The time is now

Not the whole family , just the ones I have pictures of. It is hard to find a good picture of my mom, she is the one always taking the family pictures. That is her with my brother and me in Baltimore down by the water.


Well, Steffi and I just got back and unpacked from Christmas with the family. She wants to watch The Sound of Music, so what a great time to catch up on some stuff here. Brewer nearly drowned today, but we will get to that later. What I really want to talk about is how the family gatherings just arent the same since both of my grandfathers have passed away, and how I miss them both all the time. I probably think of my grandfathers more then most people do. They cross my mind several times a day, everyday. They were both great men in their own regard. They were both men of faith, one was more vocal about God then the other, but that didnt matter. They both faced health problems for a long time. One had his first heart attack when he was 39 and he lived well into his 70's fighting heart disease. The other battled emphysema for the last 10 years of his life. He literally struggled for every breath the last 3 or 4 years. I cannot imagine what that was like. I . Along with my dad, my grandfathers taught me to fish and play golf, the foundation of my passion for the outdoors. Neither was perfect, but through their struggles they taught me about perseverance, life, death, and leaving a legacy. I aspire to be like them, I feel a deep obligation to carry on what they started. To be a man of character, constantly reminded of my imperfections, yet rooted soundly in the grace of God, hell bent on not giving up until Im taken away. I see both grandfathers in me and I am proud of that. Steffi and I talk about life and our purpose all the time. I told her the other day that I am not afraid of death, but of not walking out my purpose before death comes, and of not continuing the legacy left to me. Jesus went before me and conquered death, my grandfathers knew that and were not afraid to die, neither am I. I always get charged up with purpose any time I go home and spend time with my family. Steffi and I are in desperate need of kick starting our life. We dont know exactly what its going to look like, but we know this isnt it for us. Neither one of us is built for the 9-5 for 30 years and retire. There is nothing wrong with that,actually there is lots of respect and honor in that, and part of me wishes I could just do it(My father and grandfathers did). I am just not built for going about it that way. We are both tired of having good ideas and taking no action. That is why I started this blog, it may never amount to much, but who knows. I am approaching 28 years old, I cannot afford to have another meaningless year, month, day, hour, minute... If I believe in God, and his purpose for my life, then at some point my circumstances just dont matter anymore, its now or never. To quote Pastor Reggie Hunt "at some point you got to start being whatever it is you are going to be, regardless of your circumstances"
How many great Sunday services or inspiring moments does it take to walk by faith. I have been here 10,000 times. I have a purpose to live out, I have a legacy to uphold, if I fail, so be it. I refuse to reach the end and wonder what might have been. To quote Teddy Roosevelt

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

I love my family and I am thankful for them , as well as Gods faithfulness and grace that is active in my life. Looking at the news right now, there is chaos and war throughout the world. We need visionaries and purpose filled people to step up and be leaders. Gods people need to make a difference. The time is now. Where do you fit in?