Today was the day I chose.  I did something special for myself. I joined a writing group called the Northern Colorado Writers, and I actually introduced myself as a writer. I have never done that before today. I have always introduced myself as the Executive Director of Eyes of the Heart Ministries, or I am a counselor. Those things sound formal and important, and people can build a category (label) for what you do. You feel understood for lack of a better term, but when someone asks, “what do you write” or “what have you published” you feel the pressure of being a writer; the label if you will. I write about life, love and how I see God in our daily lives. There is no label for that. I think that is why I love it so much.

I want to thank all of you that have supported me over the years in my ministry to men, and in my counseling ministry. I will continue those roles in my life for now, but today is the day I have become a writer. Please pray that God will bless my book release, and will help me finish it in a timely manner. Also, please pray that my writing continues to touch the hearts of others, because my hope for everyone is that you will open the doors for what God has in store for your life, and have the courage to step through.

From my heart, thank you for reading my stuff!!!

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We Need to Learn to Dream Again

Letting Go

Storyline

What is the Value of Time?

Why?

My heart ached for her, but more importantly my heart ached for us as a generation because we have lost the ability to dream. Dreams are the language of the heart; dreams come from the heart of a child, and are core to learning how to love yourself. Jesus said in Matthew, “”I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” I think having dreams for your life is the only way to ever establish goals, which in turn lead to a more fulfilling life.

Many of us have given up on dreams because of failures in our past; failure is part of the process. Failure strengthens your heart and understanding if you don’t allow it to become your identity.

What are the dreams you have dismissed?

Latest Blogs

Letting Go

Storyline

What is the Value of Time?

What Do You Want?

Letting go is hard to do, take it from a recovering people pleaser. Most of my life I have lived under the pressure of others expectations. This is a destructive place to be. Trying to please everyone slowly disintegrates the fabric of your identity until you become someone you don’t even recognize in the mirror.

Recovering from being a people pleaser can be painful, and you will lose friends and maybe love ones, but living without voice is even more painful. Most of the clients I see who are desperately depressed have lost voice. To truly grow in love means you have to let go of unhealthy people, unhealthy obligations and expectations that you have to do everything to be liked.

Look at your life today, are there some unhealthy things and people in your life you need to let go of?

Latest Blogs:

Storyline 

What Do You Want

What is the Value of Time

Why?

Is it a film that anyone would pay to see?

Does your life have meaning? Purpose?

Very few people take the time to think about these questions, and even fewer realize that they were born for significance and pursue it. “I am a nobody”, is the sentiment of most everyone we meet. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is so easy to fall into the daily routine of life. If you don’t have purpose, you have existence. Existence is a cheap, lifeless counterfeit of what your life is really about.

Last week I had the privilege of attending Donald Miller’s Storyline Conference in Nashville, TN. I am a student of calling and purpose, so I enjoy finding new tools and techniques to help people to discover the significance of their life. This conference not only gave me more tools, it helped me personally refine some visions for my own life. I would highly recommend that you attend if you get the chance. Also, the supporting cast of the conference pushed it over the top. Donald Miller actively supports the people in his life who are telling good stories.

Also, I would highly recommend you reading Donald Miller’s book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story. The combination of the book and the seminar have opened my eyes, and helped me to focus in on the greatest question of all, “what do you want?”

I pray that you never stop asking the questions about life, and if you get a chance I highly recommend Donald Miller’s Storyline Conference.

God Bless and Have a Great Tuesday!!!

Latest Blogs:

What Do You Want?

Peepholes?

What is the Value of Time

Music is a huge part of my life and one of the things that helps open my mind to dreaming and desires. One day while listening to the song Watch Over You by Alterbridge, a haunting lyric caught me off guard. The lyric goes like this, “How can you love someone, and not yourself?” You can’t!

So what are the answers to these questions for you?

What do you want from your spouse?

What do you want from your children? Your family?

What do you want from your career?

What is the meaning of your life?

Is your life turning out like you hoped?

What do you want from God?

Quit asking everyone what they need from you. This may sound selfish, but I promise if you are running on an empty tank, and only loving others from a heart of obligation, then you are not really loving them at all.

To truly begin to receive from life you must take the time to wrestle with these questions. You see love is an action, and the best show of love you can do for yourself is to act on your dreams and desires. There will be times this will feel really tough, and you will hit roadblocks and failures, but they are just a part of the process of loving yourself. If you can love yourself through failure you can love yourself through anything.

So, what do you want?

Recent Blogs:

What is the Value of Time?

Peepholes

Apology

We still need your help with our cause to build a water well in Africa for Paul. If you haven’t heard the story read the link below.

Water for Paul-The Power of Story

Peepholes

I used to look through the peepholes,

Of the many doors I found.

In the long hallway of life,

I would search for happy ground.

The other side would look so good from here

Full of happiness it must be

I’ll just open the door and step right through,

But wait, I need a key.

I’d search in vain, but try as I might

The only key that I could find

Was to reshape every one of my dreams,

My heart, my soul and mind

The good life is really in there,

The false teacher would say to me

Rethink those thoughts; twist your very being,

And soon you will be the key.

But once the door was opened,

And through it I had bound.

Heartache, pain and sorrow

Were all that could be found.

I searched through door after door

Till the thoughts of peace I finally ignored.

Then another voice I heard calling me,

It seemed familiar; it was my Lord.

He said, “You’ve made this much too difficult,

All you need to do is follow me.

Just be the man of God I made you,

And you will never need a key.”

The Lord has opened many doors,

Each filled with joy a new.

While trying to be the man He made,

Behind the biggest door, I found you.

Now we venture through doors together

All we need is You be You and me be me.

God will lead us where we need to go,

And neither of us will ever need to be a key.

Thanks Danny for being a man of God, and most importantly my friend!

Thanks for reading my stuff, or better yet thanks for reading Danny’s stuff. God Bless and have a great day.

I am working on reducing my writing schedule on some of my blogs, and increasing it on others. As it becomes more clear where I will focus my writing I will let everyone know. Many times my opinions do not reflect the community that makes up Eyes of the Heart Ministries, so I need to make changes. I will let you know where my focus will be placed with writing. I hope you will forgive me for the time I have taken to get this project up and running. More than 20 people are already clients and the healing for many has begun. We are already looking for additional counselors to come on board.

Again, please accept my apology, and I pray my writing will pick up over the next few weeks as clarity from God unfolds. Thanks for reading my stuff, and hope you will continue to read, GOD BLESS YOU!

I have lived my much of my life as a rebel; I have to admit that. I pretty much question everything that doesn’t seem to make sense, or we do because of tradition or cultural obligation, but rebellion for the sake of rebellion alone is usually childish and the result of someone who has authority issues.

Jesus was rebellious, but the key difference was it was for a purpose.

So why are you rebelling?

Lately a number of people have commented that they wished they could be as honest with people as I am, like somehow I have this magic potion that makes me courageous. I love the line from When We Were Soldiers, “You can’t handle the truth”, because the fact is most of us couldn’t handle what people were really thinking, and instead we blow smoke up their butt.

There seem to be two types of people when it comes to telling the truth. There are those who sugarcoat, and stretch the truth (the worst kind of liar in my book), and then those who are so brutal with their words that they crush people’s spirits when they try to resolve conflict. Neither is anything close to what Jesus calls us to do, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one”, is what he says in the book of Matthew. That is pretty plain and simple instructions for almost any situation.

So are you courageous enough to be honest? Can you tone down your approach enough to be fruitful? Can you be honest?

Without honesty you are only mimicking the life of a Christian.

How has God blessed your life over the last few years?

How do you see Him working in your life now?

What do we need to be praying for in your life?

Then we watched a NOOMA video called Breathe. The video speaks to the providence of God all around us. What transpired through these conversations was more priceless than anything that could have happened yesterday, and validated my decision to move to Colorado. The consensus was that we are all happy with our lives, our house and we stepped through how God has come through for us to strengthen our family.

Not many of my readers know this but I had a near death experience when I was 35 years old about this time of year. I had less than a 50/50 chance of making it through the night on February 15, 1999, so my biggest blessing yesterday was that I am alive today. We all shed a tear as I told them how thankful I was just to be here and be a part of their lives. Jesus saved my life! Jesus lives!

Take the time to notice the small things that God is doing in your life. Take time to thank him for the blessings that you have every day:  food, shelter, clean water, your health and most importantly the people he puts in your life to love you!

Take the time to write down the three questions above and share you answers with us on this blog, or with someone you love.

Check out my new blog at www.jmichaelmcdade.com, and don’t forget to sign up for our blog post.

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Good Friday?

Is Spirituality Important?

Envy: The Worst of the Seven Deadly Sins

Committed?

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