As a man with many responsibilities, (husband, father, business leader, local church, small group leader, etc.) it is easy to sometimes feel overwhelmed with everything that is on my plate.

There never seems to be enough time to meet all the demands placed on me, and very rarely seems to be any time for me to do things other than fulfill my various responsibilities.

Add on top of that all the crises and problems in our world today, there is plenty to worry about.

So,  I have been thinking a lot lately about how important it is to truly take in the precious moments of each day.  It hit me about a month ago one night when I was working with some 10 year old boys as part of my son's baseball team.

We were conducting indoor hitting practice, and candidly I had a lot on my mind from the day.  But as I was bending over picking up baseballs to throw them back into the bucket, I felt the Lord speak to me.  I am not saying I heard His audible voice, but it seemed close to that. I felt a very clear presence speaking to me saying "Ray, you are doing EXACTLY what I want you doing, be present in the moment, take it all in, love these boys, and show them my love!"

Since that night, I have diligently focused on really being present in the moment.  I have noticed a totally different mindset in my business meetings.  Rather than thinking about all that I have on my "to do" list, I am doing a much better job of engaging myself in each conversation. I have been truly listening to what the other person is saying.  I am asking much better questions.  And I find myself learning from each person.

In my family, I am enjoying the time with my bride and 3 children in new ways.  I am taking it all in, realizing how much of a blessing each moment I have with my children truly is.

I am reminded of the following truth:

When we live in the past- it is easy to be consumed with guilt. Guilt over mistakes made or things we should or should not have done.

When we live in the future- it is easy to be overtakent with fear.  Fear of the unknown, or fear of what is to come.

It is only living in the moment (being present) that we can truly enjoy life and experience the peace and presence of God's spirit in our lives.

So take in each moment- and BE PRESENT!

Lately, I have been giving a lot of thought about my desire to live an authentic and transparent life- as a Christian man, who is in business, with a wife, children, community and church leadership responsibilities.

I believe I have come to the conclusion of wanting my life to be summarized by the following 12  words:

Nothing To Prove

Nothing To Hide

Nothing To Lose

Nothing To Fear

Imagine the freedom and power of leading and conducting your business, serving your spouse and children, and simply living your life in such a way.

How awesome would it be to feel like you have nothing to prove to anyone?  Just being yourself and having people accept and welcome you - exactly as you were created by God.  Never having to work outside of your passion or what you are good at just because you feel like you have to earn someone's respect.

Consider how clean your conscience would be with nothing to hide. This would mean that your life and business would be "above reproach," and you would have no shame or guilt over any aspect of your life- including the words you use, the sites you visit on the internet, the small details of those business deals that can be tempting to "work in the gray area" to maximize revenue or profit.  This would mean your local newspaper could do an in-depth expose' on your life and business, and they would not find anything worth printing!

How awesome would it be to come to the conclusion that God truly is in control, and it is ALL HIS anyway- so when all is said and done you have nothing to lose!  This would certainly make it easier to sleep at night, and would give us an incredible sense of peace in these troubled economic times. When you truly are not worried about what you will lose, you can live your life with passion and wreckless abandon for the Lord.

And finally, when you have nothing to fear, you live with such authenticity and confidence (in the Lord) that no person and no circumstance can cause you to worry, fret, or lose your joy in Christ!

I am challenging every follower of Christ to ponder this motto- steal it-borrow it- use it- change it-create their own motto, etc.

But whatever you do - LIVE IT!