Thursday, October 30, 2008

Good Samaritan

How cool is this story!

I read in this morning's paper about a woman named Marilyn Mock in the Dallas area who was attending a home auction to help her son buy a house. She happened to strike up a conversation with the former owner of the home, Tracy Orr (who had been foreclosed on) who was very distraught and was attending the auction.

Marilyn was so moved by Tracy's story that she decided to buy the house so that Tracy could return to it. Orr will make payments to her once the deal is finalized.

"She needed help. That was it," Mock said. "I just happened to be there, and anybody else would have done the same thing."

Not everybody would have done the same thing. This is pretty remarkable. Thanks for being a great example Marilyn! Read the story here.

Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to everyone who had need.
Acts 2:43-45

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

God's Miracle


Meet Lilly. Lilly is 16 years-old and lives in Monterrey, Mexico. My good friend Ray Hilbert, the founder of Truth At Work, shared this picture with me. He was in Monterrey a couple of weeks ago working with some orphanages down there and he met Lilly.

Lilly was born at 20 weeks (full term is 40 weeks) and she is shown above holding a picture of her after her birth in the hand of her mother.

Isn't God amazing?

I do believe He has a plan for Lilly. In fact He has a plan for you and me too!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Monday, October 27, 2008

Politics Schmolotics

Like me, are you tired yet of all the political ads and accusations going back and forth? Are you worried about how the election will turn out?

I receive a weekly inspirational email from Brian Keel at Toledo YMCA corporate office. I thought I might share it here:

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. “ Romans 13:1

The quadrennial American trip though the mud is nearly over. Yes, I do mean the Presidential election, a process that seems to become more angry, divisive and hard to stomach with each go-around. Politics by its nature creates opposites...every issue has a camp for and against after all. But more and more that difference of opinion on issues quickly leads to anger, harsh words and attacks on a person’s very character.

I believe the verse above is clear. We are called to submit to, or show respect for, those who are elected to lead us. Just a few days ago Sen. Obama from Illinois showed up unannounced at the YMCA branch attached to our corporate offices for a morning workout. I disagree with the Senator on a variety of economic, political and social issues. But he had come to our facility not to discuss policy, but rather for a quick strengthening of the spirit, mind and body. And so I took the opportunity to observe him in a candid moment, to see him accept an offer of prayer from our YMCA pastor and even to shake his hand. In a few weeks he might be elected to lead our country and whether we agree with that decision or not, we must show respect to the office. I did it...it’s not as hard as you think…..

Those are great words.

In addition to this, the result of this election is really in God's hands. And as I shared last week, He works everything out for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28 paraphrased). The bottom line is that God is in control. Why worry if He has it taken care of?

I have heard it said, if you are going to worry, why pray? If you are going to pray, why worry? I would suggest we pray!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Peace

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I was struggling. I was about as stressed as I have ever been. It seemed like the weight of the world was on my shoulders and I had spasms in my back and shoulders that didn't help.

Once a month on Wednesdays, our church has a service called New Community in which we come together for a time of worship, prayer, teaching and communion. I did not feel like going last night because I viewed it as just another "thing" to do on my long list. I wanted to simply chill out at home and try to relax.

But we went...and I am so glad we did!

God met me there in an amazing way. During the first or second song of praise I felt this unexplainable wave of peace come over me that I could never have gotten while sitting in my La-Z-Boy at home. I truly felt God's presence and I am so thankful for that!

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Psalm 62:1-2

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Contrarian Indicators

I used to pay a lot of attention to the stock market. I actually used to study it and try to pick stocks just as they were breaking out and hopefully going upward. It was kind of a hobby of mine. Those times are long gone for me as I just couldn't keep up with it as too many other things became more important.

However, one thing I remember very well. That is a contrarian indicator. Investor's Business Daily had several key indicators they used to show when a stock was worth buying. One of them was the overall health of the market. They showed over the course of history that when optimism in the market was very high, that is when markets crashed and conversely, when it is very low, that is when markets did very well. In other words, the crowd is always wrong in investing (as is the case in much of life).

I am not trying to give investment advice and I certainly would not recommend anyone buying stocks right now. What I am saying is that I am optimistic. From a worldly standpoint, all this fear is good for the market. From a Christian perspective, I believe all this is good also (in fact I know God will use it for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose - Romans 8:28 paraphrased).

I read an interesting article this morning in which the author had this to say about our uncertain times:

So why am I hopeful? Because I believe the coming years are going to reveal some pernicious weeds in our culture for what they are. One of the characteristics of weeds is that they suck up resources from other plants. They are quick-growing, quick-spreading, invasive. They do not coexist with the other plants in the garden, they overtake them. Kudzu is a weed not because it is unattractive in its own way or even has no rightful place in the ecosystem, but because it grows over and chokes out other valuable and beautiful things. Weeds are, as every gardener knows, the easiest thing to grow.

And I believe the fundamental weed in the American garden is, in fact, ease. Easy-ness. Effortlessness. Along with the incredible benefits of the rise of technology has been this terrible weed: the idea that things should be easy. The Staples office-supply chain has profited handsomely selling the ultimate symbol of our times: a plastic button that does absolutely nothing but is great fun to push, labeled "easy."

To read the rest of this story, go here.

So are you worried or fearful today? If you love God and are called according to His purpose, then be encouraged by Romans 8:28. God will work all this out for good!

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.
Romans 8:28

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A Peacock in the Land of Penguins

Have you ever felt like a square peg in a round hole, like you just don't belong somewhere? You probably have at some point in your life.

If you are a leader, you probably have people on your team or in your home who feel that way right now and it's possible it has to do with your leadership style.

Check out this short video that talks about accepting others for who they are and how by doing this you will be opening up the land of opportunity for them and for you. In fact, it says that the land of opportunity begins with openness to new ideas, a willingness to listen, an eagerness to learn, a desire to grow and the flexibility to change.

I hope you enjoy!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Help!

On Saturday of this past weekend, I went out to cut down a dead limb on an old oak tree in our yard. At first I didn't think it was going to be a big deal so I leaned a ladder up against the tree and went up to survey what needed to happen. As I approached the limb, it became obvious to me that this job was going to be much bigger than I had imagined.

The limb in question was about 14" in diameter and approximately 30' long with lots of other limbs coming out of it. I realized that if I attempted this on my own, the limb could swing down and take out the ladder or fall on me and crush me, neither of which sounded good.

So, I called out my wife Connie for her perspective. She said, "Go get Mike next door and ask for his help." I found this hard to do because I just wanted to tackle this problem on my own. But, I finally relented and called Mike. Mike, filled with much more wisdom than me, took one look at the situation and said, "There is no way you should do that on your own! I'll ask my son to come take a look."

Mike's son came over with a huge boom truck and positioned a guy right above the branch and within a half an hour the limb was on the ground and cut into manageable pieces. I began stacking some of the wood and as I carried some of the little logs I realized that each piece was very heavy. Combined, the limb was probably well over 1 ton. Boy, am I glad I asked for help!

Then on Sunday during my God time, He showed me something in Nehemiah 1:4, "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." The very first thing Nehemiah did was ask for help from God. The first thing I typically do is bear down and work harder thinking that I can handle this on my own. To me, God was telling me I need to rely on Him more and seek His guidance (as Nehemiah was doing above) and quit trying to do things all on my own.

Then at church, we learned about the life of Joshua, a great leader who regularly took his "stuff" to God to get direction, guidance and help. Our pastor said that God basically says to us, "You can grind away on your own if you want or you can bring it to Me and I will help you."

So, I think God might be trying to teach me something...to rely on Him more and to go to Him first before doing anything on my own! How about you?

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Joe the Plumber

I turned on the TV this morning and it seems like all I heard about was Joe the Plumber (pictured above watching last night's debate). Barack Obama was in my town the past several days and he was approached by Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber in the area, who told Obama he was trying to buy a plumbing business and asked the senator why his taxes would be going up under Obama's plan.

Mr. Obama said, in part, "It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody that is behind you, that they have a chance for success, too. I think that when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

In the presidential debate last night, John McCain used this exchange to make a point. He kept referring to "John the plumbers" around the country and how Obama's tax plan would hurt them.

Regardless of which side of the political fence you are on, you have to admire what John McCain did here. In bringing up Joe the plumber, he was attempting to show the American people two things. One, that he is listening to the needs and concerns of the people. And two, that he can communicate in an understandable way. He didn't go off on how smart he is, he simply was talking here in terms that everyone could understand. Very smart.

In our daily lives at work and at home we can learn from this. Let's listen more and not try to impress people with all we know.

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
James 1:19b

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Quiet Time



Yesterday morning I was stressed because I had a magazine article to get written for an upcoming deadline. I also have a newsletter to write for an upcoming issue of Bleedership and I had a talk to prepare for in addition to my regular duties. I wasn't sure how all this was going to happen and I was a bit overwhelmed.

As my day ended yesterday I realized that I had a great day. It seemed like everything worked out. In fact, I not only got my article written, but I wrote another one for the next issue! I also was able to work on my talk a little bit and began formulating some ideas for my next newsletter. Everything else seemed to work out also. And...this all happened in a little more than half a day!

The first three hours I decided to spend with God, just being quiet before Him and listening to what He had to say to me. It was an incredible morning filled with God's presence and I received some direction on several things in my life.

So...I had a great day yesterday--very productive and I spent a good portion of it with my heavenly Father. I think there is a lesson there! What do you think?

"Be still, and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10a

Monday, October 13, 2008

Shattered Dreams

Have you ever had your dreams shattered? Perhaps you've had dreams of retiring early only to find your portfolio isn't worth very much today. Perhaps you had dreamed of being a nurse or a doctor because you wanted to help people in need. Perhaps you had hoped to be a pastor so you could spread the news about Jesus.

All these dreams, yet here we are, not living them out...or so we think.

So what does this mean? Does this mean that the hopes and dreams we have inside of us are worthless? Absolutely not! God's plans are much better than our plans and it typically takes much time for us to look back on our situation to see that what God worked out was much better than we could have planned ourselves, even though it was not done the way we would have done it.

I came across this story recently which addresses this very well:

They were discussing their hopes and dreams when The first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a great Treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver And precious gems. I could be decorated with an Intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.'

Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take Kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. People will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.'

Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill, look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.'

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees.

When one came to the first tree he said, 'This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.


At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like a strong tree. I will be able to sell it to the shipyard.' The second tree was happy Because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true.

One of the men said, 'I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one,' and he cut it down.


When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest Treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep.

While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.


Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the treets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.

We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Worry

If you are like many, you may be feeling a little bit of anxiety over the world's financial situation. You may be wondering what you can do, other than worry, during these times.

If you are like me, when times get tough, you will try to "work" your way out of it. I have a tendency to try to take it all on myself and go like crazy, as if everything depends on me. All this does is stress me out and make me less productive (and less kind, less loving...) at the office and at home.

Check this short video out as it shares some great things we can do during times of trouble. Go here and click on the "Watch this movie" link.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Friday, October 10, 2008

Axioms to Grind

This summer I was fortunate to have attended the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. This was our 4th year for attending and it is something I look forward to each year.

Bill Hybels delivered a couple of messages during the two-day conference and one dealt with axioms that he and others have used in their lives to help them to make tough decisions or to steady them during turbulent times. He listed several of his axioms and the axioms of other great leaders.

Here are a few axioms from Colin Powell:
  • Check your ego at the door
  • Promote a clash of ideas – “Who has a contrary opinion?” – will help you make a better decision
  • Reward of your best performers, get rid of non-performers – you cannot tolerate non-performance
Studying these axioms has been so powerful to Hybels that he wrote a book titled, Axiom, Powerful Leadership Proverbs.

I recently received an email with a link to a 3 minute movie that contains some other powerful axioms. Check it out here.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

The Treasure Principle

For most of my life I felt that financial security was the way to find true peace. That is the way I was raised and that is what I firmly believed. It wasn't until four or five years ago that God took me through a desert experience of sorts that showed me that my one real source of peace is in my Father in heaven.

Obviously, right now is a pretty turbulent economic time. Many are very concerned about the value of their retirement accounts and their portfolios.

I am in the process of reading an excellent book which is helping me even more to put money in the proper perspective, The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. Last night I read an interesting thought regarding the power and value of giving.

Alcorn said in the book to pretend you are a visitor to this country from France and you will be here three months. During that time, you can earn money but the only thing you can't do is bring it home with you (or any of your possessions). However, you can send it ahead of you to your home in France for it to be waiting for you. What would you do?

You more than likely would send as much to your home in France as possible.

Well, that is exactly what giving is for us now. The Bible tells us we are visitors to this planet from our home in heaven. When we hold loosely that which has been entrusted to us and we give, we are in essence sending our treasures ahead of us to our heavenly home.

Any thoughts on this?

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:19-21

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Truth

A good friend of mine and I were talking on the phone last night. Our discussion turned to politics and the upcoming presidential election.

We talked about the fact that there is a lot of mud-slinging going on and that it seems like you can't get the straight story from any of the prime media outlets. He said that he is starting to question anything he hears from the main stream media. I could not agree more. The news seems like the above picture (stare at the picture for a few seconds)--it appears to be moving and deceptive. I feel like I cannot trust it.

In fact, I have tried to pull away from that form of news as much as I can. Sure, I want to know what's going on, but I also want to hear about it in an unbiased way.

Just one more example of the fact that the only real Truth can be found only in the Bible.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 8:32

Monday, October 06, 2008

Risk Taking

I have been speaking quite a bit lately to my 12 year-old son about taking risks. I don't mean doing things like sky diving or running with the bulls in Pamplona. I mean using the gifts you have been given to honor God.

My son, as do most of us, likes to sit on the sidelines in his comfort zone. He has some incredible gifts but doesn't always like to take the risk to use them. We are working on that (and I'm working on it myself).

In the latest issue of the Toledo Free Press, a story appeared featuring John Tesh and the fact that he is coming to Toledo for a concert. Tesh used to be co-host of Entertainment Tonight. Things were going great. Yet he felt drawn to do something else, to use some other gifts that God had given him.
“When I left ‘Entertainment Tonight’ is when [taking risks] began,” he said. “OK, you’re earning seven figures a year for working four hours a day, is this going to be the rest of your life when you really want to be a piano player and you really want to have a voice? It’s time to make a decision, and I think we all face that.”
John is doing well financially--maybe not as well as he was when he was on ET, but he is doing fine. But you know what? I'll bet that even if he was making a small fraction of what he once was, he would be 100 times more fulfilled doing what he was made to do. That is something you cannot put a price tag on!

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Reconstruction

If I had to give you one word to describe the current state of our house right now it would be "disaster" or maybe "chaos." We have hardwood floors in our kitchen and in our front foyer. They haven't been redone in 10 years of so and they were looking pretty ragged.

We are at the tail end of having them sanded and refinished. As a result, all the stuff from our kitchen is in our dining room, living room and family room. This includes our refrigerator which proudly sits in the entry to our family room and our stove which is in the middle of our dining room.

This sort of environment stresses me out to no end. However, I do know it will be relatively and thankfully short-lived.

I was thinking this morning how this is very similar to our lives. We sometimes need some reconstruction or refinishing in certain areas of our lives. Going through that process can be painful and stressful. Yet, just like our floors, in the end the finished product will prove it is all worthwhile!

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Are You a Bad Boss?

Several years ago I wrote a book called Bleedership, Biblical First-Aid for Leaders. In the book, I contrast the leadership style of a tyrannical boss I had to the leadership style of some of the Bible's greatest leaders.

My boss was definitely a "bad boss." However, you don't need to be a tyrant to be in the bad boss category. On www.changingminds.org I just found an interesting article which begins like this:

As soon as the word bad boss is mentioned most people start imagining pictures of a wicked person, a crook, a tyrant, a scheming backstabbing individual, a selfish ogre, etc. And typical textbook definitions of a bad boss is one who screams, threatens, intimidates, grabs credit, fires people, throttles people’s necks and so on. While this could be true in some cases, it is not so in a large percentage of cases. Actually it is not necessary to be a wicked person at all to be called a bad boss. Ironically, a good natured or normal person can also fall under the category of a bad boss without exhibiting the standard boorish behaviors. Here are a few common mistakes good people do to slowly transform themselves into bad bosses.

To read about these mistakes go here.