26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. – Matthew 6:26-34

Maybe it’s me, but there seems to be a lot of anxiety running around these days.

Any time I feel the anxiousness creeping in, I try to remind myself of the verses above.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of worrying.

Our minds appear to have a natural tendency towards worry and anxiety.

But I believe God has a different plan for us.

Promises like joy and peace are there for us if we can renew our mind and put the right thoughts in.

If you’re feeling a lot of anxiety lately, read these versions again. Maybe every day. Renew your mind with these timeless truths.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with." – Mark Twain

Joy is best when shared.

This quote reminded me how lucky I am to have so many in my life to share my joys with.

But it also challenged me to be that person for others.

Look out for opportunities to share the joy of others.

Look out for opportunities to cheer them on.

Look out for opportunities to celebrate their victories.

Let’s do our best to help other get the full value from the joys in their lives.

Make it a great day.

Jake

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one. – Mother Teresa

Andy Stanley says it like this – do for one what you would like to do for all.

We all see things we would like to be changed in this world.

Broken homes, hungry children, lonely shut ins, the list goes on and on.

It all seems so daunting when you look at all of it at once.

But if you focus on what’s in front of you, it’s not that bad.

Focus on the family and friends around you.

Help the local charity that could use a few extra dollars.

You don’t have to look far to find someone in need.

I’m convinced that the world really would become a much better place if we could just figure out how to be kind to those we interact with daily.

Do something small to help today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/bacBKKgc4Uo

This song plays during another of the classic scenes in “The Sandlot”.

Squints jumps into the deep end of the pool and pretends to drown in order to kiss the lifeguard that he has been obsessing over.

On the list of lessons you can learn from “The Sandlot”, this scene teaches us all to think we are worthy of the girl/guy of our dreams.

At some point we all have to believe that we are worthy of love. Worthy of the love and attention of that special someone that is out there just for us.

If you’ve already found that someone, tell them how lucky you are.

If you haven’t, recommit yourself today to doing the work to find him/her.

Make it a great day.

Jake

FaceBox Meme

I try hard to resist sharing memes from the FaceBox, but this one seemed like a great reminder.

Dogs (and many animals) are only thinking of the here and now, not worrying about the past or the future.

Humans have the unique ability to think through options for our future and weigh lessons from our past.

It’s a distinct advantage in the long run, but if you get stuck in either mode, you’ll end up wasting the most precious resource you have – your time.

Being present in the moment is the best way to spend most of your time.

How can you be more thoughtful today about being present?

What’s good about what you’re doing right now?

Make it a great day.

Jake

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. – Zig Ziglar ​

This just a friendly reminder to count your blessings today.

Spend a few minutes counting them, writing them down or just focusing on them.

It’s easy to forget how lucky we are.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Problems are not the problem; coping is the problem. – Virginia Satir

How many of life’s problems are a result of a coping mechanism?

I’m sure we all do this more than we even know, going about our days managing pain and trauma with unhealthy cover ups and coping mechanisms.

Be on the lookout for the root of the problems.

Be on the lookout for replacing bad habits with good.

Be ready to ask for help.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Courage, dear heart. – CS Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I have recently been re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis.

The line above really struck me.

To set the scene a little, this line comes in when they are on the island of nightmares and everyone is facing their worst fears. One of the main characters hears this as a whisper in her ear.

It made me think just how powerful three words could be.

Imagine this the next time you are troubled, worried or things just aren’t going your way: a whisper in your ear that simply says "courage, dear heart."

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/dXcFFNx0_g8

Not sure what it is about this kind of music, but it always makes me smile.

I imagine a couple of guys sitting around, just making up silly stuff with a great melody that made them smile.

The whole goal being to make others smile and want to dance.

It just looks and sounds like fun.

There’s a lot wrong in the world.

Evil is real.

But so is joy.

I believe that joy will win out in the end.

That in the end those who choose it will be flooded and overwhelmed with joy and the darkness won’t have a chance.

I’m sure that’s a bit idealistic for this average Friday morning….but I’m sure you can find a song that would put a smile on your face and a little joy in your heart – find it and play it – loud!

Make it a great day.

Jake

God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as his instruments and performs his wonders where one would least expect them. God is near to lowliness; he loves the lost, the neglected, the unseemly, the excluded, the weak and broken. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

And thank God that he does, otherwise he might not have much to work with.

I’m thankful for and often surprised that someone (or multiple someones) would read these daily emails from me.

I’m far from perfect.

In fact, I have quite a lot to work on.

Each day is a reminder that without God’s help, I would not be able to get very far.

Each day is also a reminder that with God’s help I can’t lose.

I don’t have to be perfect or brilliant or handsome or whatever.

My job is to be the best version of me, doing whatever God asks of me.

My job is to lean in to the small whispers that say “try this” or “say that” or “go here”.

My hope is that when I do, I lighten the load of another – even the tiniest bit counts.

My hope is that you can do the same.

Make it a great day.

Jake