Today I spoke to a group of high school students. The gist of the presentation was this: 1. You will become what you believe you are worth 2. To build something real, become someone who is reliable, selfless, and shows up for others first 3. Do the things that scare you. Overcoming fear is where confidence is built. This presentation made me genuinely question if I am living up to the version of myself I thought I'd be when I was a kid. When you are in that position on stage (or posting content), it's important to back up and be about what you speak about. What a blessing it is to prove to yourself everyday that you can become the person you thought you could be when you were little. I do this by posting content, running my business, running long distances, solo traveling, and building community. There are always uncertainty in life. Will I get married? Will I build a following? How will I make money when I move to a new city? Will I be able to sell my business? But, look at the PROGRESS you make over time by staying consistent!!! Speaking on that stage, I realized how far I'd come. I've run three full marathons. I've built my business to the point where I can travel and still have income. I'm posting content everyday on TikTok. I'm not saying this to boast, but more so as a journal to myself and to you that you can get to where you want to go. Hold the vision. Stay consistent. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Push yourself to try new things and build community. Hold tight to the Lord. And He will provide. Hope this helps someone!!

Woke up today? Say it. Had water in your cup? Say it. Able to pee without pain? Say it. Able to walk? Say it. Able to see? Say it. Have a coffee maker? Say it. Felt the morning sun? Say it. Read your daily Devo? Say it. Kissed your family? Say it. Had breakfast? Say it. Car started? Say it. Got to work safe? Say it. Saw some birds? Say it. Felt happy? Say it. Felt sad? Say it. Someone noticed you? Say it. You noticed so done? Say it. My friends. Say it. The more reasons you recognize how good God is, the less you’ll recognize how bad life is. There is way more good than bad. Train yourself to see it. And when you do, say it. “THANK YOU GOD”

Here is a sermon I wrote with a handout.

Not everything that gets removed is a setback. Sometimes it’s God making the path so clear that when things work out, you know it wasn’t you. It was Him… I was reading Book of Judges 6 and 7, and it hit me in a way I didn’t expect. Gideon wasn’t some big time leader. He was a regular guy, hiding, trying to stay safe, when God called him. And he didn’t just jump up ready to go. He questioned it. He asked God to prove it. More than once. And God kept meeting him right where he was. Then God tells Gideon to go fight the Midianites. This wasn’t a fair fight. Their army was huge. It filled the whole valley. So Gideon builds his own army. 32,000 men. Now it feels like he at least has a shot. And then God says, “That’s too many.” Not what you expect to hear. So people start leaving. 22,000 gone. Now 10,000. Still too many. God cuts it again. Now Gideon has 300 men. Three hundred… against an army that looked endless. At that point, there’s no plan that makes sense. Nothing to rely on but God. And when they finally go in, it’s not even a real battle. They show up at night with torches and trumpets. The enemy panics, turns on each other, and runs. God handles it. Just like that. When I read that, I didn’t just think about Gideon. I thought about my own life. I’ve never had a big safety net. Never had that feeling of being fully set. No big savings account sitting there giving me peace. And when I hear people talk about having six figures saved, I’ll be honest, it gets to me. It makes me feel behind. Like I messed something up. Like I’m not doing enough. But then I zoom out and look at everything. God has always provided for me. Every time I needed something, it showed up. Not always early. Not always how I expected. But it came. And the truth is, I’ve never been able to say, “Yeah, I did that on my own.” That used to bother me. I used to wonder why it always felt like I was right on the edge, needing God to come through again. But reading this story changed that for me.

This softened my heart this morning.