With the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King holiday my mind wonders to his legacy and to my own. Far be it from me to compare myself to someone with an impact as significant as Dr. King, but it is helpful to not idolize him and forget that we will leave a legacy ourselves. I think that is what the core of Dr. King’s dream was about; every person should do what he or she can to change the world. I appreciate the “Dream” and the “Dreamer”, but my God is still giving Dreams and He is still raising Dreamers.

It is interesting that as time moves away from an event or a person’s life the reality becomes blurrier than the memory. It’s apparent to me that in some ways we deify great men like Dr. King, and we make their lives almost unattainable. We forget that they were mere men with body odor, pain, pleasure, and everything that we experience. That means that our contributions to the world we live in can be just as, or potentially greater.

One of my favorite King quotes is, “I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.” This shows the resolve and insistence that we must all in our own way make a difference. That is the challenge of every person will our lives matter.

Will people talk about us years after our lives are no more? Will anyone consider naming a day after us? What will our legacies be? Will the world be a better place because we were here? Here is a truth, most people go through their lives oblivious, others will desire to make their lives matter, and a very rare few will long to make their lives matter for that which matters most! It is my dream to inspire others to live for what matters most! There is nothing that matters more to me than Jesus. He is the legacy I want to leave.

I have been pondering the concept of times and seasons. It always perplexes me how one person will seemingly walk in the fullness of what God has for them and another just as gifted person will be waiting for opportunities to do the same. In our attempt to rationalize this seemingly unfair reality, we try to assign the person who has yet to fulfill what God has for them to sin, laziness, or some other character flaw. I think we miss the fact that God’s design for a particular person sometimes includes what feels like delays.

I believe that there are several reasons for this disparity in timing and effectiveness of our God given dreams. One reason is that although we can feel ready to step into the future we believe God has for us He knows whether or not we truly are prepared. There are also times where we need more support, infrastructure, and/or information before we can see the manifestation of our purpose. We must also account for the fact that at times the patience we are developing keeps pride at bay. Another reality for us is the sovereignty of God sometimes says, “not yet”.

It’s important to remember that the Bible says, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” Ecclesiastes 7:8 It’s more about how you finish not how you start. As an encouragement I have written these words:

I'll wait patiently

Until my moment comes

I'll live joyfully

Until my moment comes

Through the tears and sorrow

I trust you with tomorrow

When life gets tough

My God is enough

When my heart breaks

Though my soul aches

You're worth the wait

So I'll wait patiently

Until my moment comes

I'll live joyfully

Until my moment comes

My hope is in my Savior

The my strength and valor

In Him rest strong

To Him I live my song

He does not disappoint

In His time He does anoint

God, you're worth the wait

I wait patiently

Until my moment comes

I'll live joyfully

Until my moment comes

My God holds all moments in His hands

He is my moment

My God holds all moments in His hands

He is my moment

I love working with and speaking words of encouragement into the lives of college students. I am perfectly content if God desires me to do that for the rest of my life. I have walked away from a corporate career and a steady paycheck in a bad economy to more effectively touch the lives of students. I have invested almost 15 years of my life into the collegiate generation. I have even written a book, College Impact: Empowering Collegiate Christians for Campus Influence, which is self-explanatory.

We have been marketing and telling people about my book for almost a year. The reviews on it have been overwhelming. Students have embraced the material, and adult leaders have told me how vital this book is to the university crowd. To be totally honest, we are still having a little struggle getting it into the larger Christian student population. I try to mention College Impact as often as I can on social networking sites, which is smart. When I am faced with discouragement, I remember one thing: God desires the hearts and minds of university students more than I desire to see that happen.

I was chatting online with one of my former dorm mates. He was talking about the impact that I had on his life when I was Resident Assistant. He remembered the strategic ways in which we (me and my roommate) served him and the other students in our hall. The times of prayer, the trips to church, the conferences we encouraged them to attend, and over ten years later he can't forget the truths shared. That is what College Impact is all about!

I remember walking on my old campus a few years ago and running into another former resident. He hugged me and said, "The man that saved my life." (I understand that it was Jesus using me to reach him, but I knew what he meant.) The irony is that this guy was once so annoyed by may standards and persistent witness that he tried to fight me when we where in school. He literally, approached me and stated his intention to fight me. I stood my ground, and by the end of the year he was considering Jesus for the first time. That is the opportunity that one student has in the life of another.

There is a generation that needs to receive the unconditional love of God, and they may not be open to hear it from a pastor. But after seeing it in the lives of other students, they will yield to Christ's call. That is the message contained in those few short pages. Just like those two students, once you inspire them they will carry that message for the rest of their lives. If students would only awaken to the opportunity God has given them to demonstrate love to others they could change the world. 

So, for me this is more than marketing. It's more than a ploy to sell more books. It's about helping students who have a passion for Jesus, see how they might more effectively love those on their campuses in His name. To see students come alive to God and to the needs of those around them is my heart's desire. I wish I had the money to give away hundreds of the books to Christian students and leaders to help ignite them. For me, this is a mission, not just marketing.

John Lennon wrote a little song called “ Happy Christmas” in 1971, and I like the lyrics. Now, while I appreciate the Beatles, I am not the biggest fan. And though most of Lennon’s later songs were a little too “hippie” for me, this song resonates with me. The song goes:

And so this is Christmas

For weak and for strong

For rich and the poor ones

The world is so wrong

I put a challenging question on a few social networking sites this week and got an interesting response. The question: “Was Jesus born to free us from sin and enslave us in consumer debt because of his birthday? It started a debate on the date of Jesus’ actual birthday rather than the larger issue of debt as a result of the holiday. I think it’s because many people are not willing to curtail their spending.

I honestly don’t believe that it’s Jesus’ goal for people to amass large amounts of consumer debt in His name. The reality is that in this economy people don’t have the money to spend a large amount of money on gifts, but as the black Friday rush indicates, most people will continue with Christmas as usual. To that I agree with Lennon in that the world is so wrong.

Many people could get no Christmas presents under their trees, and it would not affect their standard of living one bit. We don’t need others to charge up their credit cards in an effort to make us feel more loved by them. So this is Christmas? Most people can barely remember what they got last year for Christmas, not to mention who gave it to them.

It is a shame that we have reduced this holiday to such a low state. This is the one time a year that the world turns their attention to Christ. Why not make this season about Him and not about regret or guilt over spending money we don’t have, for gifts people don’t need. That does not mean that we can’t give gifts because Jesus was the greatest present the world has ever known. But, how about giving what we can, and making no excuses for what we can’t. Let’s make Christmas about Jesus.

I’m thankful for my life

I’m thankful for my wife

I’m thankful for my son and how he fought for life

I’m thankful for the good

And even for the bad

I’m thankful for the lessons some of which I wish I never had

I’m thankful for the God’s grace

I’m thankful for His love

Through which the race I run is guided from above

I’m thankful for dad, a man I never knew

Had to learn to be a man here without you

I’m thankful for my mom, who tried to hold me down

Cause daddy played the record, bumped it, and skip town

I’m thankful for the days, back when we were so poor

Don’t got all I want, but much more than before

I’m thankful for my family those who I love so much

When days away I long to see and feel your touch

Especially for my wife, my one, my side, my heart

Please God through death only shall we part

My handsome little son, who brings me so much joy

God’s not done with daddy baby miracle boy

I’m thankful for my friends, those who care and pray

I hope my life encourages to seize the day

I’m thankful for my future, the things yet come to pass

The dreams, the plans, the more of what life eternal has

I’m thankful for all you, reading this even now

I pray thankfulness in you would always much abound

So thankful!