Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, St. Matthews Baptist Church

What does “getting ahead” mean?  

A man, once called Saul, who is better known by his later name, the Apostle Paul, said it is not by living on one’s own terms; not by seeking social prestige; not by trying to win people’s approval; not by advancing ahead of other people his age; and not by burning with passion that is disconnected from right purpose.

Figuring out the best answer for the “getting ahead” question determines where and how we “end-up” in life.  The answer shapes our vision for life, our relationship with family & friends, our connections to money and possessions, and our pursuit of opportunities.  

Simply put … what we are willing or not willing to do is guided by our ambition.  God’s best for us is the right ambition to have.

Ambition (from the Latin, meaning “to go around”) means to put out the effort to accomplish what we desire.  What we consistently desire is crucial.  Good desires craft good ambitions.  Bad desires lead to bad ambitions.  Jesus said be careful to know what you treasure because it will shape your heart (Matthew 6:19-21).

The question is not whether we should or should not be ambitious.  But how do we ensure our ambitions are rooted in God’s character - so we don’t come up short after we get what we want?  Hence the phrase “be careful what you want for you will surely get it.”

 Jesus told us to want - after we’ve grounded ourselves in the Kingdom of God (Matt. 5:48, 6:33) - for good wanting = good ambitions which = good efforts which = true fulfillment.  Spiritual ambition is finding out what God wants us to do and then “to go around” doing it.

Paul’s life was changed when God “called me by His grace” (Gal.1:15).  From his failures he learned how to be successful.  We can also!  

Together, let’s commit to “By the grace of God, I will do what I can do and I will be who I can be.”

Pastor Les Hollon

“We must nurture our dreams like we would a child.  They are God-given and just as precious.  Without ambition how would a child learn to ride a bicycle, play an instrument or whistle?  We deny the spirit of God when we as adults settle for less than our dreams!”
-Conway Stone

This article was written by Les Hollon, Pastor of St. Matthews Baptist Church.  For more information about life lessons, St. Matthews Baptist Church, or to contact Dr. Hollon, click over to St. Matthews Baptist Church.

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Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley

So, you’re ready to take the plunge.  You have your tools by your side and you eagerly wait to discover new territory.  These activities are very simple and most of them cost nothing.  Again, enjoy this process and bring others along with you.  Your change might inspire others to do the same.

1. Get a Library Card.

Statistics from the ALA (American Library Association) state that only 68% of Americans have a library card. This is a huge resource that you can use for much of your discovery.  You will have a variety of treasures at your fingertips, from audio books to movies, self-help to fiction.  Whatever you need, more than likely, they will have it.  Start reading books that you normally would pass up. Check out biographies, history, fiction, nonfiction, or philosophy.  Give yourself the grace to take it back, unfinished if you discover you don’t like it.  However, don’t write something off, just because it’s not what you would normally read.

Also, if you have a college or university in your city, most will issue non-students user cards that allow you to use the university library just like your Free Public Library.  Many people are not aware of this service. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Marie Monroe

I read somewhere about the 50 or so names an arctic indigenous people have for various types of snow.  Being a fan of weather (that’s a long story … I can watch the weather channel for hours.  I think it all started in Ms. Pitcock’s 3^rd grade science class in, say, 1964?  Anyway …) 

Back to precipitation.  So, I’ve carried that fascination for decades now.  50 names for snow?  50 types of snow?

I took this in as fact.  I decided instantly that, of course, there are that many types of snow and if I only knew them … it’s still on the “Things-To-Do-Before-I-Die” List – or Bucket List -  to learn them.

However, way down here in the lower 48 (apparently Hawaii doesn’t count; it’s too far West and not contiguous), I’ve translated the concept in my own way into my own favorite form of precipitation - Rain.

Rain and I have been friends for a long time.  I like songs about rain.  I like movies that have rainy scenes.  Oh, and I like to talk about it.  And yes, write about rain.  I’ve even done art about rain. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley

“Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying.  The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.” - Elise Boulding

What does it really take to make a house a home? What does it take to make a family feel at home? What are the ingredients that families need to feel well, comfortable, safe, secure, and happy?

If you believed the ads that come from the magazines, radio, and television, apparently, it takes quite a bit.  From clothes to cars, food and phones, we can never seem to have enough stuff. And of course our happiness is found in the products being advertised.  Why else would those people be dancing so freely with their iPods? Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Jenifer Snelling

As I was driving today, I was searching for a radio station and stopped on a channel that had a preacher that I disagreed with.  It just so happens that in the church I attend it isn’t uncommon for someone to disagree with something the minister says.  But it is called a difference of opinion and everyone respects one another and moves on, if they even speak about it at all.

What interested me about the sermon on the radio was that the preacher was speaking about love being finite – that though you may want to, or try to, you cannot possibly love all the people in your life and the things of the world that you feel you should love. 

This interested me a lot because sometimes I am frustrated when I send my love out into the world in all directions … Read More »