LEADING CAUSE OF LIFE

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

While in Nashville last week with my amazing friends from West Virginia, DC, and Tennessee, we heard from author William Moyers.  I mentioned him in an earlier OFH.  One of the things he shared in his talk was a little snippet from Gary Gunderson.

Gunderson is the author of “Leading Causes of Life: Five Fundamentals to Change the Way You Live Your Life”

Gunderson is Senior Vice President for Health and Welfare Ministries for Methodist Healthcare and the director for the Interfaith Health Program at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. He is a commissioned Deacon in the United Methodist Church.

And he identifies the 5 leading causes of life as:

Connection

Coherence

Agency

Blessing

Hope

Now if you are a frequent follower of the OFH you know I love that first one!  In fact, in my world, CONNECTION is KEY to RECOVERY! - A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. – Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT)

Gunderson describes the next one, coherence, as a zeal for learning, for expanding our faith.  That is a healthy habit for sure!!!

Agency is a pursuit of purpose; of finding a lane a way to serve.  This too is an important one in the role of recovery. While in Nashville with our friends from Project Return, we discussed the magnitude of purpose on a healthy return to society and an effective recovery.

He (GOD) creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. – Ephesians 2:10 (MSG)

The last two are “sort of” obvious.  We know that when we offer blessing, we get blessed! (1 Peter 3:9) and we know the importance of HOPE! 

In fact, I love the way Rick Warren tees up the criticality of HOPE in our lives when he says, “We could go 40 days without food, 8 days without water, but we can’t live one SINGLE day without HOPE!”

And Ben Courson remarked that “Hope is the glue that holds FAITH and LOVE together”.

I would agree.  And the LORD is MOST GENEROUS with HOPE that is for sure!!!

Your future is bright and filled with a living hope

    that will never fade away. – Proverbs 23:18 (TPT)

So, while we often are bludgeoned with news on “leading causes of death”, can I encourage you to seek out and embrace some leading causes of life today?

Get connected!  Embrace faith! Uncover and pursue your GOD-GIVEN purpose! Bless somebody! And cling to the boundless HOPE of GOD!

I love you all.

Have a BLESSED DAY!!!

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE