Christmas Flesh & The Cross

Tis' the season to stop and pause amongst the chaos of Christmastime. Most Americans actually have a day or two off this week to celebrate Christmas. For me, I take some time to enjoy the chaos, which I thrive in, and also to get away from it all. In this time, I reflect on what Christmas is all about. I'm drawn to Philippians 2:8, which read, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Although in this season we think more about the birth of Christ, than we do the resurrection, His purpose was for a far greater purpose than a humble beginning. Don't think of this time and reflect on a cozy, poor lit stable, with dirty animals, where a family had to rest because every other place in town had the 'No Vacancy' sign lit up. Jesus came to earth in this setting to release us, you and me, from sin. It is a power that only comes in the name of Jesus. In the passage Paul wrote that I quoted above, he connects the two thoughts of Christmas-Jesus birth, and the resurrection. Interestingly enough, the word used in Phil 2:8, as "fashion" is the Gk word schema. Schema used in ancient times was used to depict a king who exchanged the kingly garments for a brief period of time for the clothing of a beggar.
When God came to earth, He did so in a way where He shed the "glorious", for the clothing of human flesh. Man's temporal tent, or earthly flesh is wonderfully made, but nothing compares to the appearance of God. He went from radiant glory from eternity past, and came to earth as a babe, so He could carry a cross, then be crucified on it. HUMILITY at it's greatest. When you are in the midstof the craziness of Christmas with family, friends, crowded malls, and last minute deals, remember Christmas and the earthly flesh God manifested as a baby. He was born to die for you and me. This is what Christmas is really about.

Leadership Mic'd Up

Barbara Walters just finished wrapping up her 10 most fascinating people of 2011. However, Barbara, being Barabra, failed to really get some of the most interesting and fascinating people of 2011. She normally goes after glitz, glamour, and people in the news. So this year she failed miserably by not including the person of which the video below is about. He is the most talked about football player this year, and he really has not done too much, except win. His name is Tim Tebow. Now, I am not a Denver Broncos fan, nor will I ever be. I couldn't stand the Florida Gators, the university where Tebow played his college ball either. I appreciate Tim Tebow much more after watching the video below, and I have recently found myself "tebowing" on a few occasions lately. I appreciate the guy's zeal for life and his leadership that he portrays on the field and sideline. One can learn a lot about leadership from watching this video clip as Tim was mic'd for a recent game where he rallied the team to a fascinating come-from-behind win. Watch the clip and I'l break it down for you:



LEADERSHIP LESSONS

*You can make an impact in someone's life, by taking a few minutes of your time to talk to them.

*Leaders should be able to bounce back from adversity.

*Positivity is important in rallying people around you.

*Respect is a leadership commodity that more leaders should have.

*Composure is something every leader should have in their arsenal of skills.

*Encouragement goes a long way.

*Attitude determines altitude.

*When you believe in people and show you care, that impact lasts forever.

I have had the opportunity to be around excellent leaders. Each time I am with one, I try and take something away and implement it in my life. Being intentional about leadership helps one grow. That is my desire every opportunity I get.

What are you Called to do?

As a kid, I knew I had a calling. It included a fast car and a race track...then that was interrupted by a pigskin and pads playing on grass...then I figured why not a leather ball and a court. What was happening was that I was looking at what I wanted to do, not what God really had for me. God got my attention by bringing people into my life that did not know each other, but each had a word for me, about what God had been stirring in my heart. When God needs to get your attention, He will go about it in amazing ways. God has called me simply "To communicate God's word, to equip, empower, and encourage a generation to a real relationship with Jesus Christ. I am called to to use my leadership, influence, and friendship to inspire authentic faith." As I write this I think of Paul, who knew his calling too. Paul lived, breathed, slept, and awoke every day to the call of God on his life. Paul did everything he could possible to attain God's call in his life. He didn't jog toward it, he owned a fierce determination to press ahead. As a matter of fact Paul uses a phrase in Phil. 3:12, "I follow after". This is a fierce word that in Gk literature means to track down, hunt, pursue, as a hunter would its prey. It carries the connotation of hunting down something and will stop at nothing until it is caught. Paul uses the same verbiage to discuss his passion for God's calling on his life. Paul uses this phrase to describe his desire, which was modeled by Jesus Christ. Paul did what he was supposed to, it took determination and hard work. It took concentration and full attention teamed with the Holy Spirit to find, accept, and live his calling. So, do you know what you are called to do? Are you willing to put in the hard work to make it happen? Take action and get to it, it is not too late to fulfill the calling in your life. God has a plan for your life. Engage with God today and let God speak to your calling? helpful hint: be ready to listen!

Loyalty & Allegiance: Forgotten Words in Sports These Days

Have you ever been so loyal to something and then...BAM, it is swept from underneath you; leaving you wondering what is going on? It happens in the sports world all the time. Earlier this month my hometown hero, was rumored to be getting the axe from the team. Today it was another team losing their hero. It makes me shake my head and wonder where did all the loyalty and allegiance go?

I think of major players in history and how they felt when allegiance was compromised. Jesus immediately comes to mind and I often wonder what expression was on his face when he saw Judas.

I know it is a business. It was for Judas, and it is for the protagonists of this blog. I get that, I really do. Better offers come and go all the time, and larger markets and richer owners will always have the ability to reel in the big gamers.

I remember growing up watching Steve Largent catch tip-toeing touchdowns for the Seahawks. Cal Ripken only wore one jersey and that was a Baltimore Oriole one. I'd turn on the television and watch #32 Magic's Lakers and #33 Bird's Celtics battle it out on television. In every sport, every town who had a team, also had a star who were lifers. It was called LOYALTY, or ALLEGIANCE. Fanatics and management made sure the stars knew they were loved. Fans of anything nowadays have loyalty and allegiance. Jason Bourne will only be Matt Damon, no matter who else tries to carry the series on. Imagine if some bonehead tried to pull Jonny Depp from the Pirates franchise.(even though its run its course-it'd be a dumb move)

Here is the deal, today's sports stars are drawn away by the huge salaries that large markets can offer. They will go toward the money, and forget about the fans that they will leave behind when they depart. The landscape of sports changes before our eyes. You may have a Minnesota or NY Jets jersey with Favre's name on it, but love him or hate him he's a Packer. Jordan will always be known as a BULL, not a Wizard.

In life these stars will rise, take teams to championships, and then bolt. That is the crazy landscape we live in the sports world today. I find it rather sad, and I find it rather lame that players can't play for the game in the city they love, instead they play for the love of money, in the city that will pay best. Wonder how St. Louis feels right now.

Loyalty and Allegiance is a lost thing in many regards these days. But it is an important virtue to have. So, ask yourself do you have it? Do you need it?

Ways to ACTIVATE Scripture in our Life

I heard a great line once regarding discipleship. "There should always be an open Bible between me and the person I am discipling." One of the tools I use for scripture is the WORD HAND; giving you the tools for the “grip on scriptures”: Hear, Read, Study, Memorize, and Meditate.

I want to give you 3 more tools that may be of help to you. Without personal strategies for connecting with God, our daily agendas tend to become: I must have, I must be, I must achieve. But exercises such as Scripture meditation cultivates the heart and guard it from stubborn habits.

The SOAP Method-
S-cripture
O-bservation
A-pplication
P-rayer
The idea behind SOAP is to make it a journal when studying scriptures.

3-Step Meditation Process- lectio divina or spiritual reading. Lectio is the attempt to read more with the heart than the head. The idea is not to cover an amount of scripture, but rather surrender to whatever word or phrase catches the attention. A slow meditative reading….really relies on the respect of the power of words to resonate with the full range of experience. Here are the 3 steps:
• Observation- taking the first look- what’s going on? Who are the players? What are the important ideas? Concepts? How do I feel about this?
• Investigation- going deeper-what can I discover? What questions do I need to ask God? What can I discover about myself? Are there any words that I need to define? What is the main point, idea, the author communicating?
• Application- responding in love. What is the takeaway? How does God
Change my life if I apply this? How can I respond to the Holy Spirit in the next 24 hours?

5x5x5- Scripture is one of God’s ordained ways of life transformation-don’t take it for granted. It’s easy to read someone else's thoughts through devotionals. It’s like trying to kiss someone you love through the window of your car. There is the illusion of intimacy, but little first hand experience. So here is a great tool to get you hooked.
5 Minutes a Day-
5 Days a Week-
5 Ways to Approach Scripture- underline the key words or thoughts, write your own translation, ask questions, capture the big idea, and personalize the meaning.

How do we ACTIVATE Scripture as a way of life into the life of Small Group Lifers:

• Learn from Jesus.

o He didn’t invest time with multitudes, he invested in a select few.

• Think big but start small.

o The Gk text of Matthew 28:18-20 uses three words: ‘go’, ‘baptize’, and ‘teach’. All are participles which derive from one controlling verb “make disciples.” The great commission is about ‘making disciples’.

• Think in generations.

o The Bible is peppered with individual personalities. Each of these individuals had the potential to influence others for Christ. This is pictured through scripture in generations.

• Be intentional!

o Jesus focused His ministry toward a picture of maturity. He had a bulls eye on energies focused toward disciple making. So should you!

• Picture discipleship.

Jesus is at the center. Disciplines act as spokes in a wheel, that lead us to movement and structure.
Take action!

What is your commitment to coming alongside people and making disciples?