The first time we went to the place on the lake was before we were married. Tammy’s family made the trek to the primitive cottages from their Illinois home many times before. In fact, her dad visited the very same place as a boy. Now I was introduced into the family and thus had to be initiated into Eagle River lake life.

The family rented a couple of cottages. The walls were paper thin with just enough insulation to keep out the chilly northern evening air. It was a magical place for a getaway. In those days you got there following directions like, “Turn left at the rock…turn right at the tree stump.” The roads were dirt and the little lake was filled with fish. Walk up to the owner’s house, get your fishing license, and you’re ready for the week. My Nikon camera was filled with film and ready to go.

It may have just been that I was in love, but that place and that lake immediately captured my fancy. The scent of pines, the clear water, the sound of the loons…I knew it was a place I would want to visit again and again.

And I have.

Since that visit in the early 1980’s, Tammy and I got married, had two children, and have lived in five different cities. But a return to the place on the lake is a reminder of God’s gift of grace. So we have returned many times. But even with the passage of time it seems that, like God himself, the lake never changes.

Sure, there are now asphalt roads and more commercialism in the little town of Eagle River. The rented cottages have been replaced with a gorgeous, year-round home on the other side of the lake. It was built by Tammy’s mom and dad the year our daughter, Ashlyn, was born. It has a wrap-around deck, a stone fireplace, and a wall of windows overlooking the lake.

But the lake itself has changed very little. There’s still the island in the middle. The bay on the far side still has nesting loons. The stars at night are still brighter than any you will ever see.

That same lake has welcomed members of my side of the family. It’s gentle waves have said hello to close friends. We’ve been there alone with only our family. I have spent time there with just one other friend. We’ve been there with maybe just a few too many of our kids high school friends. We’ve been there in the summer and the winter.

It has now been far too many years since either of our kids have been to the place on the lake. But that’s about to change when we meet Tammy’s mom and dad this summer at that beautiful place. We will soon drive down that driveway with a lake view, this time with Ashlyn’s husband and Ben’s fiancé, who have never seen the place.

They are about to know just what I mean when I say that the lake is a reminder of God’s gift of grace. Though things in life change, the passage of time is lightning fast, and asphalt roads replace the dirt, the lake welcomes our family and draws us together. It’s peace covers us like a warm blanket. It’s a gift that has been giving for generations and won’t stop even after we’re gone.

What place reminds you of the gift of God’s grace?

Earlier this year I asked my readers to respond to a survey so that I could better serve you. One of the things you said you want is motivation to accomplish the things you’d like to do in life. Some of you even said so with a daring degree of desperation. It’s a fair request and something we all need from time to time. So now that we’re six months into the year, it’s time for some renewed motivation and encouragement to keep on keeping on. Read on for your mid-year motivation:

I’m going to be brutally honest with you. At the beginning of the year I went through a goal setting process. The outcome became the nine goals that I set to accomplish by the end of 2016. For the first half of this year I looked at them frequently. I made progress on some. I have worked on all of them. But here’s the embarrassing part: I have not yet reached one of the goals I set. That’s right, not one of my nine goals has been accomplished.

The deadlines that I set for five of them have already passed. Does that mean I should abandon them? In no way! I am still motivated to work toward them. Those goals made me do things and make progress that I would not have made had I not set my goals.

Here’s an example: One of my goals was to release my book, Fully and Creatively Alive: How to Live a More Joyfully Fulfilling Life, by April 30th. Needless to say, that date has come and gone. But the whole process has helped me learn. I found two designers to help me with the design of the book cover and the design of the interior of the book. I now know things about the whole process of design that I did not know before. I’m learning about CreateSpace, a division of Amazon that helps writers publish books. It’s one lesson after another. My new goal is to release the book by September 1st.

So here are three ways to renew your motivation at mid-year:

1. Revisit your goals. If you wrote some goals at the beginning of the year and haven’t looked at them for a while, dig them out again. You still have six months to go! If you haven’t written any this year, there’s no time like the present to write some down. You still have six months to go!
2. Check on your progress. Take a look back to the beginning of the year and see how far you’ve come. The only comparison you need to make is to compare yourself to you yesterday. If you haven’t come as far as you’d like, use it as motivation to fire up the afterburners for the remainder of this year.
3. Lean on others. Ask someone close to you to be your cheerleader and your accountability partner. My wife, Tammy, has done a fantastic job encouraging me when I need it, and yet gently reminding me that I need to keep going…even if I haven’t yet accomplished one of my goals.

Finally, don’t forget to reward yourself. Maybe now’s the time, mid-year, to take a bit of a break. Catch your breath. Rest for a day or two…or a week or two. While you do so, get yourself in the mindset to push hard and accomplish your goals by December 31st. You still have six months to go!

When you do accomplish a goal, make sure to celebrate. 

How do you motivate yourself mid-year to accomplish your goals?

I love the United States of America. It doesn’t take much for a lump to come to my throat when I sing the Star Spangled Banner or see something patriotic. The American Adventure at EPCOT in Walt Disney World is a wonderful depiction of the history of our country. When I had the opportunity to stand at the base of Mount Rushmore I dropped my mouth open in awe. I’ve been blessed to see our great country from sea to shining sea.

If you’re like me, you love this country, too. Here are ten great things to love:

1. The vast variety of landscape. Driving this nation from one end to the other, as my friends Adam and Justin Fricke are right now, it will show you mountains and valleys, plains and rivers, lakes and land formations.
2. The vast variety of culture. You will find Cajun culture in New Orleans, Cuban culture in Miami, and Native American culture in the north woods of Wisconsin. In fact, in New York City alone you will experience the cultures of varying nations and peoples in one day by taking the subway from one end of town to the other.
3. The vast variety of food. Eat your way across America by sampling Tex-Mex in Texas, fish tacos in San Diego, and clam chowder in Boston.
4. The vast variety of people. Our nation is filled with Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, blue collar and white collar workers, factory workers and entrepreneurs. And that’s a good thing. Variety is the spice of life.
5. The vast variety entertainment. Every region has their sports teams to root on. The NFL, the NBA, MLB, college football and basketball, give us something to cheer about. Broadway and Hollywood, golf courses and bike paths give us much more than enough to do with our free time.
6. The vast variety of roadways. Our interstate highway system is second to none. It’s a quick, easy, and relatively safe way to get most anywhere in our nation. But the alternative routes of two lane highways and city streets allow us the opportunity to see things an interstate would never show us.
7. The vast variety of art and architecture. From Georgia O’Keefe to Andy Warhol, from Andrew Wyeth to Edward Hopper, our museums are filled with art that inspires. From the Empire State Building to the Transamerica Building, from the Space Needle to the Gateway Arch, our cities are filled with buildings that make life interesting.
8. The vast variety of climate. If you want to you can live in a place with four (or more!) seasons…or just one.
9. The vast variety of ways to make a living. Work in retail or in a restaurant. Work in ministry or government. Work for en employer or for yourself. There are countless ways to make an honest dollar in our great country.
10. The vast variety of men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. Last, but not least, these people are the ones who have made our country great and made our country free. I salute all of you who have served or are serving us in such a significant way.

What do you love about America?

In this day and age world travel makes most anyone uncomfortable. If you’re a bit of a neurotic traveler it is even more so. And if you’ve spent most of your life just a little more nervous than the average person about germs and disease the discomfort will be enough to question any travel in the first place. That’s our son, Ben.

As I write this, Ben is at the top of mountain in Honduras. It’s a country where people walk around with machetes and assault rifles. It’s where the media-hyped Zika virus is known to exist. According to Wikipedia, Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world, with 90.4 homicides per 100,000 people. By comparison, the international average is 6.2 intentional homicides per 100,000 people. It’s also a known major drug route to the U.S.

But the things that make people uncomfortable are often the most rewarding. Ben’s fiancé, Emily, is the founder of a company called Consider the Wldflwrs. Ten percent of the proceeds of her business go toward helping a group of Honduran women start their own jewelry micro businesses to support their families. That’s why Ben, Emily, and another Consider the Wldflwrs team member are in Honduras. They are there to help, teach, and document it all so that further service will be provided.

All this is taking place at the top of a Honduran mountain. It could be a pretty uncomfortable place to be. But it turns out that on the mountain is a peaceful coffee plantation. It also happens to be a place that houses a program for children who were abandoned or taken from dangerous situations.

In a rare, free wifi hot spot Ben texted me. He told me about the things that made him uncomfortable. Things like no traffic rules, swarms of mosquitoes, and bunk beds. But he was quick to text about the kids he met there on the mountain. They are given housing and education until they’re eighteen-years-old. He wrote that the program just received a six-month-old baby.

I had a one word response: “Sad.”

Ben’s response was where discomfort met hope: “Yes. But cool! The kids seem happy!”

Then, on Facebook, Ben posted the picture you see above. He wrote this caption:

Been hanging with these kids the past few days. They’re hilarious, they school me in soccer, and they’re teaching me a lot about contentment. Language barriers got nothing on us.

That’s when being uncomfortable brings the surprise of joy. You find yourself amidst poverty and orphans. You’re sleeping in a bunk bed and eating in a foreign cafeteria. But in the middle of it all you realize that you should be content with the overwhelming blessings you’ve been given. You are grateful for the opportunity to touch lives. And you make a group of Honduran kids laugh their heads off as you show them silly Snapchat filters.

Where do you find joy in an uncomfortable situation?

Sometimes all you want is some peace and quiet. It’s an atypically beautiful, mild Florida summer evening. The front door is open. The humidity is low. A slight breeze is blowing in. And, wouldn’t you know it, someone turns on their lawn mower. Peace and quiet is quite literally out the door. But I’m choosing to stay positive. It’s so very beautiful outside. I can’t let the noise pollution get me down.

Wouldn’t you agree that this world could use a little more positivity? Like a movie that introduces some comic relief just when things seem to be darkest, we need people who introduce things positive into the darkness of this world. But sometimes it takes some intentionality to do just that.

So here are five happy reasons for you to be positive today:

1. You’re alive. You know how fragile life can be. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is not promised. Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present. So many people in the world live in conditions far more sparse than you and I do. You are blessed to live in the land of the free and home of the brave.
2. You’re loved. Look around you. There is someone who loves you. Even if you don’t always feel that way, I promise that you are loved. If nobody else loves you I most certainly do. Live loved.
3. You’re unique. There is no one else anywhere in the universe just like you. You have gifts and talents that are special just to you. The world wants what you have to give. Today is the day to share your art — whatever it may be — with the world.
4. You’re able. You live in a day and age that has so very few restrictions and so very many technologies that make life simpler and easier. The possibilities that lie before you are endless. You have countless opportunities to make a difference and to create an impact.
5. You’re forgiven. You’ve made mistakes. You’ve done things you regret. But there is One who lives for you, loves you, uniquely carried out your salvation, and is fully able to forgive you. Jesus gave His life to make your forgiveness certain.

Choose to be positive today. You are alive. You are loved. You are unique. You are able. You are forgiven.

What happy reason would you give for being positive today?