Stephen De La Vega

I’ve been a Christian for 40 years and I was not always productive. I put time and resources into things that were not that important. I should’ve spent my days on more worthwhile endeavors…for life on this earth and for all eternity. Much is worthwhile, but I'm sharing my short list - those things that demand our attention, our very best efforts, and our most costly sacrifices (1 Corinthians 10:23). Don’t be like me. Pay attention to these things now. What follows are endeavors I consider to be critically important. In subsequent posts, I’ll offer more detail. For now, we’ll stay high level because I don’t want us to miss the forest for the trees. Let’s spend time considering what’s important to us and whether it’s also important to God. Here are four endeavors I call “life pursuits” that matter more than most other pursuits. ꟷꟷꟷꟷꟷ Life Pursuit 1: Recognize that everyone is valuable Deep down, we know everyone has value, but do we believe it and live it? Honestly spe...

Hi friends. This is not my typical blog post but I want to share it because I’m sure God helped me write it. It’s a short poem. Simple, yet earnest. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Drifting I'd live, I'd laugh, I'd hone my craft And smile in the mirror But life and laughter Fade to after As fantasy turns to clearer Living and fun Are done when done And God longs to be dearer So, thrive with joy Cast off decoy Let God be God and nearer     If you want to know more about God and His desire to be nearer to you, please email me at authordlv@att.net. Read more blog posts here .

Disney has done it again. Perfect casting and memorable songs brought to life in the newest of live-action reboots, Aladdin . I wasn’t much into the animated version, but with real people on-screen, I felt the emotion. During the magic carpet ride, the central theme of the movie hit me. It’s a tale of identity – truly discovering who you are and becoming that person. [There are no movie spoilers in this post and this is not a movie review, but I do give Aladdin a thumbs up.] Each of the main characters struggled in their unique ways to live out their truest of identities. I think it's the same for us. We sometimes feel out of place or we feel the urge to go against the flow. The person we are deep inside points us to a place that is often different enough from the norm that becoming that person is an uphill climb. But I’m writing to say be brave. Be that person. I’m not saying to be that doctor, or be that philanthropist. I’m not talking abou...

Paul was a man on a mission. Why wouldn’t he be? He was commissioned by God. God chose Him, told Him what to do, and empowered Him. Paul committed to God’s plan and got it done. He was a doer and he pursued God’s plan with boldness and tireless passion. The sobering truth is God also commissioned us… Maybe we see Paul as a superhero, or, humanly speaking, a really, extraordinary person.   The one-of-a-kind guy we’re tempted to emulate using the social media shortcut.   He’s a luminary we might celebrate in history books, but maybe not the type we’d ever attempt to become ourselves.   He’s just too far off the charts.   I mean, it’s nice to dream, but we’re not Jesus, right? No, we’re not Jesus and we really are severely handicapped when it comes to living as He did.   We are “prone to wander…to leave the God [we] love,” as Hymnodist Robert Robinson penned in 1757 ( Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing ).   But Paul, though human like us, someh...

Just over a year ago I published my first blog post:  Even on Garbage Day, God Loves Us . 22 posts later, it’s still one of my favorites. I didn’t know what to expect when I launched my blog. Questions circled in my head. The most important: Does God want me to do this? Let me first say thank you for reading. You have truly been kind and faithful readers. I appreciate you all, and I hope my blog has been as meaningful for you as it has been for me. I plan to keep writing. My commitment is to write until God tells me to stop. …until God tells me to stop . That’s a loaded phrase, maybe packed with assumptions. God has different plans for each of us, but can we really know what He wants us to do…specifically? What has God planned for us? How can we know the path He designed for each of us? Here’s what I discovered: God is actively telling us His plan. Knowing it is easier when we listen and watch. Ears that hear and eyes that see – the LORD has made ...