Tag Archives: Pouring Out

I’m A Seed Planter

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“I can’t ever fill anybody’s cup, but I can be responsible for emptying mine.” – Andy Stanley

Pouring out needs to be about emptying my own cup. No matter what is happening, the objective of encouragement should be to pour out into others. Whatever they may need, my action should be to pour myself into them.

Pour encouragement into them. Lift them up. Give them hope.

Pouring out is about emptying my own cup. Don’t pick the people to fill. Simply work on emptying my own cup.

How do I know if what I am pouring out is helpful?

I may never know.

Encouragement, many times, includes planting seeds you may not see grow to maturity. The point of emptying yourself isn’t to see what great and glorious results come from it. The point is to be willing to REFRESH, ENCOURAGE, and INSPIRE others.

Plant seeds of encouragement. Don’t worry about the results. Continue to encourage, and the results will be handled by God.

I am called to pour out. I am not called to celebrate the results.

-I can't ever fill anybody's cup, but I (2)

Does this mean if I’m made aware of the results, if someone thanks me and tells me of their own success, I shouldn’t rejoice? No. Not at all.

The point I’m trying to make is to not expect and wait for the results. Continue to encourage. Continue to inspire.

As I read through Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker for the second time, the idea of “think long” came upon me in a different manner.

Thinking long now includes thinking of the impact of my life far into the future. What exactly am I doing today to impact the lives of the generations to come after me? From the standpoint of immediate family, the prayers I offer for my sons will most certainly impact their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren. I may not be physically present to experience the lives of those future generations, but I can certainly do something right now to have an impact on their lives.

The more I pour into my boys, the more I am intentional about encouraging them, the bigger impact it may have on those future generations. It is not for me to determine what happens in the future. It is simply to fulfill God’s calling on me to the current generation. God will take care of the future. My duty, my calling, is to plant seeds.

Are you pouring out? Are you planting seeds?

 

I’m Writing A Book

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Yep. You read it correctly. I’m. Writing. A. Book.

If fact, I’m planning to write more than one book. For now though, we’ll focus on the first book.

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As most of you know, my life changed last year when I was let go from my job. The time off helped me realize I was limiting myself. I was solely focused on work. A deep down love of writing came to the surface during my brief time off from employment. I love to write. And now, I have something to say.

This first book has been pushing itself to the surface for months. I’ve tried to ignore it while sketching out a plan for a different book, but this book is quite pushy. It needs to be first. It needs to see the light of day before I go on to the next one (which was going to be first).

What is so very important it can’t wait to be published? Encouragement. Inspiration. Filling people up. Pouring myself into others in order to bless them and encourage them in their every day lives and in their Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG)!

Here are a couple of topics I plan to cover:

  • Don’t pick the people to fill, simply work on emptying what I’ve been given.
  • How do I fill my own cup so I have more to pour out? i.e. Refilling my cup
  • Encouragement includes planting seeds you may not see grow to maturity.
  • Can you encourage, inspire, refresh, pour into others through social media? Twitter, FB, Pinterest, Blogging, etc.? Or, are these solely “in person” activities?

What are your thoughts on the topic? Opinions?

I look forward to hearing from you. I may even ask to use your thoughts in the book.
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Now for some accountability.

My target date for publishing this book is January 1, 2015. While I’m sure you all have an opinion on the time frame I’m presenting, I’m not looking for your opinion. But, I’d love to have your support. Some days I am freaked out by the lack of time with which I’ve presented myself. Other days, when the words are flowing freely, I believe it’ll be a breeze to finish up by New Year’s Day. I’d love your support to keep me accountable. I’m not sure how I’ll gather your encouragement. Maybe through email with a select few, maybe with a closed Facebook group, but I really do want to hear from you along the way.

Keep your eyes on this site, and if you’d like, leave a comment in this post telling me you’d be interested in a more personal involvement in seeing this project come to fruition.

Thanks for all your support so far! Here we go!!