"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor Frankl Life is full of stimuli, things we didn't ask for and often can't control. But what separates a reactive life from an intentional life is the space between what happens to us, and how we choose to respond. That space is where our character is built.

Today we discussed how staying young doesn't have anything to do with our hair color or wrinkles. Have you met someone in their 70's or 80's who is full of energy and loves being alive? It's not because they are young looking, but more because they are interested. Asking questions, laughing, trying new things...just staying curious about the world and others around them. Answer this question: "I've always wondered what it would be like to....?" And then answer: "What steals our curiosity?" Group members said, be curious by not being attached to the outcome but just doing the thing. Holding an atmosphere of curiosity. (Making space for it) Layers of joy (Childhood vs Adult.....aka Disneyland vs Peaceful cup of morning coffee) Do we need permission? Do we give ourselves permission? We stay young when we still have things to discover. As long as we are still curious, life has something to teach us. Have a good week, my friends.

I'll be happy when..........vs..........I was already living. We did an exercise where we drew a line across the page. Along this line we make marks for milestones/events that we decided would make us happier. Such as, Graduate, Get a Job, Marry, Buy a Home, Kids....etc Go all the way along your life and even into the future. Then draw another line under that one, across the page again. This line represents I was already living. On this line, note things like, having fun, raising kids, enjoying work, building friendships, laughing, loving, growing as a person, growing in your faith / beliefs. Looking at the first line, how many of those accomplishments left you feeling permanently content? y guess is none. Likely not long after you checked one off, the next one was already lurking. But in the midst of those marks, something else was happening. Down below on the next line you were just living. What if, while we were waiting for life to begin - life was already happening? The destination isn't where life happens, the journey is. Collectively, we decided that appreciating and noticing the little things is important, as is being in the moment - being present. Contentment is underrated. I loved this conversation. Thank you all for joining me.

When my kids were little, I remember handing them a Happy Meal and asking for one fry. Just one. And somehow, without fail, they'd dig through the bag, skip right past all the beautiful golden fries, and hand me the tiny burnt one from the bottom. You know the fry. The one nobody wanted. And I remember thinking to myself, I bought that meal. Technically every single fry in that bag belongs to me! It made me wonder... How often do we treat God the same way? He gives us an entire life filled with blessings, and sometimes we offer Him what's left over. The leftover time. The leftover energy. The leftover attention. The leftover generosity. The little fry in the bottom of the bag. We often think of stewardship as a financial word. Being a good steward of our money by giving, and saving. Managing our resources wisely. But stewardship is so much bigger than that. It asks a different question: How am I caring for the gifts I've already been given? Your marriage is a gift. Maybe the answer isn't finding a different spouse. Maybe it's becoming a better steward of the marriage you already have. Your children are a gift. Maybe instead of wishing they were easier, we become better stewards of the children we've been entrusted with by loving them, guiding them, and seeing them as blessings instead of burdens. Your friendships. Your health. Home. Job. Talents. Time. Even your body. None of it truly belongs to us. Psalm 24:1 says that: "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." Everything. We don't own these things, we've simply been entrusted with them for a season. So, how well are you caring for what you've been given? Maybe contentment doesn't come from getting something new. Maybe it comes from becoming a better steward of what's already sitting in our hands.