"Are you being recycled?"

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A friend of mine started a business that recycled wood. That is, he would buy old barns, beams and rafters out of old textile mills, and old wood out of other buildings, and craft it into lots of wonderful, one-of-a-kind products. For instance, wood flooring and paneling, and he even made furniture out of this old wood.

Now you and I drive right by some of these places where he got his wood. Old barns out in the country, barns that are falling down. Dilapidated factories that companies abandoned long ago. Sure, they were handsome in their day, but now they’re just old.

But my friend sees beauty in these old buildings. He sees woods that aren’t grown anymore that have distinctive characteristics; wood that’s turned silver-gray as it aged.

We’re a lot like that, you and me. Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with you. Sure you turn silver gray and lean a little, but it’s inside—in your spirit—where the true beauty recycles. As you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today, look inside and let God recycle you.

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"Are you being recycled?"

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

A friend of mine started a business that recycled wood. That is, he would buy old barns, beams and rafters out of old textile mills, and old wood out of other buildings, and craft it into lots of wonderful, one-of-a-kind products. For instance, wood flooring and paneling, and he even made furniture out of this old wood.

Now you and I drive right by some of these places where he got his wood. Old barns out in the country, barns that are falling down. Dilapidated factories that companies abandoned long ago. Sure, they were handsome in their day, but now they’re just old.

But my friend sees beauty in these old buildings. He sees woods that aren’t grown anymore that have distinctive characteristics; wood that’s turned silver-gray as it aged.

We’re a lot like that, you and me. Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with you. Sure you turn silver gray and lean a little, but it’s inside—in your spirit—where the true beauty recycles. As you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today, look inside and let God recycle you.

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"How are you shaped?"

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My grandfather died several years ago. He was like a second dad to me.

Some friends gave me a couple of rose bushes in his memory, knowing that I love growing roses and that I’d appreciate the gift of living roses more than cut flowers. One of the notes attached to the gift encouraged me to remember him as I planted, cultivated, pruned, watered and fertilized the bush; to remember how he shaped me into the son and man, husband and father that I am today, and to appreciate who I am even more. It suggested that I reflect on how he cultivated me through our incredible relationship and how I can pass on the beauty of his living colors to my daughters and their children.

So that’s what I’m doing—caring for those roses in a special way, knowing that as I do, I’m so grateful that he invested his time in shaping me into who I am today.

So how are you shaped? And who shaped you? God sends special people into your life as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living, and invites you to pass it on.

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"Going on vacation?"

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Today officially marks the start of summer. Most of us think “vacation” when we think about summer. So, are you going on vacation? Have you made your plans?

How do you get away from work when you go on vacation? Do you take your mobile phone or Blackberry with you, just in case the office “needs” you? Will you check voicemail or email while you’re gone?

Those are the more obvious disrupters of vacating your typical work pattern so you can re-create, remember how to make a life and not just a living; recall that you’re a human being, not a human doing. But what about when you’re walking along the beach and you start running numbers or doing a deal in your mind? Or, when your thoughts turn to some challenge waiting your resolution when you return? These are more covert disrupters of your vacation.

You see, when God re-creates your spirit as a human being during a vacation, you give God the space—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—to transform you. And that’s listening to life and making a life!

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"Who knows best?"

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Late one evening, a friend called. Her mother had died and it wasn’t an easy death. She told me how her mother’s condition deteriorated, then improved, then rapidly went down hill. It was really difficult for my friend to see her mother like that.

She said, “Mama got so bad off that my need to keep her here was less important than her need to stop suffering and go on. There are worse things than death.”

My friend’s right, you know. What we want isn’t the most important thing always, is it? Sure, my friend would have done anything to keep her mother alive. But it just wasn’t possible for her mother to live. So she surrendered what she wanted to God. God knows more about what’s best than we do.

And there are worse things than death. I’m sure somewhere along the way you’ve seen some of those worse things. If you haven’t, you will.

Just remember—God knows best in matters of life and death. Even when life seems at its worst, cling to God who knows best.

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"Are you married? If so, how’s your marriage?"

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A lot of people will get married this month. I think kids have a great understanding of marriage. For instance, ten-year-old Kirsten says, “No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.” And how can you tell if two people are married? Derrick, 8, says, “You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.”

Of course, dating leads to marriage, but what do most people do on a date? Eight-year-old Lynnette says, “Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.

And is it better to be single or married? Nine-year-old Anita says, “It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.” If you are married, Ricky, 10, says the best way to stay married is to, “Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck.”

Let God bless your marriage as you listen to life today.

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