John Markum

I would rather…

I have a tendency to be extreme. And I also don’t see that – entirely – as a bad thing. To me, mediocrity is the enemy. Jesus told a church in Revelation that they were “lukewarm” and basically made Him want to throw up because they were neither hot nor cold… like room-temp coffee… or worse, milk! Balance is not always good. Sometimes, balance is an excuse we use for compromising to laziness, fear, and disobedience to God. Because of that…

  • I would rather trust God for big things and endure criticism, than stay in my place of safety and never see God move.
  • I would rather do something now while the opportunity is ready, than talk about it until it no longer matters.
  • I would rather have an uncomfortable conversation with someone, than ignore the problem and hope it doesn’t get worse.
  • I would rather try too hard, than not hard enough.
  • I would rather be misunderstood than ignored.
  • I would rather give everything than give a “token” gift.
  • I would rather be too tired than too comfortable.

I always hate it in baseball or softball when a batter gets strike three watching a pitch. As if they’re afraid of the consequences of taking a rip at it. Yes, there’s a chance you could miss. But you always miss 100% of the pitches you never swing at. Get in the game! Do something significant! Risk too much, not too little! Wouldn’t you rather?

Blessings,

John

Choose to be an Optimist

We typically categorize people’s overall perspective into one of three point-of-views: Optimist, Pessimist, and Realist. You get the idea, “The pessimist says the glass is half empty, the optimist says the glass is half full…” and so on. My observation is that people generally look down on being a pessimist (which is in itself, a pessimistic statement), think the optimist is naive, and that the realist is generally the best perspective to maintain because this is objective and factual. Someone who is “a realist” sounds more intelligent somehow.

The truth I have wrestled with concerning this, is that there appears to be far more Biblical instruction to be an optimist (Phil. 4:8, James 1:19-20, Pro. 17:22, Phil. 4:13, John 15:11, Psalms 31:24, etc…), than a pessimist, or even a “realist.” And by the way, I also notice that most people who say “I’m not a pessimist, I’m a realist,” are actually just pessimists with a fact to support their negative outlook.

Now, it’s important for me to say that I’m not advocating a mindset that sees the world through rose-colored glasses. I do not believe that we are suppose to ignore known facts. A true optimist, and I argue a mature follower of Jesus, sees the good, bad, and the ugly, and decides to keep a positive perspective anyway. Isn’t this what Jesus meant when He told us, “In this world you will have troubles. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, emphasis mine)? We’ve got plenty to be optimistic about…

We serve a world-creating, light-speaking, water-walking, grave-robbing, sin-forgiving, hurt-healing, life-giving God! Yes, it might be Friday, and Jesus has died a humiliating death on public display. But Sunday’s coming, and He’s about to blow the doors open on a borrowed tomb and show His glory.

Don’t lose heart over your circumstances. Believe God is going to come through even if you can’t understand how right now. Believe the BEST! Choose to be an optimist. It’s less stressful anyway.

Blessings,

John

10 Easy Ways to be a Religious Hypocrite

  1. Gossip about someone in the form of a “prayer request.”
  2. Say you trust God, but don’t tithe.
  3. Hold onto a grudge.
  4. Say you’ll pray for someone, but avoid talking to them.
  5. Make church the only time and place you crack your Bible open.
  6. Don’t bring up your faith to others.
  7. Curse at people in traffic while listening to K-LOVE.
  8. Put your amusement before the needs of others.
  9. Care more about what people think about you, than what God knows about you.
  10. Never admit wrong-doing toward others/Never initiate reconciliation.

Blessings,

John

The phrase no pain, no gain has been a mantra for athletes and fitness junkies for years. And what they understand about physical pain needs to be broadened to a much more general use in all of our lives. Pain hurts. That's the whole problem. No one enjoys it, and if someone does, we rightfully

The Premium of Pain