40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes

spreading.the.word

with a little creativity >> video


wôrd.twö.yó.måmå from Jared Smith on Vimeo.

perspective.

here is a good friday video for you.. Perspective on things can change so quickly. I think this could help.. especially with the thanksgiving season around the corner.

video



thanks to ragamuffinsoul.com for sharing.

seasons.

I don’t know about the weather where you are, but back in Alabama the signs of seasonal change are everywhere. This is a season that I love. When the leaves begin to transition from glowing growth of green to an array of tones in orange and browns. There is an undeniable beauty in looking unto the clusters of trees around me and see the variety of creativity in the colors. I really love this season. I love that the Creator chose to give us these transitions in the seasons. That He can capture my heart by the falling of the leaves as I cruise through the streets of my life now, moving from one thing to another.

Change of the seasons are all around us. Nature is revealing the change of seasons. Our nation is in a season of change. The life of Meredith and I is preparing for things to change. We do not know what the future has in store… but we know the One who does. We know the One who changes all seasons.

“Daniel answered and said:
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise…”

- Daniel 2:20-23

Often times these seasons of change can become overwhelming. We can feel the darkness in the mornings. We look around the world to see no glimpse of any light. We can have major doubts if the next season will ever come.

My question rests in this? How will we chose to act if the One in whom the light dwells does not reveal that light right away? What if He has greater lessons of trust and faith to be learned in this season of change? He has promised to walk us through all seasons, but often we don’t chose to live like He is. I have been seeking Him for some lessons in this season and have been challenged greatly by the words of Habakkuk 3:17-18 –

“Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”

I think this is the greatest of responses that we could have in any season. His understanding is so much higher than our wisdom. We often don’t get what He is doing in our lives. But He wants us to see Him at work in all seasons and situations. He is our only promise of light to come.

You might be currently in a pretty steady season. Things might be going well for you. Or your world might be completely upside-down with no fruit being produced on the vines. You might be really feeling this season of change. I do not know where He has you.

But I can tell you this.. in every situation of my past - and there have been some tough ones - the Lord has been completely faithful. He has come through in ways that I never would have dreamed, where credit can only go towards Him. He has revealed his light in the most perfect of timing. Its not always the easiest answers to our situations… but He is faithful to carry us through them, if we let Him. He has been faithful in seasons of the past, and that puts me trusting Him for this next season of our future.

Lord,

I will trust and I will rejoice,

I will have faith and take joy,

I will give thank and glory,

I will sing and praise — You, the God of all our seasons.

relevant.

I've been reflecting a lot on church styles lately. There are so many different ways to approach how you "do church".

Some churches are outstanding at maintaining the traditional form of worship and church services. People connect with the richness of the hymns and order of the worship.

While others offer a quality towards the more modern scene of life today. They remain faithful to the Message of history, but aim to present it in a more "relevant" style. They often use music of pop-culture to influence the thinking of God in the world today.

I see the value in both approaches... and in this video I can see... well, I'm sure you will see what I see.. when one style tries the approach of the other --- Pure Awesomeness.

What do you see??

beautiful words.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him, and He will act.

- Psalm 37.3-5

free tunes.

I have really been enjoying some great music lately. I thought that I'd pass it along... because not only is it great.. it's free. like.. for real free.

Phil Wickham >> Singalong.
must hear :: Divine Romance


Daniel Bashta >> Worship in Motion.
must hear :: Christ in Me

click it.

download it.

enjoy it.

share it.

elections.

It feels like the presidential elections have been going on for almost two years now.. really, because they have. As all of America, and most of the world, shift their attention to the distinctions between the two main candidates, I really appreciate Dr. Joel Hunter's viewpoint on the outcome of this pivotal election >>

"The elections aren't the end of our efforts. They are the beginning.... No matter who is in office, that's God's person to prompt us into action. So our real job starts after November."

- Dr. Joel Hunter,

impact.

I've been doing a lot of reading and reflection upon one word lately. The word comes with a simple definition :: the effect or influence of one person, thing, or action, on another. It can come in the smallest of words or in the largest of actions. We make it whether we are strategic or naive towards it >> Impact.

We all have the opportunity to stake claims upon which type of impact we will make. I believe that we all have a responsibility to strive towards making a positive impact on our world [[ insert the whole "leave a better world for our children" speech from any politician ]]. But for those of us choosing to follow Jesus, I believe that responsibility moves beyond into a command >> see Matthew 5:13-16.

We cannot control the way in which others respond.. their response is an action of their choice; but we can control our actions to influence, inspire, and impact (( sorry for the alliteration there, it just came out )). Some might respond to our actions in full agreement and gratefulness with hopes of continuing the impact.. others can respond in misunderstanding or even resentment with desires of stopping or reversing the impact. Their response is not in our control.. our only control is in the actions of ourselves -- carrying the hope to impact.

Here is a man looking to make an impact >> he is simply called Banksy. His choice of medium is the color of a spray can. His action of impact is to apply his talents with paint upon deserted buildings among communities in need of inspiration. I was influenced by his latest trip to New Orleans.. His images share a story with a grand opportunity for beautiful impact. Some may respond differently.. but you have to appreciate his heart to make an impact.

[[ there are rumors that Banksy has recently left his mark upon two buildings in Birmingham -- I'll grab some photos if I can find them ]]


++ my questions to ponder >>
-- Do I want to leave an impact? If so, of which type/magnitude does my heart want to leave??

-- Are the actions of my life moving towards the purpose of making an impact?

-- What actions can I make to increase the impact upon those around me??


:: good quote on the subject >>

"We must never underestimate the importance
of one moment, one word, one deed
in the life of another human being."

-- Erwin McManus,
Seizing Your Divine Moments, 117.

disqualified taekwondo.

Now there are many ways that someone could respond to being disqualified from the bronze medal match at the Olympic games... Cuba's Angel Matos choses this as the best method of response towards the Olympic referee >>


At least he got his point across.
-- but then he also got banned for life from the Olympics.. so maybe not the best of responses.

google street.

I saw this and had to pass it along >>
"Google Street View finally found Waldo ..."

- from Relevant's Slices

coming soon.

so Mer and I have a LOT of things going on.. hopefully I'll find some time to post about those plans soon.

But I just wanted to say that there is one show premiering soon that I'm totally looking forward to watching >> ABC turns a Chinese classic show into an American fad >>



but it looks awesome!! Check it out. What do you think??

encouraging words this morning.

So this morning I pulled an old book of my shelf, it was a copy of Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God Day-by-Day. It was given to me back in 1999 by a great friend, Michael Wright. He gave it to me for my high school graduation and wrote some very encouraging words on the inside covered. Well, those weren't the only encouraging words that I re-read this morning.

I opened up to the reading for today, just to see if I had read it back then and wrote anything about that day. April 28th -- I got nothing. But on the page to the left (the 27th) I come across these words of my hand writing: "Father... I have asked you to show me where you want me, and you reply not with a position but a perfect answer. Father, help me to be close enough to you so that I may hear your voice and recognize your calling."

These were words that I had penned over a decision for my summer plans. The Lord was completely faithful to lead me to exactly what was best for my heart that summer. Now, fast forward a great 8 years and as I graduating from another era of school, my prayer is exactly the same :: Father, show me where you want me. His reply - exactly the same :: close enough to Me to hear My voice and recognize My calling.

Thank you Lord for the re-reading of those encouraging words this morning.

$3 worth.

"I would like to buy $3 worth of God please
I want just $3 worth

Just enough to equal a soothing cup of warm milk
Or a snooze in the sunshine
Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep

Enough of God to make me feel love and forgiven
But not so much to make me love and forgive others
Not so much that it will make me seek justice for the oppressed
Or to embrace the person with AIDS
Or make room for the refugee
Or to feed the hungry
Just $3 worth please

Enough to snack on for two Sunday morning hours of bliss
I want ecstasy
Not transformation
I want the warmth of the womb
Not the terrible pain of new birth

Give me a pound of the eternal
$3 worth of God please
And could you put that in a brown paper bag…"

- adapted from Tim Hansel, $3.00 Worth of God

useful list.

I just thought that I would pass along an impressive list of the 101 Most Useful Websites... there are some good ones out there -- this may help you find a more useful one.

duke basketball.

so if you have been lucky enough to have any free time lately, or just haven't been getting things done that you should have, you probably have been watching a lot of basketball. It is the month of March.. and there is a big tournament going on.. but you probably haven't been watching any basketball like this >> check out the video.

now of course duke would go on to lose the next game.. you might have loved that or hated that.. but I personally think it was because they didn't have the frog in the game.

test drive.

Over the past few years, I've been able to buy and sell cars through Wholesale Auto Plus. It has been an outstanding deal as my form of the apostle Paul's "tent-making" alongside ministry. I've given test drives of many types of cars to many types of people.. some legit folks.. some not-so-legit folks.. but here is a story of a man that definitely took a test drive of a car way too far >> 2,000 miles too far.

by the way.. here are the two cars that I currently have for sale >> come on, you know you want a convertible!!

defense.

so I know that I'm not the greatest of basketball players out there.. but I do know that this ain't the way that you are suppose to play defense...

and this dude actually made it to the NBA. Well he definitely just got posterized.

encyclopedia.

a new site launched today.. well.. for a bit. the Encyclopedia of Life site had 11.5 million hits in over 5 1/2 hours, which is just a few more than here. but because of the massive demand, the site crashed. I'm sure they are working on increasing that broadband.

the AP describes the new site as offering "limited Web pages for 30,000 species. There are also "exemplar pages" that go into more depth with photos, video, scientific references, maps and text of 25 species... Eventually, planners hope to have all 1.8 million species on the Web and already have set up 1 million placeholder pages."

dang, just another thing on the web to distract us from the work that needs to get done.

referral.

sinful.

I came across a very interesting article today :: America's Most Sinful Cities.

The article displays, in accordance to the "7 Deadly Sins" :: lust, gluttony, avarice, sloth, wrath, envy and pride :: the American cities that have "fallen the farthest from grace." It is extremely interesting to see the cities in the ratings.. but a question hit my heart.. is that the right thing to rate??

Just because my city is rated #2 in gluttony and #5 in sloth doesn't mean that we have turned more from grace.. or even that we need it more. We all need it. But it could mean that we love the One who gives grace more..

Jesus asked him, "A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?" -- Luke 7:41-42

We all have a sinful debt. We all owe something for it.. and none of us can repay it.. no point in gauging the debt.. the gauge must be in how much we love the gracious Forgiver of our debt. Where do you rank in that?

Insert song :: Jesus Paid It All.

love.

with this being the weekend after Valentine's day.. I thought that I would share an old video that I came across from way back in the day. One of Frazer's finest -- keeping in mind that this was done while the Budweiser "Wazzz up" commercials were rolling.



It includes John Schmidt, Rob Webster, Shane Segars, John Ed Mathison, and Bruce Wilkinson - the guy who wrote Prayer of Jabez.

the winning three.

the Giants pulled an upset by three.. so I thought I'd give you my winning three.. my favorite commercials from the night >>

The Uni-Brow, by Planters :: funny because its ugly.. and I'm sure its one of David Nasser's favs.

Baby II, by E-trade :: funny because its like a Mikey flashback from Look Who's Talking.

What is Love, by Diet Pepsi :: funny because it reminds me of a guy in seminary with me.. seriously, wake-up.

similarity.

I don't know if it is only because my friend Brad George has gotten me back into playing Halo (the original) or not. But when I came across photos of the new Hummer HX concept car, I could not keep from picturing the always helpful Warthog from the game. Whether you consider using it as a panzy-way to play or not.. you have to see the similarity...

- okay, so minus the whole guns and aliens thing.

If you want to check out some of the other concept cars revealed at the Detriot 2008 show.. check them out here.

ripple.

so you might have read the post from yesterday and thought.. that's great.. but I don't have the spare cash to give each month -- even for the better causes. I understand. I might aim to challenge you some in what you use that cash for.. but I understand. So let me show something that will offer support for some cool causes that you can do.. because its Free.


here is a site that you can offer support towards your choice of causes :: water, food, education, or money. And all that you have to do is click.. you've already done it probably 50-100 times today.. why not one more to help a great cause. It is a brilliant concept that is connected with money through marketing.. but in a legit way. Check it out -- view how it works -- and make it your home-page. Why not start each day with something that helps other folks of the world. Make a click.. start a ripple (sorry, I know its cheesy, but I couldn't resist).

hate.

There are not many things that really get to me. I don't have that many things which I can say that I really hate. But I hate a certain tv commercial. No way around it.. I hate it. It rubs me wrong every time that I see it. It is the commercial with Sarah McLachlan about abused animals, set to her "In the Arms of an Angel" song. (I would post the video on here.. but I don't want to let more people see it.)

Now, I'm FOR helping stop abuse of animals. I really am. And I'm not against Sarah McLachlan.. according to this, she helps out some good charities. But I hate the fact that the commercial is produced in the exact way as commercials for supporting impoverished children. It forces my mind to connect the two.. and in comparison.. one totally outweighs the other.

This is goes sort of in step with my boy B's post about the amount of money spent by Americans on their pets. I get that the charity for abused animals needs financial support. But how can a person feel obligated to send $20 a month to help an animal, when there is a massive need to help a person!! Which cause is more worthy of the support?? There are plenty of great organizations -- Christian based and non -- that accomplish great things in support of people, through monthly contributions :: World Vision, End Homelessness, or Give Grace -- just to name a few... you can check out the charity navigator for others.

Its really not that I hate animals.. cause I don't.. but that commercial.. the way that it is presented.. I'm sorry, but I hate it.

just crazy.

so a good friend of mine, Taylor, revealed to me just how crazy Tom Cruise really is... if you haven't seen it yet... you need to just watch this video.

and then once you've seen the craziness there... check out some funniness here.

fame.

"Fame is just having your name known by a lot of strangers."

- this is a great quote by Robert Zimmerman... a man who would change perspective on a lot of things while being known to those strangers by a differnt name. there is some strong irony there.