Summer time is the time for kicking back, relaxing, and  hanging out. Kids are out of school or maybe you’re out of school. Pretty much every industry is slowing down unless you live in tourist city.  It’s summer time- the off season of your life!

What would it look like if we look at summer a little differently? Instead of time to just relax and chill we use it as a time to get better and to prep for the next season of life?  Abraham Lincoln once said, “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.”

Don’t get me wrong I’m not telling you not to enjoy your summer. But why not take some time and prep for the next season of your life? A couple a years ago I learned the difference it makes to be prepared for the next season.  So this week I’ll be sharing some ideas of what you can do to sharpen you ax for the next season.  Until then comment and share some of your season prepping ideas.

If my life was a credit report and I was trying to obtain salvation, based on my score I wouldn’t get it.
My history shows that I’ve been delinquent in praise, past due in prayer, my worship has been in collections and I’ve missed a few payments (tithes) or only paid half (you know how we put $20 in the basket and feel like we’ve done God a favor).
Not to mention that my debt (sin) to income (blessings) ratio is too high.
BUT I thank God that I was able to file bankruptcy (repentance) and it cleared me of all of my debt (sin). Now I have a co-signer (Jesus) whose score is FLAWLESS….. Not one blemish (sin) on his report.
So now…. I QUALIFY for EVERYTHING! Most importantly I’ve inherited eternal life and I didn’t have to put one penny down.
All of my closing costs were covered when Jesus laid down His life for me!!!! I hear that my future home has all of the upgrades too.
Hardwood floors? Please!! I’ll be walking on gold! : – )
Thank You Lord for Your unmerited mercy, grace & favor!!

So I’ve had a MacBook now for 24hrs and let me just tell you that it has changed ………….nothing. Now before you call in the Apple Swat team and go all apple this, apple that on me.  Don’t get me wrong the MacBook Pro is a nice piece of hardware. I don’t need to tell an apple fan like yourself that.

What I need is your help. Let me know what I need to do or not  do to make jump for joy over my MacBook pro besides the fact it loads fast and looks better than any pc I’ve seen. So post you comment, speak up help me step my Mac game up.

Also for you help I will randomly pick from the helpful comments and send you a Starbucks gift card. Thanks in advance for the help.

If you haven’t seen this yet go ahead and get your laugh on cause its just funny!

On May 10th 2010, Oklahoma was hit hard by several toranodes throughout the state. This left hundreds of people without homes, clothing and many of the basic necessities of life. But before the day ended, two ladies Carrie Corbin and Lori Ford used the power of social media to put togheter a great event and disater relief for those in need.

#OKDonationTweetUp from Mike Jones on Vimeo.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with both of these wonderful ladies, and I can tell you that they truly have a heart for what they are doing.

For more information on how you can help click here.

I heard this story the other day and thought I have to share it. It hold so much truth to it on all levels of life.

There once was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

“How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.

“Why sir,” said the farmer, “didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor’s corn also improves.

So it is with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help their neighbors to live in peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn

What will you do with the gifts, talents and abilities God has given you.

Matthew 25:14-30

Did you see Iron Man 2 this weekend? If you haven’t, let me tell you it’s worth going to see. Great Action graphics, the acting is actually good and I truly enjoyed the story line. Robert Downy Jr. made me laugh throughout the entire movie.

One of the things I enjoyed most was Tony Stark trying to do it all on his own. Let’s just say he takes having an ego to a whole-nutha-level. To call him a narcissist is the understatement of the year.  He is so consumed with himself that he doesn’t believe anyone can help him with his little problem; because he’s Iron Man, he’s got that fancy suit.

I started to think how often that happens to us. How often do we isolate ourselves from others? What is our problem that we think we can solve ourselves? What is our shiny suit that we think makes us Iron Man?  Is it a job title, a college degree, how long we’ve been married or raising our kids or even how much bible we have memorized?

God didn’t design us to do it on our own. He created us to be in a relationship.  So ask yourself, what’s your shiny suit that make you think you can do it all on your own?

Now this is just impressive. Time to step my game up!

Somethings you should just share with others and this is one of them.

This week I will be giving away 2 tickets to the Right Now Conference that takes place Nov 11-12 in Dallas,TX. I had the opportunity to attend this event last year and it is one you do not want to miss. For more info check out the website RightNow.org Stay tuned this week to see how you can win tickets.