"Don't accumulate possessions; accumulate experiences!"

One of my Silas', Marty Menchaca, was telling me this morning about a trip he took to Albuquerque this past week to visit his son, Carlos and see his son in a performance. He said Carlos had asked him to come to this one performance. Marty explained that it was not very practical to fly all the way for two days to Albuquerque, because of the cost and with all that was going on at home. And Carlos was not emphatic that they come, it was just an invite. But he and his wife chose to go and Marty told me that he was so glad that they did. He said he would have missed out on so much if had he chosen not to go. It was worth every penny, every sacrifice, every inconvenience.

I thought this was so much like our choices regarding global missions. God invites us to join Him. It's not a demand or command. Just an invite. Most times it is not practical for us to go. We have so much going on at home and it costs so much to go. But when we choose to go, He pours so much into us, He uses us in so many ways that we could not even imagine not going. We realize how much we would have missed out on if we had chosen not to go.

Mark Batterson in his wonderful book "In A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY" talks about a short term mission trip he took to Ethiopia and all the experiences he had. He said he remembered blogging in his pup tent on top of a mountain in the Ethiopian outback with these words: "Don't accumulate possessions; accumulate experiences!"

One great question from the book arises; do we live our lives in such a way that we have compelling stories to tell? At the end of the day, month, year, or lifetime have you lived a life that anyone would be interested in hearing about?

I have a lifetime of memories, stories of miracles and accounts of how God used me and others in amazing ways that I share with others whenever possible. I'm always able to tell others about God's amazing love and power through the incredible things I have experienced on mission trips. All because I've been fortunate enough to lead others on global trips. Come join me and see what God can do with a life surrendered to Him. You are guaranteed to accumulate some amazing experiences.

When I go to the grave at the end of my life I will not be taking any of my possessions with me. But at the end of life I certainly will be taking my experiences with me, all the way to heaven.

Upwards,
John