"What do you want for your birthday?"

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My niece celebrates her fifth birthday today. Recently my parents were visiting with her. "NaNa," as she calls my Mom, knew that this birthday was coming up so she asked my niece, "What do you want for your birthday?"

And the little girl said so matter of factly, "Dirt."

Well, of course, NaNa expected to hear "a baby doll" or "dress up clothes" or "a paint set"; something like that. So she chuckled a bit and said, "Girl, what are you going to do with dirt?"

And my niece said, "I’m going to fill up the holes in our backyard that the dogs dug so when I’m running and playing I won’t trip and fall."

Do you ever ask a friend a question like "What do you want for your birthday?" and get an answer you didn’t anticipate? Take for instance the common greeting, "How are you today?" You expect "Fine," but what if you get, "Not so great. You wouldn’t believe my day…" Are you prepared to listen?

When you listen to life so you can make a life, not just a living, you’re prepared for whatever answer you receive…even from God.

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"What are you a part of—the problem or the solution?"

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Do you allow all of the bad news about the economy to paralyze your thinking? It’s easy to do, isn’t it? But you can choose a better way to listen to life and make a life and a living.

A golf course closed, causing home values to drop at least one-third. Most of the home owners were wringing their hands, wondering, "What are we going to do about our losses?"

But then one man refused to give in to the bad news. Instead, he had an idea. He searched for and found grants that when combined with the community’s association fees would make it possible for the city to take over and run the course as a municipal course—the only one in the area. Property values will come back up. The city gets an asset. Golfers get to play. Everyone wins!

Bad news brings barriers. You can stay stuck in a problem if you choose to just focus on it. Inspiration sees past barriers to solutions and finds a way to solve problems. So what are you a part of—the problem or the solution?

Ask God to inspire you with solutions as you listen to life today.

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"Can your actions make a difference?"

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Do you ever wonder if what you do matters? That is, do you ever ask yourself if your actions—the actions of one person—make a difference? Yes, and here’s how I know.

I traveled out of state on business and while in this particular city, something unusual happened. It seems that a city employee accidentally spilled some oil into the city’s water supply. So an emergency bulletin was broadcast, letting us all know that while we could bathe, we couldn’t drink the water even if we boiled it.

But then I went to lunch and discovered that I could only order bottled water. That evening I found that homemade bread wasn’t available until just before we sat down to eat. The next morning we couldn’t get coffee at the coffee shop. Bottles and jugs of water flew off store shelves, even selling out in some places.

Can your actions—the actions of one person—make a difference? I’ll say…even on a Monday! Ask God to coach you to act in just the right way today as you make a life, not just a living.

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