This Thanksgiving I told myself I was going to slow down so I could find new things to think about. Normally my days off are committed to accomplishing tangible things, like doing my laundry or working on my car. So I decided not to do any of that, but try to free up some space in my brain to be inspired.

So today is Thanksgiving. I joined Candyce’s family at their grandparent’s home here in Phoenix. Two of Candyce’s friends from ASU joined us because their family was too far away. It was really beautiful to see them really feel at home with Candyce’s family.

Once dinner was over, everyone slid into soft chairs in the living room and started watching Batman. I was excited because they bad guys were driving cars that look like my ‘54 Bel Air. My mind started to sparkle with ideas, so I stretched out on the bed in the guest bedroom and let my mind wander.

Right now my mind is not focused on new missions. I already have plenty of cool missions that I have not accomplished. I know that they are worth fighting for, and I will accomplish them soon. So instead of thinking of goals, I focused on how to accomplish goals. Because once you get in the habit of achieving goals, then next habit you ned to is to make sure each new goal is more ambitious than the last.

After letting my imagination run wild, I realize that ambition by itself is inherently shallow. It’s almost always coupled with greed and vanity. In the material world, that’s not a problem, but in the world of ministry it is a grave problem. I can’t expect God to sit back and applaud my ambition. It is absolutely crucial that I pray. Otherwise, I’m just another male out to conquer an empire. Prayer tempers ambition.