A Few Words

Hey all,

My good friend is taking his 13 year old Son through his "Rite of Passage" into manhood.  He asked some of his close friends to write his Son "a few words" of encouragment.  I thought I what share with you what I told him. 

Dear____,

You have what it takes.  I repeat, you have what it takes!  Don't ever let the enemy or this world tell you different.

_____, the world is full of young men who never really grow up to be "Real Men". Don't be one of those guys.  Ground yourself in the identity that you have in Christ. Always live in that strength and you will never be deceived about who you really are.  You will always know your true self.  Your true heart.

Secondly, don't be afraid to "Dig your ditch". The Lord calls us to put forth effort and do our part (Dig our ditch) in preparation for the rain (Gods blessings) to come.  Don't be one of those that expects the blessings but won't do the work in preparation for them.  Don't be lazy, be a worker.  It will carry you far.  You will be surrounded by lazy people...........don't be like them.  

Lastly, don't be afraid to show your heart to others.  Be a man who is secure and can show his emotions.  Give love and don't be afraid to receive it.  Love is a good thing.  You need it and others do as well.  Don't hold it from anyone, including yourself.

You have what it takes.  You are on your way.  Walk the path.

Strength and Honor,

 
-S

Candle or Torch

Hey all,

I just finished a great book called "Halftime" by Bob Buford.  It was given to me by a friend who must have sensed that it would speak to me in a profound way.........and it did.  If you are in the "second half" of your life.....meaning in your 40-50's.  I strongly recommend you pick up a copy. 

There is a quote in Buford's book from George Bernard Shaw that really spoke to me........so I thought I would share

"I rejoice in life for its own sake." Shaw said in an address in 1907. "Life is no brief candle to me.  Its sort of a splendid torch which I've got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations".

I don't know about you, but I want to be a torch.  A splendid torch that burns brightly for others to see and be drawn to.  Not for me mind you, but for the impact I can have on others.  To make a difference in others lives by how I live my life.  I want to use my gifts to the full every day.  I want to use up this life and burn brightly........and go out on "empty". 

And pass the torch to others.

Strength and Honor,

-S

Transaction or Transformed

Hey all,

The world we live in is transactional.  Have you ever thought about that?

Every day we are engaged in "transactions".  You give something, you get something.  It consumes our lives.  You show up and give something and then we expect something in return.  Think about it......what do you do everyday?  Almost everything we do is about giving something to get something.  We swipe our credit card and we get something.  We hand over our money, we get something in return.  We give some of our time, then we get something.  The transaction is over...and we are on to the next one.  Whether it is work, or grocery shopping, or buying something online.....it it just a transaction.  Our days are filled with them.  Give something......get something.  It never ends. 

We can't avoid it.  It is part of our everyday life.  It is how the world works.  It is what makes the days fly by and our lives to seem empty.

But we all want something more.  And it really has an impact on our life overall.  Don't you want to do something that is not a transaction?   Don't you want to do something with meaning?  We all do.  I do.

Our hearts long to be transformed.  To be doing things that have transformational value.  Not just another transaction.  We all long to be transformed.  Changed from the inside.  Not just another silly transaction. 

This is why we seek other things in our life that are not just another transaction.  We seek relationships.  We love the message of a good book.  We love hearing other peoples stories.  We love the tale of the journey.  It motivates us.  It calls us to move.  We want the transformation of our hearts.  Not just another transaction.  But how?

I am convinced that this is why so many of us are frustrated.  We are tired of the transaction.  We don't want another book.  We don't want just another great message at Church.  We don't want another weekend retreat....or a small group.  What we want is the transformation of the things we hear that move our hearts.  We want our lives to change.  To be transformed.  To become the things we believe and desire. It is the small voice that calls on our hearts on a daily basis but we don't know how to respond to it.  While we love the things mentioned above, when it doesn't transform, then it feels like another transaction.

But transformation is available.  We can be transformed. The challenge is to not let the transactional world we live in dominate our existence.  We cannot live our lives going from one thing to the next.  We have to see the opportunity for transformation in our lives and allow it to happen.  We have to stop seeing our daily transactions as merely getting something.....but to start seeing them as giving something.  Transformation is available every day in our transactions........the key is to start seeing them as what they actually are.......which is an opportunity to be transformed or to transform someone else through the "transaction".  Life is not meant to be a long series of transactions.   It is meant to be transactions that give us the opportunity to be transformed through them.

Think about that this week..........and some of your "transactions" might turn into "transformation".

Strength and Honor,

-S  

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 

Anxiety

Hey all,

What are you anxious about?  Are there things going on in your life that have you in a state of "anxiety"?

Maybe it is work.  Maybe it is something with the kids.  Maybe it is something that you have "stepped" out of your comfort zone on and it has you really "anxious" about how it will work out? 

Don't you hate being anxious?  It drives us crazy sometimes doesn't it?  The worry and stress can really get to us.  It brings us down.  It takes away life.  We can miss the great moments of life because we are worried about how things are going to work out.  

But think about this.........where does that anxiety come from?  Really....think about that.  Where is it coming from?  If we are trusting in the Lord for ALL things......and I mean really trusting.........then where is that anxiety coming from?  Is it from HIM?  Does the Lord really want us to be "anxious" when we put our total and complete trust in HIM?  Does he want us to stress and worry about the things that we putting our trust in HIM to complete?  The thngs that we feel we have no control over.

Of course not.

HE is in complete control.  HE knows our steps before we take them.  HE knows what is going to happen before it happens.  He is the master planner and ultimate authority.  If we place our trust in HIM then regardless of how things work out, we are still in HIM.  And isn't that where we long to be anyway?  In HIM and with HIM.  When we realize and place our trust in that, then the worry and anxiety goes away because we are already at peace with the ultimate goal.......which is to knowing that we are in "step" with HIM. 

So next time you are worried and anxious about something, just remember that as long as we are in step with HIM, then our path is straight..........and.regardless of what the enemy tells us.........

Our worries (and anxiety) are few.

Strength and Honor,

-S