Living A Better Story

Please bear with me as I'm going to deviate slightly from my usual blog posts today. If you follow this blog regularly, you know I generally write about my daily struggles as I strive to live into the abundance Jesus promised in John 10:10. My slight deviation will be that in addition to speaking to how I want to view my life, I will also be telling about how attending a conference in Portland, OR this September could help me better achieve a better life "story."

I recently read Don Miller's book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and was impressed by his understanding of how life is a story we have the ability to control, rather than simply letting life control us. I posted about this on June 30, 2010 in the post Where I Am Right Now. I discussed how so often my life is simply flying by and I'm going to wake up one day and wonder where it all went.

I then ran across a post by Don Miller on his blog (see Don's blog here) about a contest to win a trip to Portland, OR for his upcoming Living a Better Story Seminar (see conference details here). So today I enter that contest with this blog. But before you read my post, please watch the video from Don.

Living a Better Story

My life has changed significantly in the past 8 years. I used to be consumed with the American dream, building a stable "nest egg" for myself and my family. By age 24 I had a house, a truck, a car, and a boat. My good friend and I would spend weekends at the lake, having loaded his two jet skis in the bed of my truck that also towed my 17-1/2 foot jet boat with a 455 Oldsmobile engine. Our lives consisted of fun, sun, and beautiful beaches!

It seemed like I had it all back then, but in reality, I had nothing! Fortunately, I have since learned that true life isn't in seeking personal pleasure, it is in helping others find their path.

Eight years ago I lost my job, it was the second job I'd lost in four months. My new bride and I were now strangers in a new state, with a new home, no friends locally, and a "million miles" from family.

Yes, I'd doubled my income in a matter of three years; but simply having a great paycheck wasn't enough. In doubling my income, we'd also doubled our debt. We were drowning in the American dream!

It was then we truly began to look at our lives and realize something was significantly wrong. We had been striving towards incorrect goals. We both sat down, confessed our sins to our Heavenly Father, and decided on that day we would begin to pursue His goals for our lives.

We decided to "cap" our income, committing to donate everything we earned over and above that level directly to God-related programs. We began the painful process of paying off our mountain of debt, including cutting up our credit cards. We felt lead to open a small business in order to secure our financial future plus ensure we had the ability to fulfill our donations commitment.

God's response to our actions? He spent the next five years cutting our income in half. We didn't grow our income, realize financial independence, and gain the ability to give generously from our excess. Rather, we have almost hit rock bottom, daily struggle to meet our obligations, and often wonder how it all "went wrong."

However, if you follow me, you know that in the midst of the financial fall, we committed to give from what we had, and continue to support three important projects today, despite the significant cuts to our revenue streams.

This brings us to my better story and how the Better Story Seminar can help. I desire to continue to learn how to strive to achieve my goals, despite outside setbacks. I believe that despite the circumstances, my bride and I are on the right path. I believe our lives need to be devoted to helping the less fortunate; finding new ways to share with others; and spread the word that a life devoted to helping the last, least, and lost is the only life worth living.

I believe the insights and new tools I would be introduced to at the Better Story Seminar can be the impetus to help me achieve the next level on my journey. As you see from my June posting, I've kind of hit a rut this year. If you continue to read my daily struggles through July, however, you will also notice that despite continued setbacks I continue to hold on to the promise that better things can be achieved.

If I were to win this contest and be at the seminar in Portland, I hope to find tools that help me remain "on story" even in the midst of life's assaults. I also hope to be able to connect with others and learn their story and how they continue to remain focused in the midst of day-to-day issues. Most importantly, I believe the "high" I would expect from being at a conference with great speakers and others from around the world who also want to live a better story would catapult me further into my story.

It's hard to limit the story and the benefits of a seminar into a blog post; I feel I could type on for an eternity. However, I also realize that simply typing isn't all I'm called to do. I have to also get off the couch, go outside, and interact with those I'm called to help. I hope to see you in Portland so we can share about our successes, our trials, and encourage each other in our stories!