Anything is Possible

So, I've heard all the time, "Anything is possible." Or "God can restore anything." And I've believed. But always for everyone else. Never for myself.

Let's take a bit of a journey together. A couple years back I moved to Nashville. It was a crazy journey and I was so full of faith and passion. The problem was that I had way too much passion for the level of character I had. So needless to say, people got hurt. People were drawn into my natural charisma and followed me down a path of destruction believing the best but experiencing the worst. By the time I realized what had gone down, it was too late. Wounds were too deep and friends were lost forever. Or so I thought...

Years went by and as I realized the depth I had hurt people I reached out and gave an apology. It was the least I could do. Believe it or not the apology was taken way better than I could have imagined. Was the bridge repaired at that moment? Haha. Far from it.

Bouncing back again, to the point where I was homeless, one of these friends would pick me up and let me sleep in her car while she was in class cuz I couldn't hardly sleep at night in the park I was staying in at the time. Daily would feed me and literally kept me alive. Knowing or unknowing, my pride manipulated the crap out of these two (and others) thinking "the call" on my life was more important than anyone else.

Then, we come into tonight. I go to see my friends band play (cuz they're really good). Yes, the friend who I screwed over royally. He couldn't have been more excited to see me there to enjoy him play. Before and after conversation was normal and not strained. Completely forgiven. Completely trusted? No, that will take years to earn as it should.

Anyways, the point of all this is to show that even when you screw up the worst you've ever screwed up, when you've hurt the deepest you've ever hurt some one... God can restore anything. I heard him say a few weeks back, "Watch me as I restore everything in your life." I was skeptical at best. But I kept my eyes open. And guess what, he came through.

I'm excited to see what else he has up his sleeve because to me this situation was impossible to mend. Be encouraged friends. There is no mess you've created that God cannot mend. There is no wound he can't heal. And no pit he can't get you out of.

The Butterfly Effect

Have you ever hit that point in your life where you feel like you're boxed into your destiny? Like all the good things you've been working towards or looking for are staring you in the face and running towards you at 100 miles per hour all while being backed into a corner and can't get away no matter how hard you try? Well, if so, that's been my last couple weeks.

It started a couple weeks ago when I was falling asleep and God started talking to me. I quick grabbed my phone and recorded all the things he was saying. (No, I didn't audibly record the voice of God. That would've been pretty neat! Haha.) Strike 1.

The next day my buddy comes up to me at church and told me basically the same things God told me the night before. Strike 2.

Then, a few days ago a friend I haven't talked to in months sends me a Facebook message saying the same thing and expounding on what I had heard. Strike 3.

Never before have I had God speak something so loudly to me as well as be so intentional about it to tell me again and again in just the matter of about a week and a half.

Now, you're probably wondering what he was saying. The basic theme of the word that was repeated was that in the next month, or 30-day period that my life would radically change. All the things I've been waiting for are going to be coming together. It should be a crazy month.

So, it's Labor Day and I'm hanging out at a friends house having some grilled meats and just enjoying the weather when a butterfly comes and lands on my shoulder. And then flies up and lands on my other shoulder. And then flies up and lands on my hat. This is the point when I think, "Ok God, I hear you. What are you trying to tell me?"

I look up what the meaning of butterflies on google quick and here's the first thing that pulls up.

"Imagine the whole of your life changing to such an extreme you are unrecognizable at the end of the transformation. Mind you, this change takes place in a short span of about a month too (that's how long the butterfly life cycle is)."

Confirming yet again that I'm in for an intense month. I'm super excited to see what happens and watch everything unfold and bring you guys with me on the journey.

Also, don't be afraid to let God speak to you through things like a butterfly. Nothing to go building a theology off of, but just know God is always speaking to you and not always in the way we might expect.

As always, be encouraged and unafraid to be everything you were created to be.

Making a Difference

As I was thinking this week about what to write about, I thought back to a wonderful picture I got while I was in church this Sunday. The picture was of myself with arms outstretched in front of a street sign. The scene was all desert and maybe 20-30 yards behind me was a cliff. The street sign was the metal pole with the two green street names pointing in either direction like I was standing at a 4-way stop, except without the road. 

The next thing I pictured was a sea of people blind and dead stumbling forward like zombies toward the cliff. I was there arms outstretched at least forcing people to change the angle they were walking at so they didn't hit the cliff as quickly. Once in a while my efforts supernaturally "awakened" one of the people. Instantly they grabbed my hand and our barrier grew. Before we knew it we had a line of people that stretched for miles containing a sea of millions of people who slowly were waking up. They were saved from a destruction they knew nothing of merely because one person stopped to care. 

One person couldn't save everyone. But one could help one. And then another. And that grew exponentially and we had a wall of people capable of saving millions by working together. The same is true of life. It doesn't have to be me. I don't have to be the first one to help someone. I certainly try, but that's not the point. The point is a culture can be changed by one person deciding to go against the flow and help someone. I challenge you this week to go out of your way to help someone you see. Whether they know they need help or not. Whether they have a hard time receiving it or not. Help someone. You don't have to "change" or "fix" anyone to make a difference. Just authentically show someone you care and watch lives change. 

I'll leave you with this quote Pastor JD gave from Sunday's message when I got this picture, "While I can't fix people, I can make a difference..."

Be blessed and till next time,

Tony Skinner

The Journey

So, today I got this in the mail. A couple weeks back I had invested in a friend who's headed overseas in a few months to do some awesome missions work. She's doing something awesome and outside the norm for missions fundraising and selling keys that she engraves. You can either choose a word of your own or she can choose a "prophetic word' for you and send you one with the word and the explanation of why she chose that word. To support and check her out head over to her facebook page here.

Anyways, there totally is a point to this much beyond a shameless plug for a friend. It's been a crazy couple of weeks and in my expectation of things expanding, it seems that things have almost gone the opposite. I open the letter with the key and this is what it says,

"Tony,
     Put your seat belt on! The JOURNEY is going to be huge and so much fun! He's going to satisfy all your desires for thrill! Don't focus on where you are from anymore! Focus on the journey before you!"

If you know me at all you know that I'm a huge dreamer. I believe and expect bigger than most if not everyone I know. With that, sometimes come unrealistic expectations, especially on the time it will take to achieve all the great things I can conceive in my mind. Lately circumstances and temporary setbacks have been piling up. So, needless to say, this letter and key came at the perfect time. It's easy for me to get caught up on the end destination instead of seeing the day to day journey that takes you there.

I realized as I'm making plans to move in the next couple weeks just how far I've come in a year. September will mark a year of me living in this place. When I moved in here I had nothing. I had a pillow, a couple blankets, a laundry basket of clothes and one box of sentimental stuff. Tonight as I take inventory of where I stand as I'm leaving, I'm truly blown away at what I've been able to accomplish in a few short months.

From starting with NO money and an empty apartment, to slowing acquiring 2 couches, a dining room table and chairs, TV, and stand, a desk and having a bed to sleep on is quite mind boggling to me. When I moved in here I had NO vehicle and was riding the bus 2 hours ONE WAY to work or bumming rides to get anywhere I was headed. Now I own a brand new 2016 Nissan Versa. I have my own business, and have recently joined a band (Stay tuned. More on that in the upcoming months). On top of all that, I was recently promoted after being at a job just over 6 months and given the position over 70+ people who applied.

With each of those things happening on their own over a period of 12 months, that doesn't seem that impressive. But when you list it out and see how much progress and transition has happened, it's pretty insane!

As always, I don't write this to just "toot my own horn" or draw attention to myself. I write it to show you how dedication and persistence can get you anywhere. It's easy to get discouraged in the day to day when you don't seem to have progress and the circumstances of life try to come at you and take you down. I challenge you to take inventory of your life and the last 12 months and see how far you've come and then to write out a plan for the next 12 months and see where you want to be. Your success story isn't finished. It's only just begun!

Higher Perspective

So, here I am on my flight from Nashville to LA, looking out my window from 34,000 feet. Things are so much different from up here. Houses, mansions, roads, cars, cities, everything that seems to tower over you when you're on the ground is so insignificant from up here.

It's interesting a quick change of location or change of perspective can mean the world of difference in your reality. As we go through each day, we're constantly inundated with everything. The elections, the car breaking down, bills, someone's foul opinion of us, you name it. There's so much potential in a single day alone that can drive you negatively insane!

But I want to challenge you to run every circumstance, every opinion, through your higher perspective filter. What if, every time a speed bump or a roadblock came your way, you didn't let it ruin your day? But instead, you realized that the slowdown was a small, insignificant, temporary thing in the long term perspective of your journey.

See, what I'm realizing on this plane, is that perspective is EVERYTHING. I feel like so many times we come up against an unexpected road block in life and we lose our minds because of it. When, in all reality, the speed bump is so small and insignificant it can hardly be seen from the greater perspective and overview of your life.

So today, if something comes in front of you, don't let it get you down. Don't let it stop you. Remember to tell yourself, "This is insignificant in the long term perspective of my life." Find a way to overcome and keep moving forward.

Keeping an Open Mind

So, its been a little bit since I've had some time to share anything. The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy. With two trips out of state in the last month for a wedding and a music festival, starting a business, and trying to keep up with my normal routines, things have been a bit insane. Anyways, I just wanted to share some of my thoughts on a key thing I've learned over the past few years of my journey thus far, Keeping an Open Mind.

When I started this journey to Nashville a few years back, I had all these high hopes and expectations of success and grandeur. I had heard clearly from God about his plans for my life and naturally, I thought it was all about to happen in 3 days just like Jesus raising from the dead. What I didn't pay attention to or realize is that Jesus quick 3 day turnaround wasn't just that. It was the climax of a 30 year journey.

But, nonetheless, I needed to see and hear God's plan and perspective for my life because it was way bigger than anything I could possibly dream or imagine. In the year that immediately followed, I waited for God to do what he said he would do, and kept waiting. In the time of "waiting" I wasn't necessarily just doing nothing. I was going through the painful process of God exponentially expanding my understanding and my perspective. I believed wealth was there for me to obtain and call my own. I just had to really believe more than just a dream and let it become a part of me.

Coming up from humble upbringings, there was such a shift to be had in my mind. My parents did an amazing job with what they had, but things were tight. When things are tight, that's the perspective of life you have and if you believe there is only so much to go around, that is the reality you will live in. What God was trying to teach me (for myself and then hopefully so that others would one day understand) is that there is an abundance out there for anyone who wants to go get it. You just have to have the determination and the mindset to keep going.

Its easy to get a glimpse or a taste of an open mind when it brushes by you. But to hold onto it and let it become part of you is truly the challenge. Because when you go back to the circle of influence you came from where no one else has experienced financial freedom, they try to take away that glimpse of open mind you have. They don't do it out of jealousy or bad intentions toward you, they do it out of a false perspective of love. See, when people haven't experienced wealth or freedom, they have to justify a reason in their life why they haven't tasted it for themselves. Maybe its that rich people are greedy, or manipulative or whatever they might say. Because if good people succeeded, they would have succeeded right?

That was the hardest part for me. Having a dream and seeing a reality that I knew was coming for me and wanting everyone else to taste it but they didn't have or desire to have an Open Mind. They refused to think they might not have everything figured out. I know I don't! I'm constantly studying people and situations around to me see what I can learn from other people's habits, mistakes, and successes. But, I've chosen and contended for an Open Mind to constantly learn and grow.

Because of that, I've done super well since I've moved here to Nashville. Am I where I want to be yet? Of course not! But I've had great success at my corporate job in just a quick 6 months of being there. I just started a business on the side to bring in more growth and income. I'm driving the first brand new car I've ever owned and growing! That may not seem impressive to you, but when a little over 2 years ago I had nothing and was living homeless in a park, that's huge to me!

So you may not need to go on the extreme journey I went on to Open Your Mind, but you will have to go on a journey. Some people may mock you or tell  you that you're ruining your life. You just have believe that there is more for you than everything you've ever known. Opportunity is always all around us. The only way you will be able to recognize it is with an Open Mind. Hope you are encouraged today to open your mind and start the journey to becoming everything you were designed to be!

Recharge

So, I find myself hangin out by the dam this evening after work. It's been a long, busy week and the time of just stillness and reflection is much needed. There's just something about the water that calms me. It soothes me and let's my mind stop and not run 100 miles an hour.

It's 4th of July weekend and this place is crawling with families. People fishing, boating, or just chilling. It's a great sight to see and an awesome atmosphere to just feel and sit in. The weather is perfect. The stone I'm sitting on still warm from the heat of the day with a soft breeze blowing in off the lake. The sky is slightly overcast, which helps keep it cool, but not too cool. It's seriously perfect.

As I sit here and just breathe in the fresh air and take a few minutes to rest before I run off to another meeting tonight I'm reminded at just how important it is to take time to recharge. We do it throughout the day when we eat or at night when we sleep. But something our culture doesn't do well is let our minds and spirits rest. We're constantly running.

So on this busy weekend with campfires, drinks, barbecues, fireworks, parades, and celebrations, don't forget to take some of the extra time you have to let your mind and your spirit recharge. You can have the greatest diet and exercise and get the perfect amount of rest and still burn out.

As always, hope you're encouraged, inspired, and empowered to be the very best version of you.

Till next time,
Tony