No Shame in the Small Step

I’ve had seasons of physical fitness in my life, but it’s fair to say I’m not currently in one of those seasons. Over the past ten years I’ve trained for triathlons, marathons and tony-hortons. I thrive on a workout calendar. My soul savors every check box and every crossed-out-day completed. 

In fact, over the last three months, I’ve had several marathon research sessions to discover my next challenge. But, in the midst of my search for the perfect program, I’ve failed to do one thing. Exercise. Without a plan, my motivation tanked. I tend to be an all-or-nothing type. If I can’t exercise for an hour, I won’t exercise at all. Why run if there’s no miles to record and chart?

That changed Sunday. I took a step, a tiny step. Ten minutes. Lunges, Pushups, Planks. To my brain, it was a small step. My breathing had a different opinion. Two days later my legs also tell a different story. And, I’ve learned something. There’s no shame in the small step.

We all desire to see transformation in some area of our life: physically, spiritually, socially, financially. And many of us want the complete chart and calendar before we make a move. A strategy is good. A step forward is better.

Honestly, I’ve hesitated for far too long in posting. I wanted a writing plan. I’d prefer to have a list of posts planned out. But this is my small step. And, there’s no shame in the small step. What’s yours? What could you do today?

Our Adoption Story: Part One

We’re adopting! It’s a journey that’s been years in the making, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be walking down this road together.

Shannon and I knew having biological children might not be a possibility for us, so the seed of adoption was first planted during our dating years.  But, after three years of marriage we were blessed with a beautiful, red-headed boy. God was faithful.

After a couple years of parenthood, we decided it was time for our family to grow. And it did. Three times! Sadly, each of those pregnancies ended in miscarriage. It was terrible. But, in the midst, God was faithful and we grew in our walk with Him and each other.

In 2016 we welcomed little Luke into our family, all 3 pounds of him. He was a miracle and a fighter. After a month in the NICU He came home and has been thriving ever since.

At the beginning of the year Shannon and I began praying about adoption. While we’ve had friends walk this path, but we honestly had not idea where to start.  We spent a couple of months praying and decided to take steps our next step after I finished a weekend retreat with the youth group.

As I spoke with the retreat worship leader that first night, who I knew had adopted, I learned that his wife worked with Lifeline Adoption. Before the weekend was over, I had information hand-delivered that outlined our next steps. God is faithful!!

The process is long. It seems like there are a thousand steps to take. But each step of the way God has been faithful. Thanks for reading our story. Thanks for your prayers. Thanks for your support. I can’t wait to update you on all that God has done and is doing. 

Want to be a part of the story? We are currently fundraising to cover adoption costs. Check out our adoption shirts HERE.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God–1 John 3:1

 

Gummy Bears for Breakfast

I’ll admit it. I’ve been proud, arrogant and probably a little bit stupid. Blame it on seminary. Blame it on being raised in the church. Or, more likely, blame it on my tendency to float towards pharisaic tendencies. But, for the longest time, I have rejected the idea of devotions. All I needed was the Bible. One verse, a story and a sentence prayer wasn’t going to cut it for me. I needed meat. 

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat… (1 Corinthians 3:2 KJV)

While I still agree that we all need the meat of God’s Word, usually I’m better prepared after a few hours of wakefulness. I’m learning that I’m not ready for steak at breakfast, but milk is pretty delicious.

If I’m honest with myself, my mental intake first thing in the morning has often been the nutritional equivalent of gummy bears. As soon as I silence the alarm on my phone in the morning, my fingers take me to my email closely followed by Facebook. 

My first thoughts are not of my Savior and what He has done but instead about what I need to do and what others around me are doing. And, to be a little more honest, this practice hasn’t set me up well to focus on Christ’s work in my life throughout the day to come.

For the past few weeks, I’ve allowed the first few moments of my morning to be spent in a two minute devotion, specifically Rick Warren’s Transformed devotional, available through YouVersion’s Bible app. While it is no substitute for focused time in God’s Word, it has helped me to have a more Christ-centered focus as I start my day.

If you haven’t checked out the app, or it’s many Bible reading plans, take a look. You can even set up a daily reminder. Mine comes at the same time as my morning alarm.

Steak beats milk, but milk beats gummy bears. Praying you find a way to start your day focused on Jesus!!

How about you? How do you start your day focused on Christ?