I’ve had a few people ask me recently, “How do you stay fresh and joyful?”

I’ve been asked this over the period of my 20 plus years in ministry. To be honest, I’m quite honored to be asked this question especially with the many changes, twists and turns in my life. Here’s a few thoughts on how I stay fresh and joyful!

1. Grow to love change; within your heart and in life around you. To be comfortable and satisfied can be traps of the enemy to keep us from growing.
2. Learn to appreciate and value conflict. People, situations, confrontations, hardships seen from a Biblical perspective will keep you fresh.
3. Learn to love learning.
4. Be correctable, teachable.
5. Maintain a pure heart. Don’t let unresolved issues from the smallest situations to the largest, take root in your heart.
6. Develop a healthy thought, motive, heart, emotional and physical life. It takes exercise in all of these areas.
7. FIght apathy, laziness – be productive, not busy.
8. Maintain a humble and repentant heart.
9. Love life. Have margins for hobbies.
10. Maintain healthy relationships.
11. Love the Word and love the conviction to be changed by it.
12. Praying in tongues, operating in the gifts of the Spirit.
13. Worship in song.
14. Being obedient in evangelism…sharing Jesus with others!
15. Living an obedient life.
16. Fight to live gratefully.
17. Have a servants heart – be a giver.
18. Have fun and spend time with people who “fill your life.”
19. Live, serve, operate in your strengths and passions. Do what you enjoy.
20. Spend time with family, mentors, leaders, pastors I admire.