Today is the day…I turned 34 today. Spend yesterday with my wife and 2 kids at the zoo, and got to hang out that night with some of our family. Since I was out of the office and away from my normal routine I could not help but be overwhelmed by all of God’s blessings. God has allowed me to be husband to Chelsea, dad to my 2 little girls, friend to so many incredible people, and pastor to some amazing teens and families at Grace Community Church in Clarksville TN. I am overwhelmed. The process of celebrating a birthday always pushes me to reflect on where I am at right now and where I need to be in the next year. I am not sure about what your goals are for your life but one of mine is really simple. I want to MAKE it through this journey with as little regret as possible. I already know I am going to make mistakes…poor choices…fail…that is all what happens in life, but I want as little regret as possible in when I am 64 as possible. I just don’t want to miss God’s BEST in pursuit of AVERAGE. So here is what I am asking myself this year on my birthday…

Am I HIDING from God or RUNNING toward God? // my personal pursuit of Christ matters more than anything else. Jesus I need you…I have the option to hide from you of run to you every day. I must reject spiritual apathy!

Am I SHOWING UP consistently for my family? // my wife and girls need me to lead and love them…am I showing up for them on a regular basis or am I giving them leftovers after others have taken my best

Am I still LEARNING? // am I listening to others, am I humble enough to learn from my peers, what am I reading that inspires me to think forward, am I willing to take leadership risks to learn what will be best for tomorrow

Are my DREAMS for the future better than my MEMORIES of the past? // that is from Andy Stanley and I am so grateful for the idea. When my memories are bigger than my dreams for tomorrow my time of leadership is at the end.