Have opinions but don't be mean spirited.
Let's face it.. The tone of civil discourse in our world has reached pretty scary heights. Like little children at the playground politicians and regular citizens hurl ugly insults at one another thinking that the mean spiritedness is going to win people over. Go figure.
Live simply.
We have too much. More than we need. We're living for our wants and that keeps us from seeing the needs of others. That's not OK. Ever.
Be holy forsaking self righteousness.
Live like God is real and He will transform your life. No need to be showy about it all. Love, grow, worship and serve like crazy. Hold captive your Inner Pharisee.
Be curious.
There's a big world out there. Lots to know about. Avoid living in the center of someone else's opinion. What are you discovering?
Be interesting.
Dullness is avoidable. Care about what is going on around you. Listen for understanding. Argue with consideration. Have considered opinions. Read. Listen to opposing viewpoints. Ask questions.
Be involved.
Find the intersect where your giftedness and a need exists. Jump in. Make a difference. It's not about you all the time. Honest. Open your eyes to God sized possibilities.
Avoid labels.
Dig beneath the stereotype. Sometimes you'll find the label fits. More often you'll find a degree of complexity and wonder that might just impact your life.
Live into the adventure.
There are too many bored people out there. Are you one of them? Seriously, are you once of them?
It's all a slippery slope.
The life of faith is lived on a slippery slope much of the time. It kind of bugs me when people say "Well, that puts us on a slippery slope.". Life does that. Faith does that. It's on the slope where decisions have to be made and faith exercised. The slippery slope doesn't have to represent a slide downward. It can still be climbed. And who knows ... Maybe God wants us to slip and slide a bit because we're climbing the wrong hill.
Live in such a winsome way that others will want to gossip about you.
That means you're a bit out of step with the prevailing culture. You care about the deeper things in life. You don't care about keeping up with someone else. You've got a different agenda for your life and a whole lot of folks won't understand it but will certainly want to talk about it.
Practice sensing the presence of God in the present moment.
My spiritual director reminds me that this is the key to the life of faith. Each moment contains 'enough' and the present moment is all we're currently promised.
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