The Love Tank

I am not sure if today's blog will be something truly meaningful to anyone but me.  However, today I want to reflect on something interesting in my life.

For the first time in some time, I am actually content.  Today I sat for a little while and thought about why.  What I came up with actually startled me a little.  There is an author named Gary Chapman who wrote a book called "The Five Love Languages."  It is a very good book and if you haven't read it, you might consider it.  Now in this book, he says that we all have a love tank inside of us and that we all have different things that fill our love tank.  While I'm not sure his list is all inclusive, I can't think of anything that would not fall into one of those five categories.

Also recently, I was talking to a very special person in my life and she made in interesting observation.  She said that her heart was full.  I remember at the time this struck me as something interesting.  She recently told me that she ponders things in her heart and I guess that I have been pondering that statement ever since. 

I think she was saying that her love tank was full and since I had read a copy of Gary's book that was directed at children, this concept really stuck out in my mind.  I don't believe in coincidences and I believe that the Lord was trying to show me something but it took me a little while to understand what.  See, I think for years that I have been running on a love tank that read - empty.  There are a many reasons for this and I certainly won't try to address them in this post but suffice it to say that is the way I have felt. 

Now have you ever heard the saying, what goes around comes around?  Well, I believe that is a true statement.  Some people call it karma but in all reality, it's a principal that comes from the bible.  The bible describes it as sowing and reaping.  In other words, what you sow, you are going to reap.  Most of the time we all think of this as doing something bad.  A while back, I played a little joke on my mom that we both laugh about and recently someone else played the same joke on me and we both laughed about sowing and reaping.  Have you ever hear of something bad happening to a bad person and then heard someone else say that person got what was coming to them?  Well, I think that can be true at times.

But what if the opposite was true?  What if when you do good things for people, that same type of stuff happens to you?  I almost find this hard to believe for many reasons but I know the bible is true and so it must be true that when I sow good stuff, I eventually reap good stuff.  For years I have tried to be someone who sows good stuff into other people's lives and didn't really see the results I thought I would see back.  I remember writing a blog this summer where I talked about breaking the cycle of being hurt and hurting other people.  In that blog, I talked about how Jesus was hurt by John the Baptist's death and how he helped people even though he was hurting.  I hope this doesn't come across as bragging because I am not.  This is just a point that needs to be illustrated.

As I sat here today, I realized that I truly was at peace.  I'm not restless, not in a hurry, not trying to figure out what to do tomorrow.  I'm just content.  Why am I content?  Because that love tank or my heart, however you want to classify it, is full.  Now I have always tried to be a giver but I can tell you that when your heart/tank is full it is much easier to give than when it's on empty and you are doing it out of obligation.  There is someone who will read this and know that they are one of biggest reasons my tank is full.  To that person, let me say thank you from the bottom of my heart.  That wasn't the only source that filled my love tank but it was the biggest.

So what can we learn from this?  Well there are a few things that I can think of.  First of all, keep doing good things for people.  If you do that, sooner or later things will start coming your way.  They used to sing a song in church and one of the lines was, "You've gotta keep on casting your bread upon the water.  Soon it's gonna come back home on every wave."  This is true in life.  Second, don't quit.  My mom sent me a link to a blog by Pastor Bob Nichols and the first line said, "Don't quit on your first day and don't quit on your worst day."  I like that a lot.  Sometimes, you will wonder what's taking so long for the good things to start happening in your life but don't quit.  They will come if you keep at it.  Lastly, for now, it's OK to be happy.  This content feeling bothered me because I was so used to not feeling it, it took a couple of days to get used being content and understanding that it was OK to feel this way.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Christmas Blues

Today I want to try to address what I like to call the Christmas blues.  Do you ever find yourself getting down at Christmas time?  If you are a child, it might not be as big a problem as if you are an adult but I even heard my friend KS say something about it in her blog.

For the last couple of days this has been my struggle.  I know the holiday season is here and I really look forward to Christmas until it gets here.  Does that makes sense.  In some ways it doesn't to me.

See right now I should be happy.  I have direction in all the major areas of my life, work is going fine, I feel like I am growing as a father and as a friend.  I have opportunities every day to help other people and I am entering the holiday season but I find myself more and more these last few days struggling to really get excited about Christmas.  Now I want to continue to help people, I want to be around people, and I look forward to giving them gifts.  I recently discovered that I am really a people person. But I find myself looking forward to January 2nd more than almost any other day of the year.  Why?  Because the holidays will be over.  Don't get me wrong, I don't get ba humbug but I just don't get as excited about the rest for some reason.

Part of the reason I think the holiday season can be difficult is because of what seems to be important these days.  Everything seems to be about the commercial aspects of the season.  At Thanksgiving it was a big meal.  Now we turn to Christmas and it's all about getting and giving gifts.  The whole thing has gotten a little twisted.  Giving of gifts was the first thing that happened on the first Christmas.  God gave Jesus, his son, to the world so that the world could be eventually be brought back in to right relationship with him.  We all know that Jesus eventually gave himself for our sins on the cross but did you know that on the first Christmas he gave up being in Heaven where everything is perfect.  We know he gave it up for us but he gave it up for someone else.  He gave a Christmas gift of his life to his Father so that He could have right relationship with His creation.  I bet you never looked at it that way right.

So what's the common thread in the giving?  Neither God nor Jesus gave a financial gift to the world, the both gave something infinitely more special.  They gave Jesus to the world.  With God is was always about relationships.  That was what was on his mind the first Christmas.

Now don't misunderstand me, I think giving gifts is a very good thing to do but I think there is much more to the season than just stuff.  If you don't get what you want, it's OK because if you got anything, you should be thankful that someone was there to give it to you.  Again, it's about relationships.  If you are a parent that doesn't have enough money to give your child everything you want to, don't worry about it.  There is someone in your life for you to give to and that's really important.  If you don't have enough money to give everything you would like to people, remember this - even though you don't have a lot of money, you do have something to give.  Let me tell you about a few very special gifts that I know of.

A few years ago, a friend of mine told me about getting things for her family at Christmas.  She is a really nice lady but was working a job that didn't pay very much money so she didn't have a lot to spend.  I think she gave her parents a framed picture of her but she made some part of it.  I guarantee that her parents will cherish that gift so much more than a new car.  See, she put herself into the gift.  She gave part of something special.  She gave her a small part of her life to her parents.  If you are the person who I am talking about and you are reading this, I bet you never thought of it that way.  :-)

Another person I know gave her daughter a gift for her birthday.  She was the first person to receive the Box award.  Here is what the person who received the gift had to say:

     “My mother cant afford a lot and I don't ask anything of her. This year for my birthday I said no presents.. just let me cook you dinner. Mom surprised me with the newspaper clippings and cards that came from my actual birthday. This was the most rewarding birthday gift ever. It made me feel like she was truly proud of me. “

I will tell you of another gift that shocked me.  I few months ago, I wrote an Opinion of the Minion about my grandfather.  Now I didn't really think this was one of my best blogs but I put it out there to pay honor to TS Rawle.  What shocked me was the response I got.  I wrote that particular blog because it was what I felt.  Comments on Facebook and e-mails came in from all over the family and everyone was touched.  I couldn't physically give them all a hug but I was able to give them something.

Do you ever find yourself coming down with the Christmas blues?  Well you are not alone, most people have to battle it at some point in their lives.  But know this, as you focus on the true meaning of Christmas and what the real gifts are supposed to be, you will see things differently.  You definitely have something to give and people will really appreciate a gift that comes from the heart much more than one from the wallet.
Well, I have done it again.  I have blogged myself happy.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Christmas Part 1

OK.  We are now officially in my favorite time of the year in Texas.  It's Christmas time.  It's not X-Mas, etc.  It's Christmas.  What do I like so much about Christmas?  Is it the tree, the lights, all the parties and food?  Is it Santa Claus or decorating the house?  Nope.  My favorite part of this year is carrying on the first Christmas tradition.

See, because God loved the world so much, he sent his son, Jesus to earth so we could reconnect with him.  Jesus came because he wanted to give this gift to God, his Father.  What's the common thread?  God gave Jesus so that the world would be blessed.  Jesus gave himself so that God would be blessed.  That's what this season is all about.  It's about giving, not getting.  I am not sure where but I heard somewhere that it is more blessed to give than receive.  At least in my life, that's really true.

Now we have a lot of traditions and I am thankful for them.  I used to enjoy decorating the Christmas tree.  That stopped when I was a young child though.  Apparently we were making a popcorn string to go around the Christmas tree when some part of the light fixture fell from the ceiling and hit me in the head.  Now my parents were renting that place and I don't know if we had to pay for the fixture after it broke from hitting my hard head or not.  OK - I still enjoy decorating the tree and the story above is true or so my parents tell me.

I love to go looking at the Christmas lights.  One of my favorite memories was going with my cousins in the back of my Uncle's suburban when we were kids.  We went to a place called Interlocken (sp?) in Arlington.  What fun we had that trip.  I can also remember the parties and the family fun.  My Aunt Pat used to have a platter that was shaped like a Christmas tree.  She would fill it with this fancy candy and I loved to get into that platter.  That was something I looked forward to every year.  But the older I get, the more I focus on the only real tradition that matters - giving.

As a matter of fact, I like to think about who I can bless and how.  There have been many times when I did something nice for someone and I could hear God inside me (my Dad) saying how proud he was of me.  Now don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting stuff and getting stuff for Christmas.  After all, someone will get blessed by what we do and it's OK to let someone bless you - even though I get really uncomfortable when people bless me.  I must admit, I would really prefer to be the blessor than the blessee.  For me, I am much more concerned with whether people will like what I got them than if I will like what they got me.

So I want to encourage you as you go through this season.  It's good to make your Christmas list and while you look for things for parents, family, friends and that special someone, look around for someone outside your ordinary box to bless. Remember that's the first true tradition of Christmas.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Letter to Matthew

This is the last in the letter series to my children and this one goes out to Matthew.

Dear Matt,

You are the most amazing young boy.  There are things that are different about you from a lot of boys.  One thing I notice is that you hate to play games that match one person against another.  This is something that I certainly understand.  When I was growing up, I never liked to play a video game where it was me against another person.  Do you know why?  Because that meant there had to be a winner and a loser and I hated the idea.  I would much rather play a game that would put me on a team and our team would play against the computer.  Why is that?  Because I wanted everyone to win and I was always searching for a way to make that happen.  In life, I still do that to this day.  Do you know why we do that?  Because we are made like our Dad in Heaven.  The only person he intends to lose is the devil.  He created a system that allows everyone to be happy and have the things they need and want in life.

So don't be frustrated by this son.  The reason you are like that is because God made you that way.  Matthew, God has a purpose for your life and I think it is much like the purpose he has for mine.  There is a special anointing from God on your life.  Now I know at age 7, you probably don't understand much of this but I want you to remember this because there will come a time in life when it will be very important to you.  See Matthew, you are a person who likes to build relationships and not tear them down.  You operate in that area just like God does.  Pretty cool huh.

I also notice what a big heart you have.  You don't like to see people hurting.  This is another characteristic of the calling that the Lord has on your life.  Did you know when you were little that I used to play a game with you.  You would do something funny and I would pretend that it hurt my feelings.  I wasn't upset; I was happy but I would pretend to cry by covering up my eyes with my hands and making crying noises.  As soon as that happened, no matter how mad you were, you would come over and put your arms around me and hug me.  You didn't like to see people hurting.  Matthew this characteristic of you is something that is embedded deep within you and it will play a part in what the Lord has for you later.

There is another thing that I consider special about you.  You are one of the best story tellers that I know.  I am constantly amazed at your ability to retain a story after only hearing it once or twice.  After that, you can tell me the whole story, word for word.  It's pretty amazing.  There are times when I get tired of hearing about Thomas the Tank Engine, Jakers, Kipper and Spongebob but know this that your storytelling ability will be another big part of you when you grow up.  Some people might get tired of hearing it (like Katherine and David) but one day, they will be really impressed with it.

Also, you have the most beautiful voice for a kid your age.  I really love to hear you sing.  As a matter of fact, I want you to sing more.  Son, don't be embarrassed by this.  You and I are a lot alike in that we don't want to draw attention to ourselves and that is a good thing.  But you have a gift.  That gift was put inside you by God to bless you, Him and others.  Please understand that when I ask you to sing it is because your voice is so good, it blesses everyone who listens.  I want you to continue to develop this very special gift.

Lastly Matthew, I want you to know how much I love you.  Son, you are that kid that everyone likes and it's easy to see why.  You are caring, you do your work when asked, you very rarely get into trouble, and you always have a smile on your face.  But I don't love you for any of those reasons.  I love you simply because you are who you are.  You are my son.

Love,

Dad

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Running

Today I want to talk to you about something I hated, then wished for, taken for granted and then became thankful for - running.

I can already hear many of the people who read this blog saying something along the lines of, "I could never be thankful for running.  I hate that stuff and having to run is a curse."  I can certainly understand how you feel.  While I have mentioned this in earlier blogs, I think, it's worth repeating.

When I was in high school, I was on the football team and I "played" offensive lineman.  For those of you who don't know, that means we didn't run very far.  We only ran 10 or 15 yards at most normally.  Even during practice, we didn't have to run very far.  We did have to run sprints after practice and I hated them with a passion.  They were supposed to be the conditioning part of our workout and I can tell you I was in no condition to do them.  We only had to run across the field for each sprint and I hated it.  I was in the slowest group and I came in dead last in that group.  Running was definitely not something to be thankful for.  Then I went to TCU and my hate for running continued.  We had to run longer and I still hated it.

Then the day came when I was 350 pounds.  Now at this point, I couldn't run 50 yards if I had to.  I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without being out of breath at the top much less run.  Now back then, I was my own worst enemy.  I went on many diets without any success.  My favorite was the seefood diet.  I was quite successful on it.  It was pretty simple.  I see food.  I eat it.  A lot of it.  I managed to stay on this diet until I got so big that when I stepped on a weight scale instead of a number it read, "To be continued...."  At that time I would go into Starbucks and order a Carmel Frappucino to drink in the morning.  For those of you who don't know, it's a fancy word for milk shake.  I would go into Starbucks and see people I despised.  You know the type.  They were fit and they stood there ordered all those coffee drinks.  What made it worse was they wore workout clothes.  They had on running shorts, running shirts, and during the winter even running tights.  Many times they were laughing and talking among themselves about running and how this part was hard or that part was easy.  I really hated it.  In reality, I was just extremely jealous.  I was in shape if you consider round a shape.  Literally, I was 67 inches tall and 58 inches around.  I knew I would never be able to do that and it hurt because it reminded me of just how far out of shape I have become.  At this pace, I was killing myself one pepperoni pizza at a time.

Let me stop right here for a minute and tell you a bible story.  See one time Jesus was walking through a city.  As he was going through the city, he came upon a funeral procession.  I don't know much about the Jewish culture but apparently they carry the body on their shoulders from point A to point B and this is what he saw.  This was a young man they were carrying and he was certainly too young to have died.  His mother was walking with the procession full of grief.  Jesus saw this and told the procession to stop.  That must have taken guts and I bet many of the people were furious because he was being very insensitive, or so they thought.

Think for a minute about some of the crazy things that have went on in this country.  There is that nut job church that goes around protesting funerals of our dead heroes who gave this country the ultimate sacrifice - their lives.  I certainly think you have a right to protest anything you want and the worst part about this type of protest is that the man or woman in that coffin took an oath to defend this country against all enemies foreign and domestic.  They were like so many others who died to protect those people's right to protest.  I can feel my blood starting to boil and maybe I will save this for another post but remember this.

So now we have this preacher stopping a funeral procession to do what?  Well much to the surprise of everyone, he raised that young man from the dead.  All of the sudden, these people got a brother, a son, and a friend back.  Mom went from grief to joy and the funeral went from death to a party.  When Jesus touches your coffin, your life and those around you is changed forever.  That's exactly what happened to me.  Jesus touched my life and I went from 350 pounds to 190.  I went from a life headed for an early grave to a celebration.

Part of this change involved running.  I became and still am a runner.  It started during my weight loss period.  At the end of the weight loss period, I ran my first marathon.  It is a moment I will never forget.  Jesus had literally turned my life right side up.  The marathon was in Fort Worth, Texas.  I was under trained for my first one and it was a cool, overcast, drizzly day in February.  The race started and ended in downtown Fort Worth.  As I turned to corner and started the last quarter mile, it was one of the most difficult and easy of my life.  The run wasn't hard but I was overcome with emotion.  I had tears in my eyes as I crossed the finish line because I knew how far I had come because of what God did in my life.  Thank you Lord, I will never forget.

After that running became pretty routine and I got pretty good at it.  I ran one more marathon and have done a bunch of 5Ks and 10Ks.  I have even managed to win my age group a few times.

Then one day, I was going into Starbucks again for tea.  This time was different from the time above because I was one of those people who was in shape.  I had lost a lot of weight and generally felt great.  This particular morning, I was frustrated about my run.  I think I ran slower that I would like or something and I was complaining on the inside about it.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man sitting in a wheel chair and part of his legs were missing.  I didn't think much of it at first but then the Lord arrested me.  He said to me, "Do you see that man?  He would almost kill someone to be able to do what you are complaining about doing."  That humbled me.  It made me really appreciate my legs and being able to walk/run.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Impact

Today I want to talk to you about something important - impact.  Impact what you ask?  Not what but who.  Who's life do you impact?  Some people you know, some you would know if you thought about it and some you may never know this side of heaven but you do impact people's lives.  The question is how do you impact them?

We have all had situations where we did something we regret and it might have impacted someone in a very negative way.  While that is certainly unfortunate and we should all strive to avoid hurting people, I want to discuss how we impact people in a good way.

The first group of people we impact are people we impact their lives and we know it.  I recently found out that a friend of mine was having a really bad day.  I was able to do something for her that really cheered her up.  It was really cool because I knew she was hurting and I got to help brighten her day.  I also got to brighten two of her friends day at the same time.  It was a really fun thing to do.  So let me ask you, when was the last time you did something nice for someone?  When did you do something for someone just because you wanted to do a nice thing without hope of any type of payment?  Can you think of exactly what you did and when?  If it was longer than a week ago, you are long over due to help someone.  I apologize right now if this sounds like bragging.  If you know my heart, you know I don't ever want to brag on myself.  However, it is fun to be the person God uses to bless someone.  I had one day last week where I was able to bless several people on the same day.  It was really neat.  I even had the opportunity to do something nice for someone today.  That came with a huge payoff though.  The smile on that person's face made the whole thing worth while.

The next group of people are ones that you can impact in a positive way if you will just look around and pay attention.  I struggle with this group sometimes because I don't pay as much attention to others as I should.  Now everything you do for someone doesn't have to be a big thing.  Maybe its something small like seeing someone walking out of Starbucks with their hands full and opening the door for them.  I did that today.  Was it a big deal?  No.  Was it something nice for someone I didn't know?  Sure.

See, we all know what our friends and family need.  In many cases, because we are so close to that group, that we are intimately aware of what they need.  When we get a chance to help, we should.  But what about other people around us?  What about the guy in the wheel chair struggling up a hill.  I recently watched a guy go up a hill near my apartment.  I should have helped him but I didn't.  Look around you, there are people everywhere that need help, we just have to open our eyes and watch.

There is another group that we should pay close attention.  Unfortunately, we will never know who this group is.  Well, how can we pay attention to them if we don't know who they are?  We can pay attention to how we treat people in general and the example we set.  Whether you know it or not, people are watching you every day to see what kind of person you are.  Do you help people or do you hurt people.  Let me ask a question.  If you were the only Jesus someone ever saw, what would they think of Him?  That's a pretty sobering question and if you take it the wrong way, you can wind up in condemnation.  I don't want you to go there.  What if someone looked at the way you acted and said, "That person is just a great person.  If that is what Jesus is all about, count me in?"  That would be pretty cool huh.

Well, sometimes we can say a word of encouragement to someone and we will never know that they were encouraged.  Not too long ago, I was talking to a close friend of mine who happens to be my banker.  We were talking and he was telling me about a mutual friend of ours who now lives in Houston and is doing quite well.  Apparently several years ago, I was sharing with our friend about tithing and how it changed my life.  I learned that the true way to increase was to give.  That doesn't make sense right?  But it works.  Anyway I don't even remember talking about this with our friend but apparently he was inspired by what I told him and started tithing himself.  Now he is very successful and he told my banker friend that he remembered our conversation from several years ago even to this day. If I remember right, that pushed him over the top in the right direction.

So let me leave you with this.  You impact people around you all the time everyday.  It's up to you what you do with that opportunity.  You have the ability to do something nice for someone that will bless them and encourage them.

In this life, making a million dollars isn't important, making a difference is.

That's the Opinion of the Minion

What a Minion Likes To Do

Looking back on the memory of

The dance we shared

Neath the stars above

For a moment

All the world was right....

Some of you will recognize the lyrics to that song some of you will not.  Recently my ballroom dance instructor told me I was stuck musically in the 80s.  That might be a little true because it's when I was a teenager.  That song is "The Dance" by Garth Brooks.  I really liked that song when it first came out.  All the girls liked it too so I thought I could use it to help me get dates or make the dates I had better ones.  So guess what I learned at TCU?  I learned to make a rose out of a paper napkin and learned how to play that song on the piano.  I thought that would be super romantic - a paper rose, singing that song while playing the piano.  How could I go wrong?  The best thing was that every girls dorm had a piano in it while I was at TCU so it was perfect.  I went a little farther and learned a few more songs - Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers (couldn't sing that one), Fur Elise (Beethoven I think), and The Rose by Bette Middler (I did try to sing that one) were the extent of my library.  My friend BL, could play a couple of other songs but I cannot remember what they were.  BL, I know you read this sometimes, call me and refresh my memory please.  

Is there a point to your ramblings Mr. Minion, you ask?  Well yes.  While I was not near as successful at being Michael Buble as I would have hoped, I discovered something while learning these songs.  I actually liked to play the piano.  Now I am never going to win any competitions at it but its fun.  My mom played a lot growing up and she actually got pretty good.  I guess that's where I got it.  Well, a few months ago I picked up the sheet music for "The Dance" again and guess what?  I couldn't play it anymore.  Do you know why?  I hadn't touched the piano in years.  Why is it that I quit doing something that I really enjoyed?  I don't really know but I did.  I don't think I ever sat down and decided I wasn't going to play, life was just life and I didn't do it anymore.

But when I picked up the sheet music and sat down at the keyboard, the next thing I knew it was an hour later.  Did it sound good?  Probably not but I didn't care, I was enjoying myself.  See, that was an interest that God put in my box that I hadn't played with in a while and I missed it.  I wasn't playing because I wanted to be the best or even so other people would enjoy it.  I just was playing.

Obviously, I have written on this topic before but I think it's worth looking at again.  So let me ask you, what things do you enjoy?  Sit for a minute and think hard about it.  You may have to think back several years to find your piano moment but I am sure it's there.  I want to challenge you to take a little time this week and do the thing you enjoy.  It will enrich your life.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

A Midsummer Minion's Dream

Today, I want to talk to you about dreams.  How often do you sit and dream?  I do it all the time.  I day dream about all kinds of situations in my life.  I have visions of what a right relationship would look like and see myself there.  I think dreaming is something important that we have missed in our lives.  I was in church on Sunday and heard this message.  Then I went back to a totally different church and heard the same message about vision and dreams on Sunday night.  Do you think God was trying to tell me something?  In the last couple of weeks I have had two very strong revelations from the bible about dreams.  So here we go.

We all have dreams.  As I have said before, when I was in high school, I dreamed of going to Annapolis and then on to fly F-14s for the US Navy.  Well that one didn't come to pass but that's OK.  Top Gun is still one of my favorite movies of all time.  I love the end because Tom Cruise overcomes tragedy and saves the day.  It's my kind of movie. 

I also dreamed about going to law school one day and becoming Perry Mason.  I was going to argue cases and be the greatest lawyer ever to walk the planet.  Well that partly happened.  I did graduate law school and technically I am a lawyer but I don't practice much.  If you have ever had me as your lawyer, you know I am no Perry Mason.  ;)  But I am happy with me and I am glad I went to school.  When I told people about my dream some of them said I would never make it.  Some said it to my face and some said it behind my back but that's OK.  That dream was working inside me and guess what, I made it.

Now here is a dream that I am going to share with you that I have never made public.  Only a few people know about this one but I want to share it with you now.  For years I dreamed of being the President of the United States.  I could see myself in the Oval Office.  I could see myself making right decisions and governing wisely.  I read scriptures about how when the righteous rule the people rejoice.  Many people say they wouldn't want the job but I wanted to be the go to guy.  I wanted to see if I had what it took.  If you come into my office you will find many books about presidents, the white house and being president.  It was definitely one of my long term goals.  Today, I don't really want to be President anymore.  Why you ask, because it isn't my calling.  I am beginning to wake up to what the Lord has called me to do and I know that isn't it.

So what I have been doing the last couple of days is working on my dreams.  I am writing them down and beginning to think about them.  Many studies show that when we write down our dreams and think about them regularly, this process acts like a magnet drawing us closer and closer to our dreams and goals.  That's pretty cool stuff huh.

See, I think it is important to dream big.  When I dreamed about losing weight, I would see myself skinny.  I would see myself doing all kinds of things.  One thing that really embarrassed me about being big was I couldn't water ski which was big with my family.  But I would see myself being skinny and attractive.  I started confessing everyday that I weighed 205 pounds.  I did this for over a year without dropping a single pound but that dream was resonating inside my spirit every day.  That dream was working inside me and pointing me the right direction.  Then one day, that dream popped in my spirit and the transformation began.  But guess what, I didn't stop at 205.  I went all the way down to 185.  See when we dare to dream and then keep those dreams in front of us, amazing things can happen.

Now let me tie this to a place you may not really understand.  God.  Guess what, he has dreams.  He has dreams about you.  The bible says that He has plans for you.  Plans for your good.  It says in another place that he knew you before the foundation of the world.  Since before the world was founded he was dreaming about you.  That's pretty far out there stuff huh.

Well I want you to get a picture of this.  Think for a minute about that perfect guy or that perfect girl or maybe a car, etc.  Picture him/her/it in your mind.  Think for a second about whatever your goal is.  See yourself in a right relationship (See the Box).  See yourself succeeding.  How does that feel?  Does it touch a nerve in the core of your being?  Does it release a warm feeling inside you?  This might blow your mind but the Lord sits around dreaming of you the same way.  He pictures you in his mind successful.  He pictures you in his mind with the right person.  He sees you enjoying yourself and it brings great pleasure to His soul.  He gets excited about His dreams for your life.  He has a good life planned for you.  He sees you and He spending time together doing things that you love.



And that's another Opinion of the Minion.

A Message from the Lord of the Minion

Dear Friends,

This will be a different type of post for me but I know it is right.  If you are a minister, I ask that you read this with care and make sure I am hearing correctly.  I believe today, I have a letter from the Lord that is in my spirit that must be let out onto this blog.  Below please find that letter from the Lord.

My Dearest Child,

Long before you were born, I created this world and I gave it to my son Adam.  It was completely his and I intended for us to grow it together.  But Adam made a bad mistake.  He gave the authority over this world to a fallen angel you know as Satan.  Let me say, I have never stopped loving Adam.  I care about him as deeply today as I did back then.  It grieved me that he gave our authority to Satan but I still love him.

I deeply loved Satan before he fell from Heaven.  Both Satan and Adam are my creations and I had to let both make decisions that would hurt Me even though I loved them with all that I am.  Jesus was there with me when these things happened and I see love so deeply in him.  I love him.  It grieved us both to see our creation hurt and see where we knew things were headed.  But We don't quit.  Our love for you would never allow us to.  That separation that Adam caused between Us and Our creation was something we desperately wanted to close.  Our hearts yearned for Our creation even more than before the fall because of the separation that took place.  We couldn't be one with Our creation like we were before that day in the garden.

I had a plan all along to bridge the gap.  The problem with the sacrifices that took place before this was that Satan still had authority in the earth.  That was what happened when Adam ate of the tree I told him not to.  He gave authority I intended for us to share to Satan.  I needed something to take the authority back so that I could be close to you and live with you.  Before the cross, I could be around you and I could be close but I could not live inside you.  It's like Tommy said about the box.  I could admire and put things in you but I want to live in your box.  I want to get as close as possible to the inner part of your box.  I want to get so close that what's inside your box and I become one.  If someone looks inside your box, I do not want them to be able to distinguish between what is you and what is Me.

I want to give you everything I have.  I am constantly looking for ways to bless you.  Sometimes you reject my offers but I never stop offering.  You are still my most prized possession.  If you look in awe at the majesty of the mountains or the depths of the oceans or the stars of the heaven, they are nothing compared to the way I look at you.  You are all that I long for.

Before I could become one with you again, I needed to get the authority back to do so.  If I had tried to change things without doing this, it would have destroyed the world and I would have lost you forever.  The three of us (Jesus, the Holy Spirit and I) could not bear the thought of loosing you.  You are too precious to Me.  You are all that I want.  The only way to put that bridge in place so that I could live with you and love you the way that I really wanted was for there to be a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.  They included the ones that I knew you would commit after the cross and all the ones before.  For this to happen, We knew that We would have to send Jesus to as final payment for all the sin of our creation.  He decided He would go through great pain because of His love for you.

When We sent him to the earth, immediately some of his creation sought out to kill Him.  Imagine what it would be like for your son or daughter to be so misguided that they tried to take your life.  That's what was happening then.  Our creation didn't know Us.  I protected him because We all knew what He had to do.  I sent him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  I had to make sure he faced every opportunity to sin that the rest of Our creation has faced.  And he did.  But he held fast to me and blocked every temptation.  After that, he got to do what he loves more than anything.  Even though they didn't know they were his creation, We blessed Our creation through him.  We got to give out little glimpses of our love.  And we enjoyed it.  We got to heal the sick, proclaim liberty to the captives, provide food for people that needed, we got to give dead people back to their loved ones.  We got to give money to people that needed it.  We got to spend three years walking the earth in human form and blessing it.  It was such a joyous time for us.  Jesus loved his time on the earth with his creation.  We waited until the time was right and then set about redeeming Our creation and putting the bridge in place that would allow Us to come live in your box and be one with you.



Many will say that I am an angry God looking for ways to hurt my creation but I am not.  I love my creation too deeply to do anything that would harm it.  It is all I love.  Many of my sons and daughters are anxiously awaiting my son Jesus' second coming.  That will be a sad day for me because many of those that I love more than anything will have made a choice not to live with me and be with me.  I love them enough to let them decide but it hurts Me when they don't want Me.  I want you to know that I love you today.  I have always loved you and I always will love you.  I am God but I want to be your Father.  I want to spend time with you.  I want us to enjoy your life together.  I want you to be successful and fulfilled all the days of your life.  I want nothing but the best for you.  Bad things happen in this life to people but I don't do bad things to my loved ones.  Little children, you are all I care about and desire.  I have gold and beauty you haven't seen yet but I seek after you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with great fear and trembling that I submit this letter from the Lord.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life.

Tommy Oswald (The Minion that God so passionately, deeply and committedly loves)

Game On, Mr. Minion

Today I want to talk to you about being ready.  Being ready for what, you ask?  Well you will have to answer that question, I can't.  But let me explain what I am thinking.  Are you ready for the opportunities that cross your path.  If you met that special someone, are you ready?  If someone gave you the dream job of a lifetime, are you ready?  If someone was going to send you to the college of your dreams, are you ready?  Lastly, and most importantly, if you died tonight, are you ready?

See I think we spend way too much of our time complaining about our circumstances or pushing too hard to make things happen the way we want.  We are so focused on us that we aren't ready for the great opportunities that God places in our life.  Now let me say, that I don't believe that we should just sit around and wait for everything to fall in our laps.  That's not smart.  That's being lazy.  I'm talking about being ready when something comes along.

Let me illustrate this with a story of mine.  Sometimes God has divine appointments that you don't expect.  If we aren't ready when they do, we can miss the whole opportunity.  I go to Starbuck's at least once a day (please no comments about the actual number from my friends).  For several month's there was a certain lady that I wanted to talk to but never did.  This was primarily because I am a pretty shy guy most of the time.  I like being around people and most who know me are very comfortable around me but talking to a total stranger is not something I normally do.  Well, I always liked this girl's face because it looked so kind.  (To the girl who I am talking about - I know you will read this and yes you have a very kind face.  Turns out the personality matches the face.  Don't even think about arguing with me on this point!)  I saw her at Starbuck's for several weeks and never talked to her.

One day, I realized that I was never going to say anything to her because it really isn't in my nature to do this so I just forgot about it.  Well, two days later, I walked into a restaurant by my apartment and saw a guy I knew.  Guess who was sitting at the table with him?  Did you figure it out?  Yup, it was the girl from Starbucks.  Over the last few months, we have become good friends.  She is someone who's opinion I really value and she has really helped me through a tough time.  I think I have been able to do the same for her.  Just think, none of this would have happened if I hadn't walked into that restaurant that day.  That connection was the Lord's way of saying to me, "I've got a million ways to bring people into your life," and it really blessed me to hear that from Him.

When I would see her, I thought about trying to break the ice and say hello but I never did.  Then when I finally decided to let it go, things worked out on their own.  Now this is about a friendship but it applies in all areas of our life.  Where are you pushing hard to accomplish something.  Where are you getting so worked up and stressed out?  Is it possible that while you are trying to figure out how to make something happen in your life that you can't see God setting you up to bless you?  Where are you so focused on someone who is a negative influence in your life that you can't see that amazing person who wants to be part of your life?  Stop and look around.

While I try very much not to preach in these Opinions, I must ask this one thing.  If you were do die tonight, are you ready?  Well, you might say, "I go to church."  That's not what I asked.  You might say, "I'm a good person."  Again, that's not what I asked.  What I am asking you is have you ever met Jesus and made him Lord of your life.  He is a very close personal friend of mine.  He is a real person that you can touch.  Guess what - No matter what you have done in this life, He deeply passionately loves you.  As I write this, I am thinking about His love and it brings tears to my eyes.  He's out to get you but not in a bad way.  He wants to love on you.  He wants to help you.  He will never give up on you and never quit you.  He knows your secrects and His love sees right past that to the inside of the Box He created.  I am not asking you to join a church or become part of a denomination, I am asking you if you have met my Jesus.  If the answer is no, would you please consider praying this simple prayer.

Just say, "Jesus, I ask you to come into my life.  I ask you to be my friend and show me your love for me.  I ask you to be my Lord and Savior."

If you prayed that prayer with your heart, you just became my brother or sister.  Welcome to the family!  Please let me hear from you.  Knowing you made that decision will be the best thing I hear today.

If you didn't pray that prayer, know this that God loves you very much and because He first loved me, I can honestly say that I care about you too.

That's the Opinion of His Minion

The Football Player Who Couldn't Play

Today I want to continue looking at the box but this time I want to take a different approach.  Let me ask this question to start - When we get a Christmas present what is the most important part?  We certainly like the nice wrapping job (unless I did the wrapping), the colorful paper and the pretty bows.  But after about two seconds of looking at it, we tear right through to get to the good stuff inside.  Yet we do just the opposite with people?

With people sometimes their appearance is the most important.  Have you ever looked at some good looking TV star who was having personal problems and thought - Why does someone with all that going for them have so many problems?  The answer is the wrapping paper is more important than the gift. 

If you gave me a priceless diamond for my birthday wrapped in a box and I went on and on about the way the box looked. I really admired the shiny wrapping paper and the bow.  I made a big deal out of the glossy paper, opened the box and took out the diamond.  Then I either threw away the diamond or worse, I told you it was worthless and dropped it. 

After that I picked the box back up and played it the rest of the day.  I tried to take the box to bed, to school, and to work.  I showed all my friends the box and kept the box around day and night but I never ever looked at the diamond.  I would be crazy.  Yet we do this every day.  We look at a good looking girl or guy and our first thought is about their appearance but we never even appreciate what's inside.  Please don't misunderstand me, I think working out and taking care of your appearance is important and you should do this.  I just think that the most precious part of a person is the inside not the outside.

Why do we do this?  One of the reasons is because we don't spend enough time looking at the diamonds inside our own box.  We spend time working on the outside of the box or just babysitting it.  I work out about 7.5 hours a week.  Is that a lot?  Not really.  There are so many people who work much harder than I do.  But lets start with 7.5 hours a week.  I spend that working on the outside of my box (and it still needs work).  Do I spend at least 7.5 hours working on the important part of me (the inside)?  I try to now but I didn't before.  How many of us watch TV 7.5 hours a week?  We spend plenty of time babysitting our minds yet we never spend anytime developing them or the other diamonds in box.

Another reason is we work on pretend gifts that aren't really in our box (phantom gifts) and we neglect the real ones that are.  We do this because we think it will make other people like/accept us instead of developing the real gifts God put in us. 

Let me illustrate.  When I was in high school, I desperately wanted to be popular and I really wasn't.  I was a pimple faced nerd.  I was on the football team all four years of school (except for a couple of weeks as a sophomore) and I was one of the worst football players ever.  As a matter of fact, when I quit for a few weeks, my coach told my mom that I shouldn't play because I wasn't good.  It really made me mad but he was exactly right.  After my sophomore year, I was one of the strongest kids on the team but I wasn't a good player.  When the list came out for varsity and I wasn't on it, one of the kids in my class ridiculed me in front of people and it crushed me.  This was a phantom diamond for me.

On the other hand, I was a pretty good musician in band.  I played contra bass clarinet in the band and did really well as a freshman.  After my freshman year, I quit the band and wouldn't play because I didn't think it would make me look cool.  I couldn't appreciate the beautiful people in band because I didn't understand how really special and talented they were.  I didn't think being in band would make me popular like being a jock would.  Do you see what I was doing?  I wasn't celebrating and developing the natural gifts God put in my box.  I was working on phantom gifts because I wanted others to like me. 

Unfortunately, I wasn't popular, didn't get the girl and I didn't even like me.  Now, I am just me.  I quit trying to be good enough for others.  Whether anyone likes me or not, I really like me.

So let me ask you, two things.  First, how much time are you spending on the gift vs. the box?  Second, are you working on the real gifts inside you or the phantom ones just to impress someone else?

That's the Opinion of the Minion

The Box - 2015

Hello Everyone,

This is one of the first posts I ever created and I think that every once in a while I should repost it because it was so profound to me.



I have given this a lot a of thought and I believe that the Lord showed me something that changed the way I view people.

You see, when God creates a person he gives them abilities, passions, desires, talents and all sorts of wonderful attributes that we seldom ever see.  Then he takes all these things and puts them in a box with silver wrapping paper and very pretty red ribbon tied in a bow around it.  He calls the box - You.  It is a present to the world.  When I saw this for the first time, I looked around at all the people walking by and said to myself, "Merry Christmas!" because all I could see were beautiful boxes waiting to be opened.

The problem is many people don't even know what is in their own box much less have taken the time to look in someone elses box.  This starts when we are in school.  As we grow up, we learn all kinds of new things about ourselves: what we like, what we don't, the changes that our bodies go through, we learn things in school about the world and we learn about social interaction.  But sometimes that social interaction teaches us that the stuff in our box isn't all that important. 

Have you ever felt like the stuff inside you doesn't really matter?  Can you look back to a point in your life where you were doing something you really enjoyed and someone else called it or you stupid or worthless?

When you pull the most precious parts of your life out of the box and let other people see them, it is scary because you are definitely vulnerable at that point.  But know this, the Lord put all those wonderful things inside and they are of great price and value.  Don't let someone cheapen what is so precious by their comments.

Everyday, I see people who are alive but aren't living.  I think it is because they have told themselves that the treasures in their box aren't important or worth much so they don't do anything with them.  They may not have done this openly but below the surface it happens.  You have to know that if God took the time to create you and put all those treasures inside you, they are important both to him and to me.

When was the last time you looked in your box and pulled out something you truly enjoyed and used it?  When was the last time you opened the box?  When was the last time you were passionate about anything?  Are you so caught up in the rat race that your box isn't important any more?

Here is another interesting question - When was the last time you opened up someone else's box to see who they really are and celebrate the gifts inside them?  Do you always know what is wrong with your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, kids, friends, parents, family, coworkers but never look inside the box for what is so awesome about them?

Husbands, what would happen if instead of criticizing your wife, the next time you saw her, you decided to look at something that was so precious to her, so beautiful, so tender, so amazing and something she loved about herself?  What would happen if you nurtured that gift and encouraged it to grow?  What would happen if, after you opened her box, she decided that your box was the most special one on earth and decided to touch the core of who you are?  What if you both decided to go deep in your relationship?

Boyfriends, what if you looked at her and decided that you wanted more than just what was inside her clothes, you wanted what was inside her heart.  Girlfriends, what if you decided that you wanted the same thing?  What if you wanted to explore who they are and make them the best person they could be while they did the same thing to you?  What if you looked at them and asked, "What can I give?" instead of "What can I get?"

Is this a little intense?  Yes.  Is it worth it if just one person decides to open their box or open someone elses?  Yes.  You see, I believe that I got to see a little glimpse of the creation through the creator's eyes when He showed me this.  It was truly an eye opening experience and I can definitely say I will never be the same.  I got to see how He looked at and longs for His creation to be all that we can be and how His love for us goes so deep His heart aches for us.

So I guess the real question is what is in your box?  I want to know.

That's the Opinion of His Minion