Ever sit and wonder why you are so blessed…?
Blows my mind sometimes…
But also breaks my heart…
Like…Why am I blessed? What did I do to be as fortunate as I am? 

Why wasn't I born in China and as a young boy forced to work long hours in terrible conditions, making clothes Americans buy to look cool?
Why wasn't I born on the streets of war torn Syria just trying to survive another day?
Why wasn't I born in communist Russia with very little rights and freedoms?
Why wasn't I born in the poverty stricken mountains of Peru where digging through trash for food is a commonality? 
Why wasn't I born on the hillsides of Nicaragua farming coffee to fill the cups of blessed Americans?
Why wasn't I born in Sierra Leone and forced to pan for diamonds that will eventually be bought for thousands of dollars and slipped on the finger of a pretty blessed woman, and if I didn't, I would lose my finger...? 
Why wasn't I born in Thailand and as a young boy sold into the sex slavery industry where I spend the rest of my childhood? 

Breaks my heart…to know this is how some people live…
This is where they were born…This is their life.

But knowing this…
And realizing how blessed I am…
I can't turn a blind eye…I can't.
So what will YOU do? How will YOU do YOUR part? 
There are things YOU can do! 
Later this week I will post on simple ways you can get involved. 
Stay tuned.  

Can you imagine?
Your 6 year old daughter….
gunned down in the 2nd most deadly school shooting, by one man, in American history…
Can you imagine? 
The pain. The evil. The hurt…
Could you ever move on? 
Has there ever been a time in your life where you felt evil has won? 
The Sandy Hook tragedy was that for me…I thought evil had won...
On a daily basis we are bombarded by evil around the world, in our own neighborhoods, our own families…
and we have a choice on HOW WE WILL RESPOND. 
Our choices will reflect the good that ultimately triumphs over evil. 
This is the story of the little 6 year old girl and her parents response to the evil that seemed to have won on Dec. 14, 2012. 

Has there been a time where you felt like evil has won? 
Are you currently in a situation where evil is winning? 
Choose good. 
You have a choice on how you will respond. 
Choose good. 
Life is better that way! 

I've been called frugal…
I've been called cheap…
I've been called (when people don't want to be mean) thrifty…
And I'm pretty sure all that would be true, 
but here's the deal…

Ever since I got back from Colombia, South America,
God has wrecked the things that I thought was important. 
Some of the people I met down there had nothing…literally nothing. 
Yet they were filled with joy and had a passion for life and God like none I've seen before. 

Ya know, we in America, get so caught up in material things and money. 
We get lost in our consumerism culture. 
We think in our minds that we need this or we need that…But do we really?! 
We tend to think that if I just the newer version of this or if I could buy that brand of clothes…we would be happy. 
We seek pleasure…things that we think will make us happy. But this type of thought pattern never satisfies…
In fact, the most contented people I know have found something more satisfying than pleasure, they’ve found a humble sense of gratitude, 
and are actively participating in work that is difficult, beautiful and good.

This life we live is beautiful.
We muddy it up and make it about things that don't matter.
They don't matter in the short term and they don't matter in the long run.
Some of the people I met in Colombia didn't have internet access, the newest iPhone, Direct TV, a vehicle, the nicest clothes or even a house they could call their own…
Nonetheless, they had a passion and a fervency for life that is hard to describe. 

Ok fellas…this one is just for us…just us guys!
Here we go.
Character is the essence of being a man. 
Good character doesn't simply arrive out of nowhere, on it's own…
It takes time…It takes effort...

Men are fighters.
I used to love fighting…is that bad? I still have that bone in my body that would love to knock someone out. Why do we love to fight so bad? haha I don't know, but we do. 
And fighting for our character is a fight ALWAYS worth fighting. 
Our character is the soil which the fruit of our lives burst forth. 
Our character is made up of our motivation, our actions, our thoughts…
It's who we are when no one else is watching. When no one else is around...
Character requires looking at our weaknesses and doing something about it.
It's one thing to acknowledge we have a weakness…
It's a whole 'nother animal to acknowledge it and then do something about it. 
It's hard to look close in the mirror…but it's necessary! 

What weakness is holding you back and needs to be dealt with?
What have you acknowledged is a weakness but you haven't taken that extra step to do something  about it? 
Do it! Our character is so important! 
It's worth fighting for! 
FIGHT HARD! 

Everyone loves héros.
We love superheroes. Batman. Superman. Spiderman…
We love seeing the pursuit of goodness, justice and truth. 

But do you realize that we all are made to be heroes. 
We are designed to sacrifice ourselves (our desires, our needs, our lives…),
for others and to be in that constant pursuit of goodness, justice and the truth. 

But so many of choose to be the Clark Kent instead of the Superman…
We choose to shrink away at the sight of injustice…turn a blind eye…
We would rather watch movies about superheroes than try to be one. 

There is a mark on your soul and woven deeply into your DNA is the passion to sacrifice yourself for others and that unrelenting pursuit of goodness, justice and the truth…
The uncompromising quest for the sacrificial affirmation of another person's good above your own…

What injustice just absolutely tears you apart?
What evil in this world wrecks every good bone in your body?
What lie are you hearing and seeing that makes you sick inside?

Well…
What are you doing about it? 
Remember, there is a mark on your soul and woven deep in your DNA there is a passion to sacrifice yourself for others and that unrelenting pursuit of goodness, justice and the truth…
BE A HERO! 

This is one of the most powerful ads I've seen in a long time. 
Please watch and take a moment to pray...

Just because it's not happening here,
doesn't mean it's not happening. 
Please take a moment and pray for Syria. (and Kiev and Venezuela) 
Sometimes we as Americans get so caught up in our own little, safe, comfortable world…
We tend to forget, sipping on our lattes that there is complete and utter chaos happening around the world. 
Dear Lord, open our eyes and open our hearts to the hurt around us! 

Yesterday the executive pastor here at church dropped by my office.
He handed me a 5 Point sticker and said "here, you can put it on your truck!"
Which seems very reasonable…I have a good number of stickers on my back window.
Here's the issue…
It's a church sticker…with our church's name on it…everyone in this area knows this sticker...
which means I have to represent our church in a Christ-like manner while driving…

You know…My truck is kinda like my sin mobile. 
I mean I can honk my horn, ride someone's tail or even stare them down when I blow their doors off…
I can break the speed limit…drive reckless...
and no one really know that it is Cal…that guy that works at that church…
the guy that says he's a Christian...

Take this morning for example.
I was driving to work and some jackwagon pulled out and cut me off in the left lane…and then went 5 below the speed limit…
WHAT?! I about became unglued! 
I took a deep breath and went around them…
and then turned into our church parking lot.

But what if I did become unglued.
What if I laid on my horn, rode their tail and then screamed past them going about 70 (all while having the 5 Point sticker on the back of my truck) and then I pull into our church parking lot…
What kind of example is that?! 

Here's the thing…
My goal is to be more Christ-like…in everything I do…
and that means being Christ-like while I drive…
So here we go…
The sticker is going on! Pray for a brother!  

Most of you know that recently I took a job as the Volunteer Coordinator at 5 Point Church. 
I read a quote in one of my favorite books, A Leader's Focus, this morning that read, "If you are interesting, people will like you, if you are interested, people will love you." 

Being genuinely interested in people, will grow your influence so much further than you trying to build your own platform of influence. 
Servant leadership is huge. 
It applies across the board. Every occupation. Every leadership position.
Wherever you are in life, servant leadership is applicable. 
There is no greater asset that you can possess than by loving, serving and doing good for others. 
We improve our circle of influence by serving others. 
And we look most like Jesus when we serve others…
Because that is exactly what Jesus did…served others. 
Remember, you can never lead someone somewhere you have not yet gone yourself. 

There is joy in serving. 
Get involved and serve.
Serve those above you. 
Serve those beside you.
Serve those under you. 
Life is better that way! 

Adoption is really cool to me.
Adoption changes lives forever. 
Cassie and I want to adopt. 
When you think about it…that's what Jesus did for us!
He adopted us into his family.
Our past can no longer define us.
He brought us into his family and forever changed our lives! 
How grateful should we be! 
And how thankful should we be! 
Jesus adopted us into his family…
Broken, bruised and a lot of times deformed from life...

Watch this story.
It will do 3 things for you:
1. Make you realize how blessed you are.
2. Give you an appreciation for adoption.
3. Make you realize how grateful and thankful you should be for what Jesus did for you by adopting you into his family!