It was one of the most beautifully revealing, exciting, and confirming drives of my life this morning on my way in to work.
I have never used cruise control on my short 23 minute drive to work…ever.
This morning, I got on I-10 E and put the 2007 red Xterra into cruise control to just get me down the road.
WOW.
Talk about parallelism with my life.
If you ever are just in a cruise control situation…you are wasting the time that you have here, which is nothing but a wisp.
I was just trying to get from point a to point b, not real excited or fired up about getting there, not even thinking, just blindly following the cars ahead of me until I reached Trowbridge exit.
Today has been a very bitter-sweet day for me because I know that my time here is over soon.
I wish that I would have done some things differently.
I wish that I would have invested more time and energy into the people here.
I wish that I would have shared more of Jesus’ power in my life.
But, the past is the past.
The present is cruise control.
And I need to kick it back into first gear quick, revving the engine up near the red-line…I think this is the exact response that a true calling and relationship with God demands-in whatever form that might be for your life.
Please pray for guidance for my wife & I as we pray seriously about when God wants us to move to ______ for seminary.
(The blank is b/c we are praying about that too 
)
Have you ever been in cruise control?
What did you accomplish?
What could you have done differently – not to get down about, but to use as wisdom for the future … as inspiration to not fall back into that comfort again?
ltlo
I have been on cruise control for about 3 months. Waking up every day, knowing today was going to be much like yesterday… same mundane day over and over… and for some reason i wasn’t being fulfilled at all. I couldn’t figure it out.. where was that joy? I was waking up doing my Bible Study, Working out, Starting my daily tasks, doing my Esther Bible study, praying, but still i couldn’t figure it out. What was i missing?
I learned an important life lesson over the past 3 months… God calls us to study and apply his word, he calls us to pray and have a relationship with him, but we often miss something.. He also has a purpuse for each and every one of us. I didn’t know what my purpose was other than serving my husband, and i didn’t realize there was any more to it.
God has given each and every one of us unique gifts and we are to use those gifts to better His kingdom. I realized i wasn’t using my gifts at all and therefore i wasn’t being fulfilled.
I listened to a sermon recently called “If Christ is risen, there is death of death” and God was telling me “Ashley start living your life FOR ME!”
So now that is was I’m strivng to do, live sold out for HIM. Study his word, Apply His Truths, Have a presonal relationship with Him, serve his Kingdom with the gifts he’s blessed me with, while remembering to be obedient to what he is calling me to do FOR HIM!
It’s time to LIVE in Christ Jesus! What are WE waiting for? There isn’t anything “cruise control” about God’s will for our lives.
Ronnie,
I have been thinking about your questions above. There is a difference in one’s passion for teaching God’s Word and being passionate about one’s means of earning a living.
Dr. John Turner,who was my anesthesiologist in my surgery center, who delivered Loretta Lynn, who lived in Butcher Hollow in a Van Lear KY coal camp, answered my question about the economics of farming for a living.
I asked, “Doc Turner, can you make a living farming?” Doc replied, “If you have another job”. Coal Miners Daughter is a great movie with Doc Turner’s character featured. Doc was a character. I enjoyed his friendship while he lived.
We need food and farmers, but food for our bodys and souls would be in shortage if we relied on farming for our entire income. Many farmers are governmentally supplemented and many more need supplement.
Many of our original German churches did not pay their preachers, pastors and ministers. Many churches do not pay their ministers and pastors today. The churches that pay do not pay enough to keep up with today’s economy and inflation.
A survey, that I just read, confirms what most people know, that those who are preachers, ministers and pastors are not in it for the money.
They are in it for their passion for teaching the Word of God.
Their training and experience would enable them to support themselves and families in other endeavors. The desire to save souls and faith in the Lord’s promise motivates preachers, ministers and pastors to attempt to “earn a living” in this maner.
Income from other sources is key to being able to accomplilsh a preacher and pastor’s goals and practice their passion. The Lord has blessed you Ronnie with sources for that other income so that you can accomplish that admirable goal.
Since preachers, ministers, and pastors generally receive much less than the $15,500 income by government standards, they struggle with life because they still have children to educate, bills to pay, wives and family to take care and many other obligations such as other families have obligations.
Now greater than 70% percent of all surveyed have income other than from preaching, ministry and pastoring. The ones who do not have other income rely on their wives and family members to be the main source of family income. An unhappy wife and family can be disastrous. That is contrary to God’s plan.
My dad and my coaches always said stick with the original game plan. If, after concentrated study of the x’s and o’s for a game plan, you change the game plan, when one play is not executed properly, the game will be lost.
Ronnie, you have been blessed with a magnificient education. God has you in a position to become a successful businessman, somewhere, and then be able to influence, preach, teach and minister to many people, youth included, while you enjoy the potential success in business that God has blessed unto you.
Times are changing and God has you in position to change with His changes. A successful business man can influence many, many people with ministry and teaching. Your passion for teaching God’s Word does not conflict with becoming passioate for your business success.
Yes, you can be a farmer, if you have another great job that pays the bills.
Love to Ashley and Ronnie,
Doc Bear
Cruise control only works if we are cruising with JESUS.
Amen SISTER!
I LOVE YOU DOC BEAR! I appreciate your thoughts and wisdom… we can take all we can get!
Miss you!
Ashley and Ronnie,
God’s Will Be Done. God anointed Jesus with the Word of God conveyed to him by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was thus born Christ. Jesus was the one born in pure, perfect union and branded with the Word of God.
God in His wisdom has our game plan. Only one has become Christ. That was His plan. He has our playbook open when He communicates with us. God is always struggling with His children for a permanent relationship. He knows, prepares and Blesses us with our role in society. He intended me to pull out of football and become a physician.
I worshipped God through my practice of medicine. I didn’t know it at the time. But He prepared me to practice medicine through the windows of my heart. I extended my helping hand with long hours of toil and hard work to help patients in need. When a child or adult was injured, I never ever asked if they had insurance or money to pay. My heart told me that was wrong. My role was different.
A successful business person can worship God and do good works utilizing the Philosophy of Jesus. Maybe its God’s plan for you, Ronnie and Ashley, to become successful business people accumulating enough earthly wealth to establish and manage a foundation in God’s name and spread the Philosophy of Jesus with your wealth.
Maybe it is God’s plan for you to set an example for our youth, that believers become successful. God has you on your way. Review God’s x’s and o’s in your play book. Examine your time line and its players.
Wealth occurs 27 times in 27 versus in my KING JAMES version of the HOLY BIBLE. Why? Because it is in His plan. Why else would it be in the Bible and His vocabulary?
Deu 8:18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for [it is] he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as [it is] this day.
God has carved out for all of His children a game plan. God made a covenant with the fathers for the power to get wealth. Wealth is necessary for some in His plan. However He Blesses us, in return God expects us to worship our one God, Him alone. Some of us must be generals and fight the wars. Some coaches and mentor athletes. Some doctors and some business people to drive the economy and financially support the world.
I am praying for you…….and expect my 1st great grand child, planned and due at the right time, to be a good mix of both you.
Love to Ashley and Ronnie
Doc Bear
Doc! Thank you for your comments-we love hearing from you.
I especially love hearing from you when there is a challenging thought or idea or advice, because it forces me to think – thank you!
Ashley & I are not afraid of wealth nor are we trying to run from becoming successful business people. We have found out that we are not driven by money-not that this is a good or bad thing-but it is not us. If God blesses us with a “worldly successful” (ie monetarily rich) life-that is wonderful and we will thank Him for that. If God does not bless us with worldly riches, we will be equally thankful because we so strongly believe that His plan is the absolute and perfect plan for our lives – if that involves a wealthy lifestyle-great, if it doesn’t-great too because while we on earth (me included) might think that life would be “better” with a lot of wealth, I would argue God knows better.
Maybe it is God’s plan for us to set a new example for the youth of the next age in showing that believers become “successful.” Again – riches from this world are not the driving force of Ashley & my inner beings, so while this might happen, this is not necessarily that path that we are feeling led to pursue.
Right now in our lives, there are a lot of maybe’s. Maybe I will be back in the car business in three years. Maybe I will be planting churches in Africa. Maybe I will be working on Wall Street. Maybe I will be a traveling apologetic. Maybe our perspective will change again and God will speak the next turn in our lives to be a straight 180 from where we are headed now.
One thing we are very comfortable with and confident about is God’s calling right now to head into seminary. We have no children that we need to care for and raise. We are 22/23 years old and don’t have a past that is encouraging us to be tied down anywhere yet. We don’t have any obligations that come with age, life, business, success, etc.
In my current situation, I am not feeling inspired or challenged, and thus am coming home every day feeling like just another day went by. I need more than this. I believe God has blessed me with a mind that needs to be challenged every day…maybe this could happen in more of a leadership position where I have time to stimulate my own mind through painting and playing music and reading and studying, but right now, I don’t have that time.
In 3 years, the car business will probably still be around (and if it’s not, I’m going to be glad that I got out when I did). However, in 3 years because of potential children, obligations, and life, I do not think I will be able to take a 3 year leave of absence to go study…the very thing that stimulates my soul…challenged thoughts and the boldness to attack them head on.
Our game plan is to follow God’s guidance at any and every cost (again because even if we think we have a perfect plan-our thoughts can be deceiving, and we have strong faith in God having a perfect plan-no if’s and’s or but’s)…even if that means losing respect from friends and family, throwing away all of our current and future wealth, and “struggling” to get by for the rest of our lives.
“Struggling” is in quotes because of James 1:2-4 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
DocB, I really do appreciate your comments-these are the exact things that stimulate my mind and my thinking that I need in my life. I appreciate your wisdom and guidance. I appreciate your intent and heart that is driving those comments. Most of all, I appreciate your love & support of Ashley & I. I miss you a lot and cannot wait to see you again soon. As for the great-grand child…well, you know where I stand on that
God bless you Doc Bear – I love you.
Beginnings and endings are always exciting, its the stuff in-between that becomes mundane. We ALL have this hole in us, that can ONLY be filled with our creator, and when He calls, you must respond, you will know it in your hearts. I didnt do much good when i was on cruise, but i was really creative when i was in the ditch. The only time ive been bored in life is when i havent set my goals high enough.
Ships are safe in the harbor, but thats not what ships are made for.
Twila and I have spent many hours at Stinky’s Fish Camp on the harbor enjoying a few libations and the fresh ocean catch of the day while pontificating about the world, politics, health care reform, business, the mountains we’ve climbed, children, family and so forth. After our mental mastermindings and enjoyable meals we always depart Stinky’s passing under the motto sign above the exit door and agreed with its dictum. After all is said and done
“It is what it is and it ain’t what it ain’t”.
The minds of youthful Ashley and Ronnie are brilliant and powerful and their motivations are pure. Good luck to Ashley and Ronnie and Ronnie’s completion of Divinity School. Both are bound for success.
Come visit when you are in Kentucky.
Love to Ashley and Ronnie, DocBear
haha
I just laughed out loud by myself in my office…thanks Doc Bear. We can’t wait to see you next month! Love you brother.