The Heath Mullikin Project

What’s on my mind

Friday just got a little heavier than I intended. Here’s what’s been going on as I take you through my train of thought. Warning! This may be scary.

1. Spoke at revival at Liberty Wesleyan Church this week. Had a great time and felt the Lord speak to me and through me. Awesome to reunite with Travis and Autumn Ward who I used to watch wrestling with every week. God challenged me so much through the messages and was faithful to help me overcome a cough that has progressively gotten worse. Speaking got all sorts of topics going through my head.

2. Found out late Wednesday night that my grandfather(on my dad’s side) has cancer and only a few months to live. Papa Robert is 90 so they are still looking at options. This has got me thinking about the things I don’t know about so many in my family. I want to hear their stories, disappointments, and ask questions like,”what would you change if you had it all to do over again?” I want to capture all of this on video. What if genealogy could jump off the page and speak to us? All of this got me thinking about my regrets. This made me glad that…

3. We didn’t have Facebook or Myspace when I was growing up. I think if I were to look back I would be embarressed and ashamed by some of the pictures, statuses, and tweets I would have posted. It would have been weird hoping my parents never saw my page and revealing my true self to the whole world. On the other hand, it may have kept me honest because maybe I would’ve made better decisions if I knew the whole world were watching. I just think that changing my relationship status once a week and posting “couple” pics would be weird. Would I have cussed on Facebook as much as I cussed in real life? Maybe I would’ve cussed less, cheated less, and been a better person. Oh, I went to church more than anybody and am thankful that the influence of Godly parents, Sunday School teachers, neighbors, pastors, youth pastors, and friends won the day and helped me avoid a whole lot of regret. I realize now that being there didn’t “save” me, but in a way it did. I still had to choose Jesus for myself, but all those hours at church and with the church opened my eyes to what life truly was about. It’s sad how many “good” kids I see go through this downhill progression where they forsake their faith and party hard all for the world to see. It will be hard to tell your kids not to drink when they’ll be able to see all your underage drinking pictures on the internet. I guess it’s odd that what used to be secretive and only your closest friends knew is now posted for the whole world to see. You used to hear stories of people partying, but now we’ve got pics, updates from the party, and statuses from the morning after. I think we’ve gotten so sensitive to not want to be judgmental that we don’t exercise any judgment at all. There’s this attitude that sin is unavoidable so you might as well go with the flow.

4. I try to use the internet and Social Media to share my faith and encourage others. I think they are wonderful tools to communicate with the world. I think that all of these things are making it possible for my children and (hopefully) grandchildren to know my story. I want to make it a great one…one they can be proud of.

Take Action Thursday-Charity Water

One of the greatest tragedies in the world today is that people are dying because they don’t have clean water. Daily I take for granted the ease with which I can fill and refill my glass, cup, bottle, with cool refreshing water(and ice). The average American uses 150 gallons of water a day while many around the globe struggle to find 5(from the charitywater.org page). It’s not about asking everyone to go overseas and physically dig a well. It’s about all of us pitching in and doing what we can. It’s about moving from the attitude, “How much do I have to give” to “How much can I give?” It’s about asking the question,”God, how do you want to use me in this?” Scott Harrison has an amazing story. Charity Water is the result of God getting a hold of one man’s life and how he responded. What if we all responded to God with passion and vision? This is not a story for the lukewarm or faint of heart(faith). This is story to plug into and make it part of your own. Set aside some time to watch the video below and hear from Scott himself how he’s making the world a better place one glass of water at a time. And by all means, join the clean water revolution by giving today.

The Idea Camp – Scott Harrison from The Idea Camp on Vimeo.

Kudos to Apple and some other fun stuff

Took my Ipod Touch that had stopped charging by the Apple store on Monday and they replaced it with a new one. It was quick and painless. I didn’t have to beg or fuss. The dude, whose name ironically is Steve for all those who know my latest nickname, was really cool and helpful. I am having a great customer service month. So, Kudos to Apple!

With Halloween approaching, here’s a funny video from the Onion that was posted last year. Note: this is not a real newscast.

Speaking of fake news, a group emailed some major news organizations claiming to be the US Chamber of Commerce a few days ago. The group stated that the Chamber was going to reverse it’s position on climate change and hold a press conference. Reuters picked up the story and ran with it. The group even held a fake press conference which was interrupted by a real rep from the Chamber. On Fox, they reported the Reuters headline while at the same time calling the Chamber for confirmation. The Chamber denied the news and Fox reported that the Reuters report may be an error. Reporters actually showed up to the fake press conference and were angered when it was interrupted. A quick phone call, email, or fact check would have saved these reporters some major embaressment. I guess I’m posting this because of the news media inability to fact check their sources lately. Just in the past week many news organizations falsely attributed quotes to Rush Limbaugh about slavery and James Earl Ray. The uproar lead to Limbaugh losing his spot on an ownership bid for the St. Louis Rams. We do this a lot in our lives. It’s called gossip. One of the 10 commandments even deals with “bearing false witness.” Without further delay, here’s the video of the fake press conference.

And finally, here’s my favorite “fake” press conference of all time. Louie Giglio back-tracking on Twitter.

Purpose Killers-Prejudice and Bitterness

Have you ever tried to pursue something, but you felt this weight that was holding you back? Have you ever felt that there were just some things that you could never get past? Have you ever carried a grudge for so long that it started to eat away at you from the inside? It is impossible for a person to “Chase Their Lion” while carrying a grudge or prejudice against groups of people. You may be thinking to yourself,”I’m not prejudiced”, but certain thoughts and feelings crop up in certain situations or when you hear certain stories. You may not be outwardly prejudice, but you harbor negative feelings towards different races, religions, or people. This is an issue that cuts both ways and always hurts everyone involved. Maybe yours is an issue more personal than that. Maybe someone has hurt you and you carry anger and unforgiveness in your heart. Whatever the case may be, we need to let go of the things that would hinder us. We need to do whatever it takes to become the person God created us to be. And God did not create us for hatred, bitterness, prejudice, or grudges. He created us to love Him and love others and to express that through our service. Here are some resources to help you change your thinking, overcome bitterness, and Chase Your Lion!

Revival, IPOD touch repaired, Idolatry

It was quite the weekend for me. Friday and Saturday, I was up at Victory Mountain Camp for The NC East Youth Fall Rally. I had to leave early to speak at Liberty Wesleyan’s fall revival. Matt Beasley was the speaker at Fall Rally. He’s chasing his lion here. I am still a little sore from playing back to back Flag Football games. Can I just say that the “Official” NFL Flag Football set flags were terrible. Started out with 20 and ended up with 12. That’s after only a few games. After my performance, you would think that I couldn’t catch a cold, but I did. I’m pretty sure there are too many comma’s in that last sentence. Heading to the Apple store in Greensboro because my Ipod Touch won’t work unless it is plugged in. I’m pretty sure they’re going to claim water damage on a device that hasn’t even been near any. Hopefully, they can fix or replace it and I will have as great an experience with them as I have with Verizon the past few weeks. Those people have given us A+ service on a couple of things. People always talk about the mistakes and stuff. I just want to give credit where it’s due and if Apple comes up big today…they’ll get props too. I appreciate all the prayers for the revival I’m speaking at at Liberty Wesleyan. Awesome day yesterday and loved hanging with the Wards! Hope everyone has a great week. Take lots of Vitamin C and drink that water!

Lion Chaser Monday-Tony Dungy

Tony Dungy is a rare man. It’s not because he was the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl. It’s not because he’s one of only 3 men to win a Super Bowl as a player and a coach. It’s not even because he walked away from coach at the top of his game. No, Tony Dungy is rare in that he has accomplished all of this with a level of integrity and depth of faith and character that is “Uncommon.” He may well be the most respected man in and around the NFL. He left coaching to pursue a higher calling: helping young people. His highest profile case so far is Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick whom Dungy took under his wing while Vick was serving prison time for running an illegal dog fighting ring. My respect for him only grew as he endured the toughest thing a parent can face, the tragic loss of his son, with bravery, dignity, and hope. Here are some comments on that event and a great testimony from a Super Bowl breakfast a few years ago.

He is Lion Chaser because of his pursuit to serve Christ to the best of his abilities and use the platform he has been given to make a difference. To find out more about him you can visit his bio here or his home page here. On top of all of this, he is a best selling author of two great books, Quiet Strength and Uncommon. There are also small group materials available. Tony Dungy: a class act, a great coach, and a true Lion Chaser.