Today I turn thirty-nine. Here are thirty-nine things I've learned in thirty-nine years:
1. Life is 10% what happens to you, 90% how you respond.
2. Life is filled with interruptions.
3. God can use rejection to give you direction.
4. Failure is not necessarily final.
5. When the reward is worth the heartache and the headache, it’s always too soon to quit.
6. Your life is God’s gift to you. What you do with your life is your gift to God.
7. God is great, and greatly to be praised.
8. God is your flashlight in the dark, and your GPS when you’re lost.
9. Prayer doesn’t just change things, but prayer can change you.
10. Even when we’re not faithful to God, God is faithful to us.
11. Mistakes can be master teachers.
12. Losing weight is hard.
13. Comparison is a thief of joy and peace.
14. What God has for you is for you.
15. Sometimes, while we’re waiting on God, God is actually waiting on us.
16. True friendships are rare.
17. You can’t tell everybody everything.
18. God can use anybody to do anything.
19. Laughter is good for the soul.
20. Faith gives you access to limitless possibilities for your life.
21. Faith is the ability to act on God’s Word, despite your fears.
22. Jesus models for us how to lead our own lives.
23. God has surrounded me with amazing people on this journey.
24. If you keep knocking, eventually a door will open up for you.
25. Things take time.
26. Anything worth doing is hard. If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.
27. God can use your haters as your elevators.
28. In the end, “right” will win.
29. Do not despise the day of small beginnings.
30. God can turn it around.
31. The Bible is not a book, but a library.
32. Writing is one of the most therapeutic, intimate acts one can engage in.
33. God has the last word over your life.
34. I was born to communicate through preaching, teaching, and writing.
35. Fatherhood has taught me more about God than any book I’ve ever read.
36. If we pay attention, we’ll notice that God can be found in everyday life.
37. Like a buffet, God has an unlimited supply of blessings.
38. You won’t be able to please everybody. So don't even try.
39. Somebody somewhere will always have something to say.