40 Things, 40 Years

As I celebrate 40 years of life, I decided to share with you 40 nuggets of wisdom that I’ve picked up over my lifetime.

Here they are, in no particular order. Enjoy, be encouraged and keep sharpening! 

  1. It goes faster than you think it will.
  2. You are only responsible for YOU!
  3. Just because someone has a brand new _______, they have the bill to go along with it too. 
  4. Nobody is too far gone that God can’t save them. 
  5. Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
  6. Two questions we need to be asking: Tell me more. Tell me why. (Tell me more about … Why are you passionate about _______?)
  7. It’s what the church doesn’t talk about that its people struggle with the most. 
  8. Why do we desire corporately and collectively what we don’t desire personally and privately? Worship begins in your prayer closet with the door shut. … The Church is only as strong as what happens at home. 
  9. Don’t waste time circling the parking lot looking for a closer park. Park further away. I see it as getting in some much-needed exercise! 😉
  10. Hard day at work? As long as the good days outweigh the bad, stay put and keep pushing forward. 
  11. See that bucket of water over there? Stick your hand in it. Pull it back out. As fast as the void is filled is how fast you can be replaced. Nobody is irreplaceable. And you will be replaced faster than you think. -My Dad
  12. Serve the class, live like the mass. Serve the mass, live like the class. *Sign on the wall of my grandfather’s furniture store. 
  13. Only one life ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last. -C.T. Studd
  14. Never live on your memories of past experiences, but let the Word of God always be living and active in you. -Oswald Chambers
  15. A man never fails until he blames someone else. *Written inside of my grandfather’s Bible. 
  16. When we pray specifically, God answers specifically.
  17. No man ever served God by doing things tomorrow. -Spurgeon
  18. You can only lead people to where you have been.
  19. Christianity is a verb.
  20. Confess your sins, not your neighbor’s.
  21. Calm is contagious.
  22. More curiosity, less judgment.
  23. The work of ministry is almost always done in less-than-ideal conditions. Therefore, what is required is our best efforts. -Dr. Ron Taylor (We are all called to ministry, not just the paid staff)
  24. Who am I discipling? Who is discipling me? 
  25. Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
  26. Culture = Values + Behavior … What do we value? Do our behaviors align with those values? … If you don’t like the culture, help change it. 
  27. Smile. Be nice. Communicate. -Traci Quinn
  28. Keep looking up! ~ “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 
  29. Followers of Jesus do not get to do Facebook rants. Our words reflect whom people think Jesus is. -Rev. Dr. Clay Smith 
  30. The test of man’s ministry is not popularity, not signs and wonders, but faithfulness to the Word of God.
  31. If you are Christian and don’t like being around Christians right now, what do you think you gonna do when you get to Heaven? You think you gonna live in a gated community in the gated community by yourself. @whatisjoedoing
  32. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength. -Corrie Ten Boom
  33. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
  34. Love is a shelter in a ragin’ storm … Love is peace in the middle of a war … And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door … No, love is not a fight … But it’s somethin’ worth fightin’ for -“Love Is Not a Fight” by Warren Barfield
  35. Circles are better than rows. 
  36. The gospel came to you because it was heading to someone else. God never intended for your salvation to be an end, but a beginning. God saved you to be a conduit through whom His glorious, life-changing gospel would flow to others. -Robby Gallaty
  37. Hurt people hurt people. … A reminder that everybody around us is going through something challenging in their lives right now. Extend grace. Be patient. Love anyway.  
  38. Church: Don’t worship a building! At the end of your life, what has had more impact on you — four walls or the people within those walls? 
  39. Never say never. 
  40. Read at My Uncle Charlie’s funeral. He was just shy of 100 years old when he died in 2012. I was asked to read Psalm 39:4-7 NLT, which is now taped inside my Bible. “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered — how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.”

Bonus: Until you’ve been with Jesus, you have nothing to offer someone else. -Richard Blackaby *Speaking about a daily quiet time.