Never Settle

" Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
-Romans 12:2
 

Europe was amazing. God is amazing. If you ever get the chance to travel do it!. Even if it is four hour road trip to a flat cornfield... Well that doesn't actually sound too good... Sounds like Iowa...

Anyway, two months later and Rachel and I are back home in MN. All moved in to our new home together. We finally feel like a married couple, because we finally have our own place, and bed, and plates and bowls... Rather than sleeping on strangers couches and spare bedrooms, or in a car for a week straight... The point is it is fun to finally be able to start fresh and settle in to our new lives.

But that whole theory made me realize: We should never settle. Never be comfortable with where we are or what we are doing. I am not saying to abandon your home and move from place to place and job to job every six months. I am saying, however, that we should continue to grow and improve in all aspects of our lives. There is always room for improvement. Even Michael Jordan, arguably the best basketball player ever, practiced and practiced and continued to perfect his game.

My goal in this new stage of life of "settling in", is to never settle in, but to press in and look to God for growth and guidance. What is my purpose in life? I don't know, but I do know it is not punching in nine to five and living for the weekend and vacation days... We are on this earth for a reason, to chase that reason and "path" is our calling in life. To live short of our full potential is to live short of all God has called you to be!

So please, settle in nothing, but continue to seek God's plan for you and love everyone as Christ loves you. Share the love!

-Bryant

Find your balance!

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."
-Mathew 6:33

One thing people know about me and my beautiful wife is that we do not do things as perceived as normal. Our beat is to a different drummer, often times it seems like the drummer is a highly caffeinated, blind octopus playing 4 sets of drums at once... Regardless we still dance.

I bring this up because we are newly weds, and we did not start our marriage like most newly weds do. Most get married and use up one week of vacation time or sick days for a justifiable uber expensive and carefree relaxation vacation. Then return home to the same lives they left only with bands on their fingers and wedding pictures on the walls of their New Home.
They can wake up next to each other everyday, eat some breakfast and read the Bible together, how precious, then off to work for the day only to return to their beautiful new home with their beautiful new spouse.

Honestly that sounds pretty good right about now...

For my wife and I our first day of marriage started at 4am the day after a rager of a dance party in a barn that I guess we call our wedding. 4am and a plane to catch. We were not to return to the Good ole USA for 3-4,5,6,7,8... Months. Oh and to return back to the states with no jobs, no "new home", and no worries.

We embarked on this journey that for the first 3 weeks we considered "honeymoon" because we were staying in time shares in Orlando, Austria, and Greece. Ahhh luxury. Kinda. We knew that after those 3 weeks we still had 15 stops all over Europe yet to make. So even though we were in resorts we weren't necessarily living the luxury life because we only spent between $40-50 on groceries and one dinner out. We needed this money to stretch for the rest of the trip.

This trip is so important to us not because we like to travel and we want to see a new part of the world but because we want to make a difference. Little by little day by day we want to love others better than we love ourselves. It has been amazing, the people we've met, the things we've seen, and the stories we've heard. God is truly relevant even across a big blue ocean.

We are trying to go to so many places so fast on such a slim budget that we have spent more time thinking about how we are getting to our next stop for as cheap as possible and where are we staying and what is there to do there??? Rather than being in Florence, Italy, for example,and live in the day, in the moment and experience everything it has to offer and take in the culture and to take in the differenceness of it. Every place is different and has a differenceness to it. Same with people, we all have a differenceness to us. How are you using yours?

Anyway our focus started to shift; what started out as a missions trip focused on Christ and others became a battle of focus to stretch a dollar and use creative transportation.

Here is what we have learned through all of this. Since the beginning the focus has never been about us, and that is where our problem started.
My wife, the beautiful goddess holding my hand as we run from bus to train to car to plane, is my very best friend and I have been too focused on "what place is next? or "what can we do for that homeless man on the corner?" or "what is God teaching me?" That I have not even taken the time to look to my side and see her beautiful face and her even more beautiful heart.

We learned that marriage is hard. Why? Because, as stated above, we have many things going on. As I like to say "A lot of life is happening all at once."
Like this trip, marriage or life for that matter is a balancing act. We have many focus points and it's how we prioritize them that can get us out of wack. We need to figure out travel plans and sleep accommodation, and to remember our budget, for us and for our missions trip, we need to focus on random acts of kindness and making a difference in people's lives daily, we need to find our "new home" in the States, we both need solid full time jobs when we return, and most importantly we need to keep God at the center and focus on Him and being attentive to his daily blessings and guidance. While spinning all of those plates, sometimes they fall, we forgot the most important thing about a marriage, the people in it... We forgot to focus on each other.

People always say missions trips are life changing and you learn so much. Truth. You learn things you didn't even know needed to be known in ways you never knew but now you know.

It has been hard but we are beyond thankful for the lessons thus far and this being the biggest one: We need a balance.
It is a constant need and sometimes struggle but once you get in a rhythm and find your balance then life is pretty beautiful. We learned to balance our marriage, our trip, our home life, and above all our Focus on the Almighty God!
 

Changing the WHOLE World

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
-Mathew 11:28-30

Missions trips are awesome! 
I know this because I have heard amazing stories of amazing things that God did through and to the people that went on these missions trips.
This is my first missions trip and after the first day I was discouraged... Discouraged because I expected everyday to be like those amazing stories I heard from friends:

"We prayed for this person's broken ankle and it was immediately healed."
"I spoke at this remote church and 23 people accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior that night!"

I wanted that for us. Rachel did not understand why I was getting so down on myself. She has been on trips before and has seen amazing God stories. I have seen them too, but just not while on a missions trip. 
Honestly it's SELFISH!

Why do I want those things? 

I could say because I want God to work miracles and change lives for the betterment of HIS kingdom, but my attitude seemed more like "I want God to use ME, so I can say that I did it. I did that. I now have an amazing story to share about MY missions trip."

I did not think that's what I was thinking but deep down I just wanted to change the life of every person we meet while on this trip. It's not selfish when I put it that way, but it is selfish when I think about WHO I am changing and WHY? Am I speaking life into this person because I want them to go to heaven and live a life on fire for Jesus? Do I want that to happen for them or for me? Do I get satisfaction from that thinking to myself "Yeah, I did that" 
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! 

GOD DID THAT! He did it all! He will continue to do ALL. All glory to HIM.

I am sharing this because I had a wake up moment.
Let me tell you something truly awesome: Being married is the best thing ever.
For this reason in particular: My beautiful wife Rachel Amundson reminded me during my venting and frustration with my view towards a missions trip that we don't have to change every life...
I got so butt hurt when we left a conversation in Athens or Rome and the person wasn't open to anything. That's why I love marriage, my wife keeps me upright and reminds me of what truly matters, Christ! 

I had another great friend of mine remind me to not be discouraged and to let go. He reminded me I needed to trust Jesus to do the heavy lifting. WOW!

I was trying to do it all on my own, not even asking my wife to help me let alone GOD. 

I write this as a reminder to let Jesus do the heavy lifting. It makes life and love a lot easier when you're not so focused on doing this or that and to just let Jesus work and follow His guidance.

Think of something you need to give to Jesus to lift for you. Share it with us here at Days of Difference or with one of your friends or family members.

 

Cheers!
 

Life of Ruins

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
-Philippians 3:13b-14

Here we are and here we go. The Days of Difference Missions trip has finally begin. Our first stop: Athens.

Greek people are very friendly and take great pride in their Greek heritage. So much so that poorly designed half built (or less) statues, monuments, and buildings are now on display for the world to see, for a fee$$$. It was really cool to see all of the "ruins" but at the same time it makes you think: "Why not move on?"

I say that in a joking manner but it is so true and relevant in our daily lives. We get so caught up with how things used to be that we are scared to move on. 
"I was valedictorian, I deserve better."
"I was such a great athlete in high school, I will never be as good as I once was. I might as well not even try"

Why not?

Or maybe you are on the opposite side:
"I have been a nobody all my life, no sense trying now."
"I smell bad all the time anyway, I don't need a shower"--- Please shower...
"I don't know who my real Dad is and my mom works too much to ever even talk to me"

There is hope for all of us.

Like the ancient ruins in Greece, they were just that, ruins. The greek folk took what they did well and learned from what they did not so well and created a miraculous Country filled with sites galore. 
They did this because they did not let their "ruins" ruin them, rather they continued on day by day towards their goals. 

What do the Greek ruins have to do with your life today? Not a dang thing, but what is relevant is the fact that you can make today whatever day you want it to be. Make a good day or make it a bad day. You also have the choice to be who you want to be today. 

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past."
-Isaiah 43:18

Are you going to dwell on the past and let it drag you back and not let you excel to the you God has in store? Or are you going to say "Today is a new day and I have the power to make it a good or bad day." Hopefully you choose good day, but make sure you know that today is not a result of what happened yesterday.

Today started when you woke up!
 

Hey, I Like Your Necklace

For a span of months, I worked as a waiter at a restaurant in Pasadena, CA. I needed some extra cash as I was nearing graduation and getting ready for a wedding and then the real world. I would consider myself a rather outgoing and talkative person so serving was a great way for me to interact with people while working.

Most of the time my conversations with my guests would be regarding deep fried macaroni and cheese balls or what beer pairs well with a bacon cheese burger, but one night a group of young folks came in and I could tell something was a little bit different about these cats.

First off they were incredibly patient, it took me a minute to deliver their beverages and finally put in their food order but they were not in any hurry and were like “No worries.” Which was not a theme I was used to in southern California. Everybody there just seems like they are in a hurry and nobody else really matters, but these people were just enjoying a night out celebrating a friend’s birthday.
As I dropped off their drinks one of them said “Hey I like your necklace.” My response is usually “Thanks, me too.” I say that because my necklace is a wooden Jesus fish and I say I like it because I like Jesus, I could care less about the fifty cents I spent on the necklace but it is a symbol of my belief and that it hangs around my neck suspending perfectly over my heart, never leaving me. To me it is much more than just a necklace, but most of the time when people say “nice necklace” that is usually the end of the conversation. Not this time, the girl who said it then explained they are all friends from the same church. They then asked about my life and I asked about theirs and we talked while we waited for their food, and while my other tables waited for me to wait for them (pun intended.)
I then told them about Days Of Difference and their faces lit up and they almost laughed because they took out their phone and showed me the Instagram for their church “Resetwwca” (Word for the World CA) They do outreach and events with their church and are living examples of the idea behind Days Of Difference. I’m not saying we are the first people to come up with the idea of serving others and putting them above ourselves, clearly not, Jesus taught that duhhh, but before Him Aristotle taught it. So this goes way back. It was just so cool to see that because I was affirmed that we are not alone in this life, there are people out there trying to make a difference and trying to make an impact on the community/society/economy/world.

I grabbed their contact information and went on my merry way to my other tables with a huge smile on my face and a big old “Praise God” on my heart. It was such a breath of fresh air to see other Christ followers using their lives to make a difference. It was even more amazing after they left when I was closing out their checks and on each receipt they left wonderful notes and words of affirmation and Bible verses. I do not even know how much money I left with that night from serving, all I remember and held on tightly to were those notes scribbled on the receipts from a night out with friends.

I thanked God that night for putting those friends in my path. I thank God everyday for people like them that lift, not only me up, but everyone around them. I may have told them all about Days of Difference and the goal and mission for it and I may have inspired them to take even more action than they are already taking, but they willnot know how much those little notes on those receipts made a difference to me. All of that because one girl decided to compliment my necklace. 

How can you turn a simple compliment or conversation into a day of difference?

-Bryant

Jack

We met Jack in Fullerton, CA. Jack needs love and is seeking love in all the wrong places, drugs and alcohol have been his vices for many years to cope with the lack of love he has been receiving from those closest to him. He tried to get out of his bad habits and joined a sober home but didn't complete his journey and is still drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and getting high off of speed and basically anything that comes his way. We do not know his full story but we do know there is a wall of hurt that took years to build from family and loved ones, and to Jack it seems like this wall will never come down so in a way he has given up.

He has two daughters that need him desperately but he feels inadequate as a father to love and provide for them. That makes sense because he is homeless and cannot even provide for himself. That is only because he has given in to the false accusations and negative words spoken over him: "You aren't good enough" "You're not fit to be a father." "You are worthless." He has given in to these negative thoughts and given up on the life he could live if he learned to love and to be loved. It was pretty amazing when at one point during our conversation Jack asked why we stopped to talk to him. "Out of all the people out tonight, why did you stop and talk to me?' He asked. "Because Jack we see potential in you. We see ability and love that you need to receive in order to give it back. We told him we cannot tell him how to live his life, but we told him that his daughters need him, especially now during their childhood, they need him. They need a father figure, they need manly love only a father can give other wise they are going to seek that love else where eventually, from other boys or obsession over self image or maybe even drugs or alcohol. We told him that the only way he can change is if he wants it, if he is serious enough to be the person he has always wanted, more importantly the person God wants him to be. 

Jack knew a little bit of scripture but some where down the line of life he lost grip on who God is to him and didn't make God a priority. We told him that was another reason we stopped to talk to him, because that is what Jesus would have done. Jesus made friends with the lowly people of the earth, prostitutes, tax collectors, murderers, lepers. Jesus talked to and spoke life into those who were forgotten and outcast and looked down on. We wanted Jack to know that he has tremendous worth and that there are at least two people in the world that can see that, even if he cannot see it in himself.

We asked him why he won't return to his family and take back his old life. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid I won't be able to, I'm afraid my girls won't love me. I'm afraid I will fail." Sounds like all of us when faced with a huge decision that involves sacrifice. "I'm afraid." We are all afraid, but fear is only a small obstacle in our wide world called life. We just have to discover how to get around, through or over that fear, how to conquer it. For JAck we said his first step is to seek a life of sobriety on a daily basis. For him to seek his best so that others would see that and give him the opportunity to have the life he desires because they see the sacrifices he is making. 

He grabbed his phone at one point and pulled up a message from the local church and it was a devotional that fit perfectly with what we were talking about with him. That no matter what season we are in, we should always seek to give it to God and to give Him the glory. It was like we grabbed the bible and flipped to the perfect verse, You know how that happens sometimes? At the end of our conversation we prayed with Jack, and even though he was ambiguous with his beliefs and vague with certain parts of his life he still was open to our prayer. We grabbed hands and Jack closed his eyes and bowed his head. Rachel began to pray and Jack seemed tense. But then the words coming out of Rachel's mouth began to work in Jack and he squeezed our hands tighter and he lifted them up periodically. At one point he pressed our hands against his forehead to get as close as he could. It was truly amazing to see the power of God working in a man so lost and so in need of just simple conversation and powerful prayer.

We left him with wrenched hearts and with smiles on our face, but he did not want us to leave with out offering us anything. He felt obligated to give us something for taking the time to simply talk with him. He rummaged through his duffel bag but eventually he reached into his wallet and grabbed five dollars as an offering for us talking and praying with him. Our response was no thank you Jack, you have given us more than any amount of money could. 

This is what Days of Difference is all about, adding value. In this circumstance we added value by engaging in an intriguing conversation with a man in desperate need of a listening ear. We could tell this was the first time in a long time he felt loved, and he did not know what to do afterwards, so much so that he offered us money... What? Sorry Jack you do not have to pay us for talking to you, if anything we should pay you for this amazing opportunity. 

We learned from Jack that it is never too late to start again. He has tried to get sober and to win back his life before but he could not do it because he did not think he could. We hope we inspired him to try again and to know he is not alone in battle for worth in life. Each of us have opportunities like Jack and like Rachel and I and everyone, to start again and continue to dream and never lose sight of our true selves. It is amazing what happens when a person takes their focus off of themselves and onto others. Opportunities present themselves when before they were hidden behind our own pride and self interests. When we continue to look to God for guidance and value the needs of others over our own we can begin to experience a more fulfilling and joy filled life. Sure not every day is going to be a walk in the park but as long as we continue to reach up and grab God's hand we can walk through any park.

God bless you all and please pray for Jack!

-Bryant