One year in seminary I set a new year’s resolution to eat not one single French fry for a whole year. Now, it’s funny to think about all of my friends thinking I was accomplishing an unbelievable feat. I made it a whole year but all it did was “resolve” that I could survive without a fry. All a resolution is is a decision to or not to do something. It’s really not that inspiring. But Dictionary.com defines a goal as “the result or achievement toward which effort is directed”! Wow that’s inspirational! It’s so inspirational that the Apostle Paul uses this term to describe a life purpose: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).”  Goals give you purpose. In fact, in 2025, let’s not just make a goal, let’s make a S.M.A.R.T. goal! Here are five S.M.A.R.T contributors to complete your goals:

1. Specific – General goals are not tangible such as I’m going to work out more. But the more details you put to the goal, it’ll come alive: I’m going to do a dumbbell work out before I go to my first ministry meeting and during my weekdays I’m going to meet one new person to converse the Good News of Jesus with.
2. Measurable – You can’t measure loving your neighbor more in 2019, but you can make a goal of ringing their doorbell once a week and asking them how you may pray for them. This also allows you to evaluate whether or not your goal is on track during the year. 
3. Attainable – I’m most likely not going to make it on the Dallas Cowboys team in the Fall even though as far as the team goes this would be a good time to roll my wheelchair on the firld to try. Each year for the last five years, i’m made it a goal to read through the Bible in a year. It’s been a life changing discipline and God has used it to minister to me through some unexpected trauma. 
4. Readjust – Let’s not be static and legalistic.  God might open doors or reveal new insights that may lead you to readjust the goal set. Be open to this and the newness that comes into your life: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it (‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:19‬)?” Be perceptive.
5. Timeline – In 2023, i started my followup book to Weak Is The New Strong with a goal of finishing the end of 2024. The first draft of Weak Is The New Strong is now complete. and now my goal is to get it published in 2025. Launch your 2025 being a monthly giver to this ministry now  to mobilize missional lives. All monthly givers receives an autographed copy of my first book and of my second book upon release. 

Time has always fascinated me. No human can live free of its clutches. Time is constant and rapid. Our life is but a minute dot on its expanse. God, existing outside of time, gives us time, not for us to serve it, but for it to serve us. King Solomon exclaimed, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Time matters. Since we are only on Earth for a speck of the timeline, let’s manage our time wisely and make our minutes count. Here are three considerations to motivate you in managing your time:

1. Realize life is short.

We all have heard this from those who have lived life longer than we have, but we ignore it until we wake up one day and realize how much time we’ve lost.    The second hand is ticking as you read this. God gives us time to steward.  This line from a Psalm depicts this truth so eloquently: “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4). We need to realize every hour, minute, and second is precious. Because my life on Earth is finite, I put more thought now into my time with people and what I do during the day. I give time with God my first priority. Like the Psalmist continues to passionately express, our time on earth is short; be wise and realize… “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:10, 12, NIV).

The second hand is ticking as you read this. God gives us time to steward.  This line from a Psalm depicts this truth so eloquently: “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4).
 

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2. Invest your time in what you value.

In my spare time, I enjoy going to hear musicians perform live, watching a movie, or reading a book. As my passion for a decade has been to be a blogger to have a platform to encourage people in tangible ways, I often was thinking of blogging while I “enjoyed” these products of writing. The very craft I consumed was the craft I wanted to produce. I found myself frustrated, not enjoying these passions in my life. Why? I was not spending my time doing what I value. I value being an impacting writer, but I was not investing my time into this craft. Paul explains this frustration of unmatched time and values: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). As you see, I am now using my time to do what I value; being a minister to you and writing my second book.. Therefore, I am producing tangible results from the time I am investing in that value.

3.  Your vision schedules your time today.

The vision statement for your life guides the way you use your time today, and the way you use your time today determines the stories you tell tomorrow. Without vision, we will wander. King Solomon states this more eloquently: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV). I have invested time with God to pray and listen for His vision for my life to glorify Him. I have invested time with a life coach to help me write my vision statement. Now I know the vision for my life. I schedule time every week to write. This allotment of time is in red in my calendar. I’ve learned that it is not effective to schedule “writing” in my weekly calendar and ignore it. I guard that allotment of time now. I write. I’m a blogger. My vision schedules my time.

These truths have motivated the way I manage my time. What considerations have helped you manage your time? What do you want to do differently? Share with us what spurs you on to manage your time.

Please leave a comment and continue the conversation.

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1008 Linn Lane

Yukon, OK 73099

Your Missional Life Coach is all about mobilizing you to thrive in your missional life expanding the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom among your daily existing spheres of influence; your family, friends, co-workers and strangers the Holy Spirit helps you meet. This coaching relationship will help you view your daily life as an impacting ministry living out what God made you for: to display and share the Gospel. As a life coach, I serve you as:

• Your own personal missional life trainer to enable you to achieve your missional goals.
• Your personal encourager in your missional life.
• Your trainer in sparking Gospel conversations.
• Your sounding board about your opportunities to share Jesus.
• Your motivation when the Holy Spirit is calling you to boldly share the Gospel in specific ways.
• Your unconditional support.
• Your companion and co-laborer in sharing Jesus.

What is Missional Life Coaching? An ongoing relationship that helps you live out the Great Commission right where you are in your daily stream go life right where you live, work and play. One-on-one ministry has been the biggest blessing I’ve served for twenty-five years.

Contact me and let me know and questions you may have and your availability. I have openings on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. We will do this virtually so location is not an obstacle. I look forward to hearing from you as you have the most impacting missional life I know because God’s Holy Spirit has placed you in the midst of daily Spheres of influence who only you can reach. We offer this service of Missional Life Coaching because “how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” (Romans 10:14)

On the journey toward excellence with you,

Todd Lollar

Certified Missional Life Coach

This impacting ministry and the other ministries in Mobilize Ministries™ are not possible without individuals like you who become monthly ministry givers. All new monthly givers receives a complimentary autographed copy of my book, Weak Is The New Strong: God’s Perfect Power In You:

(All giving is tax deductible)

1008 Linn Lane

Yukon, OK 73099

People like you who engage in this important ministry to mobilize your missional lives have engaged in our daily devotionals on Youversion along with 30,000 other devotional readers. This is only made possible by people like you who regularly give tax deductible giving to Mobilize Ministries to mobilize missional lives among daily existing spheres of influence! Here are all our devotionals to date. Our latest release this month is called “Bases to Run to Grand Slam Your Calling”! Baseball is “America’s sport.” But, there’s gotta be a deeper reason why 40 MILLION people tuned in to see humans hit a ball and run around three bases on a baseball field. Deep down, I believe every person wants to live out what they are made for. Thriving in our calling is such a joy! Click here to launch and discover over three days the three bases YOU can run and grand slam YOUR calling. This is only made possible through people like you who become monthly, quarterly or annual givers to this ministry. Click here and become a reoccurring giver and receive an autographed copy of my book, Weak Is The New Strong: God’s Perfect Power In You:

(All giving is tax deductible)

1008 Linn Lane

Yukon, OK 73099

Todd converses with Steve Cuss on God’s power in weakness and anxiety. Steve has a pertinent mission to equip people on the Kingdom realities of peace and practical ways to not be imprisoned with anxiety. Remember to give this podcast a good ranking once you’re done.

Mobilize Ministries™ is dedicated to church growth. In fact, you can read all the ways we serve disciples of Jesus, small groups and churches and easily see our heart is to see the Church grow as this is the organic fruit of the ministries of Mobilize Ministries™. We were blessed by this invitation to write for Church Growth Magazine. Click here to read this helpful article to bless and thrive in your daily missional living. As the arms of this ministry are expanding, the need for faithful givers is growing. We are praying for twenty new monthly givers in 2020. Click here to start your monthly giving or e-mail your name and phone number here and we will call your to help you start up your faithful giving:

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1008 Linn Lane

Yukon, OK 73099

You may have enjoyed his fun lovable character on Parks and Rec or enjoy going on adventures with him in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and the latest Jurassic Park movies.   You’d be hard pressed to find someone who does not know or enjoy Chris Pratt’s gift of acting. What’s astounding to me is that he knows that, he knows his influence and he has decided to steward this influence to share the Good News of Jesus to fans! Watch the MTV awards below of Mr. Pratt accepting the MTV 2018 Generation Award. Take the time to view his acceptance speech as he shares the Good News of Jesus.  In the video, observe these three impacting ways Chris Pratt models for you and me how to steward influence to share Jesus:

1. See Opportunity and make the most of it.

I decided a long time ago to live a life of no regret when it comes to sharing the Good News of Jesus.  This is one reason why I pioneered Mobilize Ministries™, because I want to inspire ever Christ-follower to seize the moment to share Jesus with lost friends, family, and co-workers. The Apostle Paul clearly encourages you and me to  “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” (Colossians 4:5) Chris Pratt does this faithfully whether on a talk show or accepting an award (view below). 
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2. Be ready and willing to talk about Jesus. 

But when is the best time to share Jesus? My answer is anytime and always! Peter inspirationally gives you and me this charge: “alwaysbeing ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15) Be ready! No matter where I go or what I do in my daily life, I wake up and tell God, “I’m excited about who I will cross paths with today to share the Good News of Jesus!”  I went to a local coffee shop one day to meet my friend Ashtin for a missional living coaching meeting. I met a new guy name Chris (not Pratt) there who just had a young friend in his life die. I shared with him how Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died. I shared how Jesus understands, He died to save us and He is here for Chris. Chris said He’s not a Christian. I asked if he wants to accept Jesus as His Lord and Savior now and he said, “YES!” Then we prayed. I saw this Chris cross over from death to life right there over coffee! Are you ready and willing to share Jesus this week?

3, Live by faith in a way people will want to talk about it.

Chris Pratt has 22.7 million Instagram followers. It’s safe to say that his faith is being talked about all over the world. But notice what the Apostle Paul writes to the Christian church community in Rome.  “Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NLT) We don’t know the names of anyone in this Roman church community, but the outrageous ways this community lived out their faith, they are being talked about all over the world! ‬‬My question for you is: In what practical ways this week are you going to live out your faith boldly for Jesus that people will hear and talk about? By faith, my family and I are moving to Los Angeles close to Hollywood to expand this ministry, Mobilize Ministries™ with the vision to mobilize Christ-followers in the entertainment industry to share Jesus! This is a risk, a step of faith we are taking for the cause of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom that we hope encourages you and others you know. 
I have a few questions for you. What daily opportunities do you have to share Jesus and how are you going to make the most of them? Are you going to wake up every morning ready and willing to share Jesus throughout the day? What bold steps of faith is God calling YOU to take this year? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments below. Join this journey with us in Mobilize Ministries™ by becoming a giver:

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What if you impact your circumstances more than they impact you.  Today, in a culture of comfort, reading a letter to encourage others from a jail cell speaks for itself.  It’s time for a mind shift. Here are a few ways that Philippians should change your life perspective:

Putting life into a purposeful perspective.   Paul writes “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 4:21).”  Paul knows that if he is living, his soul purpose is to glorify Christ.

Putting self into a smaller perspective.  In a Youtube rockstar culture, it is so freeing to think smaller of self like Jesus did so we can love each other well.  “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:5-7).”

Putting life in a forward-thinking perspective. [tweetable author=”@toddlollar”]  The Good News of Jesus is that He frees us out of dwelling on the past into a Christ-centered future.  [/tweetable]“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).”

Putting our minds in a Christ-centered limitless perspective.  It’s natural to live being swayed and limited by circumstances, but the Good News is that Jesus saved us into His Kingdom. Like His Kingdom, we now cannot be shaken by circumstances, because, like Paul, we live in the truth of being able to do all things through Christ who gives us strength. “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:11-13).”

How has Christ changed your perspective?  How do you impact your circumstances rather than let circumstances impact you?  Let’s continue the conversation by leaving a comment.

Do you want to experience more in your quiet time with God?  Me too. We are passionate about mobilizing missional living! Jesus’ quiet time with the Heavenly Father mobilized Him in His ministry. These simple “igniters” have taken my time with God to a deeper level:

1.  Schedule time alone with God for when you feel most alert.

God has put mentors in my life who have poured into me spiritually over the years.  A few of them woke up before sunrise to spend time with God.  Since I respect their relationship with God and want to be like them, I thought I had to wake up before sunrise to be with God, too.  I tried this out and found myself dozing off!  I was not engaging with God.  Mid-afternoon is the time of the day my mind is at its peak.  So, this is when I make time to be with God.  God will meet with me–and you–anytime.  He does not stop meeting after the sun is risen.

2.  Determine where your “quiet place” is.  

My quiet place is at a coffee shop.  I spend many afternoons meeting with people in a coffee shop.  But my first meeting is with Jesus.  I’m able to forget my surroundings, focus, and have a heart-to-heart with Jesus.  Your quiet place might be at home in a certain chair in a certain room, on campus under a certain tree, or at your desk at work.  Wherever, know that the God who made the universe, who enables you to breathe, who loves you more than you could ever fathom, wants to meet you there.

3.  Have a plan. 

In January 2011, my quiet time with God changed significantly.    I have always planned out my meetings with friends, students, co-workers, and life-coaching clients, but I never planned how to spend my time with the most important One, God.  Two years ago, I started a one-year plan to go through the New Testament slowly. In January 2012, I started a two-year reading plan to go through the Old Testament.  This year, 2013, is my third year of planned daily quiet times, and now I never waste time wondering what I’m going to read to hear from God.  Often after the planned reading, God’s Spirit takes me to places in the Word where He speaks to my story in specific ways.  I have a plan, but so does He!  This is so freeing.  Freedom is often experienced after planning.

4.  God wants to converse: He wants to talk to you through His Word, and He longs to listen to you in prayer.

A major breakthrough happened in my walk (roll) with God when I finally realized that having a quiet time is not merely reading words in the Bible, but that the Bible is God’s Living Word and He really longs to speak with me. [tweetable author=“@toddlollar”] The One who made the universe , the One who spoke the world and humankind into existence wants to speak to me, Todd, and to you. [/tweetable] Not only this, but He longs to hear our voice.  Do you feel lonely, need to talk, need someone to listen?  Humans often fail at “being there” for each other.  God is constantly available to you and me.  Here’s the kicker: your conversation with God is not over when you leave the quiet place where you and God meet.  God remains with you wherever you go or whatever you do.  I never say “Amen” after I pray in my quiet time until right before I fall asleep at night.  This reminds me that my time with God continues throughout my day.  He is with me, and I am with Him.

5.  “Chat it up” with the One who knows each detail of the plan for your life.

I have often tried to figure out answers to the questions in my head about problems in my life.  I usually don’t get very far, because I’m limited by finite thinking.  My next step is to seek counsel.  This is a wise, godly step, but it needs to be preceded by my former last resort, going to God.  We have a relationship with God who is omnipotent and omniscient.  He knows His plan for our life.  This simple, yet life-changing revelation ignites my quiet time.   The all-powerful God often quickly removes obstacles that my limited mind is tempted to dwell on.  The quicker we take life’s questions to God, the more time we’ll have to execute the plan He reveals using the time we formerly used trying to figure everything out.  In result, our lives are much more productive and fruitful because we spent time with the One who knows and reveals the plan.   Be ready to hear God reveal His answers to your questions during quiet time.

Please comment below and encourage me and fellow readers with what has ignited your quiet time with God.

Sometimes we get spiritual amnesia, don’t we. I know I do.  In the midst of adversity, it’s “easier” for me to focus on the circumstance more than the one who is all-powerful over the circumstance.  Looking back, I remember all the circumstances:

• taking 7 years to land a job that my Masters was for
• many instances of discrimination due to my disability
• years of lonely moments desiring a wife
• a decade of not writing a book due to fear of my calling
• reacting to human perceptions

But, don’t you know that I know that in the midst of each of these adversities, I could remember how God miraculously delivered me, healed me, saved me or freed me from the previous adversity?… And this is what God was trying to lovingly tell His people wandering in adversity:

• Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. – Deuteronomy 8:2
• But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. – Deuteronomy 8:18
• Remember how each of you were slaves in Egypt and how the LORD your God saved you. That’s why I am commanding you to do this right now. – Deuteronomy 15:15
• For the LORD your God will be with you, fighting on your behalf against your enemies in order to grant you victory. – Deuteronomy 20:4

Hey, it’ll work out. Jesus loves you and He made you for a purpose. That purpose is bigger than you. It’s to glorify the One who made you.  Remember what God has done!  This is what I remember:

• I am now the Founding Executive Director of Mobilize Ministries.
• God has delivered me victoriously through all the discrimination I have faced.
• I am married to a Godly, sweet, beautiful woman who I serve Jesus with for a lifetime.
• I have two beautiful children.
• I am now finished writing my debut book.
• Now I live confidently in how God perceives me.

Hey, it’ll work out.  It will. Jesus loves you and He made you for a purpose. That purpose is bigger than you. It’s to glorify the One who made you.  Remember what God has done!