Our Little Star

So today was Ella's Christmas performance. She is our little 5 year old. She was the star. Now obviously every parent thinks their kid is the star, but really she was the STAR. As in she had a star costume on and hovered out by the manger scene on the stage. The wisemen followed her and she stood there with a star outfit on smiling as bright as she could. Every once in a while she would brush the hair out of her eyes, or yawn. Hey stars get tired too, don't they? This week she said she was nervous because she was going to be standing in a costume on stage. We told her not to worry because everyone else would have costumes too. However, we didn't realize she was the "STAR". The only star that brought the wisemen to Jesus in Bethlehem in the Christmas story. What a great role in the story. We are so proud of our little star, Ella. As she was in her Christmas play, we believe that she will be used throughout her life to bring many people to Jesus in her life time. That is our prayer and hope as we pray for our kids to grow into adults who are passionate about Jesus. So as we read the Christmas story out of the Bible this year, we will make some extra special time to talk about the importance of the star, and how it lead people to Jesus. Our desire would be to have each of our kids be "stars" in their own life and the journeys of many other lives.

Don't Worry...Choose Not Too

When I was in junior high there was a catchy tune called Don't Worry Be Happy, sung by Bobby McFerrin. It was an 80s one-hit wonder. The song had a catchy tune and a great video that made it a success. Bobby McFerrin though, eventually got tired of singing it though. It actually caused him to fret. An encouraging word came to me today regarding WORRY. In the books of Matthew and Luke, Jesus encourages us not to worry. Worry is defined as follows: to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret. In the book of Psalms the writer encourages us that the Lord is a refuge to the oppressed. A "stronghold" where we can find comfort. The passage goes onto say, "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." The last portion of that verse is an amazing thought to let sink in. I know times can be tough, and life's situations can be challenging, confusing and/or demanding. But it is through these times we can find strength and grow in ways we never thought we could. When we take the efforts and attitudes in which we can so easily worry, and turn them into attitudes of faith and opportunties to grow, we will not worry. Here is a great prayer to close out this thought...
Gracious Father, thank you for the many good and perfect gifts you have given me.
Thank you for the family I have, the resources you have provided and the doors of opportunity you have opened to me. I rejoice in the way you have given a reason for living.
Today, I choose to exchange my worry for worship. I choose to trade my sorrows for singing.
I choose to replace my anxieties for assurance.
I choose to believe that you will protect, provide and promote me today.
I choose to believe that you will turn my burdens into blessings.
In the name of the one who is called, Prince of Peace, JESUS!

The MEANING of the INK

This past week I sat in the chair of a tatto artist and got myself inked. It was something I have wanted to do for a while. I wanted to make sure that the ink was meaningful and a constant remider of something I value forever. I decided I would ink my arm with something that God has done for me. It was important to me to be able to have a conversation starter from my ink as well. As I approached the 10 year anniversary of my brain surgery to remove a tumor, and the 10 year of being seizure free-I had made up my mind. I would ink my arm with the original Hebrew letting that declares "THE LORD WHO HEALS". This is the name of God that is known as Yahweh Rophe, found in scripture in Exodus 15:26. Above the lettering, you will find a crown of thorns, which carries another meaning for me. It is symbolic of the ultimate healing that Christ took to the cross for my sin and healed me. I had met with Matthew, my tatoo artist a two weeks earlier, and got my design which I was stoked about. Someone over prepared and over-psyched me for the pain factor, which I found to be very minimal. I did get a little weak in the first ten minutes, but nothing a glass of water and a few chocolates took away. It wasn't that bad for a guy who hates needles. So, the ink now has a permanent place on my right arm(the side of my brain scar). It will now be a constant reminder that I serve a God who has completely healed me, and I will be reminded every time I flex my right gun in the mirror.

Tigers with NO Accountability will Morph into Cheetahs.

Accountability is a big word that some of us know is there for us, and some of us know it is not. Let's have a brief history lesson on no accountability starting now...no accountability has led to the fall of Enron, the collapse of the Nation's economy, high profile elected officials dumbing down their crime, athletes caught doping, and this week a Tiger humiliating his entire family. When you type in "accountability" to GOOGLE, you will get 6 million hits, when you type in "lack of accountability" you get over 10 million. There is a problem in culture and it surrounds not being held in account to the things we, as individuals, are responsible for. We have shifted every problem of ours, to be everyone else's problem. A high profile athlete who cheats on his wife will probably claim he is a sex-addict, or maybe had a lapse in judgment(a lapse 10x I might add, and as I write this, but could be 20x by the time I'm done with this sentence the way the flood gates have opened). But hey, the money whore$ are just as at fault for sleeping with a married man, right? Again no accountability on their part. Now some will not bring this up, but I thought I would. When are people going to man up and say, "hey I put the wrong people around me", or "I didn't put anyone around me to hold me accountable." This week I had a friend call and ask me to keep him accountable. Accountable to his code of ethics, his wife, his kids, the Word of God, and said, "man I need someone to ask me the tough questions to keep me straight so I don't mess up". He asked me because he is vulnerable to messing up, just like me, and just like you. The ability to put people around you that are not "YES MEN", but rather real friends with your interest at heart, will take you far and keep you straight. But what we have seen the past few weeks is a champion Tiger, morph into a fast running cheetah. Yeah, avoiding the media when your one of the biggest names in the World, not too smart pal. The point is not that he screwed up, the point is he didn't have the right people around him to keep him from screwing up. So, I ask you, who is around you to keep you accountable in your relationships, your marriage, your business, your finances, your decisions, your future. If you can't think of anyone, you should start thinking through your friends who could walk with you. If you can't think of a friend who would be of help...get some new friends. Here are some great questions to be asked regarding accountablity: - Have you compromised your integrity in any way? Has your thought life been pure? Have you committed any sexual sin? - Have you spent time with God on a regular basis? Did you put yourself in an awkward situation with a woman? What did you do this week to enhance your relationship with your spouse and/or child(ren)? How have you been tempted this week? How did you respond? How has your relationship with Christ been changing?
Did you worship in church this week? What are you wrestling with in your thought life? Are the "visible" you and the "real" you consistent? Have you just lied to me in any of the above questions?

Leadership in 26.2

As you know this past month I completed a marathon. Upon reflection of the accomplishment and then getting back into the normal routine of life, I was able to draw some parallels to leadership. In the process of preparing for this marathon came a lot of motivation, effort, instruction, research, healthy choices, and carving out time to prepare myself for a run of this magnitude. Before I ran 26.2, the longest I had ever run was 17 miles, and that was only 4 weeks prior to the marathon. Leadership and training for a marathon have a lot of similarities. You see, we are training and running after goals in leadership too. Time will show you the leaders who have come and gone, and those who are future leaders are already training themselves. For one to accomplish goals, we must implement disciplines and training as leaders. Discipline is short for discipleship. We have people sitting in our tribes, groups, teams that we need to develop a workout plan for, and that may include you. This workout plan will help them in their spiritual health and growth. As I sat back and thought about what a workout plan may look like for a Christ follower who sits in a position of leadership, I came up with some key exercises and ideas to train in. There are FIVE areas to focus on. Believe me, it is not as difficult as the science of a running shoe; but there are tools that will be used to help us train in each of these areas. The 5 areas are: The Word of God, Prayer, Fellowship, Telling people about Jesus through Evangelism, and Coaches who will help keep us accountable. Much like training for a marathon, it is time for leaders to develop in their leadership in these areas. Time must be carved out of a schedule, the health of a leader must be checked on, proper technique must be learned, and on-going training must accompany any leader. So, in 26.2 you can learn a lot about leadership. Not everyone can run a marathon, and so it is true-not every one is cut out to be a leader. But there are some who will run, and there are those who will lead...and then a few who may do both in their lifetime.