…So my Granddaughter has a sticker on her laptop (that seems to be the cool thing to do at her school-put stickers on your laptop) that says, “I heart Bacon”. She’s twelve years old so I said, “Why do you love bacon?” She said, “For various reasons.” And then she proceeded to reel off at least 10 comments…"It’s good any time of the day. It’s good crispy and it’s good when it’s flimsy. It goes with everything. It’s very, very juicy. The fat is very good. It goes with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s good hot or cold. It’s good dipped in chocolate. It makes great bumper stickers." She could have kept going. Remember when you were a kid and life was so much less complicated? Yeah, me too. Life is filled with so many twists and turns. Life may have thrown you a curve. Maybe you struggle with an addiction or have a family member who is terminally ill. Or you have a child that continually disappoints you. Maybe your money always seems to run out before the end of the month and you never seem to get ahead. Maybe you feel the weight of loneliness or depression. Maybe you have been watching the news all weekend and the problems at home and abroad the senseless killings and murders happening all around the world and at home make you feel like the world is a very dangerous and scary place. It doesn’t take much for life to become overwhelming-out of control. Jesus talked a lot about having the faith of a child. I think he was talking about the simple trust that somehow comes when we keep the main thing the main thing-when we major on the majors and not the minors. When we give up on the worries that weigh us down and allow God to be God and we let Him regain control of our lives. Doesn’t really matter how bad life gets, I get thru the tough times best when I remember that God is God and I am not. How about you? If you’re looking, there’s always Hope!

Reflections on moving from Success to Significance

You know, when the fall comes and the weather begins to cool off and day light savings time changes again, I’m reminded that winter is just around the corner. I always sense winter is here when the big Christmas tree goes up in Rockefeller Center. Before you know it, winter is here and it seems like it’s never over, and finally spring reminds us that the cycle of life is about to start again. Life is like that. I’m getting old enough to realize I’m at least in the autumn years and winter is slowly sneaking up on me. Do you ever feel that way? I don’t know about you but when winter finally arrives and I can see that I have far more days behind me than in front of me, I want to know that my life counted for something. I want to be remembered…but not so much for what I did as for who I was. I want to be remembered for being a good husband, a good father, a good grandfather. All the rest is just detail. I care the most about how my loved ones feel about me. Sometimes we get so busy making a living that we forget to make a life. I think one of life's greatest challenges is moving from success to significance. I find that I have to be intentional about what I am doing to achieve real significance in life. How about you? If you're looking, there's always Hope!

I'll never forget my first visit to a Third World Country. The contrast of beauty and poverty all in the same country was overwhelming. The price of my breakfast each morning would have fed a family in the slums where we worked for six months. It was incredibly unsettling to know that the cost of my trip would have rebuilt an entire village. It changed my life. My worldview would never be the same. Scores of people would love to change the face of poverty but can't afford to go on a missions trip. Others would rather take the money they would spend on travel and give it directly to the poor. Doesn't matter how old you are-you can make a difference. You can change the world. West is 8 years old. Scottie is 12. Lee is 62. Glen is 64. Kenny is 70. They are all changing the world. How? We figured out a way. Go to Banyanprojects.org or donate now at: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=69XM7VTUX9YJY

Billy grew up in a family with an alcoholic father who couldn't provide enough income to feed Billy and his siblings twice a day-much less 3 times. He often went to bed hungry. He never got to finish high school because he had to work to eat. Today he's married with 2 little boys and he's trying his hardest to climb out of poverty. He's taught himself how to sew and now he makes and sells school uniforms to make ends meet. Unfortunately his 'sewing machine' broke and so now he's in a world of hurt. You wanna join me in helping him? Give up a couple of lattes and let's brighten his future. Go to banyanprojects.org and I'll show you how! Let's change the world! You say, "Craig. You're not gonna change the world by fixing Billy's sewing machine". Try telling Billy that. banyanprojects.org ...changing the world...one person at a time!