Have you ever found yourself wishing that all of the people around you would just…. Change?

Ruminating on how much easier life would be if others could just get the picture! Get it together!

I think we all know that life doesn’t work that way… It’s not your job to change anyone… or your responsibility to change them.

Usually when we have these strong thoughts… I would argue that something is actually begging to change inside of you. Your thought process… the window through which you view others… your perspective… only you know.

I have had the privilege to do many weddings in my years as a pastor…. And one line I say every time is…. “Never be too proud to change”

So let me ask you the question… I am sorry if this seems aggressive.

Where in your life has your pride kept you from changing into the person you need to become?

Where you know there Is a habit you need to get help for… you know there is an addiction you need to address… you know that you need to work on being less angry, or more kind…

But maybe you’ve said something like… “Can’t teach an old dog new tricks!”

Now I am not a dog person so I don’t know if that is necessarily true… but I have seen mature people change at every age.

In my life, following God has changed me from the inside out… and I am far from perfect… but everyday I sense his attempts to change me in a way that is more loving to the people around me.

So today, interrogate your attitude about changing yourself for the better.

I know you don’t like to be a prideful person…

So think about the people you love and ask, How can I adjust my lifestyle for them!?

You will be surprised how when you make this decision, and work it into your daily rhythm… the people around you will feel it, and your life will begin to reflect it.

“Hey, I know it’s Monday. But it’s also a new day and a new week. And in that lies a new opportunity for something special to happen.” – Michael Ely

Today is your friendly reminder that Monday is a fantastic opportunity to reset… to wipe whatever happened last week… Good, bad, chaotic, to wipe it off your heart and mind.

I challenge you today to enter into this week with hope… an expectation for something to happen.

I’m not going to let last week deter me from having a great week

I’m not going to dwell on things from last week that happened out of my control.

I’m going to lean in to the new and the “possible” this week, and change the narrative.

I’m rooting for you,

Early mid life crisis for me.

My face is tightening.

I look at pictures of myself before kids and marriage and life responsibilities and laugh. What a kid. It’s funny how you have no idea 1) what life will throw at you and 2) how much you are capable of handling as a human.

I’ve very recently decided that I am not going to be harsh to myself as I age. (Which is hilarious I am saying this at 26)…

If you are listening to this I want to talk about wrinkles… the naturally unavoidable reality delivered to our bodies over time.

Thank you Mother Nature.

For me, I am thankful for my wrinkles and my dad bod because I got them spending my time investing myself in the things that matter most. The hard work of raising children… being emotionally present with my spouse… living life present with hurting people.

So today instead of hating your body for they way it is presenting itself to you in the mirror… say this…

I’ve earned these wrinkles.

Today choose what your future wrinkles will represent.

I recently read some alarming statistics.

84 men a week take their own life.

75% of all suicides occur in men.

Today I am going to share some daily declarations for men, because there is a battle we fight in the mind that I am not sure we are always awake to.

Save this episode and begin each day believing these truths about yourself, from Pastor Craig Groeschel.

I am the son of the King of all kings.

I lay down my pride and selfishness, giving all glory to the one true God.

I love my family like Christ loved the Church—giving Himself up for her.

I fight for purity, guarding my eyes and heart from tempting situations.

I seek friendships with other godly men to sharpen my perspective. (Proverbs 27:17)

I wait for God to open the right doors and take action when He does.

I’m not defined by my failures or successes.

I finish what I start.

I never give up!

I will act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God. (Micah 6:8)

Through Christ I am strong, gentle, fierce, and compassionate.

I am a warrior! I stand firm, even when the pain is crippling because God is my strength.

I will fight the good fight for what matters most. (2 Timothy 4:7)

I have heard so much feedback from our episode 1.51 “Daily Declarations” that as today’s lift, we are going to share more of Pastor Craig’s content. Specifically today declarations for Women as you navigate all that you are in life.

Save this episode and speak it over you life everyday.

I am the daughter of the King of all kings.

Because of Jesus, I lack nothing.

God has given me everything I need to do what He’s called me to do.

I speak encouraging, life-giving words and build others up.

The joy of the Lord is my strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

I will not compare myself to other women. God made us all beautifully unique.

I will hold myself to God’s standards and measure myself with grace.

I will love and laugh rather than fight and complain.

I refuse to waste my life on meaningless things.

I will act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God. (Micah 6:8)

Through Christ I am strong, gentle, fierce, and compassionate.

I will fight the good fight for what matters most. (2 Timothy 4:7)

"I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving." Oliver Wendel Holmes

I find this quote to be fascinating considering today’s cultural climate. Do you ever feel the pressure that exists to “take a stand” on all of the most controversial issues that dominate the headlines today? What is your opinion on whiteness, and Western Gender ideology, and abortion, and policing, and Nation building, and vaccines and masking…

We all likely have stances on these things… and for most of us, we live in a country where we have the privilege of being involved in the discussion.

Let me ask this question…

How often have you shared your stance in a way that changes someone else’s stance? Like after you spend 20 minutes pontificating to someone who feels differently than you… you completely win them over to your side? For many of us, its happened maybe once? Twice if your lucky?

So many people are exhausting themselves formulating and posting and defending their “stance”… why?

I find that we have a difficult time changing minds and hearts because of our “stance” on any issue or topic.

However there is something that we all have the opportunity to appeal to that does have the power to change minds and hearts… an ideal future!

So let me ask you… have you created in your mind and heart a vision for your ideal future?

A future where… you fill in the blank.

A world where… you fill in the blank.

A country where… you fill in the blank.

An organization where…

That’s my challenge to you today.

"I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving."

Define what the ideal future looks like in your context!

Stop wasting your time on your “stance” and start creating a vision for the purposed life you were designed to live!

Have you ever caught yourself criticizing yourself? Like the soundtrack of your mind turns completely negative… It happens so subtly… so slowly over time.

Recently I was having a horrible day when it comes to these afflicting thoughts. It happens more than I’d like to admit… and I know the thoughts I have are not really true… but there is something inside me that is terrified that they are true.

What do you do when your inner-critic gets the best of you? How do you stop the borage thoughts? How do you silence the afflicting voices?

One practice I want to share with you today is the power of Daily Declarations. A couple years ago, I heard this from Pastor Craig Groeschel… and I can almost link my dark thoughts to when I get away from the discipline of doing these daily declarations.

These declarations are the resistance to the negative thoughts that consume me. They are the frontline, the offense against the lies that we tell ourselves about ourselves. These statements are what are inherently true about every person because we are made in the image of God.

Here are Pastor Craig’s declarations, feel free to steal all of them, because they apply just as much to you as they do him or I.

Save this episode and play it daily until this becomes a rhythm in your life.

Speak these over your life each day and notice the lies start to dampen day by day.

“The grass isn’t greener” -Kevin Ilich

Today I want to talk about “the grass is greener” mentality…

No, not because every single one of my neighbors have a lawn irrigation system and I am jealous… that has nothing to do with this!

I want to talk about what to do when we catch ourselves staring at other people proverbial “lawns”

We all do it… even if you don’t live within 5 miles of a neighbor, or don’t have a “lawn” to take care of…

So much of our life in today’s society and cultural climate with social media is spent dwelling on what we ought to be doing. We should be more like that mom on instagram, we should workout as much as that dude on tiktok… we should be as financially disciplined as John at work…

It is easy to be fixated on the things that we don’t have or the gifts people have that we don’t possess.

Comparison

Envy

Jealousy

The Grass is greener.

Today’s lift is a reminder.

Water your own lawn.

What would it look like if you started tending to your struggling marriage?

What would it look like if you scheduled a doctor appointment or your ailing mental health?

What would it look like if you finally paid for the personal training that you know you need to learn your way around the gym?

Often the last thing we do is invest in our own “lawn”

Today do something that will contribute to the long term health of your context.

It is the best investment you will ever make.

"Love lights more fires than hate extinguishes." Ella Wheeler Wilcox

What was your temperament growing up? It’s funny how we all have these predispositions to behave in a certain manner. I was your more fiery argumentative type. I loved everything that brought friction and angst in life… politics, black coffee, lifting weights… anything that involved a challenge, I was drawn to. Like a June-bug to a porch light.

What was your pre-disposition?

Maybe you, opposite of me, were drawn not to friction but to ease… like reading, and being nice! My wife is like you.

How would you describe how you’ve existed in the world?

When I think about these things… I am often drawn to the “enneagram” - a personality typing system that helps give language to the way you have existed in the world…

I say all of this help remind you of this truth…

We are all so very different.

Have you learned how to love people who are different than you?

Who behave differently?

Who look differently?

Who like different things?

Who eat different foods?

Who pray different prayers?

If you have a pulse, you understand that there are news networks, and politicians, and social media companies who profit off of your hatred for the people that are different than you…

The fire of hatred will incinerate the purpose of your life.

There is nothing good that will come from it.

Light more fires with love.

"What you do for yourself dies with you. What you do for others lives forever." Robert Conklin

How often do you think about the end of your life? I hope you understand I am not trying to ask this in a morbid way…

What will people remember of you when you are no longer here?

I heard once of the practice of taking the time to sit down and write your own Eulogy. What do you hope would be in it?

You know - a Eulogy.. the thing people read at your funeral.

What would the people close to you feel compelled to share with the world?

Maybe I should ask it differently…

What would you want the people closest to you to say about you when you’re gone?

Have you ever thought about that?

I think that’s one of my worse fears… is that someone would have to make something up…

How would your behavior change today if you started living with this end in mind?

For me, I would probably be more generous.

I would probably take more risks.

I would probably make more random phone calls to loved one’s just to check in.

I would probably make dinner for more people…

That’s just what comes to my mind.

What about you?

Today, think about the way you want to be remembered, and do something today that aligns with that desire.

When you do, you might experience the confidence of knowing you are spending time investing in the things that matter most to you. So - think about that eulogy today.