man said it best, ‘REFUSE to sacrifice the Permanent on the temporary!”

Pain is part of Loving Others

3. Often it is the people you are closest to that hurts you the deepest.

When you read this point, you may be just a little confused. I know when I was being mentored this understanding really puzzled me. I am first a relational person. I am a people pleaser, but more then that I desire to help others. Often I lead with my heart and fail to understand that I could be hurt by the person I trusting and helping. Making yourself vulnerable to be close to someone is always a scary thing. It is a lot easier to just keep people at a distance, but when you decide to really invest and love someone, get involved in their life, and let them see you for who you are, you must realize that you might get hurt. I don’t know why it happens, but it does. However, I have found the most fulfilling relationships I have ever had has been with the people I made myself most vulnerable with. I think you will find that it is worth the risk of being hurt, because you just might find you really impacted someone for their life for the better and you might have made a friend that knows you like no other. It is a lot easier to hide behind walls and refrain from being vulnerable, but you need someone just as much as they need you.

Celebrate the Small Victories!

The Second thing my mentor taught me is:

2. Celebrate the small victories!

How often have we been guilty of looking past today to see tomorrow, to find that when we arrive in tomorrow we are ready for the next thing? It happens, we are constantly striving for more, for something better, for something new, and in the process we find ourselves guilty of missing out on the small victories. If you are as driven as I am, nothing ever seems to meet the standard that we have set for ourself. There was always something else that could have been done. The problem with this understanding, and let me assure you that there is nothing wrong with being a determined person, however, determined people who fail to see and celebrate victories will become frustrate people. Without celebrating the small victories, we can never really appreciate the big victories! Not always, but many times, the big victories are the product of many small wins along the way. So the next time you see that small victory come, stop and celebrate it, even if it is for just a moment. It will be in that moment that you can realize the significance of the journey and put into perspective all that you have been working for! The big victories will come, but the small victories will set the stage for you to appreciate the monumental moments.

5 Things I Learned From Being Mentored!

I know many people who are spending time mentoring and disciplining some one they believe have potential or even some one that may be facing some pretty difficult times. I have had the privilege to mentor and disciple and have had the great benefit of being mentored. Often times, you wonder, what am I suppose to teach this person? I am barely making it myself, so what do I share with this young man or young woman? I want to share with you some things that i have found to be beneficial to me in the mentoring process. What I am going to share with you are 5 things my mentor has taught me that I try to share with those who I am disciplining and mentoring. I will post 1 – 5 through out the next few days.

1. You are more than just a title or job description.

How easy is it to begin to believe that you are what your title says you are? I’m a boss, a preacher, a salesman, banker, Pharmacist, whatever the title may be, often times, it becomes the very thing that shapes us and makes us who we are. Now I know we do these things, we are salesmen, bosses, bankers, but that is only part of what we do, we are not those things, and when we believe that the title is what gives us significance then we are walking a very dangerous path. The reason this is so important and such a dangerous understanding, is that titles are temporary. Titles change. Titles are lost. If we are what our title says we are, then our title becomes our substance, when the title changes, for whatever reason, then our substance is gone! I’ve personally seen men and women lose their way in life after losing their title. They couldn’t see who they really were, they were a person long before they were a title. They were a creation long before they were an employee. They were created purposefully by God Himself, long before they became a person identified by their name tag. When you realize that our title is something that we do and not necessarily who we are, then we are free to live within the understanding of that title and not bound by the identification of that title. When your title is something you do and not who you are, then your title can be taken away or lost or left or change and the person within the title is still living and flourishing as a creation of the one and only living God. It can be very painful when our title changes, but it doesn’t have to destroy us, we must remember after all the titles, we are still a “Workmanship” of Jesus Christ. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus For good work, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

An invitation for the Journey!

 

Try living a life responsible for these men!

My name is J. Phillip Martin. Among many other things, I am a pastor, husband, and the father of triplet boys and one amazing daughter. 

I am beginning this blog because somewhere in the deepest part of me, I believe I can’t be the only one who struggles with Life. This is my attempt to capture my thoughts, provoke yours, and see if we can encourage and support one another along this thing we call life. I must admit, most of my thoughts aren’t that interesting, but it is possible that you and I have more in common then we may even know. I want to invite you to join me as we journey together. What you will read are just my thoughts, some will be dumb, some pretty interesting, many from my convictions, and a few off the cuff, never the less, what you are about to join me on is just my thoughts concerning this journey! Thank you for joining me and I look forward to engaging this world and this life with you!

Phillip