Mind Game

Remember that old saying parents and teachers used to tell us when we were growing up, “You can do anything if you set your mind to it?”

Well, USA TODAY recently had an article on Tiger Woods, about how he is getting better and better and just may be the best athlete who has ever lived. Quoting several people who know Tiger, they discussed reasons why he is so dominating, agreeing that his strongest asset as his ‘mind game.’

When he was 14, Tiger began training with a psychologist who coached him in methods for relaxation, visualization and focus. Motivational tapes, studying how the mind works and mental drills became a high priority early in his life.

The Living Bible, in Isaiah 26:3, gives us our own mental drill for relaxation and focus: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you.”

A sharp, yet relaxed mentality does not happen by accident. A determination to never freak out but always filter our thoughts through God’s words will uncover our talents, sharpen our minds and improve our abilities.

Training our minds to see life through a heavenly point of view helps us to
(BE)TTER & better every day on earth.

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In our high-speed world, an overload of streaming factors can lead us to that familar feeling, “Help! I’m overwhelmed!”

There may be too much work to do and too many people expecting something from you. There might be too little time, money or energy. Or there could be a combination of too much, too little and too late that leaves us feeling buried alive and about to crash.

It helps to know that our ultimate example to follow was dead and buried but came back to life! Romans 8:11 tells us that if He can do it, we can too: “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.”

If every day you and I log in by asking God’s Spirit to help us follow His flow, we’ll be uploaded with His energy and able to handle anything better than ever!

Happy Friday

Happy Good Friday!

Have you ever had, not just “one of those days,” but one of those WEEKS? Jesus did.

His week started out so good with the people celebrating His triumphant arrival in Jerusalem on Sunday. Then it was pretty much all downhill from there.

He was betrayed by one of the 12 people closest to Him. Arrested by officials and deserted by the other 11 disciples. Falsely accused and put on trial. Then at the trial, Peter, the one who said he’d never leave Jesus, loudly swore he never even knew Him. 3 times.

He was stripped of His clothes and soldiers gambled right in front of Him to see who could keep them. He was ridiculed, spit on, and beaten severely. Then sentenced to death like a criminal and forced to carry His own cross up the hill in front of a hostile crowd, the very same crowds that were cheering Him a few days earlier.

On that hill He was then nailed, hands and feet, to that cross. With the past, present and future sin, sickness and death of all humanity on His shoulders, He was then lifted up to die.

He endured the most hellacious week ever for me and for you. All so we can live a Better Life.

What are we doing about it?

So, how’s YOUR week?

Picture This

So many times, sitting in an airport, I’ve heard over the loudspeaker, “Please maintain visual contact with your luggage at all times.”

Visual contact. That’s good advice. And I don’t mean just keeping your eyes on your baggage. What visual do you get when you think of a Better Life?

1 Corinthians 2:9,10 says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him - but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.”

Because God has planted His plans for Better Life inside of us, when I read a verse like that, it challenges me to imagine myself actually experiencing BEING better: In my thoughts; my speech; relationships; career; money; where I live; what I do for fun; just everything.

Imagining what it will look like makes it more real. Maintaining contact with those visual images prepares me for life “beyond my wildest dreams.” And since God said He’d do better than I can imagine, I say, “Go ahead, surprise me!”

You try it: Close your eyes and picture what your Better Life looks like.

Half Truth

Have you ever noticed certain people can make one tidbit of truth their calling card and make a big fuss about it while ignoring the rest of the story? It happens every day in the media. Religious organizations do it a lot. We do it too.

Jesus was having a disagreement with one of those overly religous outfits in John 8:31,32 when He said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus’ point to the nit-picking Pharisees was that they were trying to impose nearly impossible restrictions from the Old Testament on people based on only half the story. The rest of the story was unfolding in front of their very eyes, they just needed to pay attention.

I see this as an encouragement to continue the quest to (BE)TTER. If we only occasionally look to God and His book, it can seem like just a bunch of rules. But the more truth we know, the more freedom we will feel.

We need the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help us God.

Under the Influence

I keep thinking about how, after living until 3 days shy of his 91st birthday, my Grandpa is gone. Its not sadness though, instead its been a growing appreciation for his wealth of influence.

He set such a great example for me. In his traveling, writing and speaking he impacted so many people in a positive way for God - people I’ll probably never know. But even more important to me was that he chose to be a better husband and father by living for God. It was that determination that influenced his son, my Dad, to follow his example.

Jesus told us to be that example in Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Grandpa’s good deeds have inspired my Dad’s positive influence on countless people for many years, me being one of them.

As I thank my Heavenly Father for what my Grandpa started, it fires me up to (BE)TTER to carry on the leagacy.

Here’s a LIFEBULB to think about…

Ask yourself:
Who’s influencing me? Good or bad?
Who am I influencing? Good or bad?
How can I improve my influence?

So Simple

Have you ever realized how easily the brain goes bad? If we aren’t careful, our minds can turn toward negative town whenever we hear even the potential of bad news. Thankfully, we can develop the habit of nudging our attention back onto positive ground by purposely bringing to mind a simple pleasure.

For example, at lunch the other day as I prayed a blessing over my ravioli, I felt extremely grateful for food. All my life, I’ve had food. There has never been a time in my life that I couldn’t afford to eat. In fact, there have even been countless times that someone else picked up the tab for my food.

Then I came across this verse in Psalm 17:14 that made me even more grateful: “You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty and they store up wealth for their children.”

Wow! We get to eat and our future is set up quite nicely because God cherishes us. That’s just one bonus of being better that can easily chase away the blues. I feel better already, don’t you?

Hit In The Head

Are you anything like me and sometimes notice that a lot of your mental energy gets drained by feeling bad about yourself?

You know those thoughts I’m talking about: Things you wish you’d have said or done differently; stuff you don’t like about yourself and just general feelings of guilt and regret. They hit you, start building up in the brain and before you know it, you’ve worked up a full-on self-pity party.

The problem is, when we feel bad about ourselves, we tend to isolate ourselves, which depresses us even more. And if we HAVE to be around people, we end up spilling our bad mood onto them.

A boost for our brains comes from where Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Condemning thoughts and feelings are the devil’s full-time job and he works overtimes on one of his prime targets, our self-image. He hates us so he relentlessly whispers dark thoughts in our ears, trying to get us to hate ourselves.

To (BE)TTER, we have to constantly remind ourselves that our God is the Light of the world, not the prince of darkness. Our thoughts about the future should be so bright, we need a good pair of shades.

The next time you recognize a dark cloud of self-loathing forming in your head, shake it off like a cartoon character does after getting hit in the head. Then start thanking God that He’s working in you to break bad habits and build a Better Life than you’ve ever dreamed!

Going Green

Have you noticed that lately focus on the environment is everywhere? Organic food; water conservation; recycling; alternate fuel; even eco-friendly diapers. The movement to save the planet is known as “going green.”

Whether you knew it or not, as someone making every effort to
(BE)TTER, you are going green too. Check out what Psalm 92:12-15 says:

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; Heis my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.’”

How cool is that?! God promises us that by looking to Him as our Rock, our efforts to (BE)TTER will ensure us a long, satisfying and productive life - in any environment.

It brings a new, personal meaning to the phrase, “Think globally. Act locally.”

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