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Archive for the ‘Motivational’ Category

If Not You . . . If Not Now . . .

Posted in Church, Formation, Hope, Motivational on August 21, 2009| 1 Comment »

Tobymac has a new song out called, “City On Our Knees,” you can hear a clip here.  In the song he asks the questions, “If we gotta start somewhere, why not here?  If we gotta start sometime, why not now?”  So many times we want change but we expect it to start somewhere else or by someone else.

The questions were asked long before Tobymac began to sing about them.  “If not you then who?  If not now then when?”  But if change is going to come, it has to start with me and it has to start now.  We can put it off for later or we can expect someone else to do it but I have seen what happens when we do that – absolutely nothing.

At the risk of sounding harsh, God never intended for us to be pew warmers, God intended for us to be world changers.  The very future of Christianity is dependent on us.  God has gifted us with the gift of life and love – what are we doing with it?

If not you then who?

If not now then when?

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The Radiance of God’s Glory

Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational on August 18, 2009| 3 Comments »

Sunrise over Levelland

This morning I did something out of the ordinary, even for me.  I got to church early and felt compelled to spend some alone time with God (that part is not that out of the ordinary).  But today I climbed up on the roof of the church and sat right on the ridge of the auditorium and watched the sun come up (yes, that is the picture here – camera phones are great).

As I sat there in the cool morning air and watched God show off a bit, I listened and watched.  I heard all the sounds of early morning – birds chirping, cars driving past with people heading into their daily routines – all of what one would normally expect.  And in the sky was the sun, or rather clouds blocking the sun.  But it was easy to know the sun was there because of the rays coming through the holes in the clouds.

What a beautiful image of life and Jesus.  We stay so busy with our lives that we often fail to look, but there in the midst of it all, larger than life is Jesus, streaming through the breaks in the clouds.  We may not see him directly but we know that he is there because of the rays that come through, overpowering the darkness.

Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus is the “radiance of God’s glory.”  The radiance of God’s glory!  Wow, just like the rays of the sun emanating from the source through the clouds this morning.  Jesus is the visible and tangible human experience of God.

I pray that today Jesus the Son will be as real to you as the sun in the sky.  Have a great day!

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Focus in a Smashed Mirror

Posted in Leadership, Motivational on August 14, 2009| 2 Comments »

Broken MirrorAbout a week ago I was backing out of the garage, it was early (very early) and I was not fully awake.  Some of the men from our church get together for a prayer breakfast at 6 am.  I have told them that I am not sure God is up at that hour and so I don’t think I should be either but that has not swayed them.  But back to the story, as I backed out of the garage at that early hour, I realized quite abruptly that due to the rain overnight, the opening in the garage had shrunk and my mirror would no longer make it through the opening.  Ok, I admit, the garage had not shrunk, I was just not paying attention and nearly took the mirror completely off the passenger side of the vehicle!  That is a sickening feeling to know that you have just done damage to your vehicle and there is no one to blame but yourself.

At any rate, the mirror housing was fine but the mirror itself was smashed into 40 or 50 pieces and dangling from the housing by a wire.  I was able to pop the plastic back together but I was left with a mirror that not only made objects appear farther than they actually are but now there were 40 or 50 objects to choose from.  The problem is that all the pieces give just a little different perspective – there is no clear picture in the mirror anymore.  Without clear focus, the mirror is completely useless.

Leadership is like that – with no clear focus, can we even really call it leadership?  When light is focused in the right way, it can be used to cut steel (or burn ants if you grew up in my neighborhood).

Good intentions, good ideas, passion, talents and enthusiasm can change the world when focused correctly.

So I have two questions for you: 1) How focused are your gifts and talents and passions toward your goals?  and 2) Anyone know where I can get that mirror fixed?

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

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Consumer or Contributor

Posted in Church, Motivational on August 5, 2009| 1 Comment »

I have tried to really jump into the whole digital map and social media world over the last few months.  I am still learning.  It can be quite frustrating at times because, I have decided that, we are entering a new world.  For many people, not all mind you, what was once a novelty (Myspace, FaceBook, Twitter, etc.) has become a way of life.

I was talking to a friend the other day and I heard these words come out of my mouth, “I got a text message the other day and wasn’t sure what it was since it didn’t come through Twitter.”  Things are moving so quickly, but the crux of it all is that our world, like it or not, is moving to new and different forms of communication.  And I have to admit, in some ways I like it.

But I have drawn some interesting similarities between the social media realm and the church.  It would appear that there are two primary categories of media folk out there, 1) Consumers and 2) Contributors.  Consumers are those who will spend lots of time browsing and gleaning information from all the “stuff” out there in cyberworld but rarely offer any contribution back.  Contributors are those who offer content (ie. information, thoughts, etc.)  In a conversation with @mattgierhart (that is Twitter speak) he alluded to a statistic that sounded vaguely familiar.  He said that about 80% of the media folk are consumers and the other 20% are contributors.

Wow!  Sounds like the church.  Here is my challenge for you today.  Be a contributor.  That doesn’t mean you can’t consume, it just means you give something back – give something of yourself today.  The church, and in fact our world, is desperate for people to step up to the plate and take an active role in making a difference in the lives of others.  Do it today.

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Fighting the Current

Posted in Motivational on July 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a couple of days with the family in southern California on vacation.  I had been there for several days at a conference and the family joined me there for some R and R.

We spent a day and a half on the beach at Huntington.  We picked a great time to be there for a number of reasons.  The US Open of Surfing was going on at the same time so there were people everywhere – but honestly that added to the experience.  But the main reason it was a great time to be there was that we were blessed with abnormally high waves (some 10 to 12 feet).  It was an awesome sight!

The problem the waves created was that we were not allowed to go out into the surf past waste height.  Once we got out into the surf with our boogy boards, it did not take long to understand the reason.  While the waves were incredible, the rip current (the current underneath the waves going back out to sea) was just as strong.

We had a blast riding the waves into shore, but then the work began as we fought the current and tried to make our way back out to the break to catch the next wave.

As I reflect on that experience, it dawns on me that a life lesson can be found in it.  We had to fight the current to get to where we needed to be.  Sometimes, not always, we have to go against the current to get to where God wants us.

It is easier to just go with the flow, but over time we realize that we have been carried to places we never intended to go.  We suddenly look up and realize we have lost all bearings – nothing looks the same.  Our surroundings have changed but we had not noticed because we were enjoying the rush.

I challenge you today to enjoy the ride, but hold your ground even when the current wants to take you somewhere else.  God has a plan for you – focus on that fact even if it means going against the current.

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Balance Between Knowing Your Limits and Being Lazy

Posted in Motivational on July 14, 2009| Leave a Comment »

This past weekend I had 45 minutes to kill on Sunday afternoon before heading off to ensemble rehearsal in preparation for our community singing service.  So what did I do?  Well, being the time conscious person that I am, I could not bear the thought of just sitting for that 45 minutes so I decided to replace the sink faucet in one of our bathrooms.  Mistake number one – I am not much of a plumber!  Mistake number two, you don’t do anything with plumbing with the water we have in this town in less than a couple of days!

At any rate, it was not a pretty sight.  I missed rehearsal just so that I could get the line capped off and turn the water back on to the house before being gone all evening.  I then returned to the project at 9:30 that evening and “finished” the installation by 11:00.  Then I noticed that the drain pipe was cracked – quite possibly from one of my many tantrums I threw while installing the new faucet.

All of this has taught me that I need to remember that all of us have limits.  One of mine must be plumbing skills (or lack there of)!  I will most likely not refrain from dabbling in plumbing repairs in the future but I will remember that I am not very accomplished in this field – I will know my limits.

Now, before we jump to any hasty moral to this story – knowing our limits does not mean that we should become lazy.  God did create us to be gifted in certain things but that does not exclude us from serving in other capacities as well.  There must be a balance between knowing our limits and becoming lazy and using our limits as an excuse.  A committed Christian NEVER retires!

By the way, two days later, the sink is still not functional!  I know, I know!  Kristi, I promise it will be done before I go to sleep tonight!

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Created in God’s Image

Posted in Motivational on July 13, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I was waiting at a cash register recently and no one was there to check me out.  I was in a hurry and had places I needed to be.  Finally, the employee happened over and rang up my purchase.  I have to confess that my frustration probably clouded my perception of that person – OK – no question that it did.

I was reading in Matthew this morning about Jesus’ parable about how if we have shown compassion and love to even the least, we have shown it to him.  Wow!  It hit me in that moment that everyone of us, according to the first chapter of Genesis, is created in God’s image, even that person at the register.  But in my frustration of the moment, I admit, I was not looking for the image of God in that person.

The question I have to ask myself (and perhaps you can ask yourself if you have ever been in that type situation) is this:  “How different would my interaction with that person have been had I been focused on finding the image of God in that person?”  Mind you, I was not rude or obnoxious with the person (even though a part of me wanted to be) but I was not compassionate or caring either.

I challenge you today to search out the image of God in the people you meet.  Seek to minister to everyone you come in contact with – Jesus said whatever we have done with the least of these, we have done with him.

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Freedom Comes With Responsibility

Posted in Motivational on July 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Anytime I think of the 4th of July, I think of freedom – as do most Americans.  We set aside a day to think about the importance of freedom and living in a country that offers freedom to the people who live here.  It is an humbling thought to think about the men and women who have given their lives in service to this great country.  We are truly blessed as a nation.

But as I think about freedom, my mind always turns to true freedom – spiritual freedom – the freedom that God gives each of us.  A freedom of choice – a choice that we each must make as to whether to follow God or to live for ourselves.  God loves us so much that we have been given this freedom.  No one is a puppet at the end of God’s strings.  We each have the freedom to choose to worship and follow God or not.

But freedom is a two-edged sword.  Freedom is a gift that we must never take for granted but it comes with responsibility – we must choose.  Our parents can’t make the decision for us.  It is a personal, individual decision that each of us must make.  It is not just a decision to claim to be a Christian – it is a commitment to give everything you have and are to God and live in such a way as to carry out God’s plan of drawing others to God’s kingdom.

By not making a decision, we have chosen.  I pray that this 4th of July will be a reminder for each of us that we must make a conscious decision to live for God daily.  You are completely free to choose – what is your choice TODAY?

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Peace in God’s Presence

Posted in Motivational on June 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Our interim preacher wrapped up his series on the Beatitudes yesterday morning.  He spoke about being a peacemaker.  The sermon was really good but one statement in particular has stuck with me.  In discussing the definition of peace he said, “Peace is far more than the absence of something – war or conflict, it is the presence of something or someone – the presence of God.”

It reminded me that even in the midst of turmoil – whatever that turmoil might be – God is with us and offering a peace that we can’t even understand.  How often do we forget that God is in control.  We get so worked up over the negative all around us and fail to remember the bigger picture.

So no matter what you are going through today or this week, just remember, God is with you and offering a peace that doesn’t even make sense.  It doesn’t mean that your turmoil will disappear but it does mean that it can never overcome you.  Take heart!

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Need Some Rest?

Posted in Motivational on June 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Ahh!  The weekend.  Anyone excited?  I am wrapping up some things at the office this morning and then plan to head up to Capitan,  NM, for the evening to be with our kids at Pre-teen camp at Fort Lone Tree.  Tonight is family night and all the kids put on skits for the rest of the campers and the parents that show up.  I am looking forward to the change of pace.

This week has been insane!  We took at least one direct lightening strike on Wednesday and it took out a phone line, some phones, 5 air conditioners, our lighting system in the auditorium and who knows what we haven’t even found yet.  Yesterday we had workers here from 5 different companies working on things.  I am ready for a break!

I think God knew what we needed (an understatement) when the sabbath was created.  We all need rest.  It is when we rest that God refreshes us to accomplish what we are called to do.  I know the weekend is usually spent running kids around and trying to catch up on projects around the house, but this weekend, set aside a little time to rest – at least some time to rest in God through prayer.  I sure plan to!  Have a great weekend – and thanks for reading.

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