The Seed of Hope

Coincidences

I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that everything happens for a reason, because everything that happens is part of God’s plan for us. I’ll give you an example:

The weeks and months following my “epiphany” (see The Epiphany 11/17/08) were a bit unsettling. After all, I had asked God to take my hand and lead me to wherever it was that He wanted me to go, and to help me to be what he wanted me to be. And I meant it. But let me tell you….at 53 I was settled into my ways, and even though I wasn’t really happy with who I was, it rattled me a bit when God accepted my offer and started changing me!

Did you notice that I didn’t say that I was AFRAID? That’s because I wasn’t; for the first time in my life I had really given it up to Him. It was the uncertainty of what I was becoming that was getting to me.

This is gonna be one of those times that the words aren’t going to come easily, so bear with me as I reach for the right ones…..

God started working on me the very day that I asked for His help! For the first time in my life I was filled with something that I’d never experienced before; it actually took me about a half a day to realize what it was: HOPE. I don’t mean that hope crept into my life gradually….I mean, the moment I reached out to take His hand he started lifting me up. I don’t know if it was the Holy Spirit, or His presence, or my state of mind, or all of the above, but I wanted to change. Better yet, I knew that I was going to change.

So each day, from that point on, I examined every facet of my life; my relationship with Jackie, the way I dealt with people, the manner in which I reacted to certain situations, my outlook towards our business, my outlook towards myself…..everything was under close scrutiny. If I was going to change who I was, I had to look “inside”, in every dark corner, in all the mental closets in which I had hidden so many fears for so many years. I figured that the only way for me to find my good qualities was to dig through all the bad ones, right? So I dug, and dug, and dug….relentlessly….every day. Sleep didn’t come easy, and when it did come, it was only for a couple of hours at a time.

You will not believe how quickly the self-discoveries came, how much enlightenment I received, and how quickly I was able to identify and shed the “old layers” of my past. It was like having a Bloomin’ Onion at Outback Steakhouse every day! Amazing. Humbling. Weird.

And Scary

Think about scraping layers of paint off of a very old home; you know, one of those antique things that you see on the television series This Old House. When those guys start taking away the old layers I always find myself wondering “What’s really under there?”

In this instance, I was the old house. I was the painter doing the scraping. I was the viewer waiting to see what would be revealed. When shedding every vestige of your former self, you have to wonder what would be left. I knew that God was changing me, but what was He changing me into? What would be left of “Sam”? Would I know him? Would Jackie love him? Would I like him? What talents would he have? So many questions….so few answers.

THE Game

In case you don’t know it, I’m a big college football fan, and I’m a HUGE fan of The University of Alabama Crimson Tide! I started “following” them as a kid, became a rabid fan during my teen years, and attended “Bama” after graduating from high school.

College football is a big deal in the South, and in the state of Alabama, the rivalry between Bama, and that “other” school, Auburn University, has caused broken friendships, divided families, and sad but true, divorces. I only wish that I was kidding about that one. You get the idea, right? Intense rivalry.

After years of winning seasons and national championships, Alabama was found guilty of some recruiting violations and was placed on probation for several years. Wins didn’t come as easily or as often. As they say in the South, the “natives were gettin’ restless”, and I was one of them.

When things are going good in football, you always look at the team and its star players. When things are going badly, you always look at the coach! Let’s just say that going into the Auburn game, a lot of eyes were fixed on Alabama’s head coach, Mike Shula.

November 17, 2006

Okay, I know you’re not here to read about football, but be patient; I’m getting there!

Auburn was the visiting team, and going in, I was pretty much fed up with Coach Shula’s conservative approach. I passed up an opportunity to attend the game and opted for watching on television at home.

Alabama took control of the game early, and definitely had the momentum as they were in a position to score a touchdown early in the game. The crowd was going nuts! The players were pumped up. I was beside myself! But true to form, Coach Shula’s conservatism showed its ugly face.

I looked at my watch, turned to my wife Jackie and said “If we settle for a field goal instead of going for the touchdown, we’re going to church!” (Catholics may satisfy their Sunday obligation on Saturday). Jackie looked at me and replied “You are kidding me, aren’t you?” You see, I had never walked out on an Alabama-Auburn game….never would’ve dreamed of it!

You can imagine what happened next: Alabama kicked the field goal, and I bolted for the door with Jackie in close pursuit. We hopped in the car, covered the distance from our house in minutes, and walked into a less-than-half full church as Mass (the Catholic term for a service) began.

I hate to admit this, but for the first half of Mass my mind was on the game. Well, it wasn’t really on the game….I was really marveling over the fact that I was sitting in church instead of at home on the edge of my seat. I remember thinking that “God must really want me here for a reason.”

The congregation sat down for the Homily (Sermon), and as soon as Fr. Joe (the Pastor) began speaking, I knew why God wanted me to be in church.

Father Joe’s message was about having “purpose” in our lives, or more specifically, God's purpose for each one of us. Some of us recognize God’s plan for us early on, while others spend a lifetime searching for their reason for existence. We’re so obsessed with the questions that we often overlook the answers that God will readily give to us if we will only ……Be Still.

Jackie and I looked at each other, tears welling up in our eyes, amazed yet again at God’s sense of timing.

At a point in my life when my mind was filled with question and doubt, when I was searching for my identity and my reason for being, you could call it a coincidence that my team was having a bad game, during a bad year. And during that game, against all odds, against football “man-law”, I would get up and go to church, only to receive a message that I desperately needed to hear.  

God put me in that church, on that day, to hear that particular message. That night, for the first time in weeks, sleep wasn’t so elusive. And that was no coincidence, either.

God is good!

Contact me: sam@theseedofhope.com  

An Attitude of Gratitude

The thought occurred to me the other day that some of you may think that my life is just a bowl of cherries. I mean, each Monday I try to give you something inspirational, something from which you may draw hope for tomorrow. Awesome catches up with me every day (see About being Awesome 12/01/08). I have an amazing wife, great family, and a successful business. I’m healthy. I’m building an incredible network of friends with whom I share the same spirit.  I’m walking with God each day, with “an attitude of gratitude”, as my friend Brent Hardgrave, likes to say. I’ve got it made, right?

Well, yes….sort of….

My Monday offerings to you come by the grace of God. He gives me the words, and I do the typing. Most of the topics on these pages are born of mistakes I’ve made along the way, of shortcomings in my life that I’ve settled for, and of baggage that I’ve carried from childhood into adulthood. The remainders are insights that I’ve received from God, friends, books, mentors, and constant inner-reflection. I’m awesome every day because I refuse to be anything else. I have an amazing wife, a great family, and a successful business because God was gracious enough to bless me with all of this (I’ve been blessed a hundred times over what I probably deserve). And I walk with that attitude of gratitude because I know that there are many, many people less fortunate than myself.

I want to reflect on that “attitude of gratitude” that I walk with every day, and in doing so I guess that I should begin with the first moment I come to consciousness after a night’s sleep.

The very first thing I do when I awaken is thank God for giving me another day. My Dad always used to tell me that “we’re never promised tomorrow”, but I never gave his statement a lot of thought, until…..

Dad died unexpectedly on April 14, 2002. At the time he was a very young 74. I hit the BIG 5-0 five months later, and it was around that time I realized that my generation was next in line to be the “oldest”, that I was old enough to be a grandfather (that would happen to years later), and that Dad was right; every day is a gift and a privilege, not an entitlement.

Sorry….back to the topic at hand…..

Like I said, the first thing I do is offer gratitude for being given another day. Then I place my hand on my wife Jackie to make sure that she too has received another day (some chuckle when I tell them that, but I’m grateful for Jackie’s presence in my life….I’m grateful for her life).

Next I will go down a mental checklist of things that I’m grateful for. I say that it’s a checklist, but in reality it’s the first eight or ten things that pop into my mind, in no particular order of importance.

Among this morning’s “gratitude list” was our family, our salon, our car, our health, the opportunities I had on Saturday to speak to some of our guests in the salon about my Faith (yes, I talk about God in our business), and the big pillow that I was scrunching and burying my head in when I woke up! Obviously, I don’t think that there is anything that’s too trivial to be grateful for.

You may be wondering why I do this every morning, but then again, you may not be curious about it at all. Well, since this is my site, and I choose what to write about, I’m gonna give you an explanation. If you’re not interested, well, I guess I’ll see you next week!

Glad you decided to stick around.

For years, the only time that I offered prayers to God, or even thought about Him, was on Sundays or when I was in need of Him. In last week’s post I mentioned that I often took my faith for granted; it was just something that was there. But it was more than that…..

I took God for granted.

I assumed that God would be there for me whenever I needed Him. He has always been there for me, just as He has been there for you, just as He has been for all of us who choose to have Him in our lives. I don’t know about you, but the times I looked for Him and to Him the most was in my time of need. And of course, He was always there to give me comfort and strength.

But I took His presence in my life for granted. Well, it was more than that….I didn’t know how much better, how utterly complete my life would be with His presence in it until I asked Him to walk with me every day. Those of you who walk with Christ know what I’m trying to say.

For those of you who have never truly experienced that walk…..you know, God gives me so many words to convey my feelings to you on these pages, but there are no words to describe feeling God’s presence in and around you when you welcome Him into your life. Think about the pleasure you get from doing whatever it is that you like to do best; I don’t care what it is….locked in on it yet? Remembering how good it feels? Now multiply that feeling by one hundred. That’s having God with you every day.

In thanking God for another day I am establishing His presence in my life before I do anything else! He occupies my first thought of the day, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Why should this be so important to me?

I don’t ever want to take God’s presence for granted again.

All things considered, my life is really, really good right now. That’s not to say that I have no crosses to bear, but that the ones I am carrying don’t seem to be too heavy. What I am giving in life pales in comparison to what I am receiving.

This is exactly when the “old” Sam would have totally forgotten that Christ wants to be with us every day and not just on Sundays.  He wants a relationship with us, and wants us to have conversations with Him, even if those conversations consist of nothing more than “Thank you Lord for the gift of another day.” And He wants that relationship when times are good, so that like any other Father, He may enjoy those good times with us.

I love my relationship with Christ, love having Him with me every day, and love feeling His presence in me. Perhaps that is why my crosses seem few and my burdens seem light. Hmmm….

In offering gratitude each morning,

I’m focusing on all the good that is in my life, being mindful of what I do have, instead of worrying about what I don’t. I’m thanking God for all of my blessings (even the fluffy pillow), because He didn’t have to give any of them to me. And I’m offering gratitude for what I have because in the blink of an eye, I could have so much less; I could have nothing.

Thank you God, for me.

Contact me: sam@theseedofhope.com

Chasing a Dream

Today I want to talk to you about dreams. I’m not talking about the dreams that we have in our sleep; I’m talking about dreams that we have in life. We dream about so many different things….as children we dream about growing up. As adults we dream of being young again! We dream of relationships, homes, cars, careers, and being wealthy. The list goes on and on, and all are valid dreams.

Among Merriam-Webster’s definitions of dream is….a visionary creation of the imagination and a strongly desired goal or purpose. Do you have a dream in your life to which you can assign either, or both, of these definitions? Most of us do.

I have dreams for my future with my wife Jackie, dreams for my family, and certainly dreams for our business, Salon M². I have made a commitment to make all of those dreams come true.

Not just any dream…

As important as all of those dreams are to me, they still aren’t the kind of dream that I’m talking about. I want to offer you a quote that was penned by Walt Whitman many years ago:

“Well, every man has a religion; has something in heaven or earth which he will give up everything else for—something which absorbs him---which may be regarded by others as being useless---yet it is his dream, his lodestar, his master. That, whatever it is, seized upon me, made me its servant, slave---induced me to set aside the other ambitions---a trail of glory in the heavens which I followed, followed with a full heart. I had to pay much for what I got, but what I got made what I paid for it, much as it was, seem cheap. When once I am convinced, I never let go….”

That’s the kind of dream I’m talking about….the dream that you walk with every day…the dream that never leaves you alone…the dream that becomes, well becomes your obsession. Do you have one of those dreams? I do.

Let me make an attempt at explaining something to you….In my mind, as a child, and even as an adult, God was religion and religion was God. Don’t know exactly why I thought that way….no need in trying to figure it out at this point. I’ve come to realize that a lot of misconceptions followed me from childhood.

Today, God is my life. Spreading His Word has become my religion, and my religion has become my dream. This “shift” in perspective, this change in mindset, this dream has come with a price. At some point, in some ways, my love for God surpassed my love for Jackie, which was very unsettling for both of us (she is once again my biggest supporter). My relationship with our kids has taken a bit of a hit, and like I’ve told you before, my openness about my faith has cost me a few acquaintances. And Sunday afternoons, like this one, that were once devoted to R&R are now devoted to this site.

My dream is to take The Seed of Hope around the world. I want it to be read in every city, in every state, in every region, in every country. You see, if people are reading The Seed of Hope, they’re reading about God and His goodness, and what can be attained by walking with Him every day. They’re receiving this message not from a member of the clergy, but from a regular guy….perhaps that will draw the attention of some that would normally turn away.

The message I have to offer through my words is not THE message, nor is it THE Word, because in no way would I ever lay claim to being THE authority, on God, faith, life, or anything, for that matter. If you’ve visited this site before, you know that the spiritual journey I’m on, this “walk” with God, began just a couple of years ago. I’m still learning, and as I learn, I share what I have learned with you. I share with you because I believe it to be God’s wish that I do so. I didn’t ask Him to put this in my heart, but He did. I didn’t ask for this dream, but He gave it to me. I didn’t ask for the ability or the desire to share my deepest thoughts with people I’ve never met, but apparently He wanted me to have both. I didn’t ask for something that, according to Mr. Whitman, would lead me to “set aside the other ambitions”, but it seems that it is part of His plan for me to have it.  All this being said, who am I to say “No” to God? Better yet, why would I want to say “No” to God? He has blessed me in so many ways.

This past Friday, I was invited by Steve McGee, a good friend, family man, and Christian, to attend a seminar on leadership in business. The keynote speaker was Dr. John Maxwell, a noted leadership expert, speaker, and author. I’ll be honest with you; I had no idea who Dr. Maxwell was, but because of my friendship with Steve, and his enthusiasm in attending this program, I agreed to accompany him.

There are no coincidences in life….I was meant to be there.

Dr. Maxwell’s presentation was divided into three segments:

·        10 Commandments to Establish Credibility

·        Put Your Dream to The Test (the title of his latest book)

·        Leadership in Tough Times

While all three segments were very interesting, informative, and enlightening, it was the dream segment that impacted me the most. Within the dream segment Dr. Maxwell posed 10 questions that in answering would assist an individual in making his dream come true. I’m only going to give you one of the questions; if you want to know the rest of them, you need to purchase the book! (Believe me, it’s worth the investment.)

The question I want to focus on is the sixth one:

Have I Included the People I Need to Realize My Dream?

Of all the questions asked, this was the only one for which my answer was “No”.

I haven’t recruited anyone to help me spread the news of The Seed of Hope. But that’s not to say that I’m doing this by myself; along with giving me the dream, God gives me the words, and Jackie is my “sounding board” just before it’s time to do each Monday’s post. That’s my “team”.

I need YOU.

I believe that I need to expand my team in order to make my dream for The Seed of Hope to become a reality, and I’m going to start by asking you to be a part of it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a regular visitor or if this is your first look.

If you know of someone that may need to receive the message contained on these pages, please pass the web address to them. If you are subscriber, forward this post to a friend, or post the link on your FaceBook or MySpace page, if you have one. Or just tell ‘em about it.

This is what I believe: If you are a regular visitor, you already know God, but like myself, believe that there is more to know about Him….otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.

Here’s the thing: I want to reach people that don’t know about God. I want to reach people that are “curious” about Him. I want to reach people that want to know more about Him, and people that need to more about Him (but just don’t know it). I want to reach people that share my dream, but don’t know exactly how to make their’s come true; perhaps we can do this together.

I’ve said this before and it bears repeating: Life is not just about the destination. It’s also about the journey. Walking with Christ makes the journey so much easier, so much better, so much more rewarding. If you walk that walk every day, you know what I’m talking about. Wouldn’t you want to share that with someone, to bless their life with God’s presence? I can only imagine how much He will bless you in return. I know how much He has blessed me.

God is good.

Contact me: sam@theseedofhope.com