The Key to Healthy Faith: Spiritual Supplements

Let me just say…I love to workout!  Especially when I am in the habit of it and schedule it into my daily routine.  I feel more energetic, healthier and I notice that I actually have some semblance of muscles down deep in the recesses of my skin.  However, there is much pain and suffering for those first couple of weeks after taking a substantial amount of time off from my workout regimen.  I know, the key is…DON’T TAKE TIME OFF!  With working out comes nutrition.  With proper nutrition comes the supplement conundrum…what do I need?

I have a friend named John.  John owns his own supplement shop called Max Muscle.  John knows his stuff and is more than happy to answer all of my simple nutrition questions to more difficult ones that are more tailored to my specific situation.  He has a passion for nutrition, physical fitness, personal training and educating people in all of these areas.  John has taught me so much about nutrition and proper diet than he knows.  What is even more amazing is that he has educated thousands of people with the same passion he helped me.

In the same whey…er…way (sorry John), those followers of Jesus Christ should have the same passion like my friend has about sharing a healthy physical lifestyle with people in sharing their faith.  But in order to do that, we need some spiritual supplements.  The Apostle Peter tells us that God gives us everything we need when we accept Christ as our Savior.  Look at what Scripture says in 2 Peter 1:5-9

5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.  8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

Peter had just finished speaking about being saved by grace and the promises that God has given to us that would spur us on in our faith and dedication to Him.  Peter fully expects the people he is writing to grow in their faith.  Growth is a process.  Just like growth in the physical body can be painful, so can growth in faith.  Here, Peter begins to show the process of a growing faith.

He first gives us the “why” we should grow in faith.  It is clear that Peter believes that it should be done out of a response to God’s promises.  He gives a list of supplemental ingredients that will promote health growth in one’s faith.  Those supplements are:

• moral excellence
• knowledge
• self-control
• patient endurance
• godliness
• brotherly affection
• love for everyone

Peter goes on to give the reasons and results of both the positive and negative results of an individual’s decided actions.  The one who chooses to grow in faith becomes more productive and useful in their knowledge of the Lord while the one who fails to develop lack vision and forget that they have been freed from their old sin.

Just as the physical body needs nutrients for proper nutrition and health, the spiritual body needs supplements for proper growth and development.  When one comes to know Christ, He gives to them everything they need to live a godly life.  Part of an individual’s responsibility for spiritual fitness & development, like that of physical fitness & development, is to supplement their growth with proper nutrition, supplements & workouts.

When a person wants to workout their physical body, they go to the gym.  When they want nutrition, they eat.  When they want supplementation, they go to the vitamin shop.  In the same line of thinking, when a person wants to develop their spiritual man and build or work out their faith, they have to put it to action.  Putting feet to our faith involves more than witnessing to someone, it involves developing our faith throughout our body, soul and spirit.

To grow in our faith you need to develop the following:

• moral excellence – developed through habits of making decisions that are just, noble, brave, honorable, fruits of the spirit, etc.
• knowledge – growing in knowledge comes from learning what God has spoken to us through study of HIs Holy Word. Know what He says!
• self-control – develop the ability to control your actions, emotions, behaviors and desires.
• patient endurance – (This one is tough!)  develop your faithfulness.  Faithfulness requires time!  It requires commitment!  Even when you don’t want to and don’t think you can go any further…press on and keep going!  It is a long race you are taking part in, a marathon, keep putting one foot in front of the other.
• godliness – loving, fearing and honoring God.  Being devoted to God and putting that devotion into action (Hebrews 11)
• brotherly affection – love your brother and sisters in Christ.  Discriminate against none of them.  They are your family.  Defend, protect and serve them.
• love for everyone – when your faith is growing, you want everyone to experience what it is that you have found in Christ.  Love people as God loves people!

Just like being a couch potato is a bad decision for your physical man, one doesn’t want to become a spiritual couch potato.  When you fail to develop your faith and grow, your spiritual gifts retard and your Christlike habits are left under-developed.  When you don’t use the spiritual nutrients and spiritual supplements, you are not growing as God intended for you to grown in your faith.  Use everything that God has given to you since you have come to know Him.   Become the person that God has intended you to become!  Put your devotion to Him into action!

The Plan for Success

Ah yes…the ever elusive word that drives millions of people to rise from their sleep every day and try to attain goals that are somewhat out of reach at the moment, but then find themselves only moving those goals to take them to higher places than were previously desired and thought of as the pinnacle of life…that word…SUCCESS!

Let’s face it…no one wants to be labeled a failure or loser.  That is evident in our Youth Sports Programs where everyone gets a medal.  I mean, when I was a kid, I was S-L-O-W!  In fact, my coaches didn’t use a stopwatch to time me, they used a calendar!  I remember field day at school…I always seemed to come home with a 1st place ribbon for tug of war, but I hated races!  Why?  I wasn’t successful at them.  It almost seemed like our field days had one strength related event vs. 10 speed events.  Don’t feel sorry for me, for the first 10 yards I was as fast as anyone else, but it always seemed that me and at least one girl would always duke it out for…ummm…last. That was usually the one who recovered from the trampling of the speedy kids.  I get a picture in my mind like this…

So, what did I come home with?  A handful of “Thanks for participating” ribbons.  You know, the dreaded purple ribbon.

I had been force-fed a definition of success that gave value to me as a human being through a piece of nylon with a rope!  I bought in to it too!  While competition and athletics have been a part of my life since I was a kid, as I have grown, I have seen those ribbons replaced with many different things.  Titles, positions, promotions, raises, corner offices, you name it.  There are ways that people today find value in themselves through the awards they attain or credentials bestowed upon them.  They mistakenly cheapen success by defining it by getting to do what THEY want, when THEY want, how THEY want.  In fact, it sounds a lot like a bad infomercial like this…

I am sure that Tony Robbins has helped a lot of people get back on track, but I am more confident in God from whom all blessings come from.  I am not knocking those things, I am simply pointing out that what took place on field day certainly prepared us for later on in life…except…there are no more participation ribbons!  Thank you Jesus!!

One of the wisest men that ever lived was King Solomon.  He wrote a book of Wisdom for his son.  It is found as one of 66 books found in the Bible called Proverbs.  There are 31 chapters in Proverbs.  I like to use them one chapter for each day of the month.  I want to show you how one of the wisest men that ever lived viewed success.  He spelled out the plan for success for his son and ultimately each of us.  In Proverbs 16:2-3, Solomon’s plan reads like this,

“2People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.  3Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”

Most of the time, people feel their motives are pure.  However, God knows the motives of our heart.  When personal plans are made committing them to God leads to a successful fulfillment of those plans.  Motives of the heart are understood by God even though we may think ourselves pure and right before Him.  The physical, mental, emotional and spiritual act of committing all we do to the Lord will determine your success or failure.

I had to come to the realization that I can do nothing apart from God.  My plans need to be committed to Him to ensure success.  Success is not for me, per se.  Although I get to experience the fruit of success and the blessings of success, my true success is for God’s glory through my plans being committed to Him.  He is the one that gets the 1st Place Ribbon…I get the blessing of being His son.  He gets the glory, I get the earthly benefit of blessings.

Who or what has 1st Place in your life?

What drives you in your pursuit of success?

How do you define success?

Have you committed your plans to God?

What are the motives of your heart?

The Will of the Cow

I know what you are thinking.  What in the world is he thinking and how is this going to apply to my life?  And now, you are thinking, what in the world am I doing reading about a Cow’s will?  Do cows even have a will?  I mean, really…they eat grass, chew cud and make huge patties that when dried make great inexpensive frisbees.  On the other hand…please use extreme caution and a stick before picking one up to throw.  Now, on to the story…

My brother and I used to argue all the time.  We would always try to get out of doing our chores and try to get the other one to do our chores for us.  Growing up in Louisiana, neither of us liked to mow the grass during the summer.  It was HOT!  It was HUMID!  In fact, in our town, they discovered these Indian ruins that had hieroglyphics that when translated, they read, “Its hot in Louisiana in the Summer!”  Okay, I can’t back that up!  Either way, we would devise different contests to determine if we could shirk out duties on to the other one.  We would shoot baskets, we would throw baseballs for distance, we would chip golf balls from one end of the yard to the other trying to get them into a tire and the closest one would win.  If we couldn’t settle the chore duties through these games of skill, we would leave it to chance by flipping a coin…of course, 2 out of 3.  There would be statements made like, “If I make this shot, even though I lost at HORSE, you get to do the mowing.”  One shot…determined our next couple of hours and how dehydrated we would become.

 

 

A lot of times people who are followers of Christ, will leave their relationship with Him to chance just like I did with my brother in trying to decide who was going to do the yard work.  Take this account found in 1 Samuel 6:9,

9 If they cross the border of our land and go to Beth-shemesh, we will know it was the Lord who brought this great disaster upon us. If they don’t, we will know it was not his hand that caused the plague. It came simply by chance.”

This verse comes after the decision to find out if God was the one who sent the plague to the Philistines or not.  You see, the Philistines had stolen the Ark of the Covenant from Israel.  God sent a plague and they were really tired of it.  So, in verse 9, this is what they resorted to determine if God sent the plagues or if they were coincidence.  I am not a big believer in coincidence.   God does nothing by chance.  God does things according to His will, His plan.

Here, the priests of Dagon in Philistia, made that discovery that the Lord is a God of planning.  They made the comment that if two cows would cross a border carrying the Ark of the Covenant, then it would be a sign that God was the one that brought the plagues upon the Philistines.  If not, then it was just a coincidence. The cows went straight back to the land of Israel without deviating from the path.  What is flawed in the thinking of coincidence is that whatever object you use to determine what is destiny or coincidence can always be deemed coincidence by that object’s outcome.

I am not sure that I would want this…

to determine the Will of God for my life.

I believe that  God has a perfect plan for your life.  He cares for you. Even when you aren’t sure of the path He has you on, trust in Him!  Nothing happens by coincidence.  It is happening for His purpose and His plan in your life.  Remain righteous and let God order your steps.

Are you leaving your relationship with God to chance?

Are you making deals with God like I did with my brother?  If I could just make this shot God, I will…

Will you allow God to lead you where He wants you to go?

Leadership Lessons from 10 Year Old Softball Team

Some of my greatest teachers and role models have been my coaches.  There is no greater influence on an athlete’s life than that of his or her coach.  I have to admit, I have had some great coaches in my life.  Each one has helped form my way of approaching life.  Each one had expectations from the team, the unit and the individual.  Perfection was not something that was unattainable, rather it was expected.  Becoming fundamentally sound was not an option.  There were no shortcuts.  When you took shortcuts, you were cheating both yourself and your team.  It was unacceptable.  In my mind, it is still unacceptable.

My youngest daughter plays softball.  I find it funny that I am saying some of the same things to her and my other kids, that my coaches said to me.  She is 10.  Her team is a good little softball team.  While usually I would be in the dugout coaching, this season, I have taken a different approach.  I am a parent.  When you sit in the stands and are a parent, you get to hear some things in the grandstands…well, actually a lot of things.  But one thing you can do is learn and re-learn some leadership principles that are fundamental to any organization.  In fact, they will make you fundamentally sound.  I want to share 3 leadership lessons I learned from my daughter’s 10 year old softball team.

1.  Morale is the key to victory.

Morale is the confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline of a person or group at a particular time.  With 10 year old girls, morale is sort of a roller coaster ride.  It is up one minute and down the next.  A lot of their morale comes from the people on the other side of the fence…aka…parents.  Believe it or not, the girls hear everything that their parent says to them.  AND THEY BELIEVE THEM!  It affects them.  If you want your team to succeed, you need to manage your team’s morale.  In fact, try to keep morale at the top of the peak, people respond better when they are excited and happy.

2.  Set expectations high, but make goals attainable.

 

My coaches always stressed to us to be perfect.  They set an expectation.  However, they gave us goals to strive for as markers along the way to perfection.  Don’t get me wrong, perfection is like chasing the proverbial goose and virtually unattainable.  That is why they gave us markers from hitting behind a runner to advance them safely to the next base to knocking down a player so they couldn’t make a tackle.  Our girls goals were to  have good at bats.  Put the ball in play and move runners.  Being this was the first year they saw a girl their age pitching, they were still expected to hit nothing but strikes and score as many runs as possible, but strikes were few and far between and they had a goal of recognizing what a strike looks like from a live pitcher versus the pitching machine.  When you set expectations high, people will surprise you by trying to attain those expectations and ultimately attaining goals that were loftier than they would have ever set for themselves.

3.  Celebrate everything!

Everybody loves a great party!  I love to see teams do what I call the “Herd Jump”.  You know, they all huddle up and start jumping up and down in celebration.  When my kids were growing up, we celebrated when they threw something in the trash can!  When they went to the big boy/girl potty was a celebration almost as large as Christmas!  Everyone clapped, cheered, danced and stuck their chest out like, “Yeah, that is my kid!  He just made a boo boo in the big boy potty!”  Don’t try to pretend you haven’t done it.  Especially if you have kids.      I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t like to be congratulated on a job well done.  A pat on the back goes a long way, especially when it is done in front of others.  That is huge!  People like to be celebrated.  People like to celebrate.  The beauty of celebrating everything is this…it produces high morale!

Yes, I learned all this while sitting in the stands.  Know this, there is another side to leadership…the dark side. I am not talking about THAT in this writing.  That is for another day.

How are you creating High Morale with your team?  

What are some goals you can set for them to attain?  

What are your expectations?

Change…The most consistent thing in life!

I have been watching the Olympics!  I know, imagine that…it seems like it is on almost every station on television.  I must admit, I am surprised by some of the sports that are in the Olympics vs. some of the sports that are not in the Olympics.  I mean, how in the world is Trampoline considered to be a sport that the world should have athletes competing in and not softball or baseball?  I don’t get it!

What has been impressive to me is the dedication of these Olympic athletes.  I was particularly struck by the story of Sarah Robles, USA powerlifter.  She is dedicated to her sport!  In fact, part of her story is that her and her mother lived in their vehicle because they didn’t have money to pay for a hotel much less a home.  She works out two sessions per day with a private coach and was paid a stipend of $400/month from the US Olympic Committee.  She was definitely banking large sums of money…just kidding.  She left her home, moved to the training facility and began to work toward her dream of competing in the Olympics and representing the USA.  The interesting thing about her story is that she had never really done any powerlifting.  She was involved in track & field with the throwing events.  Her coach wanted her to do some lifting so she could throw further.  That is when her life CHANGED…

Even though people face change all the time, usually it is a scary proposition at best.  Change is uncomfortable.  Change is often times painful.  Change is consistent!  Whether or not we like to admit it, we are all faced with it.  I personally was confronted with change back in 2009.  I had to change my lifestyle.  Weighing in at 420 pounds and not being able to participate in the life of my kids jolted me into a reality that I had to make a change.  I had to choose, life or death.  I chose life!

 

I believe that there are things and times in our lives when God places seasons of change in our lives.  Our job is to figure them out and respond to His timing.  I want to share with you 3 Keys of Personal Change.

1.  The Excitement Key – Where and in what areas of  your life are you excited?  Ask yourself the question, “What would I do if I knew I could not fail?”  Pursue that change!  Why wait on life to pass you by and miss out on the things that you are most passionate about?  God has placed in you different gifts, talents and abilities to  do those extraordinary things He wants you to do.  Will you succeed or will you succumb?

2.  The Conviction Key – What are the things that guide your decisions?  What filters the way you live your life?  Personal conviction can be one of the most beneficial driving forces in a person’s life.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.(Hebrews 11:1 NRSV)

Dictionaries usually define conviction as a fixed or strong belief. Conviction is really much more than that. Your convictions include your values, commitments and motivations.

I like the definition of conviction I once heard from the great Bible teacher Howard Hendricks: “A belief is something you will argue about. A conviction is something you will die for!”

Our convictions determine our conduct. They motivate us to take a stand and to act according to our values.

3.  The Determination Key – John Mason wrote in his book, An Enemy Called Average, that “Faith that moves mountains always carries a pick.”  That statement sums up the process of determination that change brings to our lives.  I was watching ESPN and watched the story of a young lady named Bree McMahon.  I have to admit, it is a very moving story.  I highly recommend you watching this story…it will inspire you to become more determined in your pursuit of the change that God has placed in your life.  You can see the story called the Comeback here.

I leave you with 3 questions today regarding change…

1.  Where are you excited?

2.  Where are you convicted?

3.  Where are you determined?

When you find those answers, it is time to take up your pick and begin to move mountains.

Torqued by Tension

“Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.” – Barbara DeAngelis

I know what you are thinking…”It has been a long time since you have blogged.”  Yes, that is true!  I have been on a little hiatus from the blogosphere.  But guess what…I am back!  I could hold my silence no longer.  One thing that has been recurring in my world is tension.  It started when I developed some patellar tendonitis from running.  Some would say, “Just stop running and that won’t happen.”  Well, truth is, running releases endorphins and those are addictive and seem to make my days go better…in other words, I run so I don’t kill people. 🙂

I started going to Southfork Chirosport in Murphy, TX.  At this Chiropractic office things are different.  They don’t just crack your back and take your copay then usher you out the door.  I think my shortest visit has been about 1:15 minutes.  They really listen and get to the source of the problem.  The view here is that muscular tension is what causes torque and thus pain in the body.  So, they deal with the muscle.  And with the muscle they deal in great detail! Dr. Dukes says that the reason that tendons get into a bind is due to two muscles pulling in opposite directions…therefore…tension is at the crux!

As I began to think about this and how my running life was torqued by tension…ah, like how I worked the title into the paragraph…I am finding that more and more people are being influenced by tension in their relationships.  This seems to have cropped up time and again.  It doesn’t matter if it is in a marriage, friendship, family or job.  Tension seems to always creep its way into our lives.  I mean, just look at the Obamacare situation in this country…talk about tension!

I find tension pretty regularly throughout the Bible.  I mean, the Garden of Eden, the Israelites and Pharaoh, Jesus Christ and His entire life…it even comes in letters written by Paul to the different Churches…nothing like a grand helping of church tension.  However, tension has one of two responses I want to give you today.

1.  It makes you stronger!

When you face tension, especially in your muscles, a healthy dose of physical therapy will usually help relieve the tension.  The trick here is not taking some kind of medication that will mask the tension and make you think it isn’t there.  You are going to have to embrace the pain!  Embrace it!  The Book of James tells us to “count it all joy when we face trials…”  In other words…face it!  Deal with it and practice the spiritual gift of keeping your mouth shut!  Especially when you are dealing with the tension of relationships.  Remember, your words are powerful.  I have heard it said the our words are like nitroglycerin…they can blow up bridges or heal hearts!

When you face your tension, especially physiologically, it makes you stronger!  You have rehabbed those muscles by strengthening and stretching them which is something they have not been used to doing.

2.  It makes you weaker!

Sometimes getting stronger can make us become a little judgmental.  Be aware of what you are doing that can come across as being condescending.  Don’t look down on anyone, instead, look up as you lift them on your shoulders to help them reach heights they have never achieved.

If love keeps no records of wrongs like it says in 1 Corinthians 13, then why do we hold grudges when we are supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves?  It is my opinion that when we condescend to others, then tension causes us to become weaker.  It makes us hurt and eventually something will be torn.  When you tear a muscle or tendon or ligament not only does it hurt, but it makes you weaker and you have to go to the therapy route anyway.

I really like the picture above.  Which leads to my questions for the day…

1.  Who are you?  What defines you?  Are you lifting people on your shoulders or trampling them with your foot words?

2.  Where is the tension in your life right now?  What therapy are you engaged in practicing to get it worked out?  Are you facing it or taking something to mask the symptoms?

Heart Check

For me, winning and losing has always been a huge player in my life.  I love to win, but I am not the best at losing.  In fact, that was ingrained in my mind at a very young age.  My dad always used to say,

Show me someone who likes to lose and I will show you a loser!

My coaches would tell our teams, “Second place is first place’s loser.”  or “No one remembers who came in second.”  I grew up with a desire to do my best at all times.  That is where I learned my definition of excellence.  Doing the best I can with the talents, resources, and time that I have in the place where I am.  Coach John Wooden has a  great definition of success,

Being the very best ‘you’ that you can be.

I always wanted to be on the best teams.  In fact, I had never played baseball in my life when I tried out for the best team in Dixie Youth Baseball.  I heard things from friends like, “You won’t make that team, you have never even played baseball.”  “You can’t play for them, they are too good, they haven’t lost in 2 years.”  When I came across this little sign, it reminded me of those days.

You may have heard it said, “Those who can, do.  Those who can’t, tell others they can’t either.”  All of those people who I thought were for me, were really just afraid to try.  I am convinced of this…we have an enemy that will do everything in his power to convince us that we aren’t good enough, we aren’t talented enough, we don’t have what it takes in our marriages, parenting, occupation, hobbies, recreation, or friendships.  He will do everything possible to make you hate yourself…it is all based out of fear.  It is the fear of rejection, the fear of failure, the fear of man.  2 Timothy 1:7 says this,

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

We can be sure that when ‘fear’ enters into the equation, it is time for us to check our heart and see what the root of the problem is.  I can guarantee you that it doesn’t come from God.  When you think that you can’t, you can!  Paul wrote to the Philippians in Chapter 4:13,

All things are possible!  Does that mean that you shouldn’t or won’t have dips in the road?  No way!  But it does mean that there is someone who loves you and cares about you and will help you to overcome those obstacles that you face.  Believe it or not, there are actual real human beings that are in your corner too!  There are people who want to see you succeed.  There are people who believe in you!  When you are given the “You Can’t” speech, give your heart the EKG test…

 

1.  Evaluate whose you are!  1 Corinthians 6:20 says,

for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

You are important enough to God for His Son to be sent to die for you!  He doesn’t bring fear!

2.  Keep honoring God with all you have!

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  Matthew 22:37

Feelings come and go!  Emotions go up and down.  Regardless of what you are feeling or what peak or valley you may be facing…honor God with your whole heart!  That is the most important thing you can do…EVER!

3.  Give your worries, fears and opportunities to Him!

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7

When you hold on to your fear, worry or things that cause you stress, in essence, you are saying to God that you can handle those things better than He can.  Guess what?  You can’t!    Give it to Him and let them go!  It sounds easy, but it is one of the hardest things to do.  Trusting God just rolls off the tongue so easily and it actually sounds good…but its harder to do.

Don’t let others tell you, you can’t…because a lie believed as truth, becomes truth!  Don’t fall victim to a lie!  Don’t let it take you to depths you were not intended to go.  As the old saying goes, “You can’t soar with the eagles if you are scratching with the chickens.”  Its time for a heart check!  It is time for you to soar to heights you never dreamed possible!  Remember this…A heart is a terrible thing to waste!

What dreams have you put on the back burner because someone told you, “You Can’t…”?

What steps can you take today to rid yourself of the weight that is slowing you down to attain your divine destiny?

How can you help someone else reach their dreams?

When will you take action and begin to soar?

FAITH, FOCUS, FINISH

2011…Like Putting Socks on a Rooster

“And old acquaintance be forgot, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh-duh.”  Oh, whatever…you know the song I am trying to sing.  So long to 2011!  I have heard numerous people talk about how bad of a year 2011 was.  Yes, I said WAS!  It is gone!  I mean, gas prices were out of sight, economy was in a shambles, political rhetoric being spewed from the mouths of every politician regardless of party affiliation.  Then to top it off…the BCS pits LSU vs. Alabama in the National Championship Game…the nerve!  (Geaux Tigers!)

Personally, I experienced highs and lows of the year as well.  A rollercoaster of emotion is a more accurate description of what I went through while deciding to leave the pastorate at the church I served to begin a new ministry called Game Changers.  It was tough…

In Crowley, LA, I served on staff at a church as the Youth Pastor/Athletic Director/Coach.  We had a Christian School at the church and our school’s administrator used to have a saying that I never really understood until now.  He would say in response to a question, “That’s like putting socks on a rooster!”  It always made me laugh as well as confuse me…he would always say this with a smile!  I never knew if it was hard or an easy request.  Regardless of how he meant this, I knew one thing for sure…I could TRUST him!  That was huge!  We were in this together.  To this day, I can still trust this man.  Trust is the key to every meaningful relationship a person has.

In his book, Coming Back Stronger, Drew Brees, he writes,

You have to be able to trust your teammate. Your teammate has to be able to trust you, and you have to earn that trust and respect every day. And so in everything you do, you have to build that relationship, that trust. You have to give your teammate a reason to believe in you, so make sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. And make sure you’re doing it the right way.

So here we are, the start of a new year…

It kind of feels like the future is represented by this picture.  You know, a combination lock.  Our new year, our future is kind of locked up waiting for us to dial up the right sequence of numbers to open up what God has intended for us.  It can be kind of scary…but when you exercise your trust in God, our destiny becomes exciting instead of a drudgery.

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV).

Faith is a gift from God, but also a responsibility.  Drew Brees describes Faith to his teammates this way…

1.  Fortitude– Toughness and courage to withstand what comes your way.  Fighting for something you know is there but you might not be able to see yet.

2.  Attitude– The way you approach life.  You can’t always determine your circumstances, but you can always determine your attitude.

3.  Integrity– Doing what you say you are going to do.

4.  Trust– The cornerstone of every relationship.  You have to be able to trust your teammate and they have to be able to trust you.  It is a reason to believe.

5. .Humility– This is the ultimate definition of teamwork.  President Harry Truman said, “It is amazing how much you can accomplish in life if you don’t mind who gets the credit.”

I want 2012 to be a faith-filled year for you!  I want to help build your faith in God.  I want you to help me build my faith in God.  I don’t know if this will be the end of time or not, but I do know one thing for sure.  I want to encourage you to live Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all  your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”

Just as adversity presents opportunity…so does faith!

1.  Is your faith in Christ?

2.  How is your attitude toward this new year?

3.   Will you choose to build trust in a relationship this year that builds faith?

I am praying that 2012 will be a great year for you mentally, physically, financially, professionally, relationally and spiritually.  May God Bless you this year!  Amen!

Tebow Time

Here is the burning question!  If Tim Tebow and Chuck Norris got into a fight, who would win?  Some say Chuck Norris…others say, Tim Tebow.  I say, Chuck Norris at first and then Tebow comes back to win!  NOTHING BUT CHEESE RIGHT THERE!  I want to say right off the bat, I like Tebow.  Not a fanatical liking of a sports figure or a man crush or anything like that, but I like how he goes about his business.  What I like more than the person of Tim Tebow is the fact that our nation is talking about him and moreso, his faith in Jesus Christ.  This really shows God’s Word to be true.  The Bible tells us in John 12:32,

“But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”

I admit, Tim Tebow is using the platform that has been afforded him to take his faith public.  Could we be seeing a modern day parallel of what Peter had as he preached at the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2?  First, Tebow takes heat for kneeling down and praying. He even has a website that has been dedicated to people from all over the world kneeling down and Tebowing! 

 

Jake Plummer decided, for whatever reason, to take on the actions of Tebow expressing his faith.  This is an excerpt from what Plummer said, 

“Tebow, regardless of whether I wish  he’d just shut up after a game and go hug his teammates, I think he’s a winner  and I respect that about him,” said Plummer. “I think that when he accepts the fact that we  know that he loves Jesus Christ, then I think I’ll like him a little better.  I  don’t hate him because of that, I just would rather not have to hear that every  single time he takes a good snap or makes a good handoff.

“Like you know, I  understand dude where you’re coming from …”

If you want to read the article in its entirety, you can do that here. 

I have to wonder, if Tebow were Muslim or Buddhist, or any other religion other than Christian, would he have this same type of treatment?

I must admit, it would be very difficult for me to take the criticisms that Tebow has and not lose it!  He has embraced his relationship with Christ and is making it known.  It is almost like he is comfortable with the persecution.  Scripture tells us in Matthew 5:10,

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

And in James 1:2-4, the Bible admonishes believers,

 “² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ” 

While it is hard for me to consider trials pure joy, I need to realize that my God will not give me a lot in life that I cannot handle…He will always provide a means of escape.  Tebow is taking the venue of professional sports, a god to a lot of people, and making people realize that it is not THE God of the Universe.  By Tebowing, He is lifting up his Heavenly Father and has ultimately fufilled Scripture. Tebow has become a magnet for his relationship with Christ.  It is almost like his football abilities have taken a backseat to his faith.  The NFL has made available jerseys with Tebow’s number and Jesus as the name on the back.  They have taken some heat about making these available, but people are buying them.  As of now, Tim Tebow has led several come from behind wins for the Denver Broncos and his record at Quarterback is 7-1.  Will this continue?  No.  His team will lose at some point with him as the QB.  However, I pray, his faith may not ever waiver.  One thing is for sure, at some point…

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
   and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father. ” – Philippians 2:9-11 

What are your feelings on Tim Tebow and his openness about sharing his faith?

Should Tebow be taken to task for his outspoken living out of his faith?

Would Tebow be mocked or judged if he were of a different religion?

I pray your faith would be increased today…

Joe Paterno, Integrity and “Not So” Happy Valley

I sit in utter shock, disbelief, disappointment, judgement, and prayer.  As the news of the last couple of days continues to unfold about Joe Paterno, Jerry Sandusky and those involved in this horribly disgusting events, I have learned a couple of truths that I want to share today.  Merely truths that I have discovered for my life and maybe through all this, you can also take them to heart so that you can avoid some of the major heartbreak that is taking place at State College, PA.

Joe Paterno, the patriarch of College Football…known as a hard worker, blue collar coach, and philanthropist.  He practically built the Library at Penn State from his and his wife’s personal donations.  He was a rock, a source of stability in a world of constant flux in the college years.  Kids dreamed of playing for JoPa and wearing the black and white.  The uniforms were by today’s standards…boring…but that is not how they were viewed by those faithful to PSU…they were classic, solid, traditional, or reflective of the attitude of Penn State.  Joe Paterno built a history and wanted to go out and leave a legacy.  409 wins as a coach…the most wins by a Division 1 coach in history.

At our house, my kids have been drilled with the Bible verse found in 1 Corinthians 15:33 where the Apostle Paul penned the words,

“Do not be misled; bad company corrupts good morals.”

I try to teach them that the people they surround themselves with will either raise you to the next level or bring you down to theirs.  The key to this Scripture isn’t the second part…rather it is the first.  Do not be misled…that is the key.  They get so tired of hearing this, but one day, it will be a filter for them when they become adults.

There are a couple of things that I have learned from this whole tragedy at Penn State University that I want to share with you today…

1.  You can spend your whole life building a legacy and heritage that other people envy that can all be destroyed with one act of your associations.  Integrity is still one of the cornerstones of an individual’s life…it is the one thing that you you either can hang your hat or can destroy your legacy.

What is your legacy saying right now?  Are you putting yourself in the path for destruction?

Proverbs 28:18 says,

“Whoever walks in integrity will be  delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.”

Sadly, we have all been witnesses to this in the past couple of days.

2.  This type of situation with coaches, athletes and their families are the exact reason that I am called to the ministry that I am currently serving in with Game Changers. 

Today, more than ever, people need to know the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Our world is dark, and unless Christians begin to be the light to the world outside of the church walls and shine…it will become darker.

I have heard it said, “All it takes for sin to abound is for good men and women to remain silent.”  I have a different version…”All it takes for our world to become darker is for followers of Christ not to shine the light of Truth.”

Jesus Christ can be your Game Changer…He can set you free from your sin and the things that you find yourself entangled in…He loves you!  He wants what is best for you!  Will you let him turn the momentum in your life?

Will you let your light shine?

What is your responsibility to our world?

How can you leave a legacy that won’t be tainted?