So Goes the Captain…so goes the crew!

 

Believe it or not…this is the transcript of an actual radio conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1995. The Radio conversation was released by the Chief of Naval Operations on Oct. 10, 1995.

US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.

CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.

CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!

US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!

CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.

Okay, so that is really an old Navy joke and never really happened.  However, it really is useful as we are starting a new school year here in Texas.  I began to think about this story as I had recently heard it and how to apply it to my life.  I have heard this story many times and wondered why it kept coming back up.  Well, I was in church yesterday and was challenged with a commitment to get into the Word of God on a daily basis.  The challenge was made to not just do it for yourself, but for your family.  As a Husband and a Father, it is my responsibility to be the Priest of my home.  I am responsible for setting the tone for my family, spiritually.  I have to admit, I have done well at this on the personal level.  But in all honesty, I have been very spotty to virtually non-existent in leading my family spiritually, well.  They deserve better.  So, with that moment of transparency and a ‘new’ school year starting, I am making efforts to captaining my family spiritually on the path we need to go.

When I don’t fulfill my role as Priest of my family, there are dangers that can arise that leads to dangerous outcomes.  So goes the captain, so goes the crew…Look at how 2 Chronicles 36:14-16 says it…

2 Chronicles 36:14-16

14 Likewise, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful. They followed all the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, desecrating the Temple of the Lord that had been consecrated in Jerusalem. 15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple. 16 But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.

In this passage, we have the leaders of God’s temple and spiritual leadership becoming more unfaithful to the things of the Lord that they are supposed to be leading in.  Instead of doing the things of God that were prescribed in the Law, they began to turn to pagan religions that other surrounding nations followed.  The spiritual leaders desecrated the Temple that had been previously consecrated to the things of God.  The Lord loved his people and offered them prophets that would come to warn them of the path that they were going down.  He did this out of compassion for His people.  However, the people only mocked these messengers and hated the words that God sent to his people through them.  This resulted in the Lord becoming angry and His anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.

As the spiritual leadership of a family, nation, team or church goes, so goes that family, nation, team or church.  When the spiritual leadership turns away from following the things set forth by God in His Holy Word, it sets into action a path that is not a desirable path.  While God loves his people, He also grieves when they turn from His ways.  This grief turns to anger and eventually God will turn those and its spiritual leadership over to their sinful, prideful ways.  Adoption of pagan spiritual practices that originate from people and leadership that do not follow the things of God, leads to a desecrated Temple.  Today, this is played out more frequently in the form of idolatry.  This idolatry is found in tolerance of pagan religions, relaxed morals, justifications for actions and so on.  These are just excuses for behaviors that are contrary to God’s Word.  This applies to you as an individual because you are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  You have been set apart by God for His service and His plan.  When you turn away from following Him and choose to follow those outside influences of other religions, then you are desecrating what God has set apart.  This turning away and following outside religions in today’s society is called “toleration”.  When you tolerate the practice of other religions, then you have compromised your belief system and ultimately desecrated the Temple of God.  What you tolerate spiritually today, becomes status quo tomorrow.  As followers of Christ we are called to stand out, not blend in.

What is your plan for leading your family spiritually?

What steps can you take personally to prepare to lead?

How can I help you lead?

Integrity Elevates Everyone!

Growing up in Bossier City, LA, there was one thing that my particular High School was always good at…baseball!  I loved playing for Coach Bohanon and Coach Belle.  They were both characters in their own rights.  Coach Bohanon doubled as my Free Enterprise teacher and was famous for teaching with a local NW Louisiana/East Texas flair for storytelling.  He talked about taking your “darlin’ down to the picture show and trying to impress her by buying her some kernels and bellywash.”  Coach Belle had a penchant for verbal gymnastics as well.  He could do a one and a half twisting Tsukahara in making a point like none other.  He would drop bombs of wisdom like, “He who hesitates is lost!” and “Quit standing around with your thumb up your butt!”  Man…the lasting impressions…the wisdom dripping from those lips that impacted young lives.  We lived for baseball season!

Maybe its “Good Old Day Syndrome” or maybe its more than that, but my coaches always taught us integrity for us as individuals, as a team and as a responsibility to our community.  People depended on our personal integrity.  When we gave our best, it raised the level of us, our team and those who came out to support us.  We would run the steps of the football stadium and then cut across the end zone to the other side of the bleachers and would constantly hear, “Don’t lolly-gag over there, you are cheating yourself at getting better, you are cheating your team and everyone that watches you play!”

I love how King Solomon says it in Proverbs 11:11,

Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the wicked tears it apart.”

Solomon was the Coach Bohanon and Coach Belle before they ever dreamed of dropping vitamins of wisdom.  However, they knew what integrity meant.  They believed in integrity!  They taught us integrity!  They taught us leadership!  You see, you have to be able to lead yourself before you can ever dream of leading others.  That starts at living a life that takes no shortcuts.  Upright people are people who are honest, righteous and fear God.  These types of people are good for a city, team, or business.  Why?  They make it prosperous because others know that they have taken no shortcuts or have not gained through dishonest measures.  A team that is out for themselves, or as Solomon calls them, wicked, have no unity.  They destroy themselves from the inside.  It causes murmurs in the stands, board room or in the neighborhood.  Wickedness, shortcuts, dishonesty, or lack of integrity all give a place to tear apart and divide.

So, what do we do?  Live a life of integrity!  It honors God, it prospers your family and your community.  Be counted as an asset to your team, family and those around you by your integrity.  Live a life where your values match your actions!  When you lose your integrity, you lose!  Let your integrity speak for itself!  Let it elevate you, your family, your team, your business and your community.

In what ways can you live a life of integrity? At home?  At work?  At play?

Can you identify shortcuts you have been taking that are hurting you, your family and your team?

How can you begin to let your integrity elevate everyone?

Right Actions Bring Heavenly Responses

I love catching my kids doing things right!  In fact, I like to reinforce their right actions by giving them words of encouragement when they do things right.  Don’t get me wrong, I also give them words of correction when they do wrong, but I get more excited when they do it right.  In fact, I have started to employ the 3:1 ratio of 3 words of encouragement to 1 word of correction.  It seems to be working…at least for now.  My three kids all play either softball or baseball.

Both softball and baseball are games of failure.  If you want to be considered for the Hall of Fame, if you hit .300+ for an average, you are incredible!  But what that means is that you either were put out or missed 7/10 times.  I believe that hitting a ball with a bat is an art!  It is also a discipline of constant tweaking and experimentation.  Hitting is the great equalizer.  One of my personal favorite hitters is Wade Boggs.

I tried to pattern my illustrious baseball career after Wade Boggs.  I learned to hit to the opposite field, I played third base, I was even #26 on my…uh…slow pitch softball jersey.  Of course, that was when the dream was over.  On the field, he did right things!  He hit .328 lifetime average and won 8 Silver Sluggers.  He was also the AL batting champion 5 times!  The dedication and right disciplines led Wade Boggs to becoming everything he dreamed of as a kid.  He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Mark 1:10-11 says,

As Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven and said, “this is my dearly loved Son, and You bring me great joy.”

Jesus, upon doing what was right by being baptized, saw heaven open up to him.  In this passage, we see all three persons of the Trinity in full force and on the scene.  God’s response to Jesus’ baptism is one of fatherly pride.  The Holy Spirit is celebrating the occasion by resting upon Jesus.  Here we have a clear example of the ultimate encouragement.  God is not only proud, but He voices His approval.  He voices His joy!

We need to realize that our actions bring one of two responses from God…joy or sorrow.  I want to give you 3 steps to bringing Heavenly Responses.

• Be Righteous! 

When you live a life that puts an emphasis on making righteousness the priority, it leads to right decisions and right decisions lead to right actions which bring joy to God.  The opposite of this is also true with the exception being sorrow felt in heaven.

• Be Vocal!

I have had to learn the value of being vocal with my praise to my kids.  By nature, for me, it was strange at first, but now I love to give encouragement.  I need to practice giving my kids and wife encouragement.  They need to know that they really do bring me joy.  Especially when they do things rightly.  I also need to do this in front of people.  My kids need public encouragement and the people who I am around need to hear me praise my kids if for no other reason…to be a vocal example!

• Be Present!

The Holy Spirit was on the scene.  He was silent in this passage, but He was there.  Whenever possible, we need to be present in our family’s lives but also when we are spending time in worship, prayer and devotion.  Our presence in a relationship brings joy to those we are spending time with.  That is what God wants.  He wants our attention.  He wants our relationship with Him.  Like the Holy Spirit, we need to be present!

My prayer for you today is to be righteous, be vocal and be present.  I pray that you would try to model this passage daily.  I pray that you would make holy decisions.  I pray that you would be a vocal rewarder of right actions and be present for the important things in the lives of those we love.

What actions do you need to employ to bring Heavenly Responses?

Who can you become an encourager to?

How can you become Righteous, Vocal & Present in the lives of those you love?

Air and Opportunity

When I was a kid, we would constantly be playing games at recess.  Dodgeball, kickball, freeze tag, smear the…oh wait, I don’t think I can say that game these days and not get into trouble.  Anyway, you get my drift.  Most days, that end in ‘Y’, there would be arguments that would break out during those games.  Then the most life altering words would be issued just after those arguing would challenge each other to a fight.  You know, the playground duel to decided the Ruler of the Big Purple Rubber Ball!  One would always tell the other,

There is nothing between you and me but air and opportunity!

Nothing but Air and Opportunity

Pushing would ensue then came the tackle and rolling on the ground clenched in a bear hug because neither combatant really knew how to fight.  A circle of kids would surround those who were hugging and rolling on the ground and start yelling.  Then the teachers would come and break up the whole thing.  It was the most exciting 45 seconds of recess.  It was the precursor to MMA…but we didn’t know it.

Opportunity is a funny word.  It is a word that deals with moments in time.  We all have those moments in time that we are faced with that can change our life if we take advantage of it.  In Athens, Greece, there is a particular statue that is called the Opportunity Statue.  It is of a Greek god named Kairos.  He was the personification of opportunity or good luck and favorable moments.  It is one of the strangest looking statues that I have ever seen particularly his hair.  He is described with one lock of hair.  This hair is different as it sticks straight out…from his forehead and the back of his head is bald.  Talk about needing today’s Rogaine…

Kairos, the Greek god of Opportunity and good fortune.

Greek mythology tells us that Kairos anyone who wanted to catch this god of good fortune would have to grab him by the lock of hair as he approached you because if he somehow got by you, he was gone.  This is where we get our modern day sayings like, “take advantage of the opportunity”, “opportunity is staring you in the face”, “opportunity is knocking”, “make the most of your opportunity” and so on.  Opportunities are fleeting!  Opportunities are many!  Opportunities come and go!

Sometimes, we are presented with more than one opportunity and have to make a choice which one to grab.  There are moments in time when games are changed by a single action or play.  There are turning points in marriages that can either unravel the vows taken or strengthen the cord of unity.  There are moments of decisions on jobs that can propel an employee to the top of the ladder or take them to the basement of unemployment.

This opportunity thing can seem overwhelming.  If you are like me, maybe you always question if this is the right opportunity.

Not every opportunity that comes your way is the right opportunity.  Not every opportunity that you encounter is from God.

I want to share with you some ways that I determine if an opportunity presented is good for me and I should grab hold of it or let it pass me by and look at the back of its bald head as it passes by.

The Opportunity Filter

I use a filter for my coffee.  It helps keep the grounds out of my drink and keeps me enjoying my cup of joe.  I use the same idea when dealing with opportunity.   I call them opportunity filters.

Opportunity Filters

1. Prayer – Most of the time we see prayer as our last line of defense and it is usually done in desperation according to how pressing the situation is.  Pray first!  Philippians 4:6-7 says,  “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.“
2. Questions – Become a toddler when it comes to opportunities.  Ask questions!  Who, What, When and the dreaded Why can all be used to filter out opportunities that you are faced with.  I especially like to ask God the question, What…as in, what are you trying to show me through this opportunity?
3. Requirements – Always take into account what will be required of you in this opportunity.  If it is a job and will require you to be away from your family 3 out of 4 weeks of a month…is that what you want to do?  Does this line up with God’s purpose for your life?  Psalm 27:4 says, “The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.”
4. Results – The opportunities that you say yes to should produce results.  That means your gifts and abilities will help you achieve desirable results.  The spiritual connotation is that it produces fruit.
5. Rewards – Opportunities should bring fulfillment to you.  You should enjoy them.  John 10:10 says it this way, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

One of my biggest filters...Katie

What opportunities do you need to take to God in prayer…First?

What are the things you have said “yes” to requiring of you and does it line up with God’s purpose for your life?

What results are you seeing from your opportunities? 

Are you enjoying the fulfillment in life through the rewards you are experiencing?  

Carpe Diem!

 

 

Faith, Focus, Finish

The time is here!  This Sunday, I will compete in my first marathon…thats right!  I said MARATHON!  26.2 miles!  Anyone can run 26 miles, it’s that last .2 that is the doozie!  I love that commercial.  One of my friends really put my race in perspective before we have even run the race.  He said,

The race is the end of your training.  Imagine the race as your victory lap with a bunch of other people.

This helps me more than you can imagine.   As I look back over my life’s running journey…from punishment running in sports, to running with my friends to blow off steam, to when I weighed 420 lbs. and couldn’t run to the end of my cul-de-sac which was only .1 miles.  I have reflected back to my family’s trip to Disney World and the physical misery I was in just walking the parks with my kids.  I hurt!  I reflected on the lack of health issues that I had other than my weight.  However, the mental toll was numbing my mind.  I had become immune to people’s care for me.  I had almost given up on really living my life and becoming a permanent unhappy person that wore a clown’s smile to hide the pain.   I started thinking about all these things and I really began to realize that what Scripture says in James 4:14,

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog–it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

I was in a fog!  I needed a light…that light came in just the right time.  It was an encouraging word from my wife and a hug that really changed my thinking.  It was the smile on my kid’s faces that I got to see playing sports and enjoying life.  It was hearing my dogs bark because they were hungry.  I realized at that point that I had value…sure, it was my family, but they needed their husband and dad.  However, for a long time, I had been present, but missing at the same time.  I had to have FAITH in the process!  I started running again.  The road became a place where I could FOCUS on me and spend some time with God…alone.  It was on the road that He did His greatest work in me.  By the way, I realize this can really read as a self-centered post…but hey, its MY blog…:)…there is a point to this.  Now, it is time to FINISH!  I want nothing more than to win the battles in my life now so that my kids don’t have to fight them later on.  In other words, I want to set the example for them to conquer their dreams and ultimately become what God wants them to become.  People ask me all the time,

Why do you run?

My standard answer is…”Because I can!”  My real answer is…I run for my wife, my kids, my health, my hungry dogs.  It is amazing to me that the God of the Universe would even take time to work on me during some of these runs.

On March, 4, 2012, I will start the Rock N Roll New Orleans Marathon.  Lord willing, some 5.5 hours later, I will Finish 26.2 miles.  Why?  Because like Scripture says in Hebrews 12:1,

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

This is the race that is set before me!  This is for the day that I couldn’t make it to the end of my cul-de-sac.  This is for the day that I hated the “Happiest Place on Earth”!  This is for the day that my kids thought they were fat.  This is for the day that I just physically hurt and couldn’t throw a baseball or softball with my son and daughters.  This is for the day that I just didn’t want to go anywhere with my wife.  This is for YOU!  Yes, YOU!  Why You?  Because believe it or not, I am in your “great cloud” of witnesses.  I am cheering for you!  I want you to experience ALL that God has for you and your families.  I have FAITH in my training.  I have FOCUS on why and for who I run.  I will FINISH the race set before me.  After all, my life is just a vapor…why not enjoy it with those I love?

What “race” is it that you need to run? 

Why do you “run”?

When will you take your “victory lap” and will those you love get to cheer you on?

My prayer is that you will start your “race” by getting to the end of your cul-de-sac…Faith, Focus, Finish!

Thanksgiving Lessons with Cole

Here we are, Thanksgiving Week!  You know what that means…Turkeys are on high alert, High School football teams strive to be playing this week, families are making plans to eat together on Thursday and in our family, Thanksgiving Day traditions will be lived out.  Its a little more than turkey and football followed closely by an afternoon nap. One of those traditions, Cole and I started last year and we started a new one this year.  Last year, we started going out to his great grandmother’s house to squirrel hunt.  We get up early and head out for a little early morning together.  This year, we just got back from going out to the deer lease to try to get him his first deer.  Well, he was successful!  He made a great shot on a doe from 80 yards with a .243 rifle.

As you can see, he is pretty happy.  I know that this can be a little graphic for a blog photo, but, I wanted to share with you some things that I learned from my son while we were hunting.  You see, about 3 years ago, we converted to eating venison for our meat at the McMahan house.  Cole went hunting with me for the first time last year.  It was all new to him.  He slept in the blind while I kept watch and was totally excited to see the deer when I woke him up…aka…disrupted his prayer time.  One thing that we do every trip we make is have devotions at camp and prayers in the blind.  Cole had two goals for this hunting season…he wanted to kill a deer for our family to eat and a turkey for Thanksgiving.  He got the deer.  One of the verses that we read at the camp this past weekend is found in 1 Corinthians 10:31,

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

After we read this Scripture, we headed out to the blind.  While we were in the blind, we prayed.  We specifically prayed, “Give us this day our daily meat…”  But here is where my son taught me a lesson.  After he shot, we did the thing that you are supposed to do…the hardest thing to do…WAIT!  I wasn’t sure that he even hit the deer but he was!  I had hopes, but he was sure.  This is where the first lesson was given by my son.  He immediately began to pray…out loud…in a whispering voice.  He was thanking God for giving him the opportunity to shoot a deer.  He didn’t even know if we would be able to find the deer at that point.  I tried to temper his excitement by telling him we didn’t have a deer until it was recovered.  He just prayed more…”God, help dad find that deer.”  After waiting for 30 minutes and having to give Cole 3 minute updates about how long we had been waiting, I snuck out of the blind to go and see if I could see any blood from his shot.  As I approached the area where the doe was shot, I didn’t need to see any tracking evidence as I saw the downed doe.  I gave Cole the ‘thumbs up’ back in the blind and out he came sprinting to get his deer.  I am not sure what was bigger, the deer or the smile on his face!

When we walked up to the deer, he was ecstatic to say the least.  I was, and still am, a proud papa for being able to experience this moment with my son…it is indescribable!  But this was the moment that I was taken to school. We had finished taking pictures in the field with the deer and Cole stands up and bows his head and prays again.  His prayer went something like this…

“Dear God, thanks for letting me see this deer and shoot it.  I know that we will be able to eat this deer at our house and that it died in order that we can eat it to live.  Help me to be thankful for all the stuff you give me and our family.  Amen.”

 After the Amen was said, Cole wants to fist bump and high five.  Then he breaks out with his rendition of Kool & the Gang’s song, “Celebrate Good times!”  He does his little deer killing dance while singing and says, “Its time to go to Dairy Queen.”  I understand this blog entry may not sit well with some of you, but I wanted to share the principles that I was reminded of this Thanksgiving week by my son.  We focus a lot of our thanks and reminisce about things throughout the year during this week.  I often wonder why…Why don’t we give thanks more often?

We all have things to be thankful for…our family, our friends, our teammates, our coaches, our kids, our jobs, etc.  Take time to give God thanks…on purpose…out loud…in front of someone you care about.  Maybe even pause with them and ask them to join you in giving thanks.  Remember Psalm 118:1,

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; and His love endures forever.”

What do you have to give thanks for?

Who can you demonstrate giving thanks with?

How has God been good to you this year, this month, this week, or today?

Margin…Making Room In A Crowded World

MARGIN…

we hear about it, we say it easily because it rolls off the tongue so well, we recommend that our friends, family and loved ones have a little in their lives.  We even dream of the days when we will have plenty of the ever elusive margin in our own lives.

What is this thing called margin?  I like the definition of margin that I heard a pastor say…

“margin is the amount available beyond what is necessary.” 

I remember when I was in college majoring in Business and we always had the definition of margin in the financial, business world.  Buying stocks on borrowed money, profit margins and so on.  I have been dealing with this thought of margin in my life.  I talk to countless people who are so consumed with task lists, appointments, kid’s sports leagues, jobs, house, car, retirement, financial security, and the snowball continues downhill until you reach the grave.  It is when your life is slowing down that you realize that life and living it to the fullest, has passed you by.  Your kids are grown and have their own kids.  You remember the days of family vacations when you packed up the family in the old station wagon or minivan and learned the famous arts of compromise, arbitration, mediation, hostile takeovers, love, and corporal punishment (usually administered from the front seat with one hand reaching the side of a leg.)

 I want to encourage you today in 3 areas:  Personal, Professional and Spiritual Margin from the Biblical story of Mary and Martha…

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

Personal Margin – Here is the deal…Jesus is coming to your house to dinner, I mean, this is the Son of God.  You have dirty clothes, dishes, trash to take out, dusting to do, all the things that go with cleaning.  Your guest arrives and your only help is now sitting down listening to your guests story while you go down the checklist.  Your help gets to hear all the stories, all the things that are happening in your guest’s life and you are spraying 409 on everything while they are in the other room experiencing a highly relational time which is was the purpose He was invited to come over anyway.  YOU MISSED IT!  I love how verse 40 says that Martha was “distracted“.  She was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  Guess what, preparations are to be done BEFORE the guest is there…He was already in the house!  What is being said here is that the distractions are no longer necessary.  This is an invitation to personal margin.

Fast forward to the 21st Century…how many of us make time for those relational moments with our neighbors, friends or (drum roll please) FAMILY?  How many of make margin for our relationship with God?  Too busy to pray?  Too busy to stop and let God speak to you?  Too busy to realize that your creator is trying to show you how to slow down and realize that He is for you?  You need margin!

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  Matthew 11:28-29

Be still, and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10

Professional Margin – I watched a movie starring Jim Carrey that dealt with professional margin called, “Liar, Liar”.  In this movie, he was an incredibly successful attorney while being a total failure in his marriage and raising his son.  While trying to work his way up the corporate ladder to becoming a partner, he lost sight of those he loved.  Great message behind the movie.

Let’s face it, we all have some portion of control of our schedules.  We all MAKE time for those things that we WANT to do.  It is up to you to determine your priorities just like Jim Carrey’s role had to do.  One thing that I have had to do recently is to learn to BE in the MOMENT!  That means, my focus has to change.  I work from my home, and it is easy to get up from dinner and go over to my office and go back to work.  However, that is operating on ZERO MARGIN!  It is wrong!  It is unfair to my family.  It is unfair to me.  It is definately unfair to God.

Spiritual Margin – Every morning I try to get up before my kids and while my wife is getting ready for her teaching job and take some time to just read from God’s Word.  It usually only lasts around 10-20 minutes.  But it has revolutionized my spiritual life.  I do it first thing in the morning.  I exercise my spirit.  Then I head to the gym to exercise my physical.  Create a time, a place that is familiar to both you and God…a secret place.  It may be a chair, it may be the front porch, it may be in your car before your commute.  You are the only person that can control your spiritual margin.  God is not going to call you aside and say…”Don’t you think you should spend time with me?”  He will always be RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT HIM!

11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

Remember one thing: No matter how hectic your schedule, no matter what the bank statement says, no matter what circumstances you are in…ALWAYS keep some margin (dedicated time) in your life for God to work IN you and THROUGH you!

The Problem with Air Conditioning

I have been thinking a lot about my next door neighbors. They are an elderly couple whose kids live over an hour away. Mr. George and Mrs. Pat are as good as gold! The other day, Mrs. Pat was out for her morning walk and tripped and fell face first on the concrete…YIKES! She was hurt pretty badly. The sad thing is, 3 cars passed her in our neighborhood without stopping to help her. She was even trying to flag them down!

One time a Pharisee asked Jesus, “What’s the most important commandment of all?” You see there were 1,613 commands. That’s a lot of commands. Jesus took these 1,613 and He narrowed it down to an absolute focus, and He replied. He said,

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.‘ Matthew 22:37-39

Herein lies the problem…it all boils down to the air conditioner. Think about it. Go back in time before there was the air conditioner, where did people hang out? They would hang out on the front porch. Right? “Hey, neighbor!”

With the air conditioner, people went inside. Add to it the attached garage. Before there was an attached garage, what would people do? They would drive into their detached garage and have to get out and walk. Now, with the attached garage, they can pull right in. Add to it the garage door opener, ziiiipppp brrrrr, pull in the back cave, shut it down before you have to see anybody.

Now add to it the gated neighborhood so we can actually gate people out. The fenced in back yard so we can play without having to see those crazy, weird neighbors. My personal favorite way to avoid people was the answering machine. Beep … “Tommy, are you there? If you’re there, pick up.” “I know you are there! Why are you not picking up?”

And then, there’s caller ID. Cell phone rings. Think about the way technology has influenced our, taken us away from relationships. You go to the bank, you don’t have to talk to anybody. You can go to the ATM machine. Shopping, I don’t do it. You will rarely ever see me at a mall, unless I’m going to a movie trying to sneak in and sneak out. I do all of my shopping online. Movies, they’re delivered to my mailbox with no late fees, Praise God in Heaven Above.

All these ways to avoid people, avoid relationships, when Jesus said out of 1,613 commands, let’s boil it all down to this. You are to know God and love Him personally and reflect His love, loving your neighbor as yourself. And yet, most people today say they don’t have time. I did some research this week for fun. I looked up some phrases in the Bible that said the words one another, and I wanted to see just what happened. I listed a few of them for you. There are many, many more.

Love one another… John 13:34 (wouldn’t you agree, in reality a lot of times what we are doing instead of loving one another is, we are avoiding one another?) If you have ever been in a grocery store and you’ve seen somebody you don’t really want to see and you take your little cart and you kind of take your buggy in the opposite direction, avoiding one another.

Be devoted to one another… Rom. 12:10a But wouldn’t you agree that a lot of times, the heartbeat of what we are trying to do is not to be devoted, but to be independent from one another. “I don’t want to need you because you may let me down and I’ve been burned before, and so really, I want to be strong and stand on my own, and I just don’t want to need people. I want be vulnerable, and I don’t want you to be needy around me. Instead of being devoted, a lot of us are trying to be independent.

Honor one another… Rom. 12:10b
Accept one another… Rom 15:7
Serve one another in love. Gal 5:13
Be compassionate to one another… Eph 4:32
Submit to one another… Eph 5:21
Encourage one another… 1 Thess 5:11
Spur one another on toward love… Heb 10:24
Live in harmony with one another… 1 Peter 3:8
Offer hospitality to one another… 1 Peter 4:9

We are told to do all these loving things to one another and yet, right now at this moment, you can be surrounded by people and yet with people all around you that are relationally empty and lonely. You can be married, laying in bed next to your spouse and be lonely, because we have ignored the heartbeat of God, and that is relationships. That’s why He created you, because He is love and He needed someone to love. You are the object of His affection, and He wants you to share that love with other people … and we’re too busy!