10 Things that are important to me

Why is it important to know the things that are important to you?  I have been thinking about this a bit lately and trying to figure out what is important to me.  I think it is crucial to know what is important to you because if you know what is important you will have a better focus on what you should be doing with your life.  What you do every day will relflect what is important to you and will dictate where you spend your resources (time, money, abilities, thoughts, etc.) and if you know what is important it can help you figure out why you do what you do on a daily basis.

Now obviously this isn’t a complete list and it changes from time to time but here are 10 of the things that I think are important in my life.  Other than #1 they aren’t really in any particular order and I am sure I am leaving something off this list that should be there but here it goes:

1.  God – When I say God I am talking about the God of the Bible. I believe that God created the heavens and earth, believe that God loves us and sent his Son Jesus Christ to save us and wash away our sins through his sacrifice on the cross, and believe that the only way to heaven is through Christ.   As the bible says in Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” and I believe that God guides us and desires us to have a full, joyful life that can only come from knowing Him and that joy will continue for eternity as those He has saved worship Him forever.  I also believe that God punishes sin and those who rebel against Him and His perfect plan.  I was once a rebel who was directly opposed to God but in His grace and mercy He saved me.

Why is this important?  Without God I would be living a meaningless, worthless life that would just be selfishly focused on myself.  You can take everything else on this list away and I would still have God and that would be more than enough.

2.  Church – I attend Faith Bible Church here in Spokane, WA and have been there since it started back in September of 1992.  The body of Christ at FBC is amazing and has had a definite impact on my life.  I currently serve in the High School and Jr. High ministry there and have been working with that age group for 18 years now.  In the past I have also helped lead worship in that group, been on several overseas mission trips, and have served in many other ways as well.  The unity, love, joy, and friendship I have from my church is one of the greatest things in my life and I couldn’t imagine life without them.  Our elders, pastors, and leadership are committed to teaching the bible and shepherding this church according to what is taught in the bible. 

3.  Family – I am lucky to be able to work with my dad, brother, and sister-in-law.  Most people will advise against getting into business with family but I wouldn’t really have it any other way.  My mom is also awesome so I can’t forget about her.  My sister, brother in law and their 4 children (3 boys and 1 girl) are always fun to be around and it has been awesome to see my nephews and niece grow up over the past 11 years.  I wouldn’t say we are the closest family in the world but we all love each other and would do anything for any of the other members of the family.  We also are all Christians and all attend the same church so the unity we have through that is amazing as well.

4.  Friends – I thought about listing them here but when I started thinking about it I would have well over 100 names and I am sure I would accidently leave someone out.  But friends are a very important part of my life.  I know most of them through either church or work.  My church friends are a great encouragement to me and some of the people in my life that are closest to me. They know me better than I know myself in many ways and are always there to punch me in the face when I am being an idiot, give me a hug when I am sad, help me when I am struggling and rejoice when I rejoice.  My work friends are always in inspiration to me work wise and I rarely come away from a conversation with them without some new ideas on how I can grow my business and are also great to hang out with a few times a year.

5.  My Band – My band, Modern Dissent has been togehter for about 2 years. Over that time we have recorded an album, played numerous gigs around town, and have had a blast whenever we get together.  We usually get together once a week to practice, work on new songs, record some songs, and just hang out.  These 4 guys (Bob, Paul, Corey, and Seth) are some of my closest friends and some of the most awesome people I know.  We are currently working on lining up a bunch of gigs for the spring and summer and have 3 confirmed right now that we are preparing for.  We have no idea what the future holds for us.  Our main goal as a band is this:  “Modern Dissent purposes to use musical expression to encourage people from all background to think hard about Jesus Christ with the hope that they would follow and worship Him.” We don’t really know what that will look like in the future but we are trusting God to guide us and lead us where He wants us to go.  And a big thanks to Dawn and Hannah (Paul and Seth’s wife, mother, daughter and sister) for letting us invade their house once a week and cooking us awesome dinners and Jeannie, Emmett, Ellie and Ephraim (Bob’s wife and kids) for letting us steal Bob away so often.

6.  Work – Since work takes much of my time (probably not as much as it should) it has to be on the list.  I love my job.  I couldn’t really see myself doing anything else right now and I am very thankful to have a job where I don’t have to punch a timeclock, wear a tie, sit in a cubicle, answer to a boss, or do something I don’t want to do.  The work is great, the money is good, the lifestyle is awesome, and the people in this industry (most of them anyhow) are excellent.  And my job allows me plenty of time and money to focus on the rest of the items on this list. 

7.  Seattle Seahawks – OK, this is a bit different from the rest of the items on this list but I love the Seahawks.  They have been my favorite team for as long as I can really remember.  I have been a season ticket holder for 10 years now, have 10 different jerseys (and 4 more I will be buying this year), dozens of hats, shirts, sweatshirts, etc, and regularly make the 540 mile round trip to watch the games in the fall.  I sit in the Hawks Nest at Qwest Field which is where all the rowdy, loud fans sit and I rarely come away from a game with any sort of voice. I am always reading about the Seahawks and love it when they sign or draft a good player.  When the Seahawks win I am happy and when they lose I am very disappointed (just ask the hole I punched in my bedroom door how I react when they lose). 

8.  Food – I love food.  There are few things on this earth that make me happier than when I have a big steak in front of me.  In general I like nearly every kind of meat.  Beef, pork, chicken, lamb, seafood… they are all awesome.  But simple things like a PB&J sandwich or Reese’s Peanut Butter cups make me happy as well.  There are a few foods I really hate and avoid eating if at all possible (onions and green peppers top the list) but I will eat most anything from a good bowl of cereal (Capt’n Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, and Rasin Bran are among my favorites) to some Hot Pockets to catfish to pizza to a good burger… I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.  I love food!!!

9.  Sports – From watching to playing I am a big sports fan.  For the most part I am a pretty athletic guy and I am above average in most of the sports I play.  I am currently on a volleyball team and have 2 softball teams I will be playing on starting in a month or so.  I also love to play basketball, football, tennis, and nearly every other sport.  Badminton, table tennis, takraw, rock climbing… they are all awesome.  As far as watching if it is on TV I probably love it (except for women’s basketball and figure skating). I love watching college and NFL football, college and pro basketball, baseball, NASCAR, hockey, and most anything else.  I even caught myself watching and enjoying curling at 3 AM a couple weeks ago.  I am an ESPN junkie and love keeping up on the latest sports news online and on SportsCenter. 

10:  Golf – I figured this needed an entry all by itself.  There isn’t much better than being out on the golf course on a beautiful summer day.  But I also love golfing in the rain, cold, wind, and pretty much any time in general.  If the snow is off the course I will be out there.  I try to play about once a week and there are about 8 different courses around town I play regularly.  I am not all that good yet (usually shoot around 90 or so) but I still have fun even though it can be amazingly frustrating at times.  I like playing with friends but also like playing alone or just walking on with some complete strangers. 

So there you go.  10 things that are important to me.  What does your list look like?  Leave a comment below and let me know.