Score

Hey all,

I went by a church sign today and it read.....

"God does not want you to keep score, HE wants you to play the game".

While many of the those church signs you see are pretty corny, I thought this one really spoke the truth.

Are you a scorekeeper or a player? 

Is your life focused on keeping score or is your life focused on being a player?    If you think about it, keeping score is always easier than playing the game isn't it?  It is far easier to sit back and judge the outcome than it is to actually play the game.  For some reason we sometimes think that we make a better judge than we do a player. 

But here's the thing......even though we may often think that our role is to be the scorekeeper, we are really called to "play" the game......to be a participant.  To get in there and actually "play".  There is no better feeling than when we are engaged and "in the game"........when we "leave it all on the field".  God calls us to play, not keep score.  We are far more needed to be a player than a scorekeeper. 

And when we are playing............we always know what the score is.

Strength and Honor,

-S

Gifts

Hey all,

Have you ever thought about what gifts you have?  What are you really good at?  What have you been blessed with?  Is there something that comes easy to you?

All of us are blessed with gifts.........spiritual gifts.  And I repeat.........all of us.  We all are given certain things that we are born to be good at. We are gifted, and deep down, we know it.  We know what we are good at.  It comes easy.

The question is....are we using our gifts?  Do we really believe that we what we are good at is a blessing?  The world would often tell us that what we are good at is not what is important.  It would tell us that even though we can do it well, it doesn't matter.  It doesn't "pay the bills".  It is irrelevant.     

I think that is wrong.

Whatever the Lord blessed you with as a gift is just that.......a gift.  It is a gift from HIM.  And a gift is something that is intended to be given away.  Our gifts are supposed to be given away.   To others.  HE wants us to give it away.  HE expects us to give it away.  

Don't hold back what you are good at.  Go for it.  Let your light shine.  Give it away. 

Someone needs it.

Strength and Honor,

-S

What We Most Need to Know

Hey all,

Have you ever heard the phrase...."we preach best what we most need to know"?  It means that the things we preach (or speak to others about) are often the things we "most need to know" ourselves.  In other words......most of what is placed on our hearts to say or do is often what we are dealing with as well.

I am reminded of this phrase every time I write something on this blog.  I heard a great pastor speak today and he reminded me again of how we should recognize this in our lives.  

So check this out......it is not a bad thing.  It is ok to speak to something that we also need to know our self.  In fact, it is often better when we do this because we can include ourselves in it.  When we exclude ourselves from what we passionately speak about then we are in dangerous waters.  Arrogance and judgement sets in and the point is lost.  Our stories are filled with experiences that should and need to be shared.  And sometimes it is ok to be speaking to our current chapter in life.  It is ok to be speaking to what is going on right now in our lives. 

I often write about the things that "I most need to know" (or be reminded of).  Things that I may be processing through at the same moment.  It is "current chapter" stuff.

So what about you?  You don't have to be a Preacher or a writer / blogger for this to apply.  Maybe you are a Manager, a Teacher, a Coach, a Mentor, a Parent..........whatever role(s) you have.  None of us should be afraid to "preach the things that we most need to know our selves".  Don't be afraid of our own weaknesses or challenges.  Don't be afraid to share with others "things you may need to know yourself".  Maybe that other person in your life needs to hear it.  They may be in the same place.

I believe that we should not wait for the final chapter to be written in our stories before we share anything with others.

Someone may need the chapter we are in now.

Strength and Honor,

-S