"If these were silent, the stones themselves would cry out..."
Imagine it. An early morning run to St. Peter's to get that perfect spot. In the midst of thousands of young people at St. Peter's. We cry out, "Benedetto..." "Viva il Papa--Viva!" We sing. We have a blast, AND it is one of the most beautiful days we've ever seen in Rome. The Church is alive. She is strong. She is growing all the time. And we are blessed to be a part of her. How awesome is that? (I know, ridiculously awesome, right?) Let's rejoice that we belong to Jesus' One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church today. That's it, just rejoice. The King is coming--Oops! He's here. Let's go to him before the stones take all the good spots.
God bless,
Live from your heart,
Scott
PS. Today my brother Vince's parents celebrate 29 years of marriage: Congrats and God bless to Randy and Debbie...
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
UNITE US!
"He came to gather the sons of God..."
Jesus came to draw all men to himself into a new family of God. You like me remember the scene from Braveheart where Wallace (the stud) goes to (the wimp) Robert the Bruce and begs him, "Unite us! UNITE US!" ...That's what Jesus came to do. He is the true King. He's the One who comes to give us life to the full: a life in communion with God, a life of brotherhood, a life immersed in creation. I love my King, don't you? I love to see...
"heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse,
whose rider is called Faithful and True.
With justice he judges and makes war.
His eyes are like blazing fire,
and on his head are many crowns.
He has a name written on him
that no one knows but he himself.
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,
and his name is the Word of God.
The armies of heaven were following him,
riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen,
white and clean.
Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword
with which to strike down the nations.
"He will rule them with an iron scepter."
He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
That's the kind of guy I would follow anywhere, no matter what, whatever it takes! Bring it world! Bring it flesh! Bring it Satan! I'm gonna show you how great I am! Today we unite to Jesus. Today we unite to one another. Is there anyone we've cut out of the picture? It's time to bring back unity. Unity is power. One is too small for greatness. Even God is 3 in 1. Unity is Power.
God bless,
Live from your heart,
Scott
PS. Please unite with me in praying for:
Jesus came to draw all men to himself into a new family of God. You like me remember the scene from Braveheart where Wallace (the stud) goes to (the wimp) Robert the Bruce and begs him, "Unite us! UNITE US!" ...That's what Jesus came to do. He is the true King. He's the One who comes to give us life to the full: a life in communion with God, a life of brotherhood, a life immersed in creation. I love my King, don't you? I love to see...
"heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse,
whose rider is called Faithful and True.
With justice he judges and makes war.
His eyes are like blazing fire,
and on his head are many crowns.
He has a name written on him
that no one knows but he himself.
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,
and his name is the Word of God.
The armies of heaven were following him,
riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen,
white and clean.
Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword
with which to strike down the nations.
"He will rule them with an iron scepter."
He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
That's the kind of guy I would follow anywhere, no matter what, whatever it takes! Bring it world! Bring it flesh! Bring it Satan! I'm gonna show you how great I am! Today we unite to Jesus. Today we unite to one another. Is there anyone we've cut out of the picture? It's time to bring back unity. Unity is power. One is too small for greatness. Even God is 3 in 1. Unity is Power.
God bless,
Live from your heart,
Scott
PS. Please unite with me in praying for:
- My sister Cheryl on her 24th birthday.
- Colin who is entering God's one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church a week from today
- the miraculous healing of Sr. Tiziana who continues to suffer from Parkinson's (We're asking JPII's intercession right now in a novena).
Friday, March 26, 2010
I'M GONNA SHOW YOU...
"You who are a man, make yourself God..."
Pssh, if only that was all he did! No way man, Jesus goes way beyond "making himself God." First, we all know that he was actually God, "one of the Blessed Trinity", who made himself man. That's what yesterday's feast was all about. But that's not what Jesus came to do. He didn't just come for himself. He came for us. He came to make us "Gods-by-participation" to use John of the Cross' expression.
I don't have the quote here in front of me, but there's a great line from C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity that goes something like this:
"Every person you meet today, even the dullest, could one day appear before you in such glory and majesty that if you saw him now, you'd be tempted to fall down in worship. Or he could appear before you as such a horror that you now only see, if at all, in a nightmare. Every day we are helping one another to one of these two fates. There are no ordinary people."
Who's "ordinary" in your life? Who do you tend to ignore? to take for granted? to forget about? A family member? a friend? a co-worker? Now is the time. Now is the time to reconnect with all that you love about them, all that makes them great, all the reasons you have for loving them. Now is the time to see them as they could be if someone invited them to live as God made them to be. Be that person. Give that invitation. Start that conversation, ok? And do it TODAY.
God bless,
Live from your heart,
Scott
PS. One church father has this to say, "You say, 'show me your God.' I say, 'show me your inner man, and I'll show you my God.' For we see a man's God through his soul." Or if you prefer there's always my good buddy Jimmy, "Faith without works is dead... Show me your faith without works and I'll demonstrate my faith to you by my works!"
PPS. As a special bonus, you can watch the first video here which while a little on the New-Agey/Pelagian side (and the ridiculousness of that is not lost on me), is basically sound: http://www.tonyrobbins.com/experiences/screening-room.php
Pssh, if only that was all he did! No way man, Jesus goes way beyond "making himself God." First, we all know that he was actually God, "one of the Blessed Trinity", who made himself man. That's what yesterday's feast was all about. But that's not what Jesus came to do. He didn't just come for himself. He came for us. He came to make us "Gods-by-participation" to use John of the Cross' expression.
I don't have the quote here in front of me, but there's a great line from C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity that goes something like this:
"Every person you meet today, even the dullest, could one day appear before you in such glory and majesty that if you saw him now, you'd be tempted to fall down in worship. Or he could appear before you as such a horror that you now only see, if at all, in a nightmare. Every day we are helping one another to one of these two fates. There are no ordinary people."
Who's "ordinary" in your life? Who do you tend to ignore? to take for granted? to forget about? A family member? a friend? a co-worker? Now is the time. Now is the time to reconnect with all that you love about them, all that makes them great, all the reasons you have for loving them. Now is the time to see them as they could be if someone invited them to live as God made them to be. Be that person. Give that invitation. Start that conversation, ok? And do it TODAY.
God bless,
Live from your heart,
Scott
PS. One church father has this to say, "You say, 'show me your God.' I say, 'show me your inner man, and I'll show you my God.' For we see a man's God through his soul." Or if you prefer there's always my good buddy Jimmy, "Faith without works is dead... Show me your faith without works and I'll demonstrate my faith to you by my works!"
PPS. As a special bonus, you can watch the first video here which while a little on the New-Agey/Pelagian side (and the ridiculousness of that is not lost on me), is basically sound: http://www.tonyrobbins.com/experiences/screening-room.php
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
DISTURBED YET?
" 'Hail, Full-of-Grace! The Lord is with you!'...And Mary was greatly disturbed at the saying."
Are you disturbed at this saying? If you're like me, you pray the Rosary every day. Does that opening line disturb you? No, why should it? Well, it's happened to to me before to receive some honor or recognition and feel a little uncomfortable because I felt unworthy, haven't you? I bet you have. Is that what this is? Hmm, I don't think so.
I think this is like one of those moments where somebody comes to you all cheery and you realize, "Uh-oh. He's gonna ask me for something. What's it going to be now?" You know why? Because the name or title full-of-grace is not just "Hey guess what? You're immaculately conceived!" Yes, that's true, but God NEVER gives grace without expecting something in return. And if you're full of grace, if that's your identity, then A LOT is going to be expected of you.
Here comes the scary part: In Baptism you too were filled with grace. A lot is expected of you, isn't it? I mean, you are called to be a saint. You are called to give your whole life to God, and then as you receive His own Life, you're called to give that Life to others. That's a pretty tall order. It's also the only reason we have for getting up in the morning, ok? Right! Drink in God's goodness today. Enjoy some time with the Incarnate Love of God, Jesus Christ. Relax, take a deep breath, and let the Spirit fill you up. Then go out there and rock the world! Happy Feast of the Incarnation! We'll see you tomorrow.
God bless,
Live from your heart,
Scott
Are you disturbed at this saying? If you're like me, you pray the Rosary every day. Does that opening line disturb you? No, why should it? Well, it's happened to to me before to receive some honor or recognition and feel a little uncomfortable because I felt unworthy, haven't you? I bet you have. Is that what this is? Hmm, I don't think so.
I think this is like one of those moments where somebody comes to you all cheery and you realize, "Uh-oh. He's gonna ask me for something. What's it going to be now?" You know why? Because the name or title full-of-grace is not just "Hey guess what? You're immaculately conceived!" Yes, that's true, but God NEVER gives grace without expecting something in return. And if you're full of grace, if that's your identity, then A LOT is going to be expected of you.
Here comes the scary part: In Baptism you too were filled with grace. A lot is expected of you, isn't it? I mean, you are called to be a saint. You are called to give your whole life to God, and then as you receive His own Life, you're called to give that Life to others. That's a pretty tall order. It's also the only reason we have for getting up in the morning, ok? Right! Drink in God's goodness today. Enjoy some time with the Incarnate Love of God, Jesus Christ. Relax, take a deep breath, and let the Spirit fill you up. Then go out there and rock the world! Happy Feast of the Incarnation! We'll see you tomorrow.
God bless,
Live from your heart,
Scott
Slavery can be a good thing, really!
"The truth will set you free..."
Yeah, but only if you submit to it, right? How many people have we told "the truth" to only to have it thrown back in our face, or totally ignored, or whatever, you know? Not that we've ever done that, no, we're perfect, but you know...
Here's what I want to tell you about slavery: Anything that fulfills 3 or more of our basic human needs will become our slave-driver (... UNLESS we find something BETTER... oops that was the punch-line for later. Oh well, here's the preview.) That's right, there are 6 fundamental human needs. Needs, not values or wants or desires, needs, and they shape everything we do. Are you ready? Here they are:
Yeah, but only if you submit to it, right? How many people have we told "the truth" to only to have it thrown back in our face, or totally ignored, or whatever, you know? Not that we've ever done that, no, we're perfect, but you know...
Here's what I want to tell you about slavery: Anything that fulfills 3 or more of our basic human needs will become our slave-driver (... UNLESS we find something BETTER... oops that was the punch-line for later. Oh well, here's the preview.) That's right, there are 6 fundamental human needs. Needs, not values or wants or desires, needs, and they shape everything we do. Are you ready? Here they are:
- Certainty/Comfort: This is the survival need. We need to be certain we can be comfortable or at least go on living...
- Uncertainty/Variety: If you know exactly what's going to happen, when it'll happen, and how it'll happen you get... Bored out of your mind, so God in his infinite wisdom gave us a second human need: Variety, Adventure, Excitement, Fun, something new, surprises, (Did you know "problems" are just surprises you don't want? I bet you did!) but that's not all... drum roll please, the third human need is...
- Significance/Uniqueness: We all need to feel important, special. Some get it through piercings and sleeping around, others through fighting fires. We all need it (PS. Some get it by "being spiritual", right? Yeah, some do...), but what we really need is the fourth human need...
- Connection/Love: Most of the people you know settle for connection because love's too scary. Hey, we've all been hurt before right? And we'll get hurt again, but that's life. We need love and we're going to find a way to get it, even if we have to lie to ourselves or have split personalities. We're human and we're alive so we need to...
- Grow: If we don't grow we, what? ...Die, exactly. We must continually expand who we are (that's why meditations end in concrete resolutions btw, but you already knew that too, didn't you?) Still, you can grow and not be fulfilled unless you...
- Contribute to the greater good: This is what St. Paul calls our "spiritual worship," giving our lives to a cause (or a Person) bigger than ourselves. That's what moms do, and dads too! It's what they pay you for if you have a job or what you pay people for when you hire'em.
Now, one interesting question is: What's your lead need? Yeah, that's interesting, but not the topic of this post. Like I said any behavior that meets 3 needs is an addiction, healthy or unhealthy. What are you addicted to? Prayer? Why? "Because it makes me feel good (aka comfort/certainty). Because I get to learn something new (growth AND variety). Because I get to connect with God (Love AND significance if you talk to the creator of the universe, right?) Because it makes me a better person all day long (contribution).
On a side note, you can experience these at different levels. And you can also figure out why people don't pray (or why you don't do something you know you're supposed to...): "It's too hard (no comfort!). It's boring (no variety and no growth!). I'm wasting time (no significance and no contribution!). I feel like I'm just in a monologue (no connection or love!)." What's that mean? No prayer (or whatever your case might be...). How can we turn this around? By changing our approach or what we think about or adding something new to the equation (like music makes lots of things better: cleaning the house, running, taking the bus, etc. Isn't that why everybody goes around with headphones any more?)
Now let me tell you all a secret: If you meet the last 2 needs: growth and contribution, you'll meet all the others also. If you miss those 2, you can never be fulfilled, just surviving. In reality, if you don't meet those two needs, you're living in sin, guaranteed. Think about it. And let me know what you think...
God bless,
Live from your heart,
Scott
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
What do you do by yourself?
"I do nothing by myself..."
Pssh! I have heard that we're not supposed to do anything on our own so many times it makes me sick! Like a good engineer (and a good American male!) what I always wanted to know is, "how is that possible?" And let me tell you something. Nobody ever told me! That is until one day when I was in my spiritual direction class, and Prof. Gonzalez got to talking. One of the things he taught us was the power of questions, ok? Questions control what we focus on and how we focus on it. What that means is they also control how we feel at any given point in time. That's pretty powerful, don't you think? Exactly!
Anyway what Prof. Gonzalez taught us that day was 3 very special questions. Questions that, if used consistently, could change your life forever. Sounds like a big claim, right? Well just hear me out and see if I'm right or not, ok?
First question: Father, what is your hope for me (today, in this moment, in this situation)?
That'll rock your world won't it? And we're only on the first question. Just imagine if you started everyday asking the Father what his hope is for you. Or what if you ended your day that way? What if you used it throughout the day? Do you think something would change then? I bet it would. I bet a million dollars it would. (I don't have a million dollars, you all know that, but you know what I mean, ok?)
Second question: Spirit, what are you doing in me right now?
Now is that going to change the way you handle a situation like standing in line, Mr. Impatience? You bet it will! And I'll tell you what else, it's great in any situation where you start to feel stuck. Just whip out the Holy Spirit, and some major "Holy Ghost Power, Power of the Holy Ghost" (You've all seen The Apostle, right?) will shift your attitude in a jiffy. Still, what good is inspiration if it's not backed up by action, you know? So the
Third Question: Jesus, what would you do in my place (right now, in this situation)? (Yes, I know WWJD, but this is better because you get to talk to Jesus, ok?)
That's when things really start to change, when we take action. Somebody once said, "Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result." If we're not happy with our lives (aka "results"), then let's do something new today. And maybe the place to start is with some new questions.
Bonus tip: Don't freak out if at first you get silence, or like a blank stare, or worse your brain chimes in "nothing" or "I don't know". That's all totally normal. You can just soften the question with the word "could": Father, what could be your hope for me today? Spirit, what could you be doing in me right now? Jesus, what could you do in my place here? Stay out of the pressure-cooker, ok? This is easy. Just have fun with it, and things will be better, ok? Right!
God bless,
Live from your hearts,
Scott
PS. I've actually been developing a whole "life ascetics system" based on these three questions. When I get a little further along, I'm sure I'll have plenty more to share with you all, or if you can't wait, get back to me and we can set up something on a more personal level, ok? Awesome! Enjoy today, and enjoy the power of questions too!
Pssh! I have heard that we're not supposed to do anything on our own so many times it makes me sick! Like a good engineer (and a good American male!) what I always wanted to know is, "how is that possible?" And let me tell you something. Nobody ever told me! That is until one day when I was in my spiritual direction class, and Prof. Gonzalez got to talking. One of the things he taught us was the power of questions, ok? Questions control what we focus on and how we focus on it. What that means is they also control how we feel at any given point in time. That's pretty powerful, don't you think? Exactly!
Anyway what Prof. Gonzalez taught us that day was 3 very special questions. Questions that, if used consistently, could change your life forever. Sounds like a big claim, right? Well just hear me out and see if I'm right or not, ok?
First question: Father, what is your hope for me (today, in this moment, in this situation)?
That'll rock your world won't it? And we're only on the first question. Just imagine if you started everyday asking the Father what his hope is for you. Or what if you ended your day that way? What if you used it throughout the day? Do you think something would change then? I bet it would. I bet a million dollars it would. (I don't have a million dollars, you all know that, but you know what I mean, ok?)
Second question: Spirit, what are you doing in me right now?
Now is that going to change the way you handle a situation like standing in line, Mr. Impatience? You bet it will! And I'll tell you what else, it's great in any situation where you start to feel stuck. Just whip out the Holy Spirit, and some major "Holy Ghost Power, Power of the Holy Ghost" (You've all seen The Apostle, right?) will shift your attitude in a jiffy. Still, what good is inspiration if it's not backed up by action, you know? So the
Third Question: Jesus, what would you do in my place (right now, in this situation)? (Yes, I know WWJD, but this is better because you get to talk to Jesus, ok?)
That's when things really start to change, when we take action. Somebody once said, "Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result." If we're not happy with our lives (aka "results"), then let's do something new today. And maybe the place to start is with some new questions.
Bonus tip: Don't freak out if at first you get silence, or like a blank stare, or worse your brain chimes in "nothing" or "I don't know". That's all totally normal. You can just soften the question with the word "could": Father, what could be your hope for me today? Spirit, what could you be doing in me right now? Jesus, what could you do in my place here? Stay out of the pressure-cooker, ok? This is easy. Just have fun with it, and things will be better, ok? Right!
God bless,
Live from your hearts,
Scott
PS. I've actually been developing a whole "life ascetics system" based on these three questions. When I get a little further along, I'm sure I'll have plenty more to share with you all, or if you can't wait, get back to me and we can set up something on a more personal level, ok? Awesome! Enjoy today, and enjoy the power of questions too!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Who turned out the lights?
"I am the light of the world"...
Ok, this guys must be pretty full of himself... in a really humble way, right? I mean come on, "I am the light of the world". When was the last time you heard a Christian say that? When was the last time you said that, huh? Really, while we're on the subject, I wonder when was the last time you gave yourself some recognition for doing anything great. --What, well I don't do that.-- Really? Interesting. Why not? -- Because it's not right. You're not supposed to. It's-- Are you sure about that? Who says? Where is it written? Did the guy who called himself "the light of the world" and claims to be THE EXAMPLE of all upright human behavior say that? Hmm... Maybe the world has sold us a bag of... never mind. You know what I mean, right?
And here's the thing, do you do a better job when somebody recognizes you for it (even if that person is God), yes or no? Of course the answer is yes (Yeah, right, sounds prideful doesn't it, but it's true. Let's see life how it is, ok?). Next question, have you ever done something great and not had anyone notice (maybe it seemed like not even God), yes or no? I'm willing to hallucinate that the answer is "YES..." (said with a little bite there, huh? Well, somebody's a little bitter I guess, aren't they? That's all right. We'll sweeten you up in a second here, ok?) Next question, how much did that make you want to do a great job the next time? --It didn't! -- I know. That's my point. Now stick with me. What would have happened if you'd acknowledged yourself for doing a great job?-- Nothing!...-- Uh huh. Are you sure about that?-- Well, maybe I would have given it another shot.-- Uh huh.-- Actually maybe I would have gone at it even harder... -- Yeah, now you're getting it. Wow, you are brilliant...-- Hey, you know what, I don't have to wait for people to recognize how great I am, do I?-- Nope (smiling) you sure don't. And you don't have to wait for any of those great mystical experiences either (like those come every day, right?). -- So you're saying I can do this any time I want? -- hey, I didn't say that, you did, ok? -- Yeah, (going into a light trance with a little smile on your face) yeah, that's right.-- Hey just one more thing that I've been dying to share with you, all right? -- yeah, what's that?--
It's about doing a great job. What I gotta say is this: If you do a good job you get good results, right?-- Right.-- Aaant. Wrong. If you do a good job, you get poor results. If you're a good husband, you're wife is bored. If you're a good dad, you're just like all the rest. You're nothing special.-- Well then, I'll do a poor job, so I don't have to worry so much.-- Ok, you do a poor job and what happens?-- Well, I get poor results.-- Aant. Wrong again. You do a poor job and you get PAIN. Pain because they leave you, they fire you, your kids end up on drugs or in jail. You don't want to do a poor job, got it?-- Well then fine, I'll do a great job, ok? (a little bite again)-- Hey, you do a great job and what kind of results do you think you'll get, great?-- Yeah of course. -- Aaant. Sorry man, doesn't work that way. You do a great job, and you get only good results. You get all A's, you get to go to more school (yay!). You're a great husband, and you have an ok marriage. You're a great father and you have decent kids. Is that what you want?-- Well what else is there?-- I'm glad you asked. There is outstanding, exceptional, unreal. That's the standard of anyone who calls themselves "THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD" (aka a Christian). Look, if a poor job is at the level of your feet and a great job is at the top of your head (of course a good job is at the level of your waist, you knew that already didn't you?), then an outstanding job is 1 inch (or 2.54 cm) above your head. That's where you gotta get to because those are the people who get all the rewards, right? Those are the Mother Teresa, the Martin Luther King's, the Gandhi's, the Nelson Mandela's. Jesus. Most people get to great and stop because they get frustrated. Don't be like most people. The reality is being great stinks. The world does not reward being great, it doesn't care. Don't be great. Be outstanding. Be light. Show this world something it's never seen before. Maybe it's a smile. Maybe it's a tone of voice or words of wisdom. Maybe it's a hug or a gentle touch. Whatever it is let your light shine... and give yourself a pat on the back when you do!
God bless,
Live from your heart,
Scott
Ok, this guys must be pretty full of himself... in a really humble way, right? I mean come on, "I am the light of the world". When was the last time you heard a Christian say that? When was the last time you said that, huh? Really, while we're on the subject, I wonder when was the last time you gave yourself some recognition for doing anything great. --What, well I don't do that.-- Really? Interesting. Why not? -- Because it's not right. You're not supposed to. It's-- Are you sure about that? Who says? Where is it written? Did the guy who called himself "the light of the world" and claims to be THE EXAMPLE of all upright human behavior say that? Hmm... Maybe the world has sold us a bag of... never mind. You know what I mean, right?
And here's the thing, do you do a better job when somebody recognizes you for it (even if that person is God), yes or no? Of course the answer is yes (Yeah, right, sounds prideful doesn't it, but it's true. Let's see life how it is, ok?). Next question, have you ever done something great and not had anyone notice (maybe it seemed like not even God), yes or no? I'm willing to hallucinate that the answer is "YES..." (said with a little bite there, huh? Well, somebody's a little bitter I guess, aren't they? That's all right. We'll sweeten you up in a second here, ok?) Next question, how much did that make you want to do a great job the next time? --It didn't! -- I know. That's my point. Now stick with me. What would have happened if you'd acknowledged yourself for doing a great job?-- Nothing!...-- Uh huh. Are you sure about that?-- Well, maybe I would have given it another shot.-- Uh huh.-- Actually maybe I would have gone at it even harder... -- Yeah, now you're getting it. Wow, you are brilliant...-- Hey, you know what, I don't have to wait for people to recognize how great I am, do I?-- Nope (smiling) you sure don't. And you don't have to wait for any of those great mystical experiences either (like those come every day, right?). -- So you're saying I can do this any time I want? -- hey, I didn't say that, you did, ok? -- Yeah, (going into a light trance with a little smile on your face) yeah, that's right.-- Hey just one more thing that I've been dying to share with you, all right? -- yeah, what's that?--
It's about doing a great job. What I gotta say is this: If you do a good job you get good results, right?-- Right.-- Aaant. Wrong. If you do a good job, you get poor results. If you're a good husband, you're wife is bored. If you're a good dad, you're just like all the rest. You're nothing special.-- Well then, I'll do a poor job, so I don't have to worry so much.-- Ok, you do a poor job and what happens?-- Well, I get poor results.-- Aant. Wrong again. You do a poor job and you get PAIN. Pain because they leave you, they fire you, your kids end up on drugs or in jail. You don't want to do a poor job, got it?-- Well then fine, I'll do a great job, ok? (a little bite again)-- Hey, you do a great job and what kind of results do you think you'll get, great?-- Yeah of course. -- Aaant. Sorry man, doesn't work that way. You do a great job, and you get only good results. You get all A's, you get to go to more school (yay!). You're a great husband, and you have an ok marriage. You're a great father and you have decent kids. Is that what you want?-- Well what else is there?-- I'm glad you asked. There is outstanding, exceptional, unreal. That's the standard of anyone who calls themselves "THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD" (aka a Christian). Look, if a poor job is at the level of your feet and a great job is at the top of your head (of course a good job is at the level of your waist, you knew that already didn't you?), then an outstanding job is 1 inch (or 2.54 cm) above your head. That's where you gotta get to because those are the people who get all the rewards, right? Those are the Mother Teresa, the Martin Luther King's, the Gandhi's, the Nelson Mandela's. Jesus. Most people get to great and stop because they get frustrated. Don't be like most people. The reality is being great stinks. The world does not reward being great, it doesn't care. Don't be great. Be outstanding. Be light. Show this world something it's never seen before. Maybe it's a smile. Maybe it's a tone of voice or words of wisdom. Maybe it's a hug or a gentle touch. Whatever it is let your light shine... and give yourself a pat on the back when you do!
God bless,
Live from your heart,
Scott
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