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!

1063 Degrees Farhenheit

I have been pleasantly surprised here in Texas this Summer.  We actually have had what I call a milder summer.  By this time of year, we are usually in a countdown to breaking the record of days over 100 degrees. However, this year, we are constantly in the 90s and even had a cold front come through that dropped us into the 80s.  It has been great!  However, the 100s are predicted to make a comeback tour in North Texas.

I love to watch the weather.  I love to see how people respond to weather in different parts of the country.  I saw just a few weeks ago how the Upper East Coast of the US were experiencing a heat wave…they had temps in the 90s!  We call that Summer down here in Texas and to be even more specific, we call that a cold front.  Now, don’t think I am just spouting off about how we can handle the heat.  On the other hand, when snow and ice come our way in the Winter, we shut down…yes, for 2 inches of snow/ice.  The entire area shuts down, schools are closed and if you want to see crazy drivers…come to North Texas in an ice storm.  I don’t even want to talk about how people can’t drive in the snow.

I started thinking about these weather changes and how the temperatures affect our lives.  Sometimes, we experience temperature changes in our lives that are more internal than that of the weather outside.  Sometimes, we can actually feel the “heat” being turned up in our lives.  It may be on the job, at home, with our spouse or children, neighbors, car troubles, etc.  You name it, life seems to have a way of turning it on when we don’t really need it or expect it.  Sometimes, we can even begin to crack under the heat that has been so unwelcome in our lives.  As I was thinking about this, I came across a passage of Scripture found in Proverbs 17:3,

Proverbs 17:3

3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.

Precious metals, when refined, are put to the test of fire.  When those metals are heated up to a specific temperature, then impurities rise to the top of the liquified metal.  It is called dross.  The purity of silver and gold are measured by the amount of time on the refining fire and the amount of dross that is pulled out of the metal.  When testing the metal, the purity is determined by the amount of dross left in the metal.  Metal’s purity it tested by physical properties alone.  God tests humans by the heart test.  He searches and reveals impurities of the heart.  God unveils impurities or sin of the heart through His refining process.  He is more concerned with a person’s heart than their physical appearance.

Gold is refined at 1063 degrees Fahrenheit.  Purity of gold is determined by the refining process.  During the refining process, the refiner keeps a constant watch upon the fire and the gold that is being refined.  Like the refiner of gold, God refines our heart.  Sometimes the heat will be turned up in our lives and it is a process of God testing our hearts.  He is refining our lives.  He is keeping careful watch over what we can handle and won’t give us more than we can handle without providing a way for us to escape.  God wants our hearts to be pure before Him.  Just remember, when the heat is turned up and the impurities of your life are rising to the top, God is keeping a careful eye on you to remove those impurities so that you can be the priceless gold He designed you to be from the beginning.  He loves you!

What area of your life is the heat being turned up in now?

What impurities are you discovering about yourself?

How can you recognize the times of heat and know that they are God testing your heart?

Shake it Off!

Sometimes when I think back on my illustrious career in sports…all the way through High School…I can recall many games, situations, wins, losses and things my coaches or parents would say to me.  I had a flood of memories come rushing back in this weekend when my daughter asked me how old I was when I broke my first bone.  Amazingly, I have never broken a bone in my body!  (Knock on wood).  I can remember getting hurt or injured.  I remember one of my best friends hitting me during a drill at football practice at an odd angle and separating my shoulder.  I can remember being in a baseball game and being drilled in the back by a fastball that had to be coming at the speed of light or 55 mph…I have heard it both ways.  In both instances, the words came from my coaches and parents in the stands that I will never forget…SHAKE IT OFF!  Sure, that was easy for them to say…it wasn’t their arm dangling by a ligament or a nice welt and throbbing pain that I was also told “don’t rub it” as I struggled for breath as I gingerly walked to first base as a ‘reward’ for ‘taking one for the team.’

 

There are times when these words have rang true, but in a very different sense.  In life, there have been times when I have had those words come back into my memory at just the right time.  Situations arise, things happen and things that may sting for the moment or cause discomfort can be experienced.  Many times, I have had to shake it off and go on.  I had to get past it and look to the future task at hand just like heading to first or getting back up when knocked down.  Luke 9:5 reads this way,

And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.

Jesus was speaking to his disciples.  He was letting them know that they would be rejected.  Maybe for their message, maybe for who they were.  However, Jesus tells them not to worry about it.  He in reality says, Shake It Off, let those people deal with the consequences of their choices.  What is interesting is that in this passage, Jesus is referencing and entire town.  A WHOLE COMMUNITY of people!  To me, this reference infers a group of people uniting in opposition to your message or work ethic…to the point of wanting you gone!

This can be a crushing blow to a person.  Acceptance is one thing all humans crave.  When someone doesn’t accept you, it hurts you emotionally, mentally and physically.  Not everyone is going to accept you or what you stand for but that doesn’t mean you compromise what you believe.  STAND!  Shake it off!  If there is one thing I have learned, it is this.

It is better to be rejected by man for your beliefs than to be rejected by God for your unbelief.

Shake it off!

What are some things that have been ‘getting to you’ that you need to shake off?

In what areas of your life do you need to have faith in God?

 

Still Haven’t Found What He’s Looking For

Ah yes, U2!  That incredible band from my homeland of Ireland.  Well, at least my ancestors were from Ireland.  I guess that would make me Irish-American.  I wonder if my daughter can get a scholarship for that?  Anyway, I love the origins of U2 and how they expressed their honesty in their quest for knowing God and His loving grace, mercy and power.  In fact, Bono and the Edge have called this song a gospel song.  This song comes from the 1987 Album named the “Joshua Tree”.

Read these lyrics in the song and realize the search that is going on…

You broke the bonds and you
Loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Of my shame
You know I believed it

The chorus then follows with, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”  Its kind of a sad indictment of what goes on in Northern Ireland as the battle that rages between Protestant and Catholic.  I know that I will never understand the tension there or the why’s and what for’s.  But I do know this, there are plenty of people who are walking through life with this same sentiment that are living in our neighborhoods, in our classes at school, in our places of employment or even on our teams.  Bono has stated numerous times, his frustration with the church and the inconsistencies that are lived out by the ones that are supposed to be leading the flock.

At times, it really reminds me of the Pharisees.  They were the sticklers of the Law.  They had been trained, taught and experienced in enforcing the letter of the Law.  They were good at it.  However, they missed the heart of the Law.  Scripture says in Mark 8:11,

When the Pharisees heard that jesus had arrived, they came and started to argue with Him.  Testing Him, they demanded that He show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove His authority.

Being teachers and keeper of the Law, the Bible says, “the put heavy burdens on people concerning the Law but never lifted a finger to help them live the Law.”  In the passage of Scripture, I find it interesting that the very  people who should have embraced Jesus as Messiah began to argue with Him.  They did not believe Him to be who He claimed to be.  They tested God!  They made demands from him.  They were faithless people wanting physical proof of who Christ was.

Similarly we have that very thing happening today.  Pastor’s, Evangelist, and teachers of Scripture putting demands upon people for personal reasons.  If anything, these are the very people who should embrace the ways that Christ walked the earth…leading by example.  When Jesus walked the earth, he flipped the pyramid of success.  Instead of the Pharisee being at the top of the pyramid, Jesus said he came to “serve all”…  He took the attitude of a servant becoming a human to seek and save the lost.  He gave all…to all…for all…once and for all!

I don’t ever want to become a person who argues with God.  In reality, who are we to ARGUE with GOD?  He created the universe and we think it revolves around us.  I never want to put those things that are holy (religious items, traditions, etc.) in front of my faith in God.  Faith is a powerful thing that leads us to TRUST God and who He says He is, without any signs or wonders.  The greatest sign we should ever need is summed up in a picture…

Embrace and welcome the Savior without demands of proof of identity and trust Him without reservation!  This IS what Christ is looking for.  He looks for those whose belief is pure of heart.  God, increase our faith, help our unbelief!  YOU are ALL we NEED to LOOK for!

Are you still looking for God?

Does your faith need to be increased?

What holy THINGS have you put in front of your FAITH?

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?

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!

 

 

I Need People!

I have come to the conclusion that I need people!  I realize that I was not created to live life alone…even when I ask those closest to me to leave me alone.  I want them in my life to have someone to tell to leave me alone!   This truth about me came to the forefront this past week when I began to realize a little dip in my discouragement meter.  Okay, it was more like the Royal Gorge depth on the discouragement meter.

See me down there by that rock?

See, I am right down there at the bottom by that rock.  That is how I felt this week.  It was like I was always at the bottom, looking up.  It seemed as if all factors of my life had conspired against me and ganged up on me to beat me into submission.  But just like the WWE wrestler that I have secretly always wanted to be that is seemingly down for the count, my arm didn’t quite hit the mat that third time the referee checked.  Why?  Because of what is known in the wrestling world as “outside interference”.

Outside interference is when there is a wrestling match that is taking place and one person is just getting whipped like a bad guy on an Indiana Jones movie.  At this point, the beaten wrestler’s allies come rushing into the ring and begin to clean house.  Sometimes, the other guy’s allies come rushing in and help out their friend and what ensues is just a good old fashioned, faked brawl.  I used to love it…okay, I am still in wrestling therapy sessions.  But the cool thing about this is that somedays, I feel like I am in a wrestling match and getting whipped.  One moment it is health issues or finances or schedules and the next minute it is job-related or family or car breaking down stuff.  Its moments like that when you need your teammates to come and provide a little “outside interference” for you.  Let me say this, I have some of the best friends in the world!  I am fortunate to have some people that I can call on at any time to talk about things or have them pull me, push me or slap me back in to reality when needed!  I am so glad that I have great teammates!

Its good to have teammates!

King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:12,

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

This weekend I sat and watched my daughter’s softball team play in a tournament.  There were games that got out of hand pretty quickly and we knew that we had the other team outmatched, then there were moments of doubt that crept in to our team.  One game, the semi-final game, our girls were down to a good team, 3-0.  It seemed that they were able to scatter some hits and mix in a couple of walks, but could never break through and plate a run.  Then, in the bottom of the last inning, it all came together.  Our girls strung some hits together, had some breaks go their way and wound up scoring 5 runs to win the game on a double that was hit to the fence by one of the girls who had been struggling at the plate.  What I saw and heard stuck with me.  One of the girls that running and on first base, looked at the girl batting, called her by name and said,

Come on, you can do it, we believe in you!

Our team went on to lose in the Championship game 7-4 to a good team from Waco, TX, and got the Runner’s Up Award for the tournament.

I am writing this partly to brag on our girls, but also to bring home a lesson learned at a softball tournament…we need others who will look at us and tell us they believe in us!  I know I do!  I am fortunate enough to have those people in my life who when they say it, they mean it!

Do you have those people who are in your corner?

How can you develop those relationships that you can call on when needed?

Who is in your chord of three strands?

You were designed to live life in relationships with others, I pray that you will build those relationships that God has put in your life so that you don’t find yourself staying at the bottom of the Royal Gorge of Discouragement looking up for very long!

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!

The Inner Circle

One of the areas that I am being stretched is in the area of accountability. I am kind of like DeNiro’s character on Meet the Parents…you know…the “circle of trust”.

I need people around me, who I can trust to not jump ship. I need people around me that will ask me the tough questions. I need people that I can pour out my wins and losses. What I am trying to say is this…I NEED PEOPLE!

Guess what…you do too! We were created by God to live life with others knowing us. We were meant for community.

Proverbs 13:20 says, “he that walks with the wise grows wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm.”

If you isolate yourself you are foolish and hurting yourself. But take that one step further…you are withholding from someone else that may need you…check that…someone that does need you!

Faith…the Key to the Unimaginable!

Faith requires risk and choice, but it also brings big rewards.

Author John  Ortberg’s wife arranged for a hot air balloon ride when they were out in California for their anniversary.  You can imagine the excitement and thrill of going up in a hot air balloon.  Soon they took off and as you can imagine, it was beautiful.  However, John looked down at the basket and realized that the basket only came up to the mid thigh level.  One good misstep and you could fall out.  As he realized this and all the flood of emotions he was experiencing, one emotion came to the forefront…FEAR.

Like anyone who is afraid would do in a hot air balloon, he began to get to know the pilot of the balloon who happened to be a fairly young kid.  When he began to quiz the kid about how he got into flying hot air balloons, he responded…

“Dude, I used to surf all the time ya know?”  I got so drunk one day, I was driving home and got into a wreck and my brother got hurt real bad.  He is still kind of messed up from it and all he can really do is watch hot air balloons, so…you know…I started flying…haha.

Oh, by the way, when we come down, it might get a little rough due to me never flying this particular balloon.

At that moment, Mrs. Ortberg looked at him and said, “You mean to tell me that we are a thousand feet above the ground with an unemployed surfer who got drunk, wrecked his car, injured his brother and has never flown this particular balloon before and doesn’t know how to bring it down?”

I am thankful I was not in that balloon…I would have a hard time trusting that guy piloting the balloon.  But that leads us to a larger question…

Can we trust the person piloting this Earth?

Trust requires faith, faith is related to risk, and risk is related to fear.

1.     Faith requires risking failure.

Matthew 14:24–25 “²⁴but the boat was already a considerable distance^[a] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was
against it.  ²⁵During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.”

1.  God did not design us to avoid failure.
2.  The boat is safe, but if you don’t get out of the boat, you will never walk on water.
3.  Peter steps onto the water but then starts to sink, but did he fail?
4.  Failure is the way we interpret an event.Know this:  Jonas Salk tried 200 polio vaccines before he found one that worked, but he didn’t consider
   those attempts failures.

   Winston Churchill spoke about a time he repeated a class as an “opportunity to get it right.”

So here is a different way to look at this account of Peter’s walk on water.  If Peter was a failure, then there were 11 worse failures in the boat who never risked walking on water.

Only Peter experienced the shame of public failure, but only Peter walked on the water.

2.     Faith means choosing to follow Jesus.

1. Faith requires us to make a choice to follow Jesus.
2. Following Christ is a commitment to the constant recurrence of fear.
3. To be a disciple means to grow, and growth means entering new territory.
4. Discipleship is always a choice between comfort and fear.

The other 11 disciples were “boat potatoes,” many people in church today are “pew potatoes” because they are either comfortable or afraid.

When John Ortberg started a church, he was afraid of what he would look like to others if he failed. He wanted to impress people.   Walking on water is not about impressing people, but about coming to Jesus.

3.     Faith results in remarkable things.

1.  When people get out of the boat, remarkable things, happen.

Victor Plymire…left all he had to become a missionary in the country of Tibet.  Hel took his wife and child and lived there roaming the mountains of Tibet to try to find someone to talk to about Christ.  16 years later, he had his first convert he also buried his wife and child in Tibet.  In fact, it is the site of the first Christian church in the country.

When you walk in faith and are willing to take a huge risk, when God leads you, remarkable things will happen.

Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to
him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek
him.”

My prayer for you:  God, help us to learn to hear your voice and take risks of faith in you.