If God showed up on your doorstep and told you that he would now be using you to glorify His Kingdom, how would you respond? Would you change certain things about your life? Would you live differently or act differently? Would you tell Him "No thanks" and shut the door? If God wants to use you to glorify his name would you be willing to participate? Are you ready to participate?
I heard a very amazing sermon this morning at the Austin Stone about how God chooses the weakest, the most sinful, the least expected and the unwilling to share the His story and to spread His word. He has also chooses people with a past, people that may have problems in their family, less than perfect parents, you name it. There are countless examples in the bible in which God chooses people that have done horrible things, things in which we as humans would never forgive, to carry out His glory. This sermon really hit me hard today because it made me realize that everyone, including myself and you, are potential disciples of God and that at any moment or all moments, he could be working in us to teach a lesson to the world. The most amazing part of this is that he would even consider people like you and I for such an important task.
As I started thinking more about it, I realized that it all makes perfect sense. You see, if God's kingdom was all about being perfect and about people that live perfect lives, it would be irrelevant to our lives because our lives are far from perfect. We as humans are flawed and will never be without sin so if sin was the deciding factor, the kingdom of God would not be for us. Thankfully, because Jesus gave his own life on the cross, our sin is not the deciding factor but rather our faith in God. Thus in order to teach relevant lessons God must use people, and thus he must use flawed or sinful people as sin is present in all people.
So would you do things differently if you knew God was using you for something greater than you? Should you do things differently, or is the whole point that you do what your heart desires and the lesson is taught because you did what you did or do what you do?
Now what if God showed up at your door step to tell you about his plan to use your life, rang the doorbell, and you didn't answer? Maybe its distractions of life, maybe its a bad friendship or relationship that was blinding you, or maybe it was a desire for money and success that kept you from hearing the "knocking at the door". Maybe your life is going great right now and you just aren't paying attention. Would you care? Would you be happy you didn't hear it so you could continue on living in your own ways? Or would you regret it with everything you had?
I want to be sitting on the front porch, waiting for him to drive up! I don't want him to have to get out of the car. Oh wait, he is already here and waiting.
Speakin my mind
-EC
Monday, May 2, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
If you don't push yourself, who do you expect to push you?
Are you pushing yourself to new heights? Do you expect more out of yourself everyday and have a desire to be more, to be better? If you don't push yourself, who do you expect to push you?
I am a motivator and I love helping people get excited about ideas, jobs, life, the Lord, whatever. But I interact with so many people that don't expect more from themselves. They are content with mediocrity, they could care less if their life never changed; going through the motions is a daily occurrence. Its really hard to want to help these people. I can only say so much, and do so much but if they aren't willing to do something for themselves, why should I waste my time trying?
Me, I am always trying to better myself. In fact, I actually get really down on myself when I don't. But I don't just sit around and expect things to change, I work my butt off to get what I want or to be what I want. I sacrifice what some people think is a lot but what they don't know is that what I am gaining far outweighs what I am giving up. I might never get there but I will not quit until I do and for me thats what it is always about. Coach used to say, "You either get better or you get worse, you never stay the same" and this statement is a constant reminder about how I must always expect more from myself or expect to be less.
There is nothing better than talking with someone that works really hard, and pushes themselves to do more each and every day. In fact, its people like this that actually motivate me. I absolutely love spending time and motivating people that are already motivated. Actually those are the people that like to be around me because they appreciate my attitude and my outlook. People that aren't motivated get annoyed with me because they know that what I am speaking will only be something they hear and never use. These people do not want to hear what I have to say, because what I practice takes effort, a lot of effort and it is that effort that they aren't willing to make. They don't push themselves and they shouldn't expect anyone to. Without a desire to be more, you really are wasting a life. And for someone else to waste effort on you would further that waste.
Get motivated and then get motivated...by someone else. Its pretty amazing!
-thinking out loud
EC
I am a motivator and I love helping people get excited about ideas, jobs, life, the Lord, whatever. But I interact with so many people that don't expect more from themselves. They are content with mediocrity, they could care less if their life never changed; going through the motions is a daily occurrence. Its really hard to want to help these people. I can only say so much, and do so much but if they aren't willing to do something for themselves, why should I waste my time trying?
Me, I am always trying to better myself. In fact, I actually get really down on myself when I don't. But I don't just sit around and expect things to change, I work my butt off to get what I want or to be what I want. I sacrifice what some people think is a lot but what they don't know is that what I am gaining far outweighs what I am giving up. I might never get there but I will not quit until I do and for me thats what it is always about. Coach used to say, "You either get better or you get worse, you never stay the same" and this statement is a constant reminder about how I must always expect more from myself or expect to be less.
There is nothing better than talking with someone that works really hard, and pushes themselves to do more each and every day. In fact, its people like this that actually motivate me. I absolutely love spending time and motivating people that are already motivated. Actually those are the people that like to be around me because they appreciate my attitude and my outlook. People that aren't motivated get annoyed with me because they know that what I am speaking will only be something they hear and never use. These people do not want to hear what I have to say, because what I practice takes effort, a lot of effort and it is that effort that they aren't willing to make. They don't push themselves and they shouldn't expect anyone to. Without a desire to be more, you really are wasting a life. And for someone else to waste effort on you would further that waste.
Get motivated and then get motivated...by someone else. Its pretty amazing!
-thinking out loud
EC
Monday, April 11, 2011
Why is it so easy to stray from God?
The last few days I have really been struggling as I have felt away from God. It has not been that I am doing bad things or that my mind is in the gutter but rather that it has been so easy to put him on the "back burner". It's crazy because I have been thinking and talking alot about God but yet I have also felt disconnected and away. Interestingly enough yesterday's sermon was on this exact topic which is an obvious answer from God, saying "Hey Eric, I'm right here with you".
This has really been weighing on my heart because I am 100% sure that I am where I am because of God and if I take two seconds to think back on tough times, I see that God has always been 100% faithful to me, even when I have so many times strayed. But why is it so easy to stray from God? Is it the fact that he is so faithful that we know he will always be there? Or is it because so many things in our world and society are not centered around God, thus we get distracted? Is it that I am just not focused on what God wants for me?
I wrote a post a while ago about how God uses tough times in our lives to pull us closer. But I don't want to be "that guy"! I want God to be #1 in my life at all times and its a shame that I would require God to cause bad things in order for me to remember him and seek him!
It is my prayer, and I hope you will share this prayer with me, that God help me to stay more focused on him, that my eyes are fixed on his plan for my life and that my faith grows stronger than it has ever been. I want, with everything I have, to be exactly what God wants me to be and I want him to use me in every way he sees fit.
-Prayin out loud!
EC
This has really been weighing on my heart because I am 100% sure that I am where I am because of God and if I take two seconds to think back on tough times, I see that God has always been 100% faithful to me, even when I have so many times strayed. But why is it so easy to stray from God? Is it the fact that he is so faithful that we know he will always be there? Or is it because so many things in our world and society are not centered around God, thus we get distracted? Is it that I am just not focused on what God wants for me?
I wrote a post a while ago about how God uses tough times in our lives to pull us closer. But I don't want to be "that guy"! I want God to be #1 in my life at all times and its a shame that I would require God to cause bad things in order for me to remember him and seek him!
It is my prayer, and I hope you will share this prayer with me, that God help me to stay more focused on him, that my eyes are fixed on his plan for my life and that my faith grows stronger than it has ever been. I want, with everything I have, to be exactly what God wants me to be and I want him to use me in every way he sees fit.
-Prayin out loud!
EC
Friday, April 8, 2011
It may be time for some yard work
Its been a few weeks since my last post but I have always felt that if I dont have anything to share, I was not going to force it. I like to wait for the post topics to come to me. This next post was actually inspired by a little project I took on this week to landscape my house. I spent a pretty penny and put in a ton of manual labor to get my house looking fresh. Before I started, I knew it was something I needed to do but I was not so excited about the idea. As I started working I actually started enjoying it and had a lot of fun. So what is the point? The point has nothing to do with my new hobby per say but it has to do with the simple idea that often times we are always wanting more and more, newer, nicer, bigger and when we actually take the time to look, we might see that we already have plenty.
As I started digging holes, planting all sorts of things, spreading mulch and watering I realized that I already have an amazing home, in fact I am lucky to have a home at all. It hit me that rather than always trying to get more, I need to focus on what I already have. Spend some time maintaining, upgrading, or even better, enjoying what is already available to me. I definitely forgot how awesome my house is, and how great the landscaping can be with a little love. This is why I bought the home almost 5 years ago yet in the midst of everything going on, it was like my focus was elsewhere and I was not appreciating.
I really feel that we do this in all aspects of our lives. We want more, desire for something else, just because we don't have it and we often fail to appreciate and maintain what we already have. I am very lucky to be able to live in Austin, Texas and even luckier to live where I do. Yes I work very hard for that, but I am fully aware that it is a blessing from God to be where I am. That being said, I also have a desire for success and its hard because in my business we are constantly exposed to incredible homes and its easy to desire for something more.
Does this idea or situation apply to a relationship you have? How about your job? Do you find yourself wishing you were working somewhere else so much so that you are not putting in good effort into your existing job? Maybe the things you have in your life are plenty but you are not able to fully realize the benefits and the importance because you have not spent the time and effort necessary for them to fully reach their potential.
In my case, spending more time on what I already had actually gave me some serious enjoyment to the point that I have a new hobby. You see I had no idea that yard work could be so enjoyable. It was also fun because I made two new friends at Home Depot that helped me pick out the plants I needed. It was only until I focused on what I have and spent time with it, that I realized just what I have.
Does your yard need some water?
***I know that everything that I consider mine, is not really mine and all belongs to God's Kingdom but you get the point
As I started digging holes, planting all sorts of things, spreading mulch and watering I realized that I already have an amazing home, in fact I am lucky to have a home at all. It hit me that rather than always trying to get more, I need to focus on what I already have. Spend some time maintaining, upgrading, or even better, enjoying what is already available to me. I definitely forgot how awesome my house is, and how great the landscaping can be with a little love. This is why I bought the home almost 5 years ago yet in the midst of everything going on, it was like my focus was elsewhere and I was not appreciating.
I really feel that we do this in all aspects of our lives. We want more, desire for something else, just because we don't have it and we often fail to appreciate and maintain what we already have. I am very lucky to be able to live in Austin, Texas and even luckier to live where I do. Yes I work very hard for that, but I am fully aware that it is a blessing from God to be where I am. That being said, I also have a desire for success and its hard because in my business we are constantly exposed to incredible homes and its easy to desire for something more.
Does this idea or situation apply to a relationship you have? How about your job? Do you find yourself wishing you were working somewhere else so much so that you are not putting in good effort into your existing job? Maybe the things you have in your life are plenty but you are not able to fully realize the benefits and the importance because you have not spent the time and effort necessary for them to fully reach their potential.
In my case, spending more time on what I already had actually gave me some serious enjoyment to the point that I have a new hobby. You see I had no idea that yard work could be so enjoyable. It was also fun because I made two new friends at Home Depot that helped me pick out the plants I needed. It was only until I focused on what I have and spent time with it, that I realized just what I have.
Does your yard need some water?
***I know that everything that I consider mine, is not really mine and all belongs to God's Kingdom but you get the point
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Pure Life
Pura Vida, which translates to "pure life", "plentiful life", or "full of life", is a phrase widely used in Costa Rica by the locals. The phrase also is used to mean "cool" , a greeting or farewell, or even sometimes to say "thank you". "Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, resilience in overcoming difficulties with good spirits, slowly enjoying life, and celebrating good fortune".
The country of Costa Rica is situated in Central America, really close to the equator which makes for a tropical paradise, abundant with life. Here you will see some of the prettiest beaches, biggest views and greenest plants but also you can meet some of the most amazing people. The "Ticos" are welcoming and make me feel right at home. Everything about Costa Rica is awesome which is why the country has exploded with tourism. It is the "Pura Vida" that separates it from the rest of the world.
For me, Costa Rica is a place where I am the most at peace with myself because I feel and see the creations of God all around me. The true beauties of life are everywhere in their purest form. It really is pure life. Maybe it is the incredible surroundings that make the attitudes of the people so great! It's hard to wake up without a smile on your face when you are overlooking the ocean, that's for sure. Pura Vida!
Costa Rica is a part of my life that I am so proud of. I believe with all my heart that everyone should experience the "Pura Vida". God created this country and this life as a gift for us and if you ever have the opportunity to see it first hand, jump all over it!
Bloggin by the sea!
-EC
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Taking a step back
So as I am sitting in the plane, headed out of the country for a much needed sabbatical, I could not think of a more appropriate blog post. Over the next few days I will be taking a step back from it all and visiting my "tied for first" favorite place in the world! : )
With so much going on in my life, each day is filled to the top with a million things I feel like I need to get done. It's so easy for me to get caught up in the craziness. Often times I fail to realize that I am so caught up in my own busy life that I never stop and take a look at it all from the outside. Each new idea at work piles on to the list and it becomes ever so difficult to give deep thought to my priorities and to develop my plans and strategies further. My passion for my work doesn't really help with it all.
When I planned this trip I really put very little thought into it and simply bought a plane ticket a few month's back. Up until the beginning of this week it hadn't really hit me that I was getting this time away from my every day life. As the trip got closer and closer I could really see how much I was craving this time to myself; time away from the daily routine. This is going to be a time of reflection as well as a time to plan for what's to come. I feel like a little kid because I am so excited and I don't really know what I am excited about because I don't have any plans or places to be; maybe it's just that I am excited about.
I truly believe that it is so important to take a step back from everything and just have a good look from the outside. For me, the place I go to retreat is Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a place with the perfect environment because my cell phone dos not work which means communication with the outside world is limited. The environment is beautiful, peaceful and full of life. This where and how I recharge my battery. I plan to work out really hard, get some great sleep, do a ton of reading and really dig deep into my current ideas and thoughts about faith, work, and life in general. I will come back with new ideas and a plan of attack!
So don't "try and find the time" but rather MAKE time to take a step back from it all and get your mind right.
#doit
-EC
With so much going on in my life, each day is filled to the top with a million things I feel like I need to get done. It's so easy for me to get caught up in the craziness. Often times I fail to realize that I am so caught up in my own busy life that I never stop and take a look at it all from the outside. Each new idea at work piles on to the list and it becomes ever so difficult to give deep thought to my priorities and to develop my plans and strategies further. My passion for my work doesn't really help with it all.
When I planned this trip I really put very little thought into it and simply bought a plane ticket a few month's back. Up until the beginning of this week it hadn't really hit me that I was getting this time away from my every day life. As the trip got closer and closer I could really see how much I was craving this time to myself; time away from the daily routine. This is going to be a time of reflection as well as a time to plan for what's to come. I feel like a little kid because I am so excited and I don't really know what I am excited about because I don't have any plans or places to be; maybe it's just that I am excited about.
I truly believe that it is so important to take a step back from everything and just have a good look from the outside. For me, the place I go to retreat is Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a place with the perfect environment because my cell phone dos not work which means communication with the outside world is limited. The environment is beautiful, peaceful and full of life. This where and how I recharge my battery. I plan to work out really hard, get some great sleep, do a ton of reading and really dig deep into my current ideas and thoughts about faith, work, and life in general. I will come back with new ideas and a plan of attack!
So don't "try and find the time" but rather MAKE time to take a step back from it all and get your mind right.
#doit
-EC
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
#boom
You may have seen me using "#boom" quite a bit lately. Its a wonderful expression so I thought I would write a little something on what #boom means and some good examples of when "#boom" can and should be used!
"#boom" is an expression I use to signify a super awesome or exciting moment. It is an expression of passion, an expression of enthusiasm, something that I say when great things are happening. The "#" sign is a hashtag which is used to create groupings on twitter or tag tweets. I use "#boom" to tag awesomeness.
Here are some good examples of times when I use "#boom"
-When I walk out of church on a beautiful Sunday with a smile on my face because God met me right where I am and stirred something in my heart. #boom
-When I get a call from a potential client that is excited to work with our team. #boom
-When I finish a long run on a Saturday morning by 8am and know that I have the rest of the day ahead of me. #boom
-When one of my real estate agents does 11 deals in 1 month while being a full time student. #boom
-When I work really hard for something and it pays off. #boom
-When an offer gets accepted for my buyer and they are so excited about their new home. #boom
-When I invite a friend to church and on the way out I can tell by the smile on their face that they are so glad they attended. #boom
-When I wake up for another morning and realize that I get to live another day in Austin, Texas. #boom
As you can see #boom can be used in so many different instances. Please add "#boom" to your vocabulary and use it when appropriate. How do you know when to use "#boom"? You will just feel it, trust me!
Please leave a comment and share an instance when a "#boom" is appropriate
"#boom" is an expression I use to signify a super awesome or exciting moment. It is an expression of passion, an expression of enthusiasm, something that I say when great things are happening. The "#" sign is a hashtag which is used to create groupings on twitter or tag tweets. I use "#boom" to tag awesomeness.
Here are some good examples of times when I use "#boom"
-When I walk out of church on a beautiful Sunday with a smile on my face because God met me right where I am and stirred something in my heart. #boom
-When I get a call from a potential client that is excited to work with our team. #boom
-When I finish a long run on a Saturday morning by 8am and know that I have the rest of the day ahead of me. #boom
-When one of my real estate agents does 11 deals in 1 month while being a full time student. #boom
-When I work really hard for something and it pays off. #boom
-When an offer gets accepted for my buyer and they are so excited about their new home. #boom
-When I invite a friend to church and on the way out I can tell by the smile on their face that they are so glad they attended. #boom
-When I wake up for another morning and realize that I get to live another day in Austin, Texas. #boom
As you can see #boom can be used in so many different instances. Please add "#boom" to your vocabulary and use it when appropriate. How do you know when to use "#boom"? You will just feel it, trust me!
Please leave a comment and share an instance when a "#boom" is appropriate
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