God is a Southpaw

Any baseball fans out there?

Ahh yes, those lazy days of summer soon to be upon us: sitting at the ball park enjoying time with your dad, your son or a buddy. For that brief period of time while you are snacking on all manner of food and drink, that contains nothing of nutritional value but lots of good-tasting, blood thickening comfort, your troubles are miles away.

Nothing to concern yourself with but pitches, balls, strikes, stolen bases, hits, outs, runs, batting averages, player stats, and anything else of interest that is fairly non-consequential.

I have never really been into baseball. I have been to a couple of major league games, but never played the game. I have a buddy though who his entire life has secretly wanted to be a baseball commentator:

“Next up we have Jones, who has a batting average of .303, but is hitting .225 against Eduardo over their last 5 meetings. He grew up in Gainesville, Alabama, where he got his first home run against the Townsville Titans at age 7 – ohh, the pitch is high and outside. Ball one – He played center field for 3 seasons for the Gainsville Gators during elementary school – ohh, swing and a miss – then went on to play shortstop in middle school…”

You get what I mean.

I have discovered that God is into baseball. In fact, He is a pitcher – a southpaw. A southpaw is someone who pitches with his left hand. Not only is God a southpaw, He doesn’t even pitch from the pitcher’s mound.

No, He pitches from left field.

Have you ever heard that phrase, “That came right out of left field”? What it refers to is something that is completely unexpected. “I didn’t see that coming – it came right out of left field.”

It has been my experience that God can oftentimes pitch opportunities right out of left field. Completely unexpected. Seemingly unconnected to anything else that was going on. Something that could be easy to miss, or dismiss if we don’t pause to consider what is going on and ask the Lord if He is somehow behind this.

Over the years I have had numerous experiences like this where I considered a potential opportunity and was very close to dismissing it until I paused and asked the Lord if this was indeed His invitation, only to discover that it was Him “pitching out of left field”.

You may be looking at something right now – an opportunity of some sort that has presented itself. Perhaps it does not fit your paradigm or doesn’t fit into the plan that you have been implementing for years. Well, all I would suggest is that you pause and ask the Lord if He is in this. This could be something He has pitched at you right out of left field – which I happen to think is the position He loves to play.

In these circumstances we need to be still and recognize Him. Don’t necessarily compare it to what has gone on before; He could be doing something new.

Listen and let the peace of God be the umpire in your heart. In other words, when you consider this unforeseen opportunity do you have peace in your heart? If you do, it could very well be the Lord pitching out of left field again. If you don’t have peace, then it could be time to call it “out”.

All of this is simply to encourage you not to dismiss an unexpected opportunity of some sort that seemed to come out of nowhere. Pause, pray, ask the Lord if this is from Him and look for His peace.

Remember, God is a southpaw and He loves to pitch from left field – don’t miss your opportunity.

Isaiah 43:18, 19

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

Psalm 46:10

“Be still and know that I am God;”

Colossians 3:15

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”

Apr 23, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on God is a Southpaw

Why do guys do that?

“Ok, I’ll come by your house at 3:00?”

“Ahhh, sure.  No wait, come by at 3:30.”

“What’s up?”

“I have to move our washing machine.”

“Well, I’ll give you a hand.”

“No, don’t worry about it.  Cheryl and I can do it, come by at 3:30.”

I pushed a little more about helping out, but my buddy insisted that he and “Cheryl” (not her real name) could move the washing machine themselves.  When I arrived at their house his wife opened the door with a look on her face I had never seen before.  It was a combination of “I want to kill Gerry right now” (not his real name), “I can’t believe I married a man this stupid” and “I told him to let you help out, but would he listen to me? No…”

She never said a word.  She simply turned and beckoned me to follow, then pointed down the basement stairs to where their washing machine was embedded into the wall of the landing halfway down the stairs.

It didn’t take long to piece together the sequence of events:  They were moving their washing machine from the basement to the main floor.  They successfully navigated the first flight of stairs onto the landing, turned, then got halfway up the second flight of stairs when something went horribly wrong.  The washer somehow got loose and rockets down the stairs until it crashed through the wall on the landing.

My friend stood on the landing, his head hung in shame and defeat, waiting for me to say, “Why didn’t you let me help you?

Of course I said it, but then we got working on the washer, pried it out of the drywall and carried it upstairs with no further incidents.  Later on the full story came out of how he had put a chain on the washer and wrapped it around his tiny wife’s shoulder (who is literally about 4’11 and 100 pounds).  She pulled from the top while he pushed from the bottom.  She lost her grip half way up, he couldn’t hold it, and the rest is history – and would have made a fabulous photo for the “Real Men Hall of Shame”.  Sadly, no photo exists.

So, why do guys do that?  Why do we refuse to ask for help when we really need it?  And worse, why do we refuse help when it is offered, even though we could really use it?

I don’t get it – do you?  We listen to my buddy’s story and laugh at how he could have been so stupid, but we all do it.  We’ve all done things like that.  We all have stories for the “Real Men Hall of Shame.”

My point is this: for whatever reason we as men seem to find it difficult to ask for help when we need it.  Whether it’s pride, independence, foolishness, or not wanting to bother anyone – I don’t know.  The point is we do it.  However, we can choose to not be like that and ask for help.

Don’t we all love it when someone does ask us for help?  We love to somehow “come to the rescue” and help out.  When we do that it always creates a deeper connection with the friend who chose wisely and asked for assistance.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Most guys appreciate the opportunity to help out and in doing so deepen a relationship with a buddy.

Ask and you will receive.  There is no shame in asking for help.  However, there is shame, or at least mocking from your friends, in not asking and doing something stupid.

Ask for help.  Don’t find yourself in the “Real Men Hall of Shame” – though, sadly, you’ll be in good company there if you do.  We all have stories to tell…

Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”

Proverbs 15:22

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, bit with many advisers they succeed.”

Apr 15, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Why do guys do that?

Called to Public Nakedness

Click for TED Talk on Vulnerability

“What did you just say?”

His face was etched with a look of shocked disbelief.

Yup, that’s what I said: “I feel like I am called to public nakedness.”

Now, before you go too far down that road in the corridors of your imagination let me explain…

I was speaking at a men’s weekend for a church in Winnipeg. We were having a fabulous time together: the Lord was doing some great things in the lives of the men and I was really enjoying reconnecting with the church that we had been part of for the 10 years we lived in Winnipeg. I was seeing some old friends that I hadn’t seen for probably 16 years.

At meal times I had the opportunity to speak with a number of guys I had known during our time in Winnipeg. We would catch up on what the Lord was up to in our lives. I was chatting with one person during a meal and found myself uttering the infamous phrase that led to his look of shocked disbelief. I had been sharing about the men’s ministry work I have been involved in through our Band of Brothers Boot Camps and my Wholehearted Men’s ministry. That’s when I indicated that sometimes it feels like God has called me to a ministry of public nakedness.

What I meant by that is really all about vulnerability. I believe that the Lord is able to accomplish some profound work in us and through us when we are willing to be vulnerable with others: when we are willing to expose ourselves a little; when we are willing to be seen; when we do not make every attempt to cover up shortcomings, weaknesses, doubts and failures to simply share shallow glory stories that no one can really relate to – or worse, to share nothing of depth at all.

I believe that when we are vulnerable we invite others in. It’s ok not to be ok. If you want to see vulnerability, read your Bible. The failures of many of the great fathers of the faith are scandalous. That is really what grace and mercy are all about.

We don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to have everything all figured out and have it all together.

I am not saying that we should completely unveil all of our failures to everyone, but there is something very inviting about someone who is able to courageously and appropriately share an area of failure or doubt where they discovered the Lord in a profound fashion, or are still longing to discover Him.

Vulnerability opens the door to relationship. When you are vulnerable there is also a chance that you could get hurt, but that really is what relationship is all about. If we are not vulnerable and willing to trust, there can be no relationship. There can be no relating to each other.

What makes us vulnerable makes us relateable, approachable and embraceable. Vulnerability is a critical prerequisite for being wholehearted. How can we live wholeheartedly if we hide our heart? Not everyone is called to public vulnerability (nakedness), but those of us who live part of our lives publicly must be willing to be publicly vulnerable.

I believe we all benefit from choosing to be authentic and real. There is rich life when we choose to live vulnerably out of a deep sense of security in God – when we understand that our value and worth does not depend on how well we perform, but on the fact that we are beloved sons of God.

I encourage you to move forward in courageous vulnerability as you also drill deeper into the profound revelation that your value and worth is not based on how well you perform or how much you accomplish, but on the rock solid fact that you are a beloved son of your heavenly father.

Vulnerability is an opportunity for us to meaningfully connect with others and experience the power of God’s grace and love in a very authentic and real fashion.

I John 1:7

“If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His son, purifies us from all sin.”

Galatians 4:4-7

“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”

Mar 25, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Called to Public Nakedness

Of Pallets and Power Saws

“Hey Dave, try it like this…”

And with that, our capable leader grabbed one of the top boards of my pallet, turned it like a propeller on an airplane and twisted the board right off – with the nails left in the frame of the pallet no less.

Wow. I had been diddling away at this with my wonder bar and hammer to try to pry the plank off, and he did it in one clean action.

Let me explain…

Our pastor wanted to create a masculine back drop for our church stage by building it out of reclaimed pallets. He saw the idea online – it looks very cool. So, he put the word out to the men in the church to come to the church building Saturday morning to pull apart 100 pallets to get the wood we need to build the structure the next week.

It was quite ingenious the way we pulled these pallets apart: a couple of guys had circular saws and simply sawed off both ends of the planks of pallets on the top side, and the bottom side. These pallets were now only held together by the center frame. Six, six inch by ½ inch planks, 3 feet long, on the top side and the bottom side, nailed onto the center frame with two nails in each plank. If you grabbed each end of a plank and twisted it like a propeller it would typically pull right off the frame.

The method I was initially using with my hammer and wonder bar was slow, and I was cracking and splitting boards. Then along came our fearless leader to show me the way.

Ahhh yes, the male work bee for the church…what a great time to connect with other guys, have some fun, do some good, and flex or pull a few muscles.

Have you ever been to a guys’ work day with your church? It is always an interesting study. Some men are truly in their element – great handy men with all the tools, in their glory. Other guys, perhaps more like me, are not really in our glory but we are giving it our best shot. I think we are called “grunts” – we get the unskilled grunt jobs. Which is fine, because we all contribute.

However, you definitely don’t want to look bad at a men’s work day. You don’t want to be the guy who gets hurt, the guy who is an accident looking for a place to happen breaking things or hurting other people, or the lazy guy who just likes to “fellowship” and watch. But even if you are one of those guys, you end up being the butt of some good-natured poking, which is simply how guys bond.

It really is profound to see what men can accomplish when we work together. As I watched (while I worked) and saw the focus with which the men cut, pried, hammered, power-washed and packed those pallets, I was amazed. It is powerful to see men working together toward a common goal. And, it is even more powerful to be part of it. It really felt good to work hard alongside a brother until the job was done – when we were all tired, dirty, sore, satisfied and chowing down on “spud nuts”.

Man, I would like to see more of that. More men working hard together in unity toward a worthy goal – whatever that goal is. We are made to work and walk together for the greater good. I would encourage you this week to consider what that may look like in your life. Resist the propensity to live in isolation. Ask the Lord to help you see how you can work and walk with other men for the benefit of others.

Of pallets, power saws and profound change – I believe the Lord is in the midst of men working together for the greater good, working right along with us. And there is something so satisfying about that.

Psalm 133:1,3a

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!…for there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life evermore.”

Colossians 3:23

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,”

 Galatians 6:9,10

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Mar 17, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Of Pallets and Power Saws

Help Me To See

I can’t believe they are talking.

Here I was in the middle of my presentation and there are two guys whispering to each other during one of the video clips.  And then I began to notice a pattern…they talked during every video clip.  The nerve of the guys.  Don’t they know these are powerful and profound videos specifically chosen to illustrate a truth that can change their lives?

I began to look out into the darkened room to see if I could identity the culprits.  There they were, right in the front row – right under my nose.  As it turned out, it was really only one guy who did all the talking during the clips.  After a few clips the reality of the situation began to dawn on me.  One of the men was blind and the other man was describing the video clips to him.

Wow, what a beautiful picture.

One man couldn’t see what was going on and the other one could, so in an effort to help his friend “see” the bigger picture he was ardently describing the visuals.  I was really overwhelmed by how profound this picture was.  What a great illustration of friendship.

I think that is what true friends do – they help us see what we may not be able to.  They don’t tell us what we want to hear.  They don’t tell us untruths.  They help us to see that which we cannot.  When we are stuck and need help to get a grip on what is going on, good friends will come alongside and tell us what they can see from their perspective, and hopefully that perspective is based in truth – God’s perspective.

It is interesting reading the story of Job.  His friends came alongside him alright, but they did not help him see God’s perspective.  God then chastised them for not doing so.

If we go back to the story of my two new friends, it would have done no good for the man who was blind to have his friend describe something that did not accurately depict the video.  It would not have helped him for his friend to describe a picture that he figured his friend wanted to see, he needed to describe the truth of what was going on.

Do you every find yourself in the situation where you have a friend who can’t really see things that clearly?  He may be discouraged, disoriented, hopeless, or he may even be in error – he may be believing something that is not true.  Your friend may even think that he is seeing things clearly – he might not realize that he is blind.  One of your tasks may be to help him see that he isn’t seeing things clearly.

We all need friends who will speak the truth to us to help us see more clearly.  And, we all need to be that kind of friend to others.  Don’t be that guy who simply tells someone what they want to hear.  I know I have greatly appreciated the men in my life who tell me the truth even when it hurts – they have risked my wrath to confront me with the truth.  Your friend may not appreciate you telling them the truth, but you can wrap it in love and offer it to them, then encourage them to pray Bartimaeus’ prayer, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me – I am a blind man and I want to see.”

Remember the picture of my two friends and ask the Lord who he wants you to help see the bigger story.  Simply share the Truth and ask the Lord to open the eyes of their hearts; then encourage them to pray Bartimaeus’ prayer.

What a precious gift to have a friend who will help us to see – and you can be that friend.

Job 42:7

“After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘I am angry with you and your two friends because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.’”

Proverbs 27:6

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

Ephesians 1:18,19

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe…”

Mar 12, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Help Me To See

What do You Want?

It was our first real home as a married couple – if you don’t count the room we had at bible school.  The house was built in 1916 and the main floor was all ours.  Tucked into a cozy little neighbourhood in Winnipeg we did the best we could to make this suite a home.  We didn’t have much money so our furnishings were sparse.  A discarded set of kitchen cabinets I found in the alley became our bookshelf.  A 5’x5’ piece of carpet I once again found in the alley became our area rug.  A borrowed kitchen set, a purchased used sectional.  The only new piece of furniture we bought was our bed.  We used the two tea chests from our move to Winnipeg as end tables, and used my desk from university as a dresser.

We didn’t have much, but we loved the fact that this was our first home together.  We decided we were not going to have a TV.  We didn’t want that distraction.  So, for the first couple of years in our marriage we didn’t have a TV.

We began working with the youth in the church and I always liked to use movie clips to illustrate the message I was giving.  It became a hassle to borrow a TV and VCR each week, so Anne and I began talking about buying a TV and a “video cassette recorder” – that’s what a VCR is for all you young guys out there.

So, I prayed, “Lord, should we get a TV and VCR?”

His answer surprised me.

“What do you want to do?”

What?  What do you mean ‘what do I want to do’?  I thought it didn’t matter what I wanted?  I thought all that mattered is what God wants?  Why is the Lord doing asking me what I want?  – it’s irrelevant.

Ahhhh, but that is where I was wrong.  As I worked through this with the Lord he began to show me that He actually puts desires in our hearts.  He puts longings and desires in our hearts that lead us to Him and His purposes in our lives.  We cannot shut our hearts down and pay no attention to the desires that reside there.

Sure, we have to be aware that desires can come from 4 places:

1. The Lord
2. The flesh
3. The world
4. The enemy

However, in an attempt to not be influenced by our flesh, the enemy and the world we have a tendency to totally shut out desire and completely miss what the Lord has put there.  We tend to pray, “What should I do Lord?” as opposed to, “What do I want Lord?”.

We need to ask the Lord to help us open up our hearts to see the desires that He has put there and then walk with Him in the outworking of those desires.

The first question Jesus asked as recorded in scripture is found in John 1:38.  When two of John’s disciples began to follow behind Jesus he turned to them and asked, “What do you want?”

When blind Bartimaeus was brought to Jesus, He once again asked the same question, “What do you want me to do for you?

Don’t be afraid to take a look into your heart and ask what you really want.  Sure, there may be desires in there from the world, your flesh and the enemy, but the Lord can help you discern through those to discover the treasure of the desires He has deposited in you that help lead you to His heart for you and what He wants to do through you.

In discovering what you really want – the desires the Lord has put in your heart – you will discover His heart for you and His heart through you in a way that is a delight to you – it’s what you really want.

So, what do you want?

Psalm 37:4

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Mark 10:51

“’What do you want me to do for you?’  Jesus asked him.”

John 1:38

“’Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?’”

Mar 05, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on What do You Want?

The Who’s Who of Mentoring

There is a lot of talk lately about “mentoring”.  The concept of mentoring isn’t actually found in scripture though.  However, being a disciple, discipling and discipleship is.  Being a disciple is simply being a “follower”, a “learner”.  In ancient times scholars would gather around themselves groups of people who were their “disciples” – learners and followers.

I believe in the concept of mentoring in the sense that there are people who have, or have had, a significant influence in my life and have helped make me who I am.  I am not their “disciple”, I am a disciple of Jesus, but they have played a significant role in my life.  Conversely, I hope that there are some people whose lives I have contributed to in a way that has impacted who they are and how they live.  I am very grateful for the men who have mentored me – sometimes with them not even knowing it.

Three men have had very significant influence in my life and have been used by God to change who I am.  My brother I have a very close relationship with, but with the other two men I do not.    They may know who I am, but I don’t even know if they would take my call if I phoned them. However, the Lord has used them greatly to influence who I am as a man.  They have mentored me from afar.

We often hear about a shortage of mentors in the body of Christ.  How men cannot really find mentors to provide input into their lives.  That may very well be the case, but I want to balance that perspective a bit.  I think the key to being mentored is a true hunger and thirst in the heart of the “Mentee”.   If you are a true “learner” you can be mentored by people that you may not really know well.  Sure, we would all love to be approached by a wise, all-knowing, Godly Gandolf who has nothing but time on his hands to pour into our hearts and mentor/father/disciple us in all areas of life.  But the reality is, that really isn’t a reality.

However, if you are truly hungry, if you are truly thirsty, if you are truly a learner and seek out wisdom, knowledge, understanding and discernment, there are men around by whom you can be mentored – and that you may have the pleasure of actually meeting one day.  The key to being mentored is to be a “mentee”.  The key to being discipled is to be a disciple.  The key to being fathered is to be a son.  The key to being fed is to be hungry.  The key to drinking in life is to be thirsty.

I personally feel very uncomfortable around men who are actively seeking out other men they can mentor.  That can certainly be my own baggage, but to me it can very easily become about the mentor and him feeling significant and important.  I think the best kind of mentor is a reluctant mentor – one who isn’t looking for followers, but is willing to pour his heart into hungry, thirsty men who approach him wanting to learn.

To me a mentor is someone who is walking with Jesus in the glory God has given him, giving it away to others, and if some people press in for more input he, as best he knows how, gives away what God has given him.  He is not looking for followers, but freely gives away what God has given him.

The key to being mentored is to choose to be a learner. Choose to seek out input and gather wisdom from men around you.  When you find a man whose life message resonates with you, keep pressing in and drinking in what the Lord is pouring out through his life.  If you are hungry and thirsty to grow, the Lord will bring people into your life who will be divine ushers for you into more of God’s heart in you and through you.

The key to being mentored is to be a mentee.  Stay thirsty my friends.

Matthew 5:6

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Romans 8:1-36

“Does not wisdom call out?  Does not understanding raise her voice?  At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; …beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it… I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me…For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.  But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.”

Jeremiah 29:13

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you declares the Lord.”

Feb 25, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on The Who’s Who of Mentoring

4 Causes of a Heart Attack

Do you know anyone who has had a heart attack?  Have you ever had a heart attack?

Not fun.

Heart attacks seem to sneak up on people and…bang, you’re down.  As you know from previous “How’s The Viz?”, my mother died of a heart attack when I was a boy.  I have inherited her condition and would be dead of a heart attack if not for a wonderful drug called Crestor.

Heart attacks don’t really “sneak up” on people though.  Sure they catch people by surprise, but what ultimately causes the heart attack takes a while to build up – they tend to happen after years of neglect.

In most cases, heart attacks are caused by the build-up of “plaque” in arteries.  Likewise, in our non-physical hearts, in the depths of our being, there can be “P.L.A.C.” build-up in our spiritual arteries that causes a heart attack.

What is the “P.L.A.C.” that causes a heart attack? What are those things that cause our hearts to more slowly die?  I recognize that there can be extremely traumatic wounding that suddenly impacts people’s hearts, but I want to address the slow decay and death of our heart.  To a certain degree what Albert Schweitzer was referring to when he said,

“The real tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he yet still lives.”

“P.L.A.C.” represents Pride, Laziness, Apathy and Complacency:

Pride:  Scripture tells us that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Our pride causes us to refuse to repent, to come to God and ask for help.  We refuse to surrender ourselves to Him and His Truth.  We refuse to recognize our need and seek input from others, or receive other people’s perspective.  We may assert that we don’t really need any help because there are really no issues to deal with.

Laziness:  We may recognize our need and ask for help, but not be willing to put the work in to move into greater faith, hope, strength, healing, etc.  We are in the grip of passivity.  We must work out our salvation – we must “appropriate” all that Jesus purchased for us, that we received by His grace.  It takes work to discipline ourselves to meditate on the truth, to spend time in prayer and solitude, to worship, to study, to walk in discipleship and restoration with others, to apply what we are taught.

Apathy: Apathy is the “absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement, and the lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting”.  Apathy hamstrings our passion.  We must choose to engage and choose to care.  Sure, sometimes our emotions can feel very dead, but we can still wield our will well and choose to walk in openness and vulnerability, choose to take action, choose to worship when our hearts feels dead, choose to be with others who carry a passion that we want to carry.

Complacency:  Complacency is “a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; a self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation or condition”.  Scripture tells us that the complacency of fools will be their destruction.  Complacency says that things are “good enough”, and all the while we are dying inside.  There is often pride wrapped up in complacency because we can think we are “right”, or “good” and all the while oblivious to our spiritual or emotional bankruptcy.

Let us choose to combat the “P.L.A.C.” in our lives that ultimately kills our hearts.  Stop the slow decay and death of your heart by choosing humility, working out your salvation, choosing to care, and choosing to live in humility and openness to combat a self-satisfaction and lack of awareness of the issues in you that others can see so clearly.

Remove the “P.L.A.C.” in your spiritual arteries so the life of Christ can freely flow in and through you.

I Peter 5:5-6

“…All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may life you up in due time.”

Proverbs 24:33, 34

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.”

Psalm 42:5

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Proverbs 1:32

“For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them”

Feb 22, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on 4 Causes of a Heart Attack

How to See Beyond Your Blind Spots

How many different vehicles have you driven? Lots I’m sure.

We all know that with every vehicle there are blind spots – those parts of the vehicle that impede your vision. We know that before we change lanes, or turn, or park, or do anything other than simply stand still, we need to look from a number of perspectives to ensure we see beyond our blind spot and don’t have an accident.

People are like cars in that sense: we all have blind spots. There are things about us and about many, many areas of life that we don’t see as clearly as other people may see. In order to see beyond our own blind spots we need input from others.

I had a profound lesson in that this week.

I recently finished the first draft of my first book. It is awesome. It’s a world changer. It’s definitely a best seller. At least, that’s how I perceived it in my own mind. However, knowing that I have a tendency to fall in love with my own ideas I decided to send the draft to some friends and family to give me feedback. I was certainly hoping to hear glowing feedback, but really wanted to hear what I could do to make it better.

Thankfully I have friends and family who care enough to tell me the truth. What they told me was really tough to hear. Basically as it stands, my book is a fail. I missed it. I did not accomplish what I wanted to accomplish. I won’t go into the details of the book’s content or of the feedback, but needless to say, I have lots of work to do to get this book where I want it to be.

I learned a valuable lesson from this experience. Seeing beyond our own blind spots requires two critical traits – vulnerability and humility.

First of all we need to be vulnerable and offer what we have created to others for input. That could be a book, an article, a song, a poem, a strategic plan, a marketing campaign, an ad, a speech – anything that we have created. That is an intimidating process; it can be difficult not to take the feedback personally. Some people may be gracious in their comments, other could be…not so gracious. There is definitely a significant element of vulnerability involved, because you can get rejected, discouraged, and hurt.

Secondly, we must then choose humility and learn from others. Humility is recognizing that we don’t have all the answers. There is more that we don’t know than we know. We must choose to be teachable. We must choose not to take the feedback personally and get offended or angry. We must choose to believe that others can see beyond our blind spots to things we need to see in order to grow.

If I do that with my book, I can work through the feedback and learn from others to ultimately make my book something people will want to read.

In our lives and in our leadership we must choose vulnerability and humility in order to see beyond our blind spots. If we do not choose to do this we will go through life with limited visibility and not have the impact that we could have, that we truly want to have. In addition, we can cause a lot of “accidents”, because we are not sensitive to or aware of the impact we have on others.

Not only do we need to choose vulnerability and humility toward others, but to the Lord as well. We need to surrender our limitations to Him and ask Him to help us see – to open the eyes of our hearts.

You have a great deal to offer this world, which will only increase as you choose vulnerability and humility to learn from others and ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart. The people in your life and this world of ours need what you have to offer. What you have to give will become better and better as you vulnerably offer what you have, then humbly receive input from others to make what you are offering more than it ever could have been otherwise.

See beyond your blinds spots by choosing vulnerability and humility. We need what you have to offer.

Ephesians 5:21

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

II Peter 5:6

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”

Ephesians 1:18-19

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

Feb 18, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on How to See Beyond Your Blind Spots

Are you a liar like Lance?

We’ve all caught at least some of the news lately about Lance Armstrong.  If you don’t know what’s going on, simply Google Lance Armstrong and you will see what everyone seems to be talking about.  In a nut shell, Lance Armstrong one of (if not the) greatest cyclists in the world – 7 time Tour de France Champion – has finally confessed to taking performance enhancing drugs.  He has consistently denied allegations of drug use for over 10 years.

So, if you had to pick one word to describe Lance, what would it be?  Liar?  Cheat?  Deceiver?  Phony?  Failure?  Fraud?

A few years ago what one word would you have used to describe Lance?  Champion?  Overcomer?  Courageous?  Dedicated?  Hero?

His world has collapsed, his empire has crumbled, his reputation is not only damaged, it is completely destroyed.

Did you see his “confession” on Oprah?  He was fairly matter-of-fact about it all.  The critical thing that seemed to be missing was “contrition” – “sincere regret or remorse for one’s wrong doing.”  I didn’t get the feeling that he was truly sorry – maybe he is, but it didn’t come across in the interview.

There is massive anger being expressed in the media about how he deceived fans, supporters, donors, sponsors, the industry and the general public for many, many years.  And, he attacked and bullied those who attempted to get the truth out.  You have to say one thing about him, he was definitely committed to living a lie.  Go hard, or go home.

What he did is completely and utterly wrong – full stop.  But is he that different from you and me?

Have you ever lied?  You don’t need to answer that – of course you have, we all have.  Have you ever lied to yourself?  Of course you have.  How long have you been living a lie?  I would bet dollars to donuts that you have been living a lie – or lies – for decades:  Lies like, “You can’t really trust God to be good.”  “You really have nothing to offer.”  “You really don’t need anyone.”  “No one really wants you around.”  “You can’t really count on anyone.”  “This is as good as it gets, you can’t hope for anything better than this.”, etc., etc., etc.

I could go on and on because our enemy is the father of lies.  That is all he does.  And when we believe his lies over the Truth of God we have made an agreement with those lies and are committed to living them.

Should we condone lying?  No.  Should we be shocked to learn that people lie?  No.  What is appalling about Lance is the depth of his commitment to the lies.

But then again, are we any different?  How committed have we been to the lies we have believed about ourselves, our loved ones and our God?

God forgive us.  We are not that much different than Lance.  Help us to walk in truth and integrity of heart.  May we be more committed to living the truth than living a lie.  Would you help us to root out the lies we have believed and be wholeheartedly committed to the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth – so help us God.

And Lord, please help Lance.

Psalm 34:12, 13

“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.”

Ephesians 4:25

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”

Isaiah 66:2b

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

Jan 21, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Are you a liar like Lance?

A Lesson from Bobby Hull

Do you think humility is a powerful leadership trait?

Click for Bobby Hull video

I know many people would say “no”.

Leaders need to be bold, strong, assertive, decisive, confident, wise, determined, etc. “Humble” probably wouldn’t fit the most frequent responses to a Family Feud survey question.

“Top 5 responses to ‘What are the most important traits of a leader?’ Survey says…”

Not likely “humility”.

In this age of social media and reality TV shows where it seems that countless numbers of people are attempting to stand out and tell the world how special they are, humility is not often demonstrated, lauded nor sought after.

In a hyper-competitive world where career advancement can rest on your ability to promote yourself to your superiors and convince them of your greatness, humility is not often promotable.

Perhaps we need to define humility. Humility is having a modest opinion of your own importance. Not thinking too much of yourself.

I had the privilege and pleasure, during my tenure in marketing in the NHL, to spend time with Bobby Hull. During the 60’s and 70’s Bobby Hull was one of the greatest hockey players in the NHL, and subsequently the WHA, and is considered the greatest left winger to ever play the game. He was the first player to sign a million dollar contract – an absurd amount of money at the time. He played for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets. His statue still stands at the front of the United Center in Chicago.

One night when out for dinner with Bobby he recited this poem:

 There is No Indispensable Man (by Saxon White Kessinger)

 Sometime when you’re feeling important; Sometime when your ego ‘s in bloom;

 Take a bucket and fill it with water, Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out and the hole that’s remaining, Is a measure of how much you’ll be missed.
You can splash all you wish when you enter, You may stir up the water galore,
But stop, and you’ll find that in no time,  It looks quite the same as before.

The moral of this quaint example,  Is to do just the best that you can,
Be proud of yourself but remember,  There’s no indispensable man.

 Here was one of the greatest players to every play the game of hockey telling me that no one is indispensable. That’s humility. He did not have an overinflated opinion of himself.

I believe that humility is one of the greatest qualities a man can possess. Are we not drawn to great people who are humble?

When people of power and influence indicate genuine gratitude to others who have helped them, or share weaknesses that we can all associate with, are we not drawn to them even more? When struggle or failure is not covered up, but freely admitted as a critical aspect of the journey to someone’s triumph and greatness – are we not ingratiated to them all the more?

Humility is also a recognition that you do not have all the answers. A humble person recognizes that there is more they don’t know than they know, and are, therefore, teachable and able to learn even more. Humble leaders recognize the contribution of others and express genuine gratitude to those in their care.

Humility is absolutely critical for a Jesus follower. Jesus, God made man, demonstrated unfathomable humility by taking on the form of man to die on a cross. Scripture is very clear about humility; it is the chief quality of a Godly man. God actually opposes the proud. Pride disqualifies us from the grace of God because a proud man cannot get low and repent.  Humility is the beginning of the grace of God in our lives and the very spirit of God residing in us.

Humility is not equivalent to weakness and timidity. No, it is a true estimate of who we are, and more importantly perhaps, who we are not.

Get low. The lowly one is home for the Holy One.

Isaiah 66:2b

“These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”

I Peter 5:5b, 6

“All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

Philippians 2:5-8

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!”

Jan 14, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on A Lesson from Bobby Hull

Dance Like Nobody’s Watching

Click for Crazy Video

We have all heard the saying, “Dance like nobody is watching.”  It may resonate a little more with women because they seem to have a natural desire to dance, but I think most men understand the essence of the expression.

Go for it man!  Don’t hold anything back!  Who cares what anybody thinks?!  Let loose!

We can certainly appreciate the commitment behind the adage.  And, I believe we respect the amount of courage it takes to “Dance like nobody is watching.”; the courage that drives a man to disregard his concern for what people think and do what he has determined in his heart to do.  That is a rare quality in a man.  A man like that can change the course of history – or at least change the lives of the people who know him.

This week I saw a video online of a young woman who videoed herself literally dancing like nobody was watching.  Here is the story behind her video:  she did not get to go home for Christmas and was feeling pretty bummed out.  So, she came up with an idea to get her out of her feelings of self-pity.  She went down to the airport to see people who clearly had the opportunity to travel and be with family over Christmas.  She put on her I-Pod ear buds, cranked up a dancing tune and then started to dance with reckless abandon.

Wow, you have to see this to believe it.  Click on the photo to watch this video.

Look at her go for it.  She is really letting it all out.  What is incredible is the lack of response from any of the people at the baggage carousel – they ignore her.  Even when she is crawling on the floor and reaching out to a passerby he completely ignores her.  Crazy.

I wonder what we would have done if we were there?  Would we have caved into the public peer pressure and ignored her too.  I hope we would have watched, cheered her on, and congratulated her for her courage and commitment.  Keep in mind, no one else could hear the music – it was only on her I-Pod.

Remember what Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those could not hear the music.”

I want to live like that.  I want to wholeheartedly live life for an audience of one – recklessly abandoned to His leading.  I want to be free from the fear of man.  Free from being overly concerned about what people think of me and do what I believe is right – do what I believe the Lord is leading me in.  However, if I truly live like that, if we truly live like that, we need to be willing for some people to think we are insane.  Sure, some may cheer us on and respect our courage and commitment, but the majority may very well think we have lost it because we are not like everyone else.

I am sure you are aware that there is always an unspoken pressure to be like everyone else – be ordinary.  When we choose to be extraordinary there is always pressure from the crowd to rein it in, to stop thinking you are someone special and just be like everyone else.  In fact, I learned a long time ago that the road to our greatest achievements is lined with spectators telling us why it can’t be done.

That largely unspoken pressure to conform, to be like everyone else, is the fear of man.  What will people think if you do that?  But, what will God think if you don’t?  Our fear of God must be greater than our fear of man or we will never apprehend that for which he has apprehended us.  Be a God pleaser, not a man pleaser.

So my brothers, dance like nobody’s watching.  Worship like nobody’s watching.  Obey like nobody’s watching.  Serve like nobody’s watching.  Surrender like nobody’s watching.  Give like nobody’s watching.  Live with a reckless abandon – wholeheartedly walking with Jesus in this epic adventure called life.

Kick the fear of man in the head as you wholeheartedly walk, run and dance with Jesus – like nobody’ watching.

Yeah!

Acts 4:18-20

“Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.””

Psalm 119:80

“May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.”

Jan 07, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Dance Like Nobody’s Watching

Ripped in Two

The waves were crashing over the bow of the boat as it dived into the trough of each oncoming swell. The spray, propelled by the 30 knot winds, showered captain and crew at the stern of the 36′ Catamaran. The force of the wind was exhilarating, the speed of the boat energizing and the pounding of the waves intimidating.  This was the first real wind we had experienced on our sailing and snorkeling adventure – and a very real wind it was.

What a rush.

As we were careening through the waves the captain asked me to hustle along the starboard side of the boat, the leeward side, and use the hand crank winch to tighten up the Genoa. So there I was on the low side of the boat, directly underneath the boom and mainsail, hanging on for dear life cranking in the Genoa to get a little more speed out of the boat.

And then it happened…

As I am cranking on the winch there is a sudden and very violent cracking sound – which I immediately perceived to be the boom breaking. I fully expected to be smashed in the head and knocked overboard so I instinctively drop down and brace myself for a hit. No hit. I look up and see the source of the violent crack. The mainsail had ripped in two from side to side. This was no small, incremental tearing. No, this was a violent, sudden tearing in two. It only added to the exhilaration of the moment.

As I got back into the cockpit of the boat, and let my racing heart begin to slow its pace I reflected on the moment: I remembered in scripture when it talked about the veil in the temple which separated the Holy of Holies – which barred sinful man from intimate communion with Holy God – was supernaturally ripped in two at Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus death had removed the barrier of sin and ushered in a new era of relationship with our Heavenly Father. The violence with which our sail had torn was probably only a dim reflection of the violence with which God tore the curtain dividing Him from His children.

Jesus declared, “It is finished.” He has paid the price and made a way for mankind to be in rich relationship with our Father. We can wholeheartedly partner with God in His epic adventure of the Kingdom. The exhilaration I experienced on the sail boat being driven by moderate gale force winds through the tempestuous Belizean seas is only a mere breath of the adventure God has prepared for His children. He invites us to join Him.

The veil that kept you from connecting with God and knowing the transformational love of your Heavenly Father has been removed by the work of Jesus. You do not need to sit on the sidelines. You do not need to feel disqualified. You do not need to believe that somehow you cannot enter into a rich relationship with God. You can fully experience the life and love that God has prepared for you, and prepared you for. Jesus has made a way.

Jesus’ death and resurrection has made a way for you to step free from the sin that entangles you and the strategy of the enemy that opposes you. We can have confidence to walk in relationship with God. Let’s choose to draw near to Him with full assurance that the blood of Christ has set us free and made a way for us to join God in the epic adventure called life with Him.

As we head into 2013 let’s resolve to boldly and confidently walk in relationship with God.  What has separated us has been ripped in two – Jesus has made the way for us to wholeheartedly partner with God in the epic adventure of the Kingdom of God in us and through us.

Let’s do it.

Matthew 27:51

“At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces.” (The Message)

Hebrews 10:19-24

“So, friends, we can now-without hesitation-walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body. So let’s do it-full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.” (The Message)

Dec 28, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Ripped in Two

Wishing You a Gladiator Christmas

Click for Movie Clip

The General who became a slave.  The Slave who became a gladiator.  The Gladiator who defied an empire.

I love the Christmas story!

No, I have not lost my mind.  I know, that doesn’t sound like the Christmas story that we typically hear.  Sadly, because the Christmas story that we typically hear is not really that accurate.

Christmas is the story of a divine rescue mission; the launching of a revolution; an act of war.  Jesus invaded to set mankind free from the curse know as sin and the enemy’s kingdom of darkness.  He came to introduce a new “empire” that he called the Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom of God is simply God’s rule, God’s government, God’s heart and life for His people – the life for which God created us.

The General of the Hosts of Heaven, God himself, became a baby, the humblest form of mankind.  He grew to become a warrior, the Mighty God, to announce the day of vengeance of God against the kingdom of darkness.  He defied the empire of the enemy of our souls to set us free from the chains of sin, death and the enemy.

And what was the nature of this new “Empire” Jesus came announcing and demonstrating?

Isaiah 61:1-3

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

Mankind had been bound by the chains of sin since Genesis 3:6.  We had been alienated from our Heavenly Father.  We needed rescuing badly.  Jesus came to set us free from the power of the enemy so that we can live the life that God has for us.  No more do we need to be bullied by the enemy of our souls who wants to steal, kill and destroy all that God has for us.  Jesus came to bring us life – abundantly.

The enemy was so incensed by this divine rescue mission that he used Herod to commit genocide by killing all the boys 2 years of age and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity.  It’s beautiful to know that Jesus came to announce peace and goodwill as the savior of mankind, but it was because mankind was in bondage to sin and Satan; we had – and have – a very real enemy.  Jesus came as the Mighty God to settle the score with the enemy and break us out of the prison of sin we were trapped in.

And He did just that.  We have been set free by Jesus’ death and resurrection.  We are alive and no longer beholden to the enemy of our souls.  We can now live in freedom and life.  However, the enemy will contest his defeat to find out if we have truly appropriated all the life, hope, strength and Truth Jesus purchased for us through His divine rescue mission and the launching of the revolution known as the Kingdom of God.

So, I am wishing you a great Gladiator Christmas.  May you remember and marinate in all that Jesus (our Glorious Gladiator) purchased for you in His divine rescue mission when the General became a slave, the slave became a gladiator and the gladiator defied an empire.

Merry Christmas!

Isaiah 9:6

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

John 10:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Colossians 1:13,14

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Dec 20, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Wishing You a Gladiator Christmas

Faith like Indiana Jones

Do you remember the scene?  It still sticks vividly in my mind as a great depiction of faith.

Click for Movie Clip

Indiana Jones’ father is dying of a gunshot wound inside a cavern near where the coveted Holy Grail is hidden.   He was shot by the evil Nazi who wanted to force Indie to make the final leg of the hazardous journey to find the grail.  Only the Grail could provide the living water to save his father, but it would also provide the well-armed Nazi with the prize he had been pursuing for years.  Indiana did not want to provide the Nazi with the Grail, but his overriding desire was to save his father.  The only hope was to get the Grail.

Indiana moves on in search of the Grail only to find himself at the end of a long rock tunnel on the edge of a very deep and very wide chasm.  The instructions in his journal indicate that his journey must continue with a leap from the Lion’s head, under which he is now standing.  It’s impossible – nobody can leap the distance to the other side.  The screams of his father’s slow death prod him on to consider the impossible.  He resigns himself to believe that somehow this is a necessary leap of faith.  All-the-while, his dying father is muttering to himself, “You must believe.”

Indie resigns himself to disregard his common sense and choose an uncommon sense – faith.  He chose to disregard what his eyes could see, and see instead with the eyes of his heart.  He chose to see with eyes that did not look at what is, but what could be.  He knew that without some degree of extraordinary courage, he could not step beyond the ordinary into the extraordinary – from what is seen to the unseen.  From what is, to what could be.  From the visible, into the invisible.  From the natural, into the supernatural.

Do you remember what happens next?

He steps out into thin air.  He steps off of his secure footing in the solid rock tunnel into the nothingness of the chasm.  He would either fall to his death, or experience something supernatural.  And low and behold, miraculously, a solid rock bridge supernaturally appears for him to walk over to the other side where the treasure of the Holy Grail is found.

Wow, what a great picture of how we are called to walk with Jesus.

Jesus invites us to step out into the unseen with Him.  No road map.  No guarantees that everything is going to be easy and fun.  No guarantees for health and wealth.  However, He does promise that He will be with us.  He does promise that He will provide for all our needs.  He does promise that nothing can separate us from His love.

We are told that it is impossible to please God without faith.  To live by faith demands courage, because many times – like Indiana Jones – we have to step out into something for which we know not how it ends.  What we do know is that He is with us; He loves us; and that He will provide for all our needs.  Our faith is in who He is, not in what we think he is going to do.  Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.

On many occasions I have found myself at what feels like the end of comfortable solid ground being prodded by the Lord to step out into “nothingness”.  Every time I have stepped out He has met me – not always in the way that I wanted, expected or demanded, but always the way I needed.  And now He is doing it again in my life.  I will tell you more about that later…

How is the Lord inviting you to step out?  What is the chasm you are looking at wondering how an earth you are going to get over?  Begin to look through the eyes of faith in who Jesus has promised to be to you in the midst of uncertainty.  Without faith it is impossible to walk with Him where He is leading you.  Choose to trust in who has promised to be to you, not in what you expect Him to do for you.

Lord, help us to have faith like Indiana Jones.

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

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.”

Hebrews 13:5

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?””

Philippians 4:19

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Dec 15, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Faith like Indiana Jones

Rocky’s Life Philosophy

Click for Rocky Speech

December 10, 2012

I read a great quote today:

“You can determine the caliber of a man by the amount of opposition it takes to discourage him.”

Life can be discouraging sometimes can’t it?  How much does it take to discourage you?

I learned a long time ago that there are some men you want to go into battle with, and there are some you don’t.  Some men can take the hits – the opposition – and keep going.  Others seem to fold at the first sign of resistance.  I want to be the kind of man who continues to move forward in the face of opposition.  I want to be the kind of man who doesn’t get discouraged, who doesn’t lose heart when the going gets tough.

A high caliber man does not get discouraged in the face of opposition.  It’s been said that you know you are over the target when you are getting shot at.  So, if you feel some opposition coming against you, it may be because you are right where you need to be and are about to step into greater significance.

When I read this quote I couldn’t help but think of the movie Rocky Balboa.  It’s the story of an aging boxer – Rocky Balboa – who has been out of the ring for a long time.  He spends his days in his restaurant telling stories of his “glory days”.  A series of fortunate events leads to an opportunity for him to step back into the ring for an exhibition against the reigning world heavyweight champion.  Because he has an aching feeling that there is “something left in the basement” of his soul that he needs to get out, he accepts the challenge.  His son, who has resented living in his father’s shadow, is embarrassed by this latest turn of events, decides to confront his dad and ask him not to do the fight, because of the further embarrassment he is going to have to deal with because of it.

One of the best parts of the movie is their discussion in an alley outside of Rocky’s restaurant when Rocky gives his son this life philosophy:

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointin’ fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!”

So, when you start taking some hits in life do you keep going, or do you quit?  Do you move forward, or do you move out?  Do you dig deep, or do you drop out?  Do you take heart or lose heart?

How do we keep from getting discouraged?  I think it all depends on where our hope is set.

Is your hope set on Jesus, or on your own strength and circumstance?  Do you have God confidence or just self-confidence?  We must choose to live with our hope set on the immoveable rock of Jesus – all other ground is sinking sand.  We must focus on the truth of who he is and the truth of who he says we are.

And, we must choose to persevere in the midst of tough stuff.  Don’t pretend it’s not tough.  Don’t pretend everything is alright.  Be open and honest about the difficulty, but keep going.  Like Nemo and Dori – “…just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”  Persevering is a choice, not a gift or an ability – it’s a choice to keep going, to keep showing up.  Sometimes the key to success is simply continuing to show up.

And you can do that.

Hebrews 10:35

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Philippians 9:19

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Dec 10, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Rocky’s Life Philosophy

Howzaviz? – Are You On Fire?

November 27, 2012

Outside the leaves had fallen, the mountain tops were frosted with a dusting of snow and a winter chill was in the air. Inside my wife and I were sitting in the living room tucked into comfy chairs reading books with a crackling fire in the fireplace, and a little Van Morrison playing quietly in the background.

What a great way to spend the late afternoon. We live in an older home with 2 wood burning fireplaces in the house; one in the living room and one in the man cave – I love our fireplaces.  There is just something fabulous about the snap, crackle and pop of the wood, the faint smell of smoke, the heat of the blaze and the red hot coals as the wood burns down to ash.

Guys love fires don’t we? We can sit for ages around a fire just staring at it and poking it. Move the wood around a bit to get a bigger flame, throw some more wood on – we are fascinated by fire.

So, as we sat there by the fire and read I would get up from time to time to poke the fire and put on more wood. The secret to getting a good flame is to ensure the wood is close together with not too much space between the pieces of wood, but not too little either. I got up to stoke the fire at one point when it  had almost died out, yet was still full of heat. There were two pieces of wood in the fire box, but they were a little far apart. So, I took out the poker and pushed the top piece a little closer to the bottom piece on a bit of an angle to they would overlap more. When I did that the wood burst into flame.

Wow, I wish I was like that. I wish I was “on fire” like that wood. Sometimes I feel like the wood that has a tiny little flame, is smoldering a bit, but not really on fire. Do you feel like that sometimes? Do you wish you were more on fire?

That phrase “on fire” was popular in the 70’s; “Man, that guy is really on fire for Jesus!” It meant that someone was really passionate about following Jesus. He was always talking about Jesus and sharing with other people how much Jesus loves them, etc. I think it came from the 2nd chapter of Acts when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples in “tongues of fire” and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Paul encourages us to “fan into flame the gift of God” in us. I take from this that we have a responsibility to cultivate our passion and the infilling of the Spirit of God. We can’t just sit around passively, timidly asking the Lord to increase our passion for Him.

So, if we are not feeling “on fire” for Jesus what’s wrong? I believe we can quench the Spirit’s fire, and we can also simply get lazy, timid and passive.

How do we quench the Spirit’s fire? We can do that through a variety of ways including cynicism, faithlessness, disobedience, disbelief and sin.

In regard to our responsibility to fan into flame God’s gift in us, we must choose to draw near to God and the “fire” of the Spirit. We can choose to call out to him to fill us and reveal more of his heart and his will. We cannot be timid.

So, if you don’t feel a burning passion for Jesus: Have you yielded yourself to Jesus? Have you come to him with empty hands and an open heart? Have you fasted and prayed? Have you waited on him in solitude and silence? Have you repented of sinful habits? Have you eliminated distractions? Have you read and studied? Have you engaged and chosen to serve others? Have you asked for more of His Spirit to fill you to overflowing?

Let’s choose to draw near to Jesus to touch the flame of His Spirit, to set us on fire with passion for him and his purposes in us and through us.

So, are you on fire? If not, why not and what are you willing to do about it?

II Timothy 1:6

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

I Thessalonians 5:19

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt.”

Acts 2: 3, 4

“They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

Nov 26, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Howzaviz? – Are You On Fire?

Howzaviz? – Maintenance Required

June 27, 2011

“Oh man, I can’t believe this. I really don’t need this right now!”

I stood there looking at the water level in my pool. I have been attempting to open our pool up for the season for the last 2 weekends. The pool cover was covered with the most amount of water and foul smelling crap I had seen after a winter and needed significant pumping out – a.k.a., a weekend of work – in order to get it off. During the week I had 2 hoses in the pool for 2 days to fill it up, and now by the weekend the water level had dropped more than 12 inches. That can only mean one thing – a massive leak somewhere.

I checked out the pump house – no significant water on the ground. However, on the path outside of the pump house was a puddle of water. It could be the result of the torrential downpour we had last night, or something else more sinister. I turned and looked up the path going to the stairs to the pool deck and saw 2 tiny fountains of water bubbling up from the gravel path. My heart sank. Dang, that can only mean one thing – the outlet pipe was cracked and needed to be replaced. Sure enough, after some not too arduous digging I discovered a thoroughly shattered 5 foot long section of pipe. One more thing to do…

Earlier I had to take out our pool pump to get repaired, as it had stopped working. When I went to pick it up, after receiving a call that it was all fixed, it wouldn’t work so I had to come back later to pick it up – after he had fixed it again. Now I had to go out and buy pipe, primer, glue and joining sleeves. So, after a few hours of work I was ready to flip the switch and fire up this ol’ baby. Oh no, now the solar heating pipe was spraying water all over the pump house. Stop, fix that too. Flip the switch again. Now the pump isn’t creating enough pressure to run the system – Aaarrrrrrggggghhhhh!

All of this after the failure of the electronic ignition I installed in my old boat. I was told that swapping out my points in exchange for an electronic ignition kit would create better starting and smoother high end performance. When we put the boat in the lake – the day before I discovered the leak in the pool pipe – we almost got stranded when the boat wouldn’t start again and then would not rev up over 1800 RPM when under load.

NOT A GOOD WEEKEND!!

I know you guys can empathize with these frustrations – we all have them to varying degrees. This isn’t a wine fest though, I’m going somewhere with this…

So, is this some grand demonic scheme to cause me to fall? I don’t think so. I think it is simply an example that in this life here on earth there is maintenance required. Now, does our enemy lie to us in the midst of these inconveniences so that we begin to think that God is really not very good, we’re screw-ups and this life is just too hard so we should give up? Probably. And, are there sometimes when there is an over abundance of these problems that could be a strategy of the enemy in our lives. Sure. But I also think that we can not expect perfection on earth. Oh, I believe that there is far more life, hope, victory, strength, peace and love for us than we can possibly imagine, but it is never going to be perfect here. There will always be maintenance required.

These little “trials” try our patience, try our self control, try our hope, try our joy, etc. It’s part of life. We need to maintain our vehicles, our houses, our stuff, our self, our marriage, our family, our relationships, our work – lots of things. We encounter all kinds of trials – many of which are simply the maintenance work of life. Can the enemy still leverage these with lies? Sure, but don’t buy into what he’s selling. Life requires maintenance – we can’t expect things to be perfect, but we can walk with Jesus in the midst of these things and find joy, hope and strength.

Don’t be surprised when you encounter various trials – life requires maintenance.

James 1:2-4

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (The Message)

Jul 01, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Howzaviz? – Maintenance Required

Howzaviz? My Dad

June 13, 2011

In honor of fathers and Father’s Day…

“If everybody jumped off of a cliff would you jump too?”

“Your brain’s not there to part your ears!”

“Honesty is the best policy!”

“Two wrongs don’t make a right!”

“He who hesitates is lost!”

“Strike while the iron is hot!”

“You’ve gotta take the bull by the horns!”

“Money don’t grow on trees!”

“If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing to the best of your ability!”

“If you’d put things back where they belong you’d know where to find them!”

“The job don’t get done lookin’ at it!”

“A farting horse will never tire and the farting man’s the man to hire!”

“Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today!”

“Don’t do as I do, do as I say.”

Was your dad a cliché man?  My Dad was the King of Clichés.  He has mellowed quite a bit in his old age, but in his prime he could rattle off a tapestry of clichés that was a thing of beauty.

A number of years ago I sat down and tried to figure out all the key “life lessons” my dad had taught me.  I began to realize we had not really had many eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart, “…these are the secrets to life…” talks.  How then did I learn the key lessons about life that I know now?  I then discovered the essence of my dad as a true cliché man.  Dad’s wisdom for life was imparted to me through the repetition of clichés.  Now these clichés may seem trite, but they are packed with wisdom for those who have ears to hear.

My suspicion is that there are many of us out there who have dads that are cliché men.  When we sit down and think about our dads we remember all the little aggravating, trite sayings we used to hear over and over and over…  If we stop for a minute and analyze these sayings we will see that they are actually packed with wisdom for living.  For many of us these clichés are the legacy our dads’ have left us.  These clichés, or more accurately the wisdom contained within them, are the nuggets of gold that have been left to us as sons to pass on, as fathers, to our sons.

I think most of us who are fathers now understand that being a father is a really tough job; we’re all simply trying to do the best that we know how – just like our fathers.

So let’s give thanks for and honor our fathers for the wisdom that they imparted to us, though cloaked in many ways – including as clichés.

I would love to hear about your father and how he imparted wisdom to you.  I would particularly love to hear all the clichés that he may have used to father you.  I will not be able to reply to all your responses, but that doesn’t mean that I do not appreciate your thoughts.   I always enjoy hearing from you…

Proverbs 4:1

“Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.”

Proverbs 1: 20, 21

“Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech:”

Deuteronomy 5:16

“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Jun 23, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Howzaviz? My Dad

Howzaviz? – Your Standard of Giving

May 30, 2011

My son David had his grade 12 graduation this past weekend.  He was chosen by his classmates to be the Valedictorian.  This week’s Howzaviz? is excerpts from his address that was met with a standing ovation from all in attendance.

Enjoy.

“The air was filled with the stench of animal manure and human waste.  I had to watch my step to avoid getting my feet stuck in the sewage that ran freely through the streets. The air was hot, thick and heavy with polluted humidity seeping into every pore of my skin. On either side of me were makeshift houses no bigger than dumpsters.  These houses were made of tarp, wood and string. Every breath was difficult because flies were trying to get up my nose and into my eyes and mouth.

The scene I’ve described occurred when I was in Grade 9 and I was walking through an illegal slum in New Delhi, India. I had already been in India for about 3 weeks and I was about to go home, but little did I know that this experience in the final days of my trip would become one of the single most transformational moments of my life. During that visit to the slum, I met a girl named Salma.  Salma was fourteen years old (the same age as me) and lived in the slum. She could not afford to go to school and she and her widowed mother worked 7 days a week as rag pickers in the junk pile outside their door.  Their job was to sort through piles of garbage and pick what was returnable and what wasn’t. What captivated me most about Salma was her smile. In amongst all this poverty and the fact that she had almost nothing, she still always wore one of the most beautiful smiles I had ever seen. She even invited us into her house for a glass of pop, which cost a month’s wages to buy. We were visiting Salma because we were there with a team of individuals who were trying to help people like Salma to leave the slum and receive training to become paid artisans.  Salma was learning how to embroider and when she showed us her work, I could tell that she was very proud of her accomplishments.

This experience was so humbling for me and it made me realize how much I have and how often I take it for granted. Unlike Salma, I never think twice about having necessities such as clean water, food, clothing, a roof over my head and an education.  As I thought about Salma’s  daily struggle to survive in a dangerous world, I realized that I wake up each day in a bubble of comfortable convenience. Standing beside Salma,  I was a giant –  even though we were the same age – because I live in a world where food is plentiful and she lives in a world where food- if she can even afford it- is scarce. In terms of making choices and having options for the future, Salma has few options and little choice whereas I have a vast frontier of options:  for schooling as a whole let alone post-secondary education, for choosing where and how I’m going to live, and for the career path I am choosing to live by.

This is when my mind experienced a major shift.  I began to wonder how the abundance of my life was connected to the purpose of my life.  In the midst the extreme poverty of the slum, I began to wonder how I could just stand by and take so much for granted when there are people like Salma who are barely scratching a life out of the dust.  I began to realize that the abundance I enjoy was also meant to be shared or given away somehow so that people like Salma can have some choices and options for their future as well. As I became aware of my privileged standard of living, I started asking myself: How can increase my standard of giving?

I realized from that experience that with great privilege comes the great responsibility to contribute to the betterment of other people’s lives. I realized that, in life, I need to value what I have and to use what I have to serve others in some way.  I realized that I needed to more concerned about my standard of giving than my standard of living.

May the measure of success in your life be your standard of giving not your standard of living.”

II Corinthians 9:6-8

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Jun 09, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Howzaviz? – Your Standard of Giving

Howzaviz? – Run and Tell That

June 6, 2011

“The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice, I can say it ain’t so, but darlin’ what’s the use.  The darker the chocolate the richer the taste – that’s where it’s at.  Run and tell that!”

There was our son Benjamin, as the lead black teen “Seaweed” in his high school musical “Hairspray”, dancing and singing up a storm at the Rotary Center for the Arts.  He gave it everything he had:  spinning, twisting, jumping and jiving leading the rest of the cast and the crowd in a musical extravaganza we will not soon forget.  The packed house went crazy at the culmination of his high energy, heart pounding, foot tapping anthem.  Wow – I caught a glimpse of his glory in a very profound fashion.

David crooned himself into the hearts of the audience playing Corny Collins – the flashy host of the teen dance show “The Corny Collins Show”.  His strong stage presence, bold singing and acting – coupled with his brilliant, bright smile – also won the hearts of the audience in a grand way.   For five nights our sons, with a cast and crew of well over 100 teens, performed their hearts out to packed houses on center stage.  It was an incredible spectacle.  Family, friends, teachers, students, former students, administration, the media and general public all thrilled at the caliber of this production.

At the conclusion of this incredible week we hosted a cast party for all the cast, crew and musicians at our home.  We stripped it down turning our living room into a big dance floor and “bomb proofed” the rest of the house to accommodate 110 excited and emotional young people.  We had a total blast!  We all celebrated a hugely successful production and relational bonding amongst great kids from grades 8-12.  I can’t say enough about what a phenomenal experience this was for all involved.  We all reveled in the moment, savoring the accomplishments of these young people who had been rehearsing long and hard for over 6 months.  I was so proud of all the students who gave it everything they had, but I was particularly proud of our sons – in our eyes they stole the show.

I was grinning like a Cheshire cat every night as I watched our sons live in their God-given glory.   Are they called to be Broadway performers?  Probably not.  However, they gave away some of their God-given talents in a way that brought joy and life to thousands.  They worked hard for countless hours over many months to hone their gifts and abilities so that the gift they gave to the audiences was excellent.  I believe that as best they know how they were doing this as an act of worship.  They recognize who they are and what they are able to do is all from God.   I couldn’t have been more proud of them.  I simply drank in this new found glory they were living in and the impact they were having on others.

I believe what I was experiencing is a little glimpse into God’s hear toward us.  He delights in us.  He is so proud of us – to call us sons, and to have us call him Father.   Too many of us believe that God’s overriding feeling toward us is disappointment.  We are always falling short.  Oh sure, there are times when He is proud of us and overflowing with love, but for the most part He is disappointed.  We are never quite good enough.  This is not true!  Our Father delights in us and is so proud of us.  Yes, we drop the ball sometimes and mess us, but when He looks at us He sees Jesus in us.   His overriding emotion toward us is not disappointment – it’s love.

He has uniquely deposited gifts, abilities, desires, talents and Himself in each one of us – our special God-given glory – that He loves to see us step into and give away to others.  He can’t love us any more than He already does.  And, He continues to invite us deeper into all that is in His heart for us and through us.

God loves you and delights in you like a proud father rejoices over His sons.  Run and tell that!

Zephaniah 3:17

“He takes great delight in you.  He rejoices over you with singing.”

Jun 09, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Howzaviz? – Run and Tell That