What If...

A scholar of culture once said, "Mo money Mo Problems." I have to agree with Notorious B.I.G. on this one. I'm currently in a stage of my life where I am making money, and I don't have to pay bills or rent. Unfortunately, like Biggie Smalls says, the bigger my bank account becomes, the bigger my problems. About 2 months ago, my 2001 Grand Am needed a new fuel pump. That one cost me almost $600. This past weekend, I wrote my friend a $470 check to repay him for an airplane ticket he bought me. And for some reason, my ignition switch decided to quit working. There goes another $350. Now please don't mistake this for complaining...I'm simply stating facts. To be honest, the only things I'm really spending money on is gas, grub, and girlfriend. But I actually think all three of those things are worth every penny! Gas gets me to where I need to go. Grub gives me energy...and well the Girlfriend is just awesome! I was thinking the other day about all the ways in which Christine has improved my life. This list is in no way exhaustive but it will do the job (I don't think she even knows these things).

1) I now put a napkin on my lap when I eat.
2) I have started to wash my hands more frequently
3) She helps me pray better
4) I now carry my I.D. with me every where I go (more about this in a later post)
5) I eat more Mexican food
6) I always leave a "way out" with my car when stopping at stop lights

So I guess I tell you all of this because the "mo money" the "mo problems," but if you get a girlfriend *cough..David...cough*, your problems won't seem to bad.

But on a serious note, this past week I was able to hang out with the student ministry team over at the main campus in Louisville. We were able to just kind of take a breath and relax, and I had my first ever cinna-crunch bagel from Panera that morning. After doing some casual chatting and bagel-eating, Matt Reagan (the Lead guy over the student ministry department) sat us all down and said, "What if..." He went on to explain how sometimes we get so caught up with how things are currently going that we never take the time to just say, "What if." So we broke up into groups of about 4 people and we all asked ourselves that question. During the meeting I couldn't think of any "what if's" for myself, but after doing some thinking I think i have a couple.

What if I started to get to know students on a more intentional level. Instead of just the casual "hello" or "whats up," what if I got to know their stories?

What if I decided to memorize the book of James?

What if followed Jesus everyday instead of following Him when it is comfortable for me?

What if I depended more heavily on the Holy Spirit?

What if I started exercising?

What if I would have taken a ministry out of college instead of this internship?

What if God was one of us? (Sorry...I had to)

What if my family was not as loving and as encouraging as they are?

What if something terrible happened to me? Would I keep my hope in Jesus my main focus or would I focus on the bad?


I want to encourage you to come up with your own "What If..." list. The good thing about this list is that I can take away the "what if" on some of them and make them a reality. Someone once said, "A man aiming at nothing always hits his target." I think we all need to have goals in order for us to strive towards something...and I think a "What If..." list is perfect for this. If you do go ahead and make a list, please let me know what you thought of it. I thought this exercise was very healthy and encouraging!