Birds of a Feather

I am a Miami Dolphin football fan and have been for nearly twenty years (and I live in GA). Sounds problematic because it is. The other day I was at a restaurant when I looked up and saw another suffering Dolphin’s fan, and at least for a minute, I felt pretty good about my team. Why was that? I surmise that I felt good because I was around someone who “looked and believed” the same as me.  

Have you ever noticed that people look for their own to associate with?

People migrate toward others that look similar, think similarly, or believe similarly. It is like we have this innate ability to seek out others who are like us. Seth Godin, a popular business blogger, would say that these are “tribes.” These groups or “tribes” gather together effortlessly and instinctively. There is a lot of potential when the right people gather together for the right reasons, synergy.

I was reading yesterday, and this is what I found.

Proverbs 22:29 NIV, “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.”

This passage speaks into leadership, but there is something else. Leaders follow other leaders. So leadership is a “tribe” of its own. Think about this: Other people may be looking for you to create an initiative, to start a non-profit, or to lead in a church or ministry in a certain direction. Maybe, just maybe, your stepping out will allow others to step into the vision with you.

Leaders follow leaders.

If you are in a place of influence, lead in the right direction to ensure you get the right people leading with you. If your vision is skewed or blurry, leaders will not waste their time or effort on something that looks like poor leadership.

Leaders follow good leaders, and good leaders follow great leaders. And that can be a boost of powerful synergy.

I am Challenged.

I have a confession to make. I like to talk. I like to talk. And I like to be heard. I had to repeat that because you tuned me out for a minute. Anyway, I am an extrovert that can stand to be alone, but likes to have meaningful conversations. But if I am honest, there are conversations that are a challenge to me… conversations with God.

I have been a follower of Jesus Christ since 1996, and I do pray but not without a challenge sometimes. I have been frustrated (or flustrated as my little girl would say) when people talk about prayer in the “normal” sense (i.e. in the morning, on my knees, for an  extended period of time). Am I NOT normal because my prayer life is not ”normal”?  

I enjoy prayer. I do. I enjoy the connection with the God who created me and everything around me. It is a challenge for me to connect with God in a systematic way. To me, it seems to erode the personal and relational aspect of prayer, but maybe it’s just me… I think that there may be others out there like me that are prayer challenged, and for you, I would say…

1. Don’t let it be an excuse not to pray.

2. God desires the time with you don’t rob him of it.

3. When prayer becomes a ritual… change it.

4. Find out the best way for you to connect. If it’s outside, go outside. If it in the morning, pray in the morning. If it is while reading the Bible, pray it back to him. If it’s writing it down, by all means write it down. That’s what I have to do, and you may have to do it too. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV) to “pray continually”, so find what works for you, and pray to the God who longs to move mountains on your behalf.   

5. Quite simply, you do what you know to do, and He will do what He longs to do.

From one challenged person to another, please pray even when it seems like no one is listening because He always is.

The Little Engine That Could

Remember when you were  a child and you read, “The Little Engine That Could?”                               

I do, and I remember that every time I read it … he made it. Earth shattering… I know.

That story has been inspiring the minds of children since 1906. But why? Is it the fact that we can do anything we put our minds too? Is it that even big things come in small packages? Is it just a story of being willing to try something when others wouldn’t? Or is it a story of perseverance?

Short answer: Umm, Yes, Maybe, Not sure but we could say that.

The human mind is powerful. We were made by our Creator with unbelievable potential. Potential to overcome adversity. Potential to run marathons, swim for miles, and perform incredible physical feats. Potential to stand up for what we believe in. Potential to forgive even the most horrible circumstances. Potential to do things against all odds. Potential to love and be loved. Though there is power in positive thinking. The power is not our own. I’ll back up. We are not the ones to thank for the many things that we can do or overcome. Our Creator made us in his image and likeness, so it’s no wonder that the human mind and will is so powerful.  

What are you gifted in? What makes you tick? What’s your greatest strength? Where do you think you got it from?

I am a runner that likes adventure. I love the challenge. I enjoy adrenaline. And I have found that I can push myself mentally and physically.

However I take no credit because I have found that the more I know about Him… the more I know about me.

 

Who You Are

If you are not the person you thought you would become, and it’s a problem. Then change the person you are, so you can become the person you wanted to be. Life is worth more than sorry excuses.

Always be who God made you to be and you will find yourself… every time.

The Artwork of the Gospel

“The streets and fields, the homes and markets of the world are an art gallery displaying not culture, but new creations in Christ.”- Traveling Light by Eugene H. Peterson

We, the Redeemed, are the new creations that the world needs to see and experience. What part of the art are you displaying today? Preach the Gospel by the art you display… and preach it well.

Daddy’s and their girls

I ran across this in another blog, and had to share it with you.

Why A Daughter Needs A Dad: 100 Reasons by Gregory E. Lang

This book offers 100 reasons why a daughter needs a dad, but here are my top 10:

A daughter needs a dad…

1. to show her that true love is unconditional
2. to teach her that her value as a person is more than the way she looks
3. to teach her that family is more important than work
4. to show her that a man can be trustworthy
5. to be the safe spot she can always turn to
6. to teach her that a man’s strength is not the force of his hands or his voice, but the kindness of his heart  
7. to be the standard against which she will judge all men
8. to help her take risks that will build her confidence
9. to hold her when she cries
10. to teach her she is important by stopping what he is doing to watch her

Life’s Rhythm

The rhythm of life is busy, isn’t it? Sometimes I don’t know if I am coming or going. Yet, every morning I put my best foot forward and strive to get more done. We face a challenge to either remove something or add something to make life more tolerable. I encourage you to choose well.

Time flies! And no matter how much we want to, we can’t TEVO time. We will never be able to control time, but we will always be controlled by time. Use it wisely my friends.

Find your rhythm, and let your life be a beautiful song instead a hammered mess. Too much is at stake not to.

Steps

I am a runner (or at least I try to be), and a few months ago a friend of mine asked how I can run for six or seven miles. I smiled to him and said, “One step at a time.” That is so much like life. We strive to be places, and it often takes a while to get there. People ruin other people’s careers to get there. Others destroy lasting friendships to get there. A disturbed few use other people as stepping-stones to get where they want to go. Then, there are a select few that just have faith and hope that God’s promises for them are true. I do strive to be a disciple, husband, father, pastor, and friend not for the sake of self advancement or promotion, but for the promise that God’s promises are true and maybe, just maybe, I can play a part in someone else’s faith journey. Because it’s not about the end of the race, it’s about all the steps of faith you took to get there.

In training for a 5k race not to long ago I was reminded that the training is brutal. I over did it a little I suppose. But the training really helped me to get ready for race day. I think that the race actually began on the first training day doing quarter-mile sprints, and long before I ran the first 5k. You find real life in the details. The details that we often overlook. The details that we often are too impatient to enjoy. What details are you missing? What do you think God is training you for? Listen well, pray often, and trust him that the steps are not in vain.

Georgia on my mind

Wow, what a ride we have been on! God has challenged, trained, and scolded us in the last year or so, and we are on to a new assignment to pastor a great group of people in Georgia. The days ahead are going to be exciting. God has a unique plan for Dublin Bible Church and every person it, and as their spiritual leader I am to help their spiritual growth go forward.

What an honor it is to be a called man or woman of God. I hope every called person realizes the severity of the call and position that the Lord has placed them into.  

The days will not always be easy for me, but with the Lord’s guiding, the Lord will be honored by his flock and his shepherd. To God be the glory!

A memorable moment with Paula Abdul

Do you remember your first ride? The first car I ever owned is forever etched in my mind as being a better car than it actually was. I was sixteen years old, and I saved up money to buy my ride. Oh… the memories with my 1980 Plymouth Horizon in two-tone brown. She was a beauty (every car I ever owned has a female name, and I don’t know why) with her louvers on the hatchback and of course, the equalizer/booster with Pyramid speakers. Those were the days.

I remember quite well a day in the hot summer sun of Illinois when me and my ride went cruising the streets. With the sounds of “Rush, Rush” in the tape player, I was rudely interrupted by a head on crash by a complacent women. That crash ruined my car, cut my face, and made me lose my hat, but provided a great opportunity with my Dad. You see, my Dad was a paramedic at the time, and he was first to respond to the scene of the crash. His eyes busting and face in shock, he ran to me to check out the severity of the crash. Just like it was yesterday, I remember that day so well. My Dad expressed in concern what I had never experienced before. He was shocked at the idea of me being hurt, and his actions showed me that he loved me when words couldn’t have.

Delve into this, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.”- 1 John 3:1

I had the great experience of knowing that my father had great concern and love for me, but even if that event wouldn’t have happened, I would still be called a child of God.  That, folks, is an even greater thing. Behold the love that God has for you, even if you don’t understand it all. Jesus Christ took flesh for you and I to be free of our bondage of sin. Live the life He intended! Be free! Oh… and thanks Paula for our time together!