The Women of My Life!

I know we are a few weeks past Mother's Day, but I came across a blog post I wrote 6 years ago.  It struck me that my love and appreciation for the women mentioned in this blog has increased beyond measure.  I have been blessed by the women God has brought into my life and I decided to share these thoughts again (From May 2013):


            As Mother’s Day approaches, I cannot help but think of the special women of my life.  Each of these ladies has blessed me, challenged me by their examples, and brought joy to my life.  As a child growing up, I had the pleasure of being a part of an extended family unit.  My dad’s parents and his brother lived with us on the farm we all tended.  That meant I had both my Grandma and my Mama.  My Grandma was a small woman with a big heart who taught me many things.  She taught me how to shoot a basketball (OK, it was definitely a granny shot – but I became good at it).  She taught me songs like “Church in the Wildwood”, but most of all she showed me what gentleness and humility looked like in action. My Mama battled cancer for over 30 years and taught me about strength and faith.  She never wavered in her faith in God and her trust in His hand in her life.  Her last words to me, after weeks of being unable to speak at all, were, “Isn’t Jesus good!”

The greatest blessing of my life apart from my salvation has been my wife, Sue.  Through good and bad, sickness and health, times of certainty and uncertainty, through the positive things I have done and the stupid things I have done or said, she has shown me how love should be lived out.  She has been my encourager, my comforter, my lover, and my friend.  She has made me laugh and helped me to enjoy life.  We have walked on the beach, cruised on the ocean, watched the sunset in the mountains, and the thing that made each one of those events special was that I got to do it all with her.  She provides peace and refuge in the stormy times of life.  She provides wisdom and insight when life throws us a curve.  She is without a doubt, the helpmate that God created for me!

From the time our son, Shay, was born, Sue and I prayed for his future wife.  We prayed for her life growing up, for God’s protection on her, for her to become the woman God desired her to be, and for her to be someone who would love our son.  We didn’t know who she was, but we prayed.  Our daughter-in-law, Sarah, is the answer to those prayers.  Through her example, she has shown faithfulness and love.  She has exhibited strength in trials and she has been Shay’s partner in ministry.  I look at pictures of the two of them and of their family and what I see is the smile on his face because she is there with him.  I am so thankful for her support of him and his calling and for the wife and mother she has become.

Of course, I can’t forget my last little lady, my granddaughter, Naomi!  She and her brother, Micah, are my pride and joys.  Naomi has known from day one how to twist me around her finger, and I am ok with that. Her smile and her young love for God will both brighten your day.  She teaches me to appreciate the small things in life and to enjoy the moments. When she crawls into my lap and snuggles, she unknowingly silences any problems or concerns I might have.

There are many other women who have impacted my life, from other family members to teachers, both public school and Sunday school.  But these five are the special ladies in my life.  So this Mother’s Day, I will not only think about my Mama, who is now with the Lord, but I will think about these four mothers and one future mother.  I will thank God for the blessings that He gave me with each of these and for the three that still are with me, I will promise to love you and be there for you with all of my being!  Thank you all for being such an amazing part of my life!  But a very special hugs and kisses this week to the mother of my child and the love of my life – I love you, Sue!

Life Needs More Buttons!

WE ARE SURROUNDED BY BUTTONS!

Staples has given us the "Easy Button". Computers and software have given us all kinds of buttons: Refresh, Delete, Backspace, Home, and Power, to name a few.

Think about it: Buttons to make things easier and buttons to start all over! Buttons to pretend it never happened and buttons to just go home!  Don't forget the button for POWER!

What great options. So I have come to this conclusion concerning life:

Life Needs More Buttons!

Think about how much smoother life would flow with more buttons. The mute button is another good example. How many times have you wanted to mute the person hogging the conversation or the know-it-all who has all the answers. There is also the button on the TV remote that lets me change what I am watching if I don't like what is in front of me. Think about how many times a day you would use that button!
How about the button that unlocks your car? Wouldn't it be great to have a button that unlocked all those things that seem inaccessible to you. Or the button that opens your garage door? How helpful would it be to open all those doors that have been closed?

Obviously, I would have better control with access to more buttons!

But the truth is: I don't have a mute button for life, or an easy button, or a refresh button; and I am not going to get one. But I do have a Refresher!

The Psalmist wrote: "God, Your faithful love is so valuable that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They are filled from the abundance of Your house; You let them drink from Your refreshing stream, for with You is life's fountain. In Your light we will see light." (Ps 36:7-9)

You know, my life really doesn't need more buttons. I just need to take refuge under His wings, drink from His stream, and find refreshing for my soul!


(Edited from a post originally published 4/16/09)

A Letter to my Dad on Father’s Day:

Well, it has been 38 years since we spent a Father’s Day together on this earth.  Since you were called home to heaven, so many things have happened. I cannot tell you how many times I would have loved to ask your opinion, gotten your perspective, or secured your advice.  Yet even though we have not been physically together, often my decisions have been based on what you taught me and the example you gave me.  So, in that regard, I guess I have followed your advice throughout the years.

                I hate that you never got to see your grandson, or your great-grandchildren.  I am pretty sure you would have been the best granddad ever and I try to live up to what I think you would have done.  I am thankful that you did get to meet the wonderful woman that God had for my life mate and got to stand beside me as my best man!  I just wish we had had more time together in my adulthood when I no longer thought I knew it all and didn't need to listen.

                You served faithfully throughout your life.  You served our country overseas during WW II.  You served our God faithfully in our church and took your boys to church (whether they always wanted to go or not!).  You served our family, providing a home for us and for your Mom, Dad, and brother.  You worked night shift at the mill, days on the farm, and still found time to coach baseball and attend every sporting event I ever played through high school. You took us on trips and adventures.  You taught us to work and to play, to know the difference, but to understand they could sometimes overlap! Never did I doubt that you loved God, loved my brother and me, and loved our mother.  You taught me quiet strength, determination, and compassion.

                I pray that I have passed some of those traits down to my son, so that he can pass them on to his.  I pray that Shay will think of me as highly as I think of you and your memory.  As we look at pictures of you, me, Shay, and now Micah, the physical similarities are evident, but I pray the character is even more so.  I am pretty sure that any beneficial things that Shay has experienced from his father are the direct result of what you implanted in my life.  Thank you for the gifts you gave me in life and the memories that I cherish today!

Your grateful son,

Mike

What do you see?

Most of us have seen this optical illusion before.  Do you see a beautiful young woman or an elderly woman?  Like all optical illusions, it is about perspective.  How do you see it?  Why does someone else see it differently?  Because we look at things in different ways and we look sometimes expecting things to be a certain way.  With this picture, it is hard for some to see anything but what they first perceive and for some it is hard to switch back once your mind has made the adjustment to the other image.

Many times we look at ourselves and see only the faults, the shortcomings, the impossibilities. We look at where we have failed and think God cannot possibly use us now.  Truthfully, many times others will look at us in the same way.  While it is important to acknowledge our sins and confess them and agree with God on their seriousness, it is also essential that we realize that Christ died for all sin and nothing is too big for Him to forgive and nothing is so permanent that God cannot use us on the other side of confession.   This truth applies to salvation, but it also applies to restoration.

"It's never too late to be who 

you might have been." 

Mark Batterson, in his book Soulprint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny, reminds us that "it's never too late to be who you might have been."  Later in the book, he also says, "Jesus didn't die just to get us off the hook.  He also died to resurrect the person we were destined to be before sin distorted the image of God in us."

Mastering the Art of Failing

FAILURE!  We don't like to talk about it (unless it is someone else's, at which point we will gossip - I mean pray - about it).  We certainly don't want to admit to failure.  FAIL is definitely a "four letter word" and we just do not want to allow its use in our conversations.  We want to find ways to label it something else or claim some sort of odd victory out of it.  Success is our goal and the only option we want to acknowledge!

There have been more than a few occasions when I have labeled an event or a program a failure and others have argued with me.  They have pointed out reasons that it "wasn't really a failure because . . .".  I believe that type of response comes out of our fear of being labeled a failure and a misunderstanding of what failure actually means. 

Let's check out some definitions of failure: 

1. an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success 

2. nonperformance of something due, required, or expected 

3. a subnormal quantity or quality; an insufficiency

So failure is a lack of success, the nonperformance of something expected, or a subnormal quantity or quality. Isn't that exactly what we are talking about here?  An experience that falls short of what we had expected or hoped for is by definition a failure.  Rather than trying to ignore it, hide it, or rename it, why don't we just accept it for what it is and learn what to do next?

One of the dangers of not owning our failure is that we never learn anything from it.  The better course of action is to claim the failure and then follow several key steps:

1. Ask ourselves, "What can we learn from this?" 

2. What could we have done differently? 

3. What next?

What can we learn from this? This question is a significant one.  Maybe through the process of failing we can learn more about ourselves and our organization.  Perhaps we can better discover who we are and how we carry out our vision.  Maybe we learn more about our actual vision, how to articulate it, and how we implement it.  Was the entire concept wrong or are there other reasons it failed?

On a personal level, we may learn who we really are and what our purpose is by evaluating the failure.

What could we have done differently? Was the timing wrong? Was the location wrong?  Did we place the right personnel in the right position? Could we have advertised better or promoted better internally?  Did we sell the vision?  If the project or event matches our vision and purpose, then these questions can be of great value in determining why we failed and what we can concentrate on for the future.

What next? Now that "it" has failed, what do we do next?  Maybe we identify that the problem was simply that project wasn't us!  It didn't match our purpose or wasn't a part of our DNA.  If that is the case, then we let it go and move on.  

Or maybe we realize the problem was in the logistics.  If we had done things differently, we would have experienced success.  In this scenario, we might relaunch with the new procedures in place.  As Henry Ford said, "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely."

A third exciting option when we have failed is to look at exactly what it now enables us to do!  That's right - failure can sometimes be enabling.  Before the failure, we were investing time, people, and finances in the project.  Now that it has ceased, what can we do with those resources?  Maybe the failure simply frees us up to do something bigger, better, more significant!  

"If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down." (Mary Pickford, movie actress and co-founder of Untied Artists Studios)

Familiar Finger Gestures (and not the ones you're thinking)

Thumbs up is a widely accepted and well-known finger gesture for those of us in the United States.  It signifies ''great'' or ''awesome'' and is used to sign approval, but is stronger than an OK sign.  Now one must be careful in other countries, because it can mean something else.  In Thailand, Iraq, and Iran, it is considered an extremely obscene gesture and in Australia, it can be a sign for OK unless you make an upward motion, then it can be a grave insult!

The "We're Number One" sign is another widely accepted and understood gesture.  In fact, you can save the effort and energy to form the gesture yourself thanks to a man by the name of  Geral Fauss.  Geral is the inventor or designer of the foam finger. A high school industrial arts teacher in Texas, he designed the #1 Foam Finger in 1978 after experimenting with a plywood model (too heavy) and a paper model (too fragile).  Our lives have been forever changed and we no longer have to exert the effort to form the "We're Number One" sign ourselves.

If you have played or been around sports and particularly football the "four fingers" gesture should be a familiar one.  There is much discussion and debate over where the practice originated.  Alabama fans claim Bear Bryant started it. Miami Hurricane fans argue that it was Jimmy Johnson and Arkansas fans say it started in 1964 with the Razorbacks (featuring a player by the name of Jimmy Johnson).  Wherever it started and by whom, it is commonplace in most games today.  The sign indicates the players' belief and understanding that a game is won in that crucial final period. True fans and players use the sign as a symbol that they own that last quarter.

That crucial final period! 

Many of us today are in a final quarter.  For some it is the final quarter of life itself, but for others it can be the final quarter of a job, a task, or a situation.  Whatever it is in you, know that how you play out the final quarter is extremely important.  The writer of Hebrews notes the importance to running the race to the end in Heb 12:1  "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

You may be tired.  You may be hurting.  You may want to just quit or coast, but it is important to remain faithful to the end.  For a company, there is nothing worse than an employee who just bides his time toward his final days.  For a track runner, you want to see her straining all the way to the finish line.

Seth Godin sums it up well in his blog:

It's not enough to finish the checklist, to hurriedly do the last three steps and declare victory.  In fact, the last coat of polish and the unhurried delivery of worthwhile work is valued all out of proportion to the total amount of effort you put into the project.

We need to make sure, whatever our current final period is, we are not just calling it in or going through the motions.  Rather let us give our best and make sure we own that last quarter for the glory of God!

The Power Based Life by Mike Flynt

I was excited to see “The Power Based Life” by Mike Flynt on the list of books available receive and review from Booksneeze. I remember reading the story of his return to college in his fifties to play football. Mike’s strategies for developing a “power based life” center upon a personal relationship with Christ.  He draws from his own experiences and also utilizes the stories of others to show how building upon your strengths gives a life of fulfillment and satisfaction.

Obviously this book is based on a Christ centered relationship and Mike tells of his efforts before Christ and afterwards.  However, the book offers practical advice that could prove helpful to anyone, whether they are a Christian or not.  That said, he emphasizes discovering who God has created us to be.

This book can be read in a short time and provides valuable strategies and insights.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Deep Fried or Deeply Fulfilled??

According to Delish.com, here are the Top Ten Most Unusual State Fair Foods (and their originating states):

v      Chicken Fried Bacon (Texas)

v      Fried Avocado Bites (California)

v      Spaghetti and Meatballs on a Stick (Minnesota)

v      Fried Frog Legs (California)

v      Hot Beef Sundae (Iowa)

v      Pizza Cones (Indiana)

v      Krispy Kreme Chicken Sandwich (California)

v      Deep Fried Twinkies (Indiana)

v      Fried Coca-Cola (Texas)

v      Key Lime Pie on a Stick (Minnesota)

There are some that I would have bumped from that list in favor of these:

§         Mealworm Covered Caramel Apples (Arizona)

§         Fried Butter Balls (Montana)

§         Python Kabobs (California). 

There are also some observations that jump out at me:

§         No matter the topic, when it comes to the unusual, California seems to lead the list.

§         For some reason, Minnesota really seems to like things “on a stick”!

I remember several years ago at the Virginia State Fair, there was a booth selling “Deep Fried Oreos”!  Now, being a fan of oreos and a firm believer in the joy of deep frying, I had to give it a try.  I would say that it ranked Number 1 in the top two of most disgusting things I have ever put in my mouth.  To this day I can not believe that two such wonderful things can be combined into a totally awful dish!

In my mind this treat was going to deliver a taste that ranked up there with “Hot Now” Krispy Kreme donuts.  (If you don’t understand that reference, I know you are “not from around here” and I hurt for your deprived life expereinces.)  But the fact is, it just did not deliver what it promised.  I was left with a wretched taste in my mouth and an empty feeling in terms of my satisfaction.  It is like what the world so often offers us.

We watch the commercials, flip through the magazines, and listen to the radio.  Over and over again the theme is the same.  This product or this expereince is what you need to be happy, to feel fulfilled, or to be satisfied!  We often buy into that hype only to discover they are all like “Deep Fried Oreos”!  Continuing the food theme, these promises are like cotton candy – a lot of fluff, but quickly gone!

You want to be satisfied?  You want something that leaves you feeling full?  You want something that is lasting? There is one place to find it:

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  (Eph 3:19)  

“I WANT TO DO IT FOR REAL!”

It was a beautiful autumn afternoon at the park with my grandchildren and their parents. We were tossing about a nerf football and several other 4-8 year olds had joined us. Suddenly my 4 year old granddaughter, Naomi, announced, “I don’t want to play; I want to do it for real!” I looked at the young boy who had just joined us and was holding the football and immediately instructed him to “Run like the wind!”

 You see, I knew what Naomi meant. What she actually was telling everyone was “I don’t just want to toss the ball; I want to play all-out, hit-with-everything-you’ve-got tackle football.” And I feared for the young man’s life. “I don’t want to play; I want to do it for real!”

 How about it, child of God? Could that become our commitment, our desire, and our battle cry? To stop playing at being a Christian and to do it for real at work, at school, in our families, and in all of our relationships. LIVING WITH AN ALL-OUT, HIT-IT-WITH-EVERYTHING-YOU’VE-GOT PASSION FOR SERVING GOD!

 Christmas is about God going all-out. God sending His only begotten Son to live life with nothing held back. Doing it for real!

But made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:7-8) 

Sue and I were recently talking with a couple about serving God and the husband made a powerful statement. He said that God had recently revealed to him that it was “time to take off the costume and put on the uniform.” That is just another way of saying stop playing and do it for real. 

Our Christmas production, The Christmas Star, is set during WWII and reminds us of the seriousness of war. The biblical presentation of Christ reminds us of the seriousness of sin and why God sent His Son into this world. 

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1Jn 4:10) 

I don’t know what 2012 holds. I don’t even know what the rest of 2011 will be like. But I do know this: 

I am getting rid of the costume and putting on the uniform. 

I want to do it for real from here on out!

Old Age and Gray Hair!

My memory's not as sharp as it used to be.  Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.


A woman in her 50s was driving with a friend. She went through a red light. The friend didn't say anything. But then she went through another one. The friend said, "Do you realize you just went through two red lights?"
"Oh," she said, "was I driving?"


There are lots of jokes about getting older.  Maybe aging is one of those areas where you need to laugh so that you won't cry!

As we get older, we struggle with things that we did not struggle with earlier in life.  Things like our memories, our eyesight, our overall health.  All of these factors bring about the desire in some to slow down and coast toward the finish line.  Yet, I don't believe that is what The Bible means when it tells us "run with endurance the race that is set before us." (Heb 12:1)


With much more of my life behind me than in front of me and after over 30 years in full-time vocational ministry, my desire is that of the psalmist who wrote:


 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. (Psalms 71:18)

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. (Psalms 92:12-15)

May I bear more fruit in my old age than I have at any time in the past.  May I continue to the end to declare the uprightness of the Lord.  May I proclaim His might and power to another generation!

Yes Lord, even to old(er) age and gray (or no) hair may I flourish in Your courts!  May I "run the race with endurance"!

Continue to use me to reach the next generation!!

Great New Devotional Guide for Men - especially the sports-minded!

Living Life in The Zone is subtitled “A 40 Day Spiritual Game Plan for Men.”  Written by Kyle Rote, Jr. and Dr. Joe Pettigrew, the book combines inspirational stories, sports terminology, biblical wisdom, and practical application to teach us what God intends for our lives.  From their “in the zone” reference in the title, to the breakdown of each chapter into areas like “coach’s corner” and “time out,” the authors attempt to appeal to the sports-minded interest of many men.

Utilizing the examples of successful men that most of us know from following sports and/or business, they show us that we can find fulfillment in our lives and “elevate our game” into the zone that God has for us.  With thought provoking questions for each day and assignments to put it all into practice, Living Life in the Zone is an excellent devotional book, especially for the former jock or current sports fan.

Every athlete has looked at a scoreboard to see how he or his team is doing.  How are we doing in the most important game of all, the game of life?  This book helps us to both evaluate that and to improve upon what we are doing.

Disclosure of material connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Noticer by Andy Andrews

Recently read The Noticer, a book about life change and perspective. The main character, Andy, encounters a strange man at one of the lowest points of Andy’s life. The man is, by his own definition, a “noticer,” a person who observes things that others miss. He encourages Andy, gets him reading biographies of men who overcame their situations, and helps him to get his life back on track. As the book progresses you see the number of people who have experienced a new perspective!

When Booksneeze.com sent me the complimentary copy of the book, I was surprised by the author. My first knowledge of Andy Andrews was as a comedian. It was a blessing to see his skill as a writer and motivator. He presents a message of life change by making us become a part of the life experience of the characters, but then he turns it around and has the reader look inwardly and make it personal. While one cannot expect too much from a book, it did make me think about how I treat others, how I react to situations, and how I look at life. I highly recommend this book.

Playing through the Pain!

Most athletes and most of the general public are familiar with the expression "play through the pain". In fact, athletes take a great deal of pride in being able to do just that. This past weekend Virginia Tech offensive lineman Greg Nosal took it to the extreme when he played for over a quarter after losing the end of his finger on a play. He finished the first half and then played the third quarter before they took him back into the locker room and reattached the finger tip. We see it as a badge of honor to play in pain.

Life is a little different isn't it? Playing through the pain is not a sense of pride, but rather for many it is simply a necessity. Life brings pain and we all struggle at times with carrying on when it just hurts too much. I think of so many friends, neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances that are dealing with pain right now. Whether it is a medical condition, the loss of a loved one, the estrangement of a child, or a host of other issues, the pain seems overwhelming at times. I recently had a toothache and when I went to the dentist, she asked me to rate the pain from one to ten. I honestly told her that most of the time it was a 5, with the occasional spike to a 12, but that even in the best of times, it was still there! That is how certain seasons of life are for us. Some days are more bearable, but the pain seems to linger even at best.

But thankfully, we don't have to handle these situations in life by ourselves. God's promises today are the same as in His Word:

"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:15 ESV)

"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20 ESV)

He also told us that a Helper (His Holy Spirit) was coming.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7 ESV)

That Helper takes us through the pain and gives us the strength to carry on. So whatever your pain this day, know that He has not left you alone. In fact He has provided you with a Helper for that very purpose!

Playing the Game to Win!

A ball is generally viewed as a spherical shape which is by definition “a round body whose surface is at all points equidistant from the center.” When you think of a baseball, basketball, soccer ball, tennis ball, or volleyball, they all fit this definition. The fact that a football (the American version) doesn’t meet that guideline is what makes it a unique and interesting piece of sporting equipment. Someone has said, “If you think nothing is impossible, try dribbling a football.”

If it is all you have, you can play baseball with a tennis ball or soccer with a volleyball. A football is really designed to be used only as a football. As a kid, there were two games we played with a football and both of them were similar yet with significant differences. At recess, we would often play “Tackle the man with the ball.” For those of you who missed out on this character building experience, the game consists of tossing the ball to one man who then becomes the target for everyone else playing the game. Once you cradled the ball in your arms, everyone else sought to pound you into the ground. After you were tackled, you then passed the ball off to someone else and you joined the tacklers. During any given recess, the game would move over every inch of the playground as there were no boundaries, no sidelines, no out of play. There is never any real winner, at best only survivors!

The other game we played was the standard game of football. While there are many differences between football and “tackle the man with the ball”, one of the major ones was that football involves boundaries. Whether it is an organized and sponsored event with official chalk lines and goal posts, or backyard games with trees marking the goal lines and trash cans for out of bounds, the game has its guidelines. Because there are goal lines, there is way to win.

Many choose to go through life playing a version of “tackle the man with the ball.” They live with no guidelines, no rules, and no significant goals. They are busy, aggressive, and even enthusiastic. But they are all over the place. In the end, they discover they have played a game in which they can’t win! Sadly, unlike "tackle the man with the ball," in playing this game with life there are no survivors.

That is not the way it has to be. God gave us guidelines for this life. One day someone asked Jesus about these guidelines: "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"

Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'” (Mat 22:36-39)

Paul shared about life’s goal line this way: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” (Rom 10:9-10)

Life is intended to have boundaries and goal lines. When we acknowledge them and live by them, we discover “the win.” “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” (1Jn 5:13)

Preacher Shoes

When I went into the ministry over 30 years ago, my father-in-law called and said for me to meet him at the Mccollum-Ferrell Shoe Store in South Boston, VA. When I arrived, he instructed me to try on a pair of black Florsheim Wing Tips. He informed me that every preacher had to have a pair of these shoes. It was evidently part of the "uniform" if I was entering the ministry! They were great shoes - practically indestructible. But I did discover a major problem.


I had to make a hospital call a few days later and so I dressed up in the appropriate "preacher attire" for back then, including my new "preacher shoes." As I went to enter the hospital, all decked out and looking very professional I might add, I suddenly discovered a danger of shoes with solid leather bottoms. They are very slick when they meet the right surface, such as a marble hospital floor. The real issue at that point was incompatibility - I had one foot on the non-slip mat and the other on the very "will slip" floor. The result of this “unequal yoking” was the one and only full split of my entire life! I am not sure which was greater – the physical pain or the pain of embarrassment.

I managed to right myself and made my way very carefully through the hospital to visit my patient. If you have ever witnessed someone just learning to ice skate and can picture their shuffling little steps, you have the picture of my journey down the halls. This gait was necessary both due to the shoes and to the fact that I had strained muscles I didn’t even know existed. My next stop after the hospital was the shoe repair store, where I had him put rubber heels on my brand new shoes!

I still have those shoes today and occasionally wear them when I am preaching. The only thing marring them today after 30 years is a scar made by a barbed wire fence 25 years ago when I stopped to help at a car wreck scene. Other than that, they look almost exactly like they did the day I bought them (except for the addition of some rubber heels).

They have stood the test of time, serving me well in the pulpit and, after a little bit of a learning curve, on the street as well. I have been through a number of suits, several cars, even worn out a Bible or two. But my “preacher shoes” have made it through. What else has survived those 30+ years?

§ My marriage to the most amazing woman in the entire world.

§ My relationship with my son with whom I would say I am closer now than ever before.

§ My love for and dependence on Jesus!

§ My desire to see others know Him and His marvelous gift of salvation.

§ My passion to proclaim His Word wherever He gives me opportunity!

§ The hope that is ours in Christ Jesus:

if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith, and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. (Col 1:23)

Thoughts from my front yard

This past Wednesday, we experienced a huge storm that came through the area. In fact, many of you were with me here at church when it hit. The next morning I was walking to the paper box and along the way I was picking up small branches and debris that had been blown across the driveway. I had an impressive little armload when I turned and looked back toward the house. Suddenly I felt quite foolish when I realized I had focused on these few small twigs when I had an entire tree fallen in my side yard!

That is like so many of us today. We are so focused on the little things, dare I say, the insignificant things that we miss what has fallen around us. I am worried about how I will look or how I will be perceived in a particular situation. Will I look stupid? Will I sound stupid? What will people think of me? I have my focus on the “twigs” of my life.

We look at others and we are critical of their dress, their hairstyles, their music, or their (you fill in the blank here). We want people to look like us, talk like us, be like us! We are so caught up in differences (“twigs”) that we miss out on the more important things.

At church, we can be focused on the “twigs” as well. The music is too loud, or not loud enough. It’s too contemporary or too old fashioned. The temperature is too hot, or too cold. The preacher is too loud, or he doesn’t speak up. The greeter didn’t smile at me, or she was way too friendly.

I am so thankful to be a part of this church and to be around people who see the big picture. However, let us never forget that it is easy to get focused on the little things and the wrong things. Remember, it is not about me (or you), but always about Him! Remember also, that we live in a world filled with people who have fallen (just like us). Let us never battle over worship styles, hair styles, or clothing styles when there is a world that has fallen and only Jesus can pick them up. Let’s never worry about how we will look and instead let’s always show others how the Savior looks!

Responsibility

I have been in ministry for over 30 years. Church business meetings over those years and in those churches have been "interesting". I have been in churches where we debated everything! Many of you know what I am talking about. The $200 printer needed to be voted on by the church in business meeting and then needed to be tabled to see if the committee could find something better (read that cheaper).

The congregation where I now serve is on the other end of the spectrum. While we have committees that provide help and oversight and have the necessary checks and balances in our system, our church family gives to the staff so much freedom. They trust that we have done the work to discover the best solution or that we have a reason for the direction in which we are leading.

With all of that trust, though, is great responsibility. When someone trusts you, whether it is a spouse, a child, a friend, or a congregation, it should make you want to justify that trust even more. Now, as I write that, I know there are numerous cases of the exact opposite happening. There are those who have violated that trust and run off unchecked. Increased trust should, however, lead us to run toward His holiness and not away from it. As a staff, we seek to stay faithful to the Lord, to His call, and to the people who put their trust in us.

With trust in your leadership comes great opportunity. Use that for building His kingdom. With trust in your leadership also comes incredible responsibility! Use that for showing His Honor and Glory!

What are we doing to our volunteers?

Like every church, volunteers are key to what we are trying to accomplish. But therein lies the problem! How we use volunteers and how we treat them speaks to our theology and philosophy of ministry.

At our church we seek to help people move along a path we have labeled 3D. We are seeking to assist our members as they move from discovery through discipleship to devotion. Like many other churches, our desire is to see people develop into "fully devoted followers of Christ." In order to be true to our mission and consistent with our Biblical mandate, we need to see volunteering for what it really is.

Too often we find ourselves looking only at the ministry needs we see in front of us. In order to fill those spots or needs, we then see our volunteers as a "means to the end." They are resources available to us to "check out and use" just like the tables and chairs or the buses. In fact, in one very popular church software system, they are actually listed as "resources" to be scheduled.

However, in our mission statement, helping to move a person into devoted service (volunteering/serving) is a part of the ultimate desire or "end." We must be most concerned with helping people become and accomplish what God has for them. When that is kept before us, it surely changes the way we both view and use our faithful. It makes our concern not the programs, but the people. We are not in the business of filling positions, but of building people.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (Eph 4:12-13)

How about you? Are you looking at people as resources to be used for your programs, or are your programs being used to build up the people? Means or end? It makes a difference!

What Are We Famous For?

Saw a truck on the way to work this morning with the name of the company on the side. Not an unusual experience, most every company has their name on the sides of their trucks, but this one said "Famous Jerry Piano Moving". The signage brought up a couple of thoughts.

The first one was "What exactly do you have to do to become famous at moving pianos?" And what is the realm of your fame? Does everyone but me know Famous Jerry or is he just famous within the inner circle of piano movers? What is the criteria for fame? And who determines when you are famous enough to actually advertise it?

The second question that arose was how busy does one stay just moving pianos? That seems like a very specific business. In church life, many of us are looking at the whole simple church concept thanks to Thom Ranier, Eric Geiger and others. In the arena of the moving industry, piano moving seems to be as simplified as it gets. Now my guess is that they can and will move other things, but Piano Moving is what Jerry chooses to put on his sign and use as his company name. He didn't say "Famous Jerry Moving," "Famous Jerry Stuff Moving," or even "Famous Jerry Piano and other stuff Moving". It is just "Piano Moving"!


If your ministry could only use one thing to describe it, what would it be? What is it that you do that others might have need of? A piano moving company is important . . . if you need to move a piano. A piano moving company is committed to meeting a need. Are we meeting the needs of a world that needs to know about a Savior or are we just doing church?

No Pain, No Gain

Reading Shawn Woods' book 200 Pomegranates and an Audience of One and he shares a great statement. Let me paraphrase it slightly: "When God is getting ready to do something awesome in, with, and through me, it really looks more like a pain in the butt - mainly a pain in my butt!"


Isn't that what stops us from accomplishing most of the grand dreams and plans of our lives? It just looks like a whole lot of work! It is going to require me to do more or to stretch more than I am comfortable with at this point in my life. As an elementary student in the 60's, we had to take part in the "Presidental Physical Fitness Test" every fall and spring. While I don't remember the official name of the test, there was one where you sat on the floor, held your legs straight in front of you, and tried to see how far you could stretch forward and touch the floor between or beyond your feet. Now I was more than willing to stretch out and touch, but my teacher always wanted me to stretch more and to reach farther. But I am going to be honest - it just plain hurt to do it! I liked getting a good distance to my stretch, but I didn't enjoy the pain that went along with it. But truthfully without stretching to the point of discomfort, I never got to the point of accomplishment.

Our Christian experience is not about comfort, but contentment, and the two are not the same. Comfort has to do with pleasing me; contentment has to do with knowing that I have pleased Him!