Last night I watched one of my recorded episodes of “The Big Idea” with Donnie Deutsch, and he had Mark Echo (founder of “Echo Unlimited” clothing line) as his guest.

Mark was going to Rutgers and was studying to become a pharmaceutical salesman, but was making t-shirts on the side.  He went to the dean of his school and the dean told him to strike out when he was young and follow his passion.  He left the school with the blessing of the dean of the school.

He did whatever it took to sell his clothes, and opened an new genre in the clothing industry (street wear).  Mark stated on the show (paraphrased), “if you don’t wake up excited about what you do, then find out what makes you excited and do that.”  He stated that the educational system in America should be focused on finding peoples passions and equipping them there.  I think the church should be about helping its members find their passions and networking them to the right tools to help them do it for God.

Saint Irenaeus stated, “the glory of God is man come fully alive.”  This Sunday Lou Engle quoted someone, saying, “God had a dream and wrapped a person around it.”

Today Echo Brands has an annual revenue of $1.5 billion.  All Mark did is follow his dreams.

Just thought I would start blogging again, since I am going into my season of prayer and fasting as God is telling me not to try and figure out the next move in my life.  So, I might as well write about it!

• From “Habitudes vol 1″ by Tim Elmore:

“It is interesting to me that Americans spend an average of 10% of thier life preparing for the 90% that makes up thier career.  Jesus Christ, in constrast, spent  90% preparing His inward life, for the 10% that made up His career. (2)”

I am struck by the fact that the church focuses so much on doing.  I am also amazed at how much I have acted out this same “dis-focus.” Maybe when we being Christians we should be discipled first about our inner life:  our search to know God, to know how God sees us, and to know the character of God (and us as sons of God).  Then, my guess is, the rest will grow out of those deep wells.

•  Gal 5:6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself through love.”

I wonder how much of my day could be classified as “faith expressed through love?”  Should that be the focus in relation to my former bullet point (inward focus on character?)  Do they go hand in hand?  Is faith expressed through love a natural outgrowth of the cultivation of the inner man (my gut tells me you need both).