Jim Lange

Moved

2011-04-14T13:27:00.001-05:00

Just a quick reminder to let you know that my new Blog is now at www.5feet20.com. I hope to see you there!

Jim

I Dare Ya!

2010-12-17T13:43:00.003-05:00

I dare you to take 3-4 minutes to test your knowledge of the Christmas story! You can do so at my new Blog location: http://www.5feet20.com/2010/12/17/retooning-the-nativity/. I hope to see you there!

Changes

2010-11-30T16:59:00.003-05:00

I have been Blogging at this site for almost four years now and I am so thankful for all of you who read what I have to say. I really appreciate each of you very much.

I have recently gone through an overhaul of my website...actually it is a brand new website which is still a bit in process. As a result, I will no longer be blogging here, but at my new site. So...I am inviting you to visit me at www.5feet20.com - where I have my latest new post. If you would like to receive my posts in your email, you can sign up here. It takes about 11 seconds.

Thanks everyone--I look forward to seeing you at www.5feet20.com! Again, if you'd like to receive my posts via email, you can do so here.

The Gift of the Moment

2010-11-29T09:40:00.005-05:00

Saturday morning, we woke very early and made the trek to Columbus for the annual clash between Ohio State and Michigan (won by the Buckeyes 37-7). All week I had been reading comments from some of Ohio State's senior football players talking about the game and how they could not believe that their careers as a Buckeye were coming to an end.

Dane Sazenbacher (pictured above in Saturday's game) was quoted often in our local paper because he is a Toledoan. He shared about how emotional the week would be for him and that his career just seemed to fly by.

On football Saturday mornings in Columbus, the band and thousands of fans gather at St. John Arena (OSU's old basketball arena) for the "skull session." The band runs through their pre-game and halftime shows in preparation for the afternoon's game which helps to get the fans fired up. Immediately before this (2 hours before kickoff), the team stops in on their way to the stadium to get prepared for the game. One of the senior players says a few short words and then Coach Jim Tressel addresses the crowd. The players then leave to the band playing "Fight the Team." It is a very cool thing!

This past Saturday at skull session, I kept watching Sanzenbacher as he walked in, something he had done close to 30 times now in his career. This time was different though. He could not stop looking around. It was obvious he was taking it all in, knowing this would be the last time he experienced this as a player. This emotional moment even got to me. I tried to explain what was happening to my family but I found it very difficult to speak as I was so choked up.

The thought occurred to me that Sanzenbacher might like to go back to relive some of these moments in his past four years, knowing now that he will not have another one. It's possible that he took these moments for granted and just now, as he approached the end, realized how special these moments were and are.

The same is true for me. I know that I take many moments for granted. I take my breathing for granted. I take my family for granted. I take the sun for granted. The list goes on and on.

The fact is, the breath I just took could be my last. It is possible that the next time I see each of my family members could be my last. I am not saying this to be morbid, but rather so we might realize that every moment is a gift to be cherished. I hope to be looking around in awe at my everyday moments the way Dane Sanzenbacher was on Saturday. I hope to not take anything for granted! I hope that I realize how much of a gift this present moment is. How about you?

Why, you don not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

James 4:14

Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T14:58:00.002-05:00

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:15-21, emphasis added)

You may have heard this story many times. The miraculous multiplication of food. Incredible. Yet, the part that strikes me in this story is what Jesus does immediately before He performs this miracle. He gives thanks for what He had.

When I try to picture myself in that story to see how I might have reacted, I think I would have panicked. When I knew that thousands needed to be fed and all I had were five loaves of bread and two fish, I probably would be saying something like, So what are we supposed to do with that?!

I certainly don’t think I would be thankful in the moment, precisely because I would only be in the moment. If I had a larger lens, if I saw the bigger picture, then I would be in better position to be thankful. Jesus saw the big picture and thus was thankful for the little things. Had He not given thanks, perhaps this miracle may not have happened.

The fact is that each of us has much to be thankful for. Yes, things might be tough. It may seem like we may only have five loaves and two fish, but as Jesus showed us, when we look at the bigger picture we can see how blessed we truly are!

So let's give thanks! Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful for the Thorns

2010-11-22T08:55:00.003-05:00

Give thanks in all circumstances.

1 Thessalonians 5:18a

As we approach Thanksgiving, the thought of giving thanks might be difficult for many due to tough circumstances in their lives. With that in mind, I hope that this story is a blessing:

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes when she pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy. This was Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their infant son. She grieved over their loss.

Troubles had multiplied.

Her husband's company "threatened" to transfer his job to a new location. Her sister had called to say that she could not come for her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra's friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life, but took her child's?"

"Good afternoon, can I help you?"

Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk. "I . . I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra. "For Thanksgiving? I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued.

"Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving?"

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."

Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you." Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer, "Hi, Barbara, let me get your order." She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except, the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.

"Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched - was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.

"Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said, as she gently tapped her chest.

Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with . . . Uh . . . She left with no flowers!"

"That's right," said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers. That's the 'Special.’ I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery. That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk. "For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel."

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.

"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I never questioned Him why those good things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, ‘Why? Why me?!' It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about what her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God ." Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" the clerk greeted the balding, rotund man. "My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement . . . twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?" "Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced," Phil replied. "After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem, the Lord rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us." As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life" Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too . . . fresh."

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.

"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."

It read: "My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant." Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns. God Bless all of you. Be thankful for all that the Lord does for you."Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God."

We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and Duct tape. God did it with nails.

10 Ways to Know It's Time to Quit

2010-11-18T18:13:00.003-05:00

This post appeared recently at Stirred Up Leadership and I thought I would share it here:

The journey into a profound spirituality for Geri Scazzero began when she said, “I quit.”

Refusing to continue pretending everything was “fine,” she told her husband she was quitting their church – and he was the pastor!

The powerful journey they took together – to “quit” the things that really don’t belong to God’s kingdom and embrace the things that do – changed their personal lives, their marriage and their church. Take the following assessment below and see if you need to quit:

1. You need the approval of others to feel good about yourself.

2. You are angry, sad, or disappointed and feel guilty about it.

3. You believe you don't have choices.

4. You do for others what they can and should do for themselves.

5. Your rarely consider your own hopes and dreams because of your focus on others.

6. You say “yes’ when you would rather say “no”.

7. You have difficulty speaking up when you disagree or prefer something different.

8. You’re becoming a less instead of a more loving person.

9. You are resentful and tired because you regularly “try to do it all.”

10. You are afraid to admit your weaknesses and flaws.

If two or three apply to you, you may need to start quitting. If four to six apply, you have a lot to quit; if you scored seven or above, your true self may be “buried alive.”

When we quit those things that are damaging to our souls, we are freed up to choose ways of being that are rooted in love and lead to life – both for us and others. Quitting goes hand in hand with choosing. Something breaks inside of us when we finally say, “No more!” The following are 8 "Quits" essential to all genuine spirituality.

Quit Being Afraid of What Others Think. (Choose Freedom)
I am willing to cut through the disapproval of others and do what is good, true and loving. I no longer ignore the values I hold dearly. Who I am “on stage” before others is the same person I am “off stage” when I am by myself.

Quit Lying. (Choose Truth)
The degree to which I live in the truth –with myself, God and others- is the degree to which I am free. Learning how to speak the truth respectfully, honestly and clearly is one of the most significant ways I can respect the image of God in myself and others.

Quit Dying to the Wrong Things. (Choose Delighting in God’s Gifts)
I will no longer set aside or devalue activities or relationships that cause my soul to feel fully alive (e.g. music, dance, art, the outdoors, travel). I will take the time to explore my internal world of thoughts, feelings, values, loves, beliefs and motivations.

Quit Denying Anger, Sadness, and Fear. (Choose Embracing Your Humanity)
When it comes to feeling, I will avoid extremes –neither neglecting my emotions nor allowing them to run my life. I will allow myself to experience them in the presence of God, calmly think them through, and then take appropriate action.

Quit Blaming. (Choose to Take Responsibility)
As a human being made in God’s image, I recognize that no one is responsible for my life but me. I reclaim my freedom to choose my own life and help others do the same. I can’t change others, but I can change myself – with God’s grace.

Quit Overfunctioning. (Choose Letting Go)
I will no longer do for others what they can and should do for themselves. I will push through my fears in the face of resistance, asking God for courage and wisdom.

Quit Faulty Thinking. (Choose to Live in Reality)
I will refuse to make things bigger than they are. I will not take offense or blame for something before having all the data. And I will not believe the falsehood that things will never change. I will position myself so that the Spirit can correct my wrong assumptions and align me with the truth.

Quit Living Someone Else’s Life. (Choose to be Yourself)
By God’s grace I will embrace the unique life He has given me. I will listen to my God-given rhythms, set appropriate boundaries with others, and let go of other people’s agenda for me. In this way I will enter into the joy of my own beautifully, God-given life and carry out His unique purposes for me.

Listening to God

2010-11-16T18:08:00.008-05:00

I was in a meeting last week with someone, named Jessica, who was telling us how she shared a story to a group of young girls. This is how it went:

Imagine a little girl named Mary who has a friend over. All her friend does is talk about herself and her stuff. After a few hours of playing it's time for Mary's friend to go home. Not once does Mary's friend ask what Mary's feeling, or really anything about Mary.

How do you think Mary felt?

The girls who were listening to this story were totally engaged and they all said things like, "lonely" or "sad" or "not important."

Jessica then said, "Well, that's exactly how God must feel when we do the same thing to Him. We so often go to Him to tell Him all about us and our stuff and we rarely listen to Him."

Pretty good picture, huh? I think we all sometimes need to be taught like children - at least I do.

Help!

2010-11-15T10:08:00.002-05:00

I suppose I am like most guys in that I don't like to ask for help (I know quite a few women in this boat too!). I guess I view it as a sign of weakness. However, it is actually a sign of pride.

This past week was more stressful than most. As I was reflecting on the week, I realized how much I had to rely on others for their help.

We had a situation with my son which required prayer and many stepped up in a big way
My wife's sister-in-law passed away last week and her funeral was Friday, the same day as one of our Truth at Work group meetings that I facilitate. As a result, a good friend stepped in to lead that for me in my absence.
Saturday, we had our Gala Gathering and auction in Toledo which is a great event in our community. Truth at Work was one of the benefiting ministries and many organizations and individuals were very generous in donating some incredible items for the auction.

This weekend I was overcome with thankfulness for those who stepped in to help me. Several of these people shared with me how their helping me actually blessed them. I realized that had I had my usual attitude of "I don't need help," I would have actually been robbing others of a blessing...and I would have been adding much more stress to my plate!

I am discovering that strong leaders know they need help and are not reluctant to ask for it. We all have strengths and abilities. When we allow the body of Christ to come together and do its work, it is amazing what can happen.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

Romans 12:3-5a

Words in Anger

2010-11-12T20:27:00.002-05:00

As some of you may be aware, I lead four monthly round-table groups of Christian business and ministry leaders in the Toledo area. The purpose of these gatherings is to help each of our members (usually 12-15 in a group) to grow their organizations in a God-honoring way, while at the same time helping them to grow personally and spiritually. The name of this ministry is Truth at Work.

Each of these sessions is four hours long and, though I am the facilitator, I receive so much from these times together--I truly feel like the most blessed person on this planet that I get to do this. This morning's meeting was no exception.

One of our members in today's meeting shared a line which I thought was great. She said, "Whenever I get angry, I try to just leave the room because I have never said anything when I was angry in which I later said to myself, 'Wow, that was brilliant. I am so glad I just said that!'"

You know what? I can say the same exact thing in my life. It seems that when I am angry is when I say the things I regret the most. Perhaps I need to follow this person's advice when I'm angry and just leave before I say anything I might regret. I guess my mom was right all along when she used to tell me, "If you can't say anything nice about someone, don't say anything at all."

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

Proverbs 29:11

Lemons or Lemonade?

2010-11-09T20:49:00.004-05:00

I just found out last week that a good friend of mine had just lost his job. I called Rick immediately to see how he was doing and he said something like this, "I'm absolutely fine! I have a sense that God has something else in store for me." He almost sounded a bit excited.

What an amazing reaction. I heard it said once in on online interview I was listening to that when we lose a job, our reaction ought to be, "Wow, I can't wait to see how God's going to provide for me now!" That is obviously much easier said than done. However, Rick's response was basically the same as this...expectant on God to do something really cool. He is expecting God to turn lemons into lemonade.

I don't have a clue what God has in store for Rick but I do know that even through this difficult time, Rick is pointing people toward Christ through his example. Something we can all learn from for when we are faced with difficult challenges.

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

Confession

2010-11-08T13:52:00.004-05:00

I have to tell you that I am not a Notre Dame fan. Never have been and probably never will be. However, I was very impressed with how they handled a very difficult situation this past weekend.

You have probably heard about the tragedy that struck the South Bend campus almost two weeks ago. Declan Sullivan (pictured above), a student videographer, was killed Oct. 27 when a hydraulic lift he was on toppled over while he was filming football practice in high winds - click here for the full story.

As soon as I heard this, my heart was hurting. In addition to my feelings for his family, I thought how awful it would have to be to be the coach (head coach Brian Kelly) who made the decision to practice outdoors that day. I was wondering how the university would handle this. This past weekend I found out--they did it with class.

"Declan Sullivan was entrusted to our care, and we failed to keep him safe," the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame's president wrote in an email to students. "We at Notre Dame and ultimately I as president are responsible. Words cannot express our sorrow to the Sullivan family and to all involved."

This is a terrible situation that is extremely sad. However, I am very proud of Notre Dame's president for stepping up to accept the blame. He, personally, had nothing to do with the accident, but he is accepting responsibility on behalf of the university, a very classy thing to do. It seems that this is not normal in our society, especially the way lawsuits are filed at the drop of a hat. But Rev. Jenkins got this right.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

James 5:16a

Man's Best Friend?

2010-11-05T14:26:00.003-05:00

I heard about a test for husbands to see if their wives love them as much as their dogs. Here's how it's done:

Lock your wife and your dog in the trunk of your car for an hour. When you open it up see who's happier to see you.

Come on, I don't care who you are, that's funny. At least I thought it was until today.

We are watching our grand-puppy, Tysen, (pictured above) since our daughter Kristin (his "mom") is working a long shift at the hospital today. I just picked my son Robbie up from school and he entered the house first. Tysen lovingly greeted him and then came to see who else was coming in the door. When he saw it was me, he immediately went back to showering Robbie with attention.

So if I performed the test above, I might be the only guy to not have either his wife or dog be happy to see him! Maybe if I start carrying pork chops in my pockets...

Genuine Article

2010-11-02T16:31:00.003-05:00

I have been told that bank tellers used to be trained to detect counterfeit bills by putting the tellers in a room and showing them genuine currency. They were taught the nuances of each type of bill and they were encouraged to touch, smell and study every square millimeter of each bill.

After they were trained they were tested. The tellers were put in front of a conveyor belt loaded with genuine bills. Occasionally someone would insert a counterfeit bill onto the belt. The tellers would immediately look at it, pull it off, and say, “I can't tell you why, but something's not right about this bill. This must be a counterfeit."

The reason they were able to detect the fakes was that they had spent so much time with the real deal. They knew what the genuine article was all about so anything that didn't match up to it exactly stuck out like a sore thumb.

The same principle holds true in our lives. We are bombarded with so much information today that it is sometimes difficult to discern what is true and what is not. The Word of God is truth. Just like these tellers, we need to spend time in it so that we know what is genuine and what is fake.

If you want to see a cool way that I recently learned to do this, here is a link to a message I gave in our church a couple months ago.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

Playing To Audience of One

2010-11-01T07:15:00.004-05:00

On Friday night, Connie and I went to the Make a Difference Tour featuring Toby Mac, Third Day and Michael W. Smith. This is something that was the brainchild of Max Lucado that was designed to help World Vision to find sponsors for children in other countries.

The concert was really good but one thing stood out to me at the very beginning. A late addition to the lineup was a guy named Jason Gray (He has a new song out which is very popular called More Like Falling in Love - listen here).

Anyway, the show was scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM. Ten minutes before 7:00, Gray came out to begin. Needless to say, many of the seats were still empty and many people were milling around trying to find their seats. I thought that these would be very difficult conditions to play under as it had to be pretty distracting.

However, I was very impressed with Gray. It appeared that the people walking around were not an issue to him. He gave it his all, regardless of his surroundings.

I have heard it said that we all should remember that we are really playing for an audience of One. That is exactly how Jason Gray played on Friday night.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24

Talking Others Up

2010-10-28T16:46:00.006-05:00

I heard a great prayer the other day, "Lord, help me to be the man my dog thinks I am!"

This reminded me of my late mentor, John Savage. When I graduated from college, he took an interest in me and met regularly with me to help me navigate life. From time to time, I would see him in a restaurant with some of his peers. He would always introduce me to his friends and say glowing things about me. I had to resist the urge to look over my shoulder to see if he was talking about someone behind me because I didn't believe what he was saying was true.

The bottom line is that John believed in me...even more than I did. This had a great impact on me. I desired, I mean I really wanted to live up to what John said about me. I wanted to be the person he thought I was. I'm not sure if it was because I didn't want to disappoint him or if there was another reason. But no matter, the point is that his positive comments about me helped to make me want to grow, to become better.

Because of the way John Savage "talked me up" to others and the impact this had on my life, I try to do this to others as well. So who can you "talk up" today?

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Others First

2010-10-26T20:07:00.005-05:00

My 14 year-old son, Robert, and I have been reading a chapter each week in John Maxwell's book, Winning with People. It has been a great time together learning some really good stuff. Here is an excerpt from the chapter we read this past Sunday:

I recently read an article about actress Angelina Jolie. The catalyst for her change in perspective was a script. Jolie, who won an Oscar in 1999 for her role in Girl, Interrupted, could have been the poster girl for a life adrift. The child of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, she had grown up in Hollywood and indulged many of its excesses. She was called a "wild child." And she was well known for drug usage, outrageous behavior, and sometimes self-destructive actions. She was convinced she would die young.

"There was a time where I never had a sense of purpose, never felt useful as a person," says Jolie. "I think a lot of people have that feeling--wanting to kill yourself or take drugs to numb yourself out because you can't shut it off or you just feel bad and you don't know what it's from."

Success in movies did little to help her. "I felt so off balance all the time," admits Jolie. "I remember one of the most upsetting times in my life was after I had attained success, financial stability and I was in love, and I thought, 'I have everything that they say you should have to be happy and I'm not happy.'"

But then she read the script for Beyond Borders, the story of a woman living a life of privilege who discovers the plight of refugees and orphans around the world. Jolie recalls, "Something in me really wanted to understand what the film was about, these people in the world , all these displaced people and war and famine and refugees." For a year she traveled around the world with UN workers. "I got my greatest life education and changed drastically," she observes. She visited camps in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Cote d'Ivoire, Cambodia, Pakistan, Namibia, and Thailand. Her entire perspective changed. She realized that the entire world was made up of other people, many of whom were in dire circumstances, many of whom she could help.

When the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees asked her to become goodwill ambassador in 2001, she was happy to do it. She also began donating money to help refugees and orphans, including $3 million to the UN's refugee program. (She says she makes a "stupid amount of money" to act in movies.) And she adopted a Cambodian orphan, Maddox. Recently Worth magazine listed her as one of the twenty-five most influential philanthropists in the world. She estimates she gives almost a third of her income to charity.

Jolie puts it all into perspective: "You could die tomorrow and you've done a few movies, won some awards--that doesn't mean anything. But if you've built schools or raised a child or done something to make things better for other people, then it just feels better. Life is better." Why does she feel that way? Because she finally gets the big picture. She stopped focusing on herself and began putting other people ahead of herself.

The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Galatians 5:14

Listen First

2010-10-25T09:22:00.004-05:00

A man enters a cocktail lounge and goes directly to the bartender. "Do you have anything that will cure the hiccups?" he asks. Without a word the bartender slaps him across the face with a wet rag.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" the surprised man shouts.

The bartender smiles and says, "Well, you don't have the hiccups anymore, do you?"

The man replies, "I never did. I wanted something to help my wife who's in the car."

Who do you relate to in this story? Hopefully not the bartender. Unfortunately, I am like the bartender way too often. When someone is talking to me, I have a tendency to jump to conclusions before they are done. I'm especially guilty of this when listening to my wife.

I am trying to discipline myself to not only listen, but to ask clarifying questions before coming to a conclusion or giving an answer. I am working on being more patient and holding my tongue until I have all the facts. How about you?

Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

Proverbs 17:28

Shhhh...

2010-10-22T06:16:00.003-05:00

Today is my favorite day of October. Not because it's the 22nd, but because it is the day I scheduled my monthly retreat.

Earlier this year I began the process of getting away for most of a day to worship, pray, listen and whatever else I feel led to do (read, write, plan, etc...). I have been going to a cabin in the woods in a beautiful setting.

It just so happens that today's retreat comes at an interesting time. I am extremely busy right now and a big part of me would rather stay in my office and plow through some of the things I'd like to get done. However, experience has shown me that these times of quiet listening have been some of the most productive times I have (which goes totally against my nature).

So, I am going to trust God that He is going to show up in a mighty way today. I can't wait!

"Be still and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:10a

You Can't Have A Testimony Without The Test

2010-10-19T19:46:00.007-05:00

As mentioned in my last post, I participated as a table leader for the Walk to Emmaus this past weekend. At my table were five other individuals, many of which had experienced some severe life tests.

During one of the discussions, I asked the table, "Why do you think God wants to use us to reach others on earth, when we are all so messed up?" One of the guys at the table, who had perhaps lived the most difficult life, responded by saying, "Because we are messed up." He went on to say that because of his tests, he will now be able to help people who are going through similar things. He was absolutely right.

I have heard it said that God never wastes a hurt. He will use it for good. The fact is, it's impossible to have a testimony without the test.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

All Things Are Possible

2010-10-18T15:27:00.004-05:00

Sunday night I returned home from a Walk to Emmaus (based on the story in Luke 24:13-35) where I was serving on the team. This is a 72 hour (3 day) spiritual renewal weekend which is truly something that words cannot describe. This was my third "walk" including the time I was a participant over five years ago. This time I had the privilege of being a table leader whose role is to facilitate the discussions about the different talks we heard.

Though I got very little sleep and was away from my family, this time away was so worth it. I got to experience God's hand at work. It was as if I got to watch the Holy Spirit at work! (If you have never been on one of these, I HIGHLY recommend it--it is life changing!)

There were over 50 guys together for this weekend sitting at eight tables. On Friday morning we were assigned to our tables. At the Table of Matthew were myself and five other guys, all from totally different backgrounds. Some were young. Some old. Some were quiet. Some loud. Some have been law-abiding citizens. Others had been to prison multiple times or seriously involved in drugs. That morning I looked around at this group and I thought that there was no way that this group would like each other, let alone come together.

Over Saturday afternoon, there was a time when I thought that things were not going well. It seemed that some of the guys were getting on other's nerves. Then throughout the rest of the weekend's events, God did something amazing.

On Sunday morning our table had a time of prayer in which each member thanked God for what He had done in their hearts. Many shared that they were so thankful that God had softened their hearts toward one another and brought us together as a unit. They were so thankful that God had placed them at the Table of Matthew.

Just another reminder that "with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26b)

Wise Counsel

2010-10-12T20:13:00.002-05:00

At the beginning of the year I began on a new book project that I am very excited about. I am still searching for a title but the overall premise of the book is how to find peace in the midst of chaos. The title I have right now is The Quest for Peace, How to Remain Calm in This Chaotic World (By the way, I am open to title suggestions--please add them in the comments section!).

This summer I finished with the first draft and gave it to several people to get their editorial feedback. I had asked for comments on any theological issues they have, any places where it seemed slow or boring and any places where there wrer grammatical errors or typos. I asked that they get back to me by this past weekend. So, Monday I spent a good portion of my day pouring over the comments and suggestions.

What I found amazing was that very few people had the same corrections when it came to spelling or grammar issues. It seemed that most errors were only found by one person while they were skipped over by the others. When combined, I had quite a few corrections to make and I was so thankful that all five of the readers had provided their input. Even though the book has several more stages to go through, had I only asked a couple of people or, worse yet, had I not asked for any help, this book would have probably contained many errors.

The same holds true in our lives. When faced with a tough decision, it is wise to get other trusted advisers involved.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
Proverbs 15:22

We All Have Faith

2010-10-11T07:43:00.004-05:00

Have you ever heard someone described as a "man of faith" or as a "woman of faith"? Sure, we all have.

For some reason I was thinking about this while driving on a trip with my son a week or so ago. We happened to be traveling at dusk over a two-lane road in Indiana which was anything but straight. I have to admit that it was a little frightening with the oncoming traffic coming at us and being somewhat difficult to see.

I realized that the only way I could continue on was if I had faith that the driver coming at us would remain on his or her side of the yellow line. The same is true for all of us. We all have to exercise faith everyday just to function...even if it is only faith in someone else to do what they are supposed to do.

In other words, we are all men and women of faith.

The real question is, what are we placing our faith in? If we place our faith in man, we will eventually (and always) be disappointed. However, we can be assured of one thing. If God promised it, you can always count on it, even if it seems impossible.

Forsaking
All
I
Trust
Him

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

Psalm 118:8

Welcome to Churchville

2010-10-07T19:47:00.007-05:00

I Was recently emailed this parable that was originally published by SalvationLife. While this is written to be a lesson to the local church, the same exact principle holds true in our workplaces and everywhere we find ourselves.

Welcome to Churchville, Population 10. (Generally very good and likeable people.)
An exciting opportunity has come to Churchville, as electricity has become available to the residents.
Time passes, and a very interesting thing happens. Half of the residents of Churchville take advantage of the availability of electricity by bringing it into their homes. One of these comes to believe so strongly in the benefits of electricity that he (upper left) is willing to give anything for the sake of electricity and deeply desires for all of his neighbors to come to experience it as he has. The four others who have connected to electricity are also enthusiastic about it. It has dramatically changed how they live their everyday lives. This "connected" half of Churchville's population all exhibit a love of electricity and a high degree of hospitality toward and concern for their neighbors.

But half of the residents of Churchville never chose to connect their homes to the available electric current, and they have varying reasons. One of them simply isn't convinced that electricity exists. He says that his neighbors who claim to have electricity in their homes are just fooling themselves with wishful thinking. Yet, even though he thinks these five neighbors of his are living under a delusion, he remains in Churchville rather than leaving, because it's a good place to be.

The other four of our non-electric residents are a bit more of a puzzle. They believe in electricity, but for whatever reason still have yet to make the appropriate arrangements for it to come into their home. The most notable thing, though, was three of these four seem to be unaware that they are living without electricity! They talk and often act as if they have it in their homes, even to the point of occasionally buying an appliance or sending the electric company money for the bill they think they owe. (One of them even volunteers to serve on the board of the electric company.) Yet these three continue to go on with their electricity-less lives, with no realization that they could be living any differently.

Only one of the non-electric residents notices the gap between how she is living and what her life would be like with electricity. One of the "connected" neighbors gave her a light bulb, and she really wants more light in her house. Neighbors and electric company workers are confident that she will make the necessary arrangements and become connected soon.

So what's the point of the parable? I am a big fan of the REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey for churches. It seeks to give church leaders a measurable way of looking at how effectively they help people grow. Our church participated almost two years ago, and will take our second survey this fall to see how we have improved.

Our results indicate that somewhere close to 1/2 of our people have yet to significantly arrange their lives in ways that would make growth in their love for God and others natural. Also, of these, only about 1 in 5 recognize that things should be different.

Of all of the things that are presented to church leaders as worthy of our time and energy, nothing is more essential than this: modeling and communicating how profoundly good it is to live our lives fully in the kingdom of God, so that any others who desire to do so will know how, and that others will have a more accurate understanding of what it is they're being invited to in the Christian life.

"Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news: 'It's time. The kingdom of God is now available. Change your mind and direction and believe the good news." (Mark 1:15, paraphrase)

A Good Name

2010-10-03T13:53:00.003-05:00

My son Robbie and I just returned from a weekend trip to Champaign, Illinois where we watched the Buckeyes from Ohio State barely beat the Fighting Illini from Illinois. It was a very fun weekend!

On the way home this morning, we were looking for a place to stop for breakfast. We passed by a couple of local diners that looked to me like they would be worth trying but Robbie said, "No, I'd really rather wait to try to find a Bob Evans." It took us quite a while but we finally found one and enjoyed a great, and really big, breakfast (and one that probably didn't help our arteries much).

Robbie knew what he was getting with Bob Evans regardless of the city we were in. He knew they had a good name so he was willing to wait.

That is a very good thing for a company. It is, perhaps, an even greater thing for an individual. In fact, the Bible says it is better than having great riches. So how is your name?

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver and gold.

Proverbs 22:1

Soul Care Pillars

2010-09-29T07:22:00.004-05:00

So often I feel as if my soul is suffering in the midst of the demands and stress that the world, and I put on it. This morning I read something on Stirred Up Leadership that I thought was excellent. So thank you to Mindy Caliguire for a very well done post. I hope it resonates with you like it did with me!

Architecturally speaking, pillars are strong and reliable. They stand the test of time. Properly placed, they create space and buttress a structure.

Over time we have recognized the important, space-making role that core spiritual practices play in helping us both live and lead from the strong structure of a healthy soul, with plenty of space for God. These specific practices are foundational to what Soul Care offers.

Experience some right now:

Prayer
Take a minute now to turn your thoughts towards God directly. Is there something you’re grateful for? Take moment to thank the Source of all good things. Something you’re worried about? Specifically name it… and ask for God’s help. Totally confused about something? Go ahead and ask for wisdom! Perhaps you want to simply sit in silence, attentive to God’s presence and love. Just for a minute—or twenty!— breathe deeply, and rest in God’s presence and love. James 1, Philippians 4, James 1, Psalm 131

Spiritual Friendship
What’s the most challenging area in your life these days? Is anyone walking through that with you? Be sure to let your soul-level friends know what’s really going on. Pick up the phone, send the text, write that email, or just stop by… they may pray with you, encourage you, hear your confession, or even just “be with you” in it in a way that helps you stay open to God. Any of your friends going through something significant these days? Take a moment to pray for them, too… and then connect. Ephesians 4:16, Galatians 6

Use of Scripture
Unlike any other book, the Bible is “living and active” and a variety of ways exist to study, read, meditate on, and be shaped by the truths. We do not want merely to know the principles it contains: we want to connect with the Person it proclaims. We can rely on it, take comfort in it, be corrected by it, find hope and direction though it. Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119, John 5:39

Solitude/Silence
The demands of daily life—especially in our 24/7 “wired” world—make it difficult to really hear from God and allow His person to form the basis of our identity. Even Jesus needed time specifically set aside to connect with His Father. Might there be things God’s been trying to convey, but you’re not listening? Not noticing? Take a few minutes to turn off all electronics (yes, even the computer!), and pay attention to God. Better yet, look at your schedule now and set aside a few hours—or days—in the next month to “be alone with God”. At-home parents, executives, pastors, students… we all need solitude. Psalm 46, Mark 1:35-37

Soul Searching
Where has God been at work in your life lately? In the pages of a journal, or in a few minutes of prayer, ask God to help you search through yesterday… where have you sensed His presence, or not? In hindsight, do you notice things you missed in the moment? Are there areas God has shown you where you strayed in an attitude or choice? If you’re human, the answer is likely yes! Confession yields life-giving freedom and soul-level peace. So, out with it. Come clean. Find grace. Psalm 139:23-24, 1 John 1

Simplicity
True simplicity is about developing a singularity of heart, or of purpose. It may impact our “stuff,” but most importantly it describes our focus—everything in life aligns to a central goal: Total surrender and abandonment to God. While many of us long to live into that kind of destiny, we often unknowingly clog and clutter our own path. Do you know who God’s made you to be, and for what purpose? How closely does your current life reflect that goal? Take whatever step you can today to bring alignment between those two things. By doing that, you’re caring for your soul through simplicity. Let God know it’s a journey you are willing to take… maybe write about it in a journal… and then pursue it wholeheartedly. Hebrews 12:1-2, Matthew 6:19-34, Prov. 11:3

Something to Die For

2010-09-27T08:23:00.003-05:00

Occasionally I will read something that really strikes me as something worth sharing. Today I read this from Rick Warren regarding our convictions. As you read this, I encourage you to ask yourself what you would be willing to die for?

Every day in the business and professional world we see - and sometimes suffer - the consequences of people acting and making decisions without clear, well-thought-out convictions. As someone has said, if you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.

Dictionaries usually define conviction as a fixed or strong belief. In reality, however, conviction is much more than that. Your convictions also include your values, commitments, and motivations. I like the definition of conviction I once heard from Bible teacher Howard Hendricks: "A belief is something you will argue about. A conviction is something you will die for!"

Convictions determine our conduct. They motivate us to act in certain ways.When people initially become followers of Jesus, for example, they often do things simply because other Christians suggest or model those behaviors. They pray, read the Bible and attend worship services because they observe and want to emulate the examples of others.

This is reasonable for new believers. Little children learn the same way. However, as we grow and mature, we eventually must develop our own reasons for doing what we do. Those reasons become convictions. Here are some important principles about convictions to remember:

Biblical convictions are essential for spiritual growth and maturity. An irony about our world today is people often have strong convictions about weak issues (things like their favorite sports, clothing and music) while having weak convictions about major issues (the difference between right and wrong).

Try making a list of your spiritual convictions. Are your convictions weak on any major issues? The Bible teaches us, "Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping" (1 Corinthians 16:12-15).

People without convictions are at the mercy of circumstances. If you fail to determine what is important and how you will live, other people will determine it for you.

People without convictions are weak individuals that mindlessly follow the crowd. I believe the apostle Paul was talking about conviction when he said in Romans 12:2, "Don't let the world squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your mind from within ..." (Phillips translation).

Conviction helps us be diligent in continuing to grow spiritually. Growth requires time and effort. Without convictions about growth, people become discouraged and give up. No one persists with a difficult task unless convinced there is a good reason for doing it. This applies to prayer, studying the Bible, and seeking to live out biblical principles in our everyday life and work.

Knowing what to do (knowledge), why to do it (perspective) and how to do it (skill) are worthless without the conviction to motivate you to actually do it! People who have made the greatest impact on this world, for good or for evil, were those with the strongest, deepest convictions. They were not necessarily the smartest, wealthiest, or best educated, but convictions moved them to move the world.

Buckeyes and People

2010-09-23T20:03:00.008-05:00

I'm a big fan of buckeyes…not just the football Buckeyes, but actual buckeyes. This fall, my wife Connie and I have encountered many buckeye trees and we have been able to collect a few of these awesome treasures.

I had a couple of these unopened shells sitting on my desk for a while, waiting for them to open up to reveal the beautiful nut that had been growing inside. After viewing these for a few days I began to think about how similar a buckeye is to a human being.

These outer shells of a buckeye are not very attractive and they even have barbs on them which resemble a porcupine. So not only are they ugly but they can actually hurt you. However, once they open, a surprisingly attractive nut is revealed. Buckeyes actually look like they are made of a rich type of wood that is polished perfectly—very beautiful.

Many people might not look very pretty from the outside and might even hurt others at times. However, each and every person (even the unlovable one) is created by God and loved by God. This makes even the most disliked person someone worth loving. Because, just like a buckeye, under that “ugly” shell there is a beautiful creation inside. Hopefully this will remind us to be more forgiving and understanding and help us to remember to extend a bit more grace to others, even those who drive us crazy…and maybe even our spouses!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

That's All I Can Stands!

2010-09-21T12:37:00.006-05:00

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
~Harold Whitman

Is that not one of the all-time greatest quotes? I love it.

Isn't it amazing how each of us is wired? Think of it, no one person is wired the same exact way you are. Each of us have different likes and dislikes. Something that makes one person bored completely lights up another. That's incredible to me.

I once heard Bill Hybels give a talk about a topic called Holy Discontent, which he also wrote about in a book by the same name. He said that he spent some time pondering what preceded vision. What happened inside of Billy Graham that made him want to rent his first stadium? What happened inside of Martin Luther King which birthed his dream?

He came to the conclusion that vision is preceded by something that wrecks us, something we can't stand. Something so strong that it spurs us into action.

Popeye had moments like these. They were typically when his beloved Olive Oil was being harassed that he said, "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more!" At this point he would gulp down his spinach and then open up a can of you know what.

So what can't you stands? Answering that question will help you to discern what God made you for. It will also help you to understand what makes you come alive. And this is what the world needs, just ask Harold Whitman.

Partnering With God

2010-09-20T07:28:00.005-05:00

I am serving on the next team for the Walk to Emmaus in Northwest Ohio. This is a 72 hour spiritual renewal program based on Luke 2:13-35. It is truly an awesome experience.

During our team meeting yesterday in preparation for mid October's walk, our Spiritual Director shared that on his way to our meeting he passed by a church with "Will there be anyone in Heaven because of you?" on its sign. His immediate reaction was, "Of course not--that's up to God!"

As he thought more about this though, he began to see that it is up to God, but it is also up to us. What he meant is that, yes, it's God's deal, but He has chosen to work through us to do His will on earth. In other words, He wants to partner with us to do His work.

He went on to share that while God wants to partner with us, we are not to take this job on ourselves or try to force anything. Our role is to fully let go of our expectations, desires and motives and simply be willing to be used however the Lord would want to use us. This is easier said than done, especially for someone with the gift of leadership; however, it is what we are all called to do.

We must remember that, on an Emmaus team or in life, it is not about us. A part of the Emmaus Team's Canon sums it up well:

I am here only by God's grace; I am here only so that He might do His mighty acts through me--not because of me! I will not overstate or overemphasize my role during these three days by any work or deed!

The Floor Was Spotless

2010-09-16T18:33:00.004-05:00

My son's favorite Bible verse is Colossians 2:22-23 which says, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. The reason, because it was the first verse he memorized.

It's kind of comical now, because every now and then when I catch him acting lazy or lethargic, I'll ask him what his favorite verse is. He typically grins sheepishly because he knows he's not honoring God. This is true of each of us at times, especially when we have to do something that we see as mundane or "beneath us."

Check out this story that I found on Stirred Up Leadership which illustrates the application of this verse very well. It's a letter from Joe Horness, Programming Director and Worship Leader at Bay Pointe Community Church who was preparing for the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit. In preparation for the Global Leadership Summit internationally every year, they host various trainings all over the world to pour into their volunteer teams. Joe is one of those trainers who sacrificially gives of their time to travel to Congo, Uganda, and Nigeria to help set up for the Summit. Below is an excerpt from his travel updates sent during his recent trip through Africa:

Dear Friends!

Here is just a snapshot of a wonderful moment I hope I'll never forget. As I was doing the final teaching, two young girls, probably 11 or 12 years of age, came in the door near the back of the church. In their hands they carried buckets of water and 2 rags. They quietly began moving the benches from the back of the room, taking them outside so that they could clean the floor. When they came back in, they quietly dipped their rags into the buckets, bent at the waist and began mopping the floor to clean up the dirt and dust that had been tracked in over the past 2 days. An hour later they were still at it and they had only cleaned a third of the cracked, concrete floor. It was back-breaking work, but the floor was spotless!

When everyone had left I walked back to talk to them. I began by asking them if they had mops they could be using. They didn't understand what I meant. When I described using wooden handles to push the rags around so that they could stand up straight, they told me that they didn't have anything like that, and besides, they could get the floor much cleaner if they did it by hand. "But you're working so hard," I protested. One of the girls immediately lit up with a huge smile, her white teeth bright against her dark hair and skin. With great joy she corrected me; "But we're doing it for Jesus! It is not hard when we are doing it for Him!"

We are always so awe-struck and humbled when we see stories like these begin to flow in during GLS season every year.

Planning

2010-09-14T15:52:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine shared something interesting with me the other day. It's a quote from author Ray Anderson which, I imagine, could be somewhat controversial. He said, “The will of God is the outcome of a good plan.” Interesting, don't you think?

A warning to those of you in the "We can't plan, only God can" camp--you aren't going to like this post much. I tend to agree with what Anderson is saying. I do believe we are to plan. I also believe we are to submit those plans to God...or actually plan with Him, but we ARE to plan.

The fact is, if we don't plan adequately, we will lose our peace among other things. Years ago, Phil, a friend of mine (not his real name) who was a part of a small group or Bible study I helped to lead, received notice that his home was being foreclosed upon. At the time, his life was an absolute mess. His wife had left him, he was out of work and not really interested in finding a job and his health was in serious jeopardy. He was also battling depression which was understandable.

27 days before he was to be out of his house, myself and two others (one of them was our pastor) went to him to see how we could help and to offer some encouragement. I asked, “Phil, what is the plan to get your stuff out of your house?”

He said, “Now that’s the difference between you and me. You’re a planner and I’m not. I’m feeling good about things right now so I’m just going to do my best and God will work it out.”

My pastor responded, “Phil, failing to plan is planning to fail.”

Phil did not want to hear that at all so he dismissed it. So, we left without a plan to help him. Three days before he was to be out of his house, Phil called me and I could sense the utter panic in his voice as he said, “Jim, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I need to be out of here in three days and I haven’t done anything!”

If there was such a thing as a peace scale which measured the amount peace in a person on a scale of one to ten, Phil would have been at negative 50. He had no peace. Zero. Zip. Nada. He was running on fumes.

Phil did end up making it through those times but the fact remained, he had no peace at that time. A big reason for that was because he had no plan.

I share this story with you, not to bash my friend, but rather to help you (and me). I have heard it said that a smart person learns from his own mistakes while a wise person learns from the mistakes of others. I am hopeful that this illustration can be something to help you to avoid the same sort of mistake in your life.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 16:3

Embracing Your Role

2010-09-13T07:59:00.004-05:00

Matt Yeager, a good friend of mine, just wrote a book which is in the process of being published. It's called Sport Rules. I had the privilege of reading some of the chapters from the book in a book summary which Matt had given me to read. It is very well done!

While sports have a tendency to bring out the worst in people, the overriding purpose of this book is to use athletics as a way to teach life lessons from a Biblical perspective. Each chapter is short and to the point but filled with great content for athletes of any age, coaches and parents.

One chapter in particular really caught my attention. The chapter is titled, "Embrace Your Role." Here is an excerpt:

A number of years ago there was a gifted young man who played tight end at the University of Toledo. Andrew (Dakota) Clarke was a special player. at the end of his junior year, he was in position to break a number of school receiving records and was the #3 rated tight end in the country. everything was going well and an imminent NFL career was in his future.

Suddenly, everything changed about a week after the season ended. He was sitting in the football team room during a meeting and as he leaned back in his chair, it broke and he fell to the ground. Everyone in the room laughed, including Dakota, and the meeting continued. The next morning, however, Dakota had a shooting pain in his back that prevented him from getting out of bed.

Eight months later the pain continued to plague him, resulting in a medical red shirt for the following season. A year later he still had not seen much improvement and was able to participate in about 20 plays during his final season.

During those last two years of his career I never heard him complain about his situation. On the sidelines, he became the biggest cheerleader of his teammates and won their respect by his engagement in the team's success. He was a valuable asset to his teammates and his coaches.

Dakota embraced his role. When he was a leader on the field, he performed to the best of his ability. When he was sidelined, he became a leader from the team bench.

...An athlete's impact is more than their contributions in competition. Dakota lined up for 20 plays over two years and still made a huge impact on his team. In fact, at the team banquet, he was the only senior to receive a standing ovation from his teammates.

Don't underestimate the value of what you can contribute. Whatever your role is, embrace it and maximize it.

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Philippians 4:11-12

Patience and Wisdom

2010-09-09T20:37:00.004-05:00

I've been spending quite a bit of time the past few months in the book of Proverbs. I feel like God is pressing in to me that I need to be seeking wisdom (Proverbs is called by many the book of wisdom). I have also found myself in some situations recently, many in my own home, in which my patience has been tested in a major way.

Well, I just found a picture which does a great job of summing up these two great qualities: Patience and Wisdom. I may need to get it framed for my office...

Letting Go

2010-09-07T07:44:00.002-05:00

First it was daughter # 1, Kristin, who moved out last month. Now, # 2, Molly, is leaving the nest. Tomorrow we begin the trek to move her to the Chicago area.

I have to admit, when I first heard of Mol’s plans last year, I was a bit skeptical. I wasn’t sure she would actually do it and I wasn’t convinced it was a great idea. Not because Molly isn’t capable. She’s one of the most talented people I know (really—she’s not only beautiful, but she’s an incredible people person, very like-able and good at just about everything she puts her mind to).

Over time though, my mind has been changed. I truly believe that Mol will soar while on her own. I am convinced this is going to be a great move for her as she embarks on her life sans her parents.

I think the majority of my early reluctance about Mol moving was due to my hesitancy to let go. I wanted her to remain under my “roof” so I could continue to protect and care for her. Also, I’m certainly not old enough to have TWO children depart our home, right?

I have come to realize that if we kept Molly at home, she would not fully be able to become the person God created her to be. She needs some life experiences, good and bad, to develop herself and to learn.

As I was pondering this, it occurred to me that this same principle holds true while leading people on the job. We may adequately train them but we may be hesitant to let them go as they may not do it the same way we would. Or, heaven forbid, they might not do it correctly. As a leader, there comes a point when we must let go and let people flourish or fail. Either way is good as it provides confidence and/or great learning opportunities.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Buckeye Fever

2010-09-02T09:51:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it, but football season is officially upon us--yea! Very shortly I will be heading south for Ohio State's home opener and I can't wait. Tonight they take on the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Many are predicting a strong season for the Buckeyes and they are slotted at #2 in the pre-season national rankings right behind the reigning champs, Alabama.

So, tonight we will get a glimpse to see how they look. Will they measure up to what the prognosticators say? Will they overlook Marshall in anticipation of next week's scary opponent, the Miami Hurricanes?

These same questions can be applied to each of us as well. Are you all talk and no action? Do you oftentimes not apply yourself when things are boring or the opponent doesn't seem that tough? God's Word clearly states that we are to be doers of His Word (James 2:26) and we are to work at anything as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23).

GO BUCKS!

You, Too, Are A Leader

2010-08-31T20:18:00.005-05:00

I love learning about leadership. That's why I was excited to read a new white paper written by Becky Robinson which contains some of her best entries from her Blog, LeaderTalk.

Here are a couple of statements which caught my eye:

It doesn't matter who you are or what you do. You don't need to have a position to be a leader.
Practicing leadership is a mix of science and art. Because leading others is, at the heart of things, about relationships and people, I need to be flexible and make adjustments.
If we try to hide or ignore our imperfections and past mistakes, we may miss out on the opportunity to allow these things to be used for good in someone else's life.
When looking at our team, we need to see the possibilities and potential of what we can accomplish together (rather than the negatives or differences in others).
A leader's role is to introduce others to new worlds, expanding their experiences and providing the tools they need to develop their capacity.
To be truly effective, leaders provide opportunities that challenge people beyond their current capacity. Challenges help people stretch and grow while giving them confidence.
The key to have great impact is to invest time in relationships.
Make small things big: stopping, looking, maintaining eye contact, smiling, affirming, recognizing, listening, sharing, thanking, remembering, inviting, including. They might seem small, but when you add them up, they can have a big impact on your relationship with others.
Valuing and engaging others makes you famous where it matters.
A legacy is formed when people continue the actions or traditions that they value most.

I encourage you to download Becky's entire white paper here.

Keep on leading!

6 X 6 = Great Vacation

2010-08-30T06:48:00.004-05:00

Late Friday night we returned from our trip to Sandestin, Florida. It truly was a great trip! I know this because there was lots of laughter, we got to see some incredible things, no one got sunburned and we were all together. I also know it was a great trip because I gained six pounds and I read six books (I was half way through one when we left, so technically I read 5 1/2). OK, I agree, gaining six pounds meant I may have enjoyed myself a bit too much!

I must explain something to you on the book thing. Four of the books were extremely easy and short reads. I also must share that this is the first family vacation in which I could do this. My kids are older now and much more independent (they were reading throughout the trip as well) which left more beach time spent in a book.

Anyway, here is a rundown on what I read:

The Seven Levels of Intimacy, The Art of Loving & The Joy of Being Loved, Matthew Kelly
· Excellent
· Big idea: relationship is for one purpose, to help one another to become the best version of themselves. The author does an excellent job of walking through the different levels. I found this to be an extremely beneficial book that I hope my wife and I spend quite a bit of time in.

A Life God Rewards, Bruce Wilkinson
· Very Good – quick read
· Big Idea: While what we do has nothing to do with where we will spend eternity, there are different rewards available to Christ-followers depending upon what we do on earth.

Rework, Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
· Good – quick read
· Big idea: Don’t do things the way it’s always been done. It’s oftentimes very good to break the rules and go against common thinking in business.

Tribes, We Need You to Lead Us, Seth Godin
· Good – quick read
· Big idea: The key to a successful business is building a tribe and helping them to thrive.

Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom
· Pretty good – quick read
· Big idea: Faith is key to our lives and is available to us all regardless of our past.

The Power of a Whisper, Hearing God. Having the Guts to Respond, Bill Hybels
· Very Good
· Big Idea: God continually speaks to us, but are we slowing down enough to listen? The author shares ways in which these whispers occur. When we hear these “whispers” we need to act upon them.

Pretty Small

2010-08-26T16:45:00.004-05:00

I don’t know about you but I have a tendency to think more highly about myself than I should. I sometimes feel that I am so talented and so important or that everything is up to me and I don’t need any help. This is pride, the chief sin in the Bible. I sometimes think I could be the poster child for pride.

My wife took this picture of me a night or two ago. It's something I need to look at with regularity to remind me that, in the greater scheme of things, I truly am really small and I do need lots of help (for those of you who don't know, I'm freakishly tall at 6 feet, 8 and ½ inches tall).

The same is true of all of us...we all need help and can do nothing without Him. Jesus reminded us of this when He said:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

We All Have A Role

2010-08-25T15:52:00.004-05:00

Kristin, my oldest daughter and I have been walking most mornings on the beach (why wouldn’t we when the beach looks like this picture? - which was taken from our balcony). It has been a great time for her and me to connect and enjoy each other’s company.

We both noticed something yesterday morning. As we walked we each made footprints in the sand (I know, not earth shattering). My footprints were much deeper than Kristin’s because I obviously weigh quite a bit more. The thing that caught our attention were these very tiny birds that were on the beach. They also made footprints. I’ll bet these birds didn’t weigh ½ a pound. Yet, they still made footprints. Yes, they weren’t as deep as mine, but they were footprints nonetheless.

This reminded me that we all can make a difference…each one of us, regardless of our positions, our status, our gender, our body type or the color of our skin. We may view ourselves as a little bird in this big world and feel that we can’t make an impact. We might look at someone like Billy Graham and say, “I can’t do what he does!” and then conclude that we are of no good to God. This is just not true!

First of all, we should not compare ourselves to others. Secondly, we must realize that we all have been given gifts by God and He has a role for each and every one of us.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

One-Upping Chris Tomlin

2010-08-24T20:11:00.005-05:00

Our family has had an incredible week so far. We are in Sandestin, Florida enjoying each other’s company, some unbelievably beautiful scenery and some great weather.

The week started out when we heard on the radio about a couple of free concerts on the beach in nearby Panama City Beach. So, on Saturday night we found ourselves on the beach listening to Chris Tomlin, one of our favorite artists. Sunday night was Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.

The incredible thing about this is that both nights we drove the 40 minutes to Panama City Beach in the rain and the forecast was not looking promising. Also, each day was incredibly hot (I know...Florida in August, go figure!). Right before each concert was to begin, the rain stopped and we enjoyed perfect evenings. Not only was there no rain, but it remained cloudy which lowered the temperature to a very comfortable level--it was absolutely perfect!

On Saturday, right as the Chris Tomlin concert was ending (which was amazing by the way!), the clouds parted and we witnessed perhaps the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen (see above picture of my kids). My daughter Molly summed it up perfectly when she said, “I think God just one-upped Chris Tomlin!"

“Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go

Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow

Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light

Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night

None can fathom”
Chris Tomlin from his song Indescribable

Connecting

2010-08-19T09:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, my daughter Molly said good-bye to Jolto. Jolto was the name for her first car. Molly is moving out of town soon and does not need a car so she sold it.

The first person who came to see it ended up buying it. Before buying it the negotiation had to take place. Molly had not done this before, but I had prepped her a bit for it.

The amazing thing about it is that all of the negotiation happened without a verbal word being spoken. 100% took place via text messaging. Yes, I guess that’s a sign of the times, but I still find this amazing. (By the way, Molly did very well in her first major haggling experience--I think both she and the buyer got a good deal!)

I heard a similar point made last week. One of our Truth At Work members owns an auto dealership. He mentioned in our last roundtable meeting that many new cars are being made with hookups for laptops and cell phones which will allow them to remain charged. In addition, each laptop will have WIFI capability so passengers can browse the internet.

Just think, with one of these new cars, when you go on your next family vacation, your entire family can be talking to everyone else in the word except each other.

So much is missed in communicating electronically. Much of communication happens through non-verbals. Though text-messaging qualifies as non-verbal communication, you can’t get any additional information from the sender other than the words being spoken.

I encourage you to make it a point today to reach out to someone and actually talk with them...to connect. Better yet, see if you can talk with them in person!

A Senior Moment

2010-08-17T19:17:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year when I annually read about Ohio State football seniors who cannot believe that this is their final season as a Buckeye. Dane Sanzenbacher, a Buckeye senior from Toledo, said this about his career, "I just shake my head thinking about it. Those four years have absolutely flown by - good times, tough times - it all seems to go by so fast." (Click here to read entire story)

I can totally relate to what Sanzenbacher is saying. I distinctly remember my first two years at The University of Toledo. I used to dread basketball practice each day and it felt like my career would never come to an end (This may sound odd, but it wasn't a lot of fun most days...in fact it felt like a tough job much of the time). In spite of my feelings, before I knew it, I was a senior.

Now I look back and it has been over 25 years since I suited up, yet it seems like yesterday...although my body begs to differ!

This is a great reminder to me of how precious and how short life is...it truly is but a mist. So Carpe Diem!

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 4:14

Bridge From God

2010-08-16T19:16:00.003-05:00

I was in a meeting this morning with five other individuals in which we were talking about the possibility of something pretty cool happening in our region. We began the meeting by introducing ourselves and explaining a bit of what led us each to this point.

One of the guys (Matt) said that he is continually on the lookout for "bridges from God." He said that what we were about to discuss fit that description. Most people might consider it coincidences that brought us together. In his mind it was clear that God was up to something.

In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby says that God wants one primary thing from us and that is intimacy with Him. He wants to be close to us. Once that intimacy is established He asks us to join Him where He is already at work. When Matt said he is constantly looking for bridges from God, this is what he's saying. He is looking for areas where it is clear that God is at work...and then he looks to join Him!

When you see something that might be labeled as a "coincidence," perhaps it might be better labeled as a "God-incidence" or a bridge from God and maybe God is inviting you to join Him.

Airline Hero?

2010-08-12T10:03:00.002-05:00

Many of you have probably seen the story about Steven Slater (pictured above), JetBlue's flight attendant who has become very well-known recently. It seems that Mr. Slater got into a confrontation with a passenger and got on the plane's PA system and gave a profanity-laced announcement before saying, "I've had it!" He then grabbed a beer from the galley, then activated the emergency slide and slid down onto the runway.

Slater has become an internet hero as many are marveling at how he has stood up to corporate America and basically said, "take this job and shove it." My guess is that many are holding him up because they wish they could do the same thing in their jobs.

The fact that so many are calling him a hero is appalling to me. Heroes are people to be emulated. His actions, in my mind, should NOT be emulated by anyone!

Granted, the passenger was probably rude and out of line and that is uncalled for. And I admit that I don't get this right all the time; however, Slater is an employee of the airline who pays him to do his job, which includes dealing with unruly passengers. The bottom line is that his actions were very irresponsible and could have even been deadly. According to prosecutors, activating the emergency slide could have killed unsuspecting ground personnel had they been nearby.

A friend of mine once asked me, "If someone spits on you, does that make you mad?"

I responded, "Of course."

He said, "No it doesn't. It makes you wet. It is your choice to be mad." He had me...he was right. We cannot control the actions of others, but we can control how we respond. Unfortunately, Steven Slater did not respond appropriately, but because of his new-found notoriety, many may believe he did.

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

Proverbs 29:11

Thoughts on Thumos

2010-08-11T17:19:00.003-05:00

My good friend Scott Earl has been an active blogger for quite a while. He just began a new blog and I wanted to share his first post with you for two reasons. First, because it's very good and second, because I wanted to introduce you to his blog, My Name is Earl.

Here is what Scott had to say:

I have been reading Paul Coughlin's Unleashing Courageous Faith, and the central idea of the book is the concept of thumos. Thumos, as defined by Coughlin, is a "courageous and animating spirit." From what I can discern, it's the part of us that makes us want to fight for what is right, our sense of outrage when we see the injustices in the world, and our drive to do something about those injustices.

I often share with my students an article I read about heroes in an issue of Life magazine years ago. It was written by Wally Lamb, an award-winning author and former high school teacher. He shared a story about his hero. Briefly, Lamb was outside in the courtyard of the school when he noticed a ruckus. As he made his way through the crowd, he could see that several of the jocks were throwing coins at a boy with Downs syndrome. The boy would laugh and bend down to pick up the coins. As the seconds passed, the coins began hitting the boy harder and harder. The crowd cheered the boys on and became louder with every flying coin. Just as Lamb was about to get to the boy, a petite girl busted in front of the crowd, grabbed the boy, and pulled him out of the crowd. Lamb was amazed at the girl for not only risking physical injury by doing this, but also by her courage to risk the taunts and shunning that could have occurred due to her actions. Lamb claims that this girl is his hero to this day.

I get choked up every time I tell this story. Maybe it's because I worked with developmentally disabled adults for more than a decade. Maybe it's because I love to hear about students who do something extraordinary in the face of adversity. But maybe it's because I always wish I was more brave and more able to act when situations of inequity present themselves.

In my mind, this girl was the definition of thumos in action. God did not make us to be meek, mild, and accepting in these situations. Yes, we are supposed to be loving, but we are also built to engage our thumos in the face of injustice and wrongdoing.

If Christians are to always answer to the question, "What would Jesus do?", then we should look at what Jesus was capable of doing in the face of injustice and wrongdoing. In Matthew 23:23-39, Jesus shows a side of himself -- a side of God -- that we rarely hear about in church. He berates the pharisees for their pious ways, calling them names and yelling at them for their hypocritical behavior. By doing so, he was literally risking his life for justice.

While this barely scratches the surface concerning the content of Coughlin's book, it is a good start to understanding what our thumos should be doing. Injustices are not to be ignored or handled with white gloves. We should not turn the other cheek when others are being subjected to the pain of injustice.

Lord, You have endowed me with Your thumos...help me tap into it and use it for Your good, Your plan. Help me be a better man for You.

Two Are Better Than One

2010-08-09T06:58:00.004-05:00

This past weekend the NFL inducted seven new members into its Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Included in that group was Emmitt Smith, the amazing running back from the Dallas Cowboys.

I did not watch the induction ceremonies but I did catch some of it in highlights and I was extremely moved by what Smith said and how he said it (check out the short video above).

Football fans know that a running back needs a great offensive line for the back to be great. However, many forget about the role that the fullback plays in some offensive systems. In many cases, the fullback must sacrificially give up his body to help his running back and his team. Yet, most of the time, the fullback goes unnoticed while their backfield mate gets all the credit.

On Saturday, though he wasn't the one being inducted into the Hall of Fame, one fullback didn't go unnoticed. Daryl Johnston (the Cowboy's fullback when Smith played) was singled out by Smith in a very emotional moment shown in this video. He recognized him for his sacrifice and shared that this day wouldn't have been possible had it not been for Johnston. It showed real class and humility for Smith to do this.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and no one to help him up!
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Do They Make You Want To Vomit?

2010-08-05T20:17:00.005-05:00

Today at the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit, Bill Hybels delivered the opening message and it was right on. He talked about a time a while back in which he was in a leadership slump. Nothing seemed to be going right and it seemed like he couldn't solve any problem, big or small. As a result, he was losing confidence in his leadership abilities.

Then, while spending some intentional time with God, he heard a gentle whisper from his heavenly Father saying, "You can lead. Look at what you've done. You have it in you!" This encouraged him and then God shared with him four foundational leadership principles.

One of those was something that, on paper, looks very elementary...but in practice, it is anything but. One of the principles Hybels referred to was that it takes fantastic people to move anything from here to there, in other words to make significant progress.

In discussing this point, he said that a leader's job is to recruit, train and develop talented people who will flourish in your culture. He said there is a great way to determine how your team stacks up, give them this test.

If you were to receive a text message right now stating that a certain person on your team has just resigned, which of the following would be your response?
1. "Whew! I sure am glad they're leaving!"
2. "Ughhh! They are such a good person and they're doing a good job. Now I'm going to have to find someone else!"
3. You want to vomit on the spot. "This person is a fantastic person with a fantastic attitude and they are a fantastic fit in our culture. They are irreplaceable."

Hybels went on to say that they spent an incredible amount of time going through this exercise with their entire staff at Willow. The time was very well spent, though.

Hybels said that they then met with every staff member and shared with them the results of this exercise. To those who were in the third category they would say something like, "You make me want to vomit (with obvious tongue in cheek). Really, if you left this organization, that is what I would want to do. You are a fantastic person and you are doing a fantastic job. We hope you are here for the long haul. Now if God calls you someplace else, we'll throw you a party but our hearts won't really be in it. But we want you to know that we hope you will be with us into the future."

Could you imagine being on the receiving end of something like that? It would feel pretty good, wouldn't it? Hybels shared that these meetings helped to build increased loyalty and passion for the vision that God has given them. It was an extremely beneficial thing to do.

After Hybels was finished, we heard from Jim Collins who discussed the importance of having the right people on the bus in any organization before you can talk about growing the organization. The exercise Hybels mentioned is a great way to determine if you really do have the right people on your bus.

So will you do this with your team?

Just Ask Kenny Rogers

2010-08-04T06:51:00.005-05:00

Tate Publishing is the company I selected to publish my first book, Bleedership, Biblical First-Aid for Leaders. They are a group of some really neat people who do a great job.

I remember speaking with Richard Tate, the company's founder when I was trying to choose a publisher. He told me something that really stuck with me. He said, "Jim, don't think that by having this book published that you are all of a sudden going to get rich. This is just the beginning. You will need to work to help market it." I didn't fully understand this until after my book was released and I attended the Christian Booksellers Convention in Denver. There I found out that I really was a tiny minnow in an enormous ocean. Richard was right, it was going to take a lot of effort. And this is true in anything we do.

Tate sends out a regular newsletter to their authors and in the past issue were these words on this very topic from Richard:

The sad issue today is that many new authors and artists think that because they have a good book or great music that it should just “happen” for them and that it is the total responsibility of the publisher or label to do all the work. It takes work, persistence, and lots of effort by the author or artist alongside their publisher and label. Trust me, it is all worth it, and Rita and I have a million good memories as a result of those years and made a fine living on the road. You can as well if that is your dream – and if you are willing to work with your team.

Last fall I was outside our house standing in the driveway talking with my son Ryan, who is the effective President and CEO of our companies, when my cell phone rang. The voice on the other end was our good friend and country music legend Kenny Rogers. He was calling about his upcoming trip to our location and wanted to go over a few things with me and Ryan. Here is the “kicker” to the conversation.

I said, “Kenny, you sound a bit tired, my friend!”

He replied, “Just a bit, Richard. We have the Fiftieth Anniversary tour coming up in January with Dolly Parton, and I have been working ten hours a day on the phone and on the computer calling venues, newspapers, radio and TV stations, and promoters working to get the crowds out. I have been doing this for half a century and it is still a lot of work.”

Kirt Webster, who works with us out of Nashville and manages Dolly Parton, told me at our dinner there recently, “Richard, I have never seen anyone work harder than Dolly. She is after it hours and hours every day to stay successful.”

Lee Greenwood, who is a new part of our music and publishing family and the author of “God Bless the USA,” told us in the conference room at his last visit that he worked for years and years in every kind of venue that would book him, large or small, before his career took off and he became the legend he is today.

Two-time country music entertainer of the year Neal McCoy is doing several projects with us. He was Entertainer of the Year TWICE and said to me from his bus one night after a packed out show, “It took me thirteen years, Richard, before I had a hit. Thirteen years of any and every kind of gig until things took off. I work harder today than ever to keep us on the road doing what I love.”

We love our relationship with the Oak Ridge Boys and their long time manager Jim Halsey. I was visiting with Joe Bonsall when the “Boys” were here recently (they still do over 100 shows a year), and I asked him what he would tell some of our new and aspiring authors and artists. He did not even hesitate. “They have to be willing to work. They have to be willing to sing or speak to 5 just like they would to 5,000. Most people think they should get their break because of the record label. Not so. It takes the label and the artist working hard every day. You don’t deserve that booking, you have to work for it and it HAS to be about your music or the message of your book first of all.”

Our marketing and publicists work hard to make each artist and each author as successful as possible. But the biggest mistake I see authors and artists make is to think they deserve it, and it should just “happen.” It takes hard work even after you have become a legend in the industry.

Just ask Kenny Rogers.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.

Hebrews 10:36

Golden Rule in Business?

2010-08-02T08:00:00.004-05:00

Herb Kelleher is an interesting leader--very different from other leaders. He is the founder of Southwest Airlines and he has broken many of the traditional rules when it comes to leadership. While building the airline, he knew that his people were what was going to separate his company from all the others.

As a result, he and his team have paid very close attention to those they hire as well as how they as a company treat them. In fact, from a customer service perspective, they treat customers very well; however the customer is right behind the employee in terms of importance. This flies in the face of the "customer is always right" mantra.

In the book, Nuts, examples are told of irate customers who accused an employee of mistreating them. If the employee disagreed, the airline always took the side of the employee, even though it meant that they would have a very unhappy customer. However, what this has done is to produce a very loyal workforce who love what they do, which in turn helps to produce more happy customers.

Southwest is all about treating their employees as family members. They show them love and respect and as a result, that love and respect is returned to the company and to the customer. They also encourage fun.

If you've ever flown Southwest, you have probably experienced some pretty zany stuff. This is all encouraged by Southwest and it really separates them from most airlines and it shows the love they have for their jobs. Take a couple of minutes and view the video above of a flight attendant announcement with a bit of a twist, but do this only if you want to smile.

All this has happened because a leader dared to lead his company by following the Golden Rule.

"Do to others as you would have them do to you."
Luke 6:31

Let Your Yes Be Yes

2010-07-29T14:50:00.002-05:00

Last Friday at the Point O' Woods Golf & Country Club during the Robert Trent Jones Senior Men's Invitational, something pretty incredible happened. A caddy won a car without even swinging a club. Here's how it was described in the local paper:

Club member Stan Andrei of Muskegon was on the last tee of the last day of the two-day tourney when he turned to his caddy, Dave Maxey, 23, of Dowagiac, to recommend a club for the ninth hole.

Maxey admitted that Andrei hadn't been hitting the ball well that day, and he recommended a five-iron for the 165-yard hole.Andrei didn't think it was enough club, but Maxey, who had been caddying at Point O' Woods since he was 14, stuck by his guns.

Sitting near the course was a brand-new black Jeep Wrangler 4X4, valued at $26,500, provided by Don Brookfield Jeep Chrysler of Watervliet as a prize for anyone who hit a hole-in-one.

"If I get a hole-in-one, do you want a big tip or the car?" Andrei asked his caddy.

"I need a car so bad," said Maxey, who has been driving the same vehicle since high school. He chose the vehicle.

The breeze let up as Andrei teed off, and the ball hit left of the pin at a spot where it will usually kick left. But this time it kicked right.

Because of the rolling contours of the course, Andrei and Maxey couldn't tell whether the ball had gone into the hole. Another caddy indicated to Andrei that it was in.

"Dave, you've got yourself a new car," Andrei announced.

And, true to his word, Stan Andrei did give the car to his caddy. I wonder how many people thought about themselves in this story. Would you have given up the car after winning it or would you have figured out a way to wiggle out of your commitment?

"Let your 'Yes' be yes, and your 'No,' no, or you will be condemned."

Matthew 5:37

Forgiveness For A Running Back

2010-07-27T20:25:00.003-05:00

He went from being loved by the Buckeye Nation to being one of the most disliked players ever. In 2002, the Freshman phenom was one of the key cogs in Ohio State's national championship run. Shortly thereafter it all fell apart...all due to poor decisions on his part. It got so bad that he was released from his scholarship and tried to take his coach, Jim Tressel down with him. He accused Tressel of violating major NCAA rules causing Tressel to go through some uncomfortable media scrutiny before he was proclaimed "clean" by the NCAA.

I'm talking about Maurice Clarett who was just released from prison where he has spent the past three and a half years. He not only was released, but he has enrolled in classes at Ohio State. No, he is not going to play football, but the fact that he is in school is something incredible.

The really incredible part of this story is that Jim Tressel, the very guy Clarett tried to take down, has been helping to make this happen for Clarett. “We've been working for the last three months try to get the i's dotted and the t's crossed to get him back in and move him towards a degree,” Tressel told reporters Tuesday.

While Clarett was easily the most hated man in Columbus, this was obviously not the case in the Tressel household. In an article on one of my favorite web sites, The Ozone, Tressel had something to say that we all can learn from.

“Anytime someone is part of your life, even if it doesn't go well, you've got to continue to be there for him,” Tressel said.

“That's just the way we do things.”

Although Tressel continue to reach out to his embattled former player, Clarett’s life continued to spiral out of control, eventually landing him the slammer in 2006, three years after he was released from the Denver Broncos without playing a down in the NFL.

With his return to classes at Ohio State, Tressel is optimistic about Clarett’s chances of transforming his life story from tragic to inspirational.

“It's what you hope for,” he said.

“We all make mistakes...some are different mistakes than others and there are always consequences for whatever the mistake is and if you take care of that, usually the world is a forgiving world.”

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

Matthew 6:14

Faithfulness

2010-07-26T07:25:00.003-05:00

Faithfulness. Not a word we use very often today. Yes, we know what it means. But typically we know what it means because of things or people who are unfaithful. It could be our old car, a relationship or even the balance in our 401 (k)! But one thing is for sure...our God is faithful. In fact, He never changes and He is always in our corner.

Yesterday, our student ministries pastor, Keith Luke, delivered a well done message on this fruit of faithfulness. He said something that really caught my attention.

He described the path that he and his wife have been on the past couple of years and how they have ended up where they are. He said, "If I were to write my story, I certainly wouldn't have written it like God has written it. I would have made the path much straighter and smoother."

I could really relate to that statement. I look back over the past five years of my own life and I could say the same exact thing. The fact is that we all want comfort and ease. However, comfort and ease typically don't help us to grow the way adversity does. God knows this.

Jesus told us in John 16:33, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” He promises us trouble...BUT, He also gives us great news that He has overcome the world!

So, yes, our lives will not be easy. Yes, we will go down paths that we would rather not go down. Yes, we may even be uncomfortable. But our God is faithful and He knows what is best for you and me.

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

Integrity Of A Bean

2010-07-23T09:54:00.003-05:00

I recently read a story about one of America's best known companies in the book, Faith Based Marketing, that I found very interesting. Here is the excerpt:

In our opinion, one of the best U.S. companies in terms of integrity is L.L. Bean. Founded in 1912 as a mail order retailer, it sold one product: a waterproof boot called the Main Hunting Shoe or "Bean Boot." But in its first year of business, it faced a huge crisis. Fully 90 percent of the boots it shipped were defective. To get his new company off the ground, founder Leon Bean had offered a full money-back guarantee on his boots. Returning the revenue on 90 percent of his first shipment threatened to sink his business, but he made good on it. The result? High-level consumer trust that continues to this day, establishing L.L. Bean not only as a financially successful company, but one known for its stellar customer service.

Integrity is crucial to the success of a business...and to the success of an individual. Integrity doesn't just happen. It's an ongoing, deliberate effort to be who you say you are and to do what you say you are going to do...in other words, to be trustworthy. This is a choice we all have. We can choose the easy road or we can choose the more difficult path, the path of integrity. So what will you choose?

"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'"

Matthew 5:37a

Two Are Better Than One

2010-07-21T19:27:00.004-05:00

Connie and I just returned from a memorial service for the mother of one of our friends from college.

During the service, two grand-daughters got up to share a poem about their grandma. They alternated verses until about the third verse, when one of the girls broke down. After a little hesitation, grand-daughter #2 stepped in and read several verses in a row to relieve her grieving cousin. Then they were able to continue as planned.

To me it was a beautiful picture of teamwork in action and a great reminder that we need to do life in community.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Failure Is Never Fatal

2010-07-19T11:01:00.005-05:00

For about the past year, each week I have been reading a chapter of a book that I choose with my 14 year-old son Robbie. Lately we have been reading Failing Forward by John Maxwell. This past weekend we read about the importance of taking a risk.

In the chapter, Maxwell had this to share:

The reality is that everything in life is risky. If you want to avoid all the risk, then don't do any of the following:

* Don't ride in an automobile--they cause 20 percent of all fatal accidents.
* Don't travel by air, rail, or water--16 percent of all accidents result from these activities
* Don't walk in the street--15 percent of all accidents occur there.
* Don't stay at home--17 percent of all accidents happen there.

In life there are no safe places or risk-free activities.

This reminded me of something I heard about Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth. Michael Jordan is said to have missed more game-winning shots than anyone in NBA history. However, he has also made more than anyone. The same is true of Babe Ruth, one of baseball's greatest home-run hitters. He also has struck out more than most players.

Look back over your life. Wouldn't you agree that some of your most valuable experiences have come through mistakes or failure? In order to succeed, you must also fail along the way. In fact, the more you risk failure and fail, the greater your chances for success. So don't let fear keep you from moving forward!

"Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."

John Wooden

Your Days Are Numbered

2010-07-15T19:25:00.004-05:00

My wife left this evening to serve on the team for the Women's Walk to Emmaus in our area. This is an incredible 72 hour experience based on the story told in Luke 24:13-35, which I highly recommend to everyone.

I wrote a letter to Connie that I will take over to the church sometime this weekend. I can't explain why, but I started the letter this way:

"6,868 & 10,368. Do you know what those two numbers represent? Believe it or not, the first number is the number of days I lived before we went on our first date. The second number is the number of days since then. Can you believe that almost 2/3 of my life has been spent with you? I am so thankful that God has placed you and me together!"

Putting my time on earth in terms of days really impacted me. I began to wonder how many days I have left. How much of my life have I lived? (Go here if you'd like to calculate the number of days between two dates).

As I was pondering this, I realized that my days are truly numbered. I then told myself that I don't want to waste one of the precious days I have left. How about you?

Carpe Diem!

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

James 4:14

LeBron Shames

2010-07-13T15:43:00.005-05:00

I have been a LeBron James fan since he first entered the NBA immediately from high school. I have thought that he has done a wonderful job of handling himself, especially considering his young age and the incredible pressure and scrutiny that is placed upon him. I have especially been impressed with the humility that LeBron has shown. However, his image has been tarnished in my eyes.

As many of you have heard, LeBron made the decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat in a much publicized hour long special broadcast on ESPN. A few days ago, the Miami Heat held a welcome party for James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade which was, to me, way over the top.

When LeBron was asked about the number of NBA championships his new team would win, he answered (as seen in the above video) that they would win, "Not six. Not seven..." These comments in the video are very disappointing to me (as is the way this entire thing has been handled). The tag of "humble" does not seem to fit him anymore, at least not in the past week. It's a shame.

The book of James (interesting that this appears in this book, huh?) has this to say about predictions like the one LeBron made:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)

Mixed Emotions

2010-07-12T11:19:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a sad day...and yet an exciting day.

We helped our oldest daughter Kristin to move out into her own apartment. She has been living at home since getting her first "real job" as a nurse last fall. So now she is off on her own.

This is very sad for us because we love to have her around. This also foreshadows what is soon to happen with Molly and Robbie in the months and years to come. Empty nest syndrome. I never thought I'd be saying that about our home, and yet, here it comes. Can you pass the tissues?

On the other hand, this really is exciting because we're watching Kristin spread her wings. She is going out into the world with all that she has learned from us and others and we get to see her become who God made her to be. We could not be more proud of her.

I keep trying to focus on all that really good stuff, but I still have an ache in my heart. I sure hope it goes away soon!

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Alone

2010-07-09T14:24:00.004-05:00

This morning I had the privilege of facilitating the first roundtable meeting of our fourth Truth At Work group in the Toledo area. These groups of 10-15 business and ministry leaders gather together once each month to act as a board of advisors to one another in helping each another to grow their organizations in a God-honoring way while at the same time helping them to grow personally and spiritually.

Each time a new group forms, I am eager to see what will happen as each group develops a personality of its own. As I have been with each of our other three groups, I was amazed at how God just seemed to integrate everyone together in a short period of time this morning. It was incredible.

Being a business or ministry leader can be a lonely place. The leader really can't, or doesn't want to, share everything with their employees, their partners or even with their spouse. As I said, it can be very lonely. Today I sensed from each of the members that they were relieved...like they truly felt they were no longer "alone." What a great thing!

So who can you share everything with? If you don't have someone, I encourage you to make this a priority in your life!

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:25

No Success Without Sacrifice

2010-07-06T15:48:00.003-05:00

I recently became aware of a great Blog in which Bruce Johnson shares letters containing life principles and lessons with his two daughters. I have been sending these to my two daughters each time he posts a new one.

Late last week, he had this to say about sacrifice and hard work:

As I’ve mentioned before, most people like the idea of being better or being more successful or being fit or being happy or being in a great relationship—but yet they don’t really want those things—despite what they might say. Why do I say that? Because they’re not willing to do what’s necessary to obtain the very thing they say they want.

I’m sure you’ve observed this phenomenon among your peers. You probably have friends who’ve told you that they’d like to get good grades, yet they’re not willing to do the hard work necessary to get good grades. Instead they continue to play and party all day and night with their friends. Or you probably have friends who say they’d like to get healthy and in shape, yet they aren’t willing to change their eating habits or get up early to go to the gym. So do they really want to be healthy and fit? I don’t think so.

If you really want something—and it’s more than just a “like to have” or “sounds like a good idea” kind of thing—then you’re going to have to avoid doing what most people choose to do—and instead make some sacrifices. Why? Because there is no success without sacrifice.

The American ideal of, “You can have it all!” is a flat out lie. No one can have it all. In order to obtain anything worthwhile in life, you have to make sacrifices. You have to give up something NOW in order to obtain something that you perceive to be better LATER. It’s always been that way and it always will be. Remember, first you make your choices, then your choices make you.

1. If you’d like to be healthy and fit, then you have to be willing to say, “No!” to most of the food choices put in front of you. And you’re going to have to give up some other activities (which could include some sleep) in order to get some exercise in. No one gets healthy and fit by eating whatever they want and not exercising. Sacrifices have to be made. Why? Because there is no success without sacrifice.

2. If you want to be a successful employee, then you have to be willing to do some of the things most employees won’t. You’ll have to sacrifice some of “your time” so you can do work before or after the hours you’re required to work. You’ll have to read more or take more courses. You’ll have to say, “No!” to getting together with friends from time to time in order to get a project done or to volunteer for an extra assignment or to make sure you get to bed on time so you can be fully engaged at work the next day. Why? Because there is no success without sacrifice.

3. If you’d like to be in a great relationship with a guy (yeah, I know, I can’t believe I just wrote that either :-), then you have to be willing to make some sacrifices. One of the things we clearly learn from Jesus’ example is that love is all about sacrifice. Love is not about convenience (a mistake too many people make). Love is about putting someone else’s needs above your own. Note: don’t read anything more into that statement than is intended. Your needs still matter and you shouldn’t be in a relationship with a guy who doesn’t get this principle. Love is a two-way street full of mutual love and sacrifice. And hopefully, your mother and I have modeled that well for the two of you.

4. Finally, if you’d like to change anything in your life that you don’t like, then just realize that you’re going to have to make some sacrifices. The bottom line is this—if you could be different just by wishing you were different, then you’d already be different. But you’re not, because you can’t just wish to be different. If you want to be different, you have to give up some of the things you’re currently doing, in order to get something better in the future. It’s always been that way, and always will be.

If you want to succeed at anything in life–and I don’t care if it’s playing the piano or starting a business or getting straight A’s or winning a tennis tournament or being a great parent someday–never forget the title of this post. Make it one of your mantras. Write it on a bunch of stickies and place them around your home and workplace. Why? Because there is no success without sacrifice! Period.

P.S. And as Zig Ziglar likes to say, “You don’t really pay the price, you get to enjoy the price.”

Dabble

2010-07-05T07:12:00.001-05:00

Brian Keel, a friend of mine who serves in upper level management at our local YMCA, publishes a weekly devotional which is always inspirational and thought provoking (if you would like to sign up to receive these via email, please email him and request that here). The one I received last night was no exception. Here is what he had to say:

I sat on my patio on the evening of July 3rd and watched four different sets of fireworks play out in the night sky. Some were far away; some were obscured by the trees in the corn field beyond the fence. I could only hear two of them at all. The show was diverse…I didn’t have to fight crowds or traffic…and food and beverage were only a few steps away. But did I really get the best firework experience possible?

The answer must be “no”. I didn’t really experience the fireworks… I merely dabbled. Dabbling keeps us at the fringe of an issue...far from the joyful experience of diving in full force. Fireworks are best viewed up close where the colors are most vivid, the reverberations felt and not just heard. Up close where the exclamations of those around us increase our own appreciation for what is going on.

“Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God.”

1 Chronicles 22:19

God is best experienced in the same way. We should not just dabble around the edges enjoying the show from the comfort of our easy chair. We should jump in with both feet. Embrace the saving grace of his son Jesus. Study his word on a regular basis. Participate in worship with others. Pray and listen for his answers. God meant for us to experience his full measure of greatness up close and personal. The reverberations in your life will be felt and not just heard!

Winning Over Our Enemies

2010-07-01T19:10:00.005-05:00

Pictured above is our grand-puppy, Tysen. My oldest daughter Kristin got him last November much to my chagrin. You see, I didn't want a dog in our house. It's not that I'm against them, I grew up with one, but I just didn't want the extra hassle that comes with a puppy. As a result, I haven't always been the most loving "Grampa" to him, at least in the beginning.

However, Tysen has won me over. Every time I have come in the door, he comes running to me with his tail wagging to say "hello." He has done this whether I have recently ignored him or whether I've played with him. No matter my attitude, he is showing his love to me.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "I destroy my enemy by making him my friend." Well, that's exactly what Tysen has done to me in winning me over. He has made me his friend.

Now for the really ironic thing. My daughter is moving out to her own apartment in the next couple of weeks...with Tysen. I'm going to miss not having Kristin here every day and, I can't believe I'm going to say this, I'm going to miss Tysen.

Does this mean we're going to get another dog? Well, I wouldn't go that far...but hopefully we will see Tysen regularly!

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
Matthew 5:43-44

Finding Common Ground

2010-06-29T11:53:00.003-05:00

In my last post I shared about some barriers to finding common ground with others according to John Maxwell in his book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect. Today, I will share how Maxwell recommends that we cultivate a common ground mindset:

1. Availability - "I will choose to spend time with others" (Common ground must be discovered, and that takes time)

2. Listening - "I will listen my way to common ground" (Finding common ground requires us to pay attention to others.)

3. Questions - "I will be interested enough in others to ask questions" (Larry King says his favorite question is an easy one to remember, "Why?")

4. Thoughtfulness - "I will think of others and look for ways to thank them" (Thinking of others first is one of the best ways to connect)

5. Openness - "I will let people into my life" (Connection always requires both parties to engage and be open.)

6. Likability - "I will care about people" (If people like you, they will listen to you; if they don't, they won't.)

7. Humility - "I will think of myself less so I can think of others more" (If you want to impact people, don't talk about your successes; talk about your failures.)

8. Adaptability - "I will move from my world to theirs" (Don't tell people about you, begin by seeing things from their perspective.)

Do you see a pattern with each of these? Each of them is focused on the other person first. Each is suggesting we put aside our selfish desires to focus on the other. This is the way to connect.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Philippians 2:3

Barriers to Common Ground

2010-06-28T07:44:00.004-05:00

In John Maxwell's latest book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, he says that finding common ground is a critical component to connecting. In fact, he says the practice above all others that opens the door to connection with others is finding common ground.

In trying to coach us to be better connectors, Maxwell shares four barriers to finding common ground:

1. Assumption - "I already know what others know, feel, and want." Problem: Whenever you are quick to make assumptions, you stop paying attention to people and miss clues that would otherwise help you to reach common ground with them.

2. Arrogance - "I don't need to know what others know, feel, or want." Problem: You can't build a relationship with anyone when you don't care about them.

3. Indifference - "I don't care to know what others know, feel, or want." Problem: This is really selfishness.

4. Control - "I don't want others to know what I know, feel, or want." Problem: Secrecy spawns isolation not success.

As you can see, none of these four is a good place to be. I'll bet you can identify people in your life who are in each of these categories. The question is, can you identify if you are?

Doing Life Together

2010-06-24T10:55:00.004-05:00

Tuesday morning as I was leaving a breakfast meeting, I ran into an extremely nice lady whom I grew up across the street from. Though her husband has passed away several years ago, she still lives in the same house.

I hadn't seen her in several years so it was great to catch up. She looked absolutely great and she seemed in very good spirits. She mentioned to me that she was there for a breakfast meeting of her own. She shared with me that she's been meeting with the same ladies every week for breakfast for close to 50 years. She mentioned that three of her group have passed away but the remaining four still visit.

That's right, once each week they converge on the same restaurant to be with one another. Even if they don't feel like it and even if they are busy. She said, "Through rain, sleet or snow, we are here at 9 AM every Tuesday." It is obviously that important to them. Perhaps this might explain why she looked so great and was (and always has been since I've known her) in such a positive mood.

A great lesson for each of us. We were meant to do life in community. So who are you doing life with?

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25

A Wasted Day?

2010-06-22T08:58:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I played hooky with my wife. Yes, on a “work” day, we drove about two hours north and hung out in Port Huron, Michigan; a place we had never been. No phone calls. No work at all. No agenda. For those of you who don’t know me, this sort of thing is very difficult for me to do.

A friend of mine just spent the day there with his wife and he recommended it to me, so I decided to kidnap Connie and do the same thing. And, it was truly an awesome day.

Not only was the weather perfect, but we were both amazed at the color of the water in the St. Clair River (shown in picture above) and in Lake Huron. It literally looked like we were staring at the crystal blue water of the Caribbean. But it was only two hours from our home. Incredible.

We spread out a blanket and ate a picnic lunch by the river. We took a leisurely walk. Then we drove to a beach on Lake Huron which reminded us of beaches in Cancun. Again, amazing.

Another great part of our day was the two hour car ride there and back. It gave Connie and me some great time to talk and to listen to some great teachings on CD by Joyce Meyer which really hit home with us.

Yes, you might say I wasted a work day and I might agree with you. However, I believe I invested a day…in my relationship with my wife. And you want to know something that I discovered? The world was still spinning on its axis when we got back. Imagine that.

Men Vs. Boys

2010-06-21T07:50:00.001-05:00

On Sunday we arrived at church to find that our pastor had a terrible ear infection and would not be speaking to us. We were told that they had a backup plan and that was for us to watch a video of another pastor delivering a message about the differences between men and boys which was very appropriate for Father's Day. The message was a very good one so I thought I'd share the main points here.

He shared with us six characteristics of a man:
1. A man supports himself and likes to work. Boys doesn't want to work.
2. A man has a vision for his life and is willing to do the things necessary to get there. A boy whines and doesn't want to do hard things.
3. A man is a team player while a boy takes his ball and goes home when things don't go his way.
4. A man is a protector and is looking out for others while a boy only looks out for himself.
5. A man takes a minority position while a boy wants to be with the "in" crowd.
6. A man takes responsibility while a boy passes the buck.

I have been talking a lot lately with my 14 year-old son about what it means to be a man so I was very glad that he was with us and could hear this as well as it was great reinforcement. It was also good for me because I have been a boy in many areas of my life for a long time. How about you--does any of this resonate with you?

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
1 Corinthians 13:11

Turning Lemons into Lemonade

2010-06-17T14:59:00.003-05:00

"Touchdown Jesus" is what it has been called. Well, the famous statue in Monroe, Ohio (pictured above - I thought all the Ohio State fans might like this picture) was struck by lightning and destroyed by fire earlier this week (story here).

My first reaction upon hearing this was how sad it was. The damage to the statue alone is $300,000. But then I heard what has happened as a result.

The story has been broadcast all over the world and the pastor of Solid Rock Church said that the destruction of the monument has brought as much attention as the building of it, if not more.

On the surface, this seems like a bad thing and some are agreeing by saying that this is God showing His displeasure at this statue. However, when you look at the incredible media attention around the world, all this is doing is making Jesus even more famous, and that is a good thing.

To me, this is a great picture of one of God's promises to us. He tells us in Romans 8:28, 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. That is God's way, turning lemons into lemonade. The cool thing about it is that He promises to do this in our lives too if we love Him and are called according to His purpose!

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.
Isaiah 26:8

Connecting

2010-06-15T19:20:00.004-05:00

In John Maxwell's latest book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, he shares the importance of connecting with others, whether it be in a one on one setting, a group environment or as a speaker to an audience.

It doesn't take a degree in rocket science to know that connection skills are extremely important, whether you are a stay at home mom, a sales person or a public speaker.

Maxwell states that if you were to buy a car, when you walked into that showroom, whether you realized it or not, you internally asked yourself three key questions :

1. Do you care for me?
2. Can you help me?
3. Can I trust you?

If you don't answer yes to all three of these questions, this salesperson will not be able to connect with you. As a result, his or her chance for a sale is drastically reduced.

Those three questions can be extremely helpful for us, regardless of our occupation. If others can answer yes to these questions about you, you can be confident that you are connecting with them.

To simplify this, if you were to follow Jesus' instruction and love others as yourself, others certainly would be answering yes to these questions about you.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 22:39b

Fertile Soil

2010-06-14T07:00:00.002-05:00

Believe it or not, I am going to talk about the landscaping project in our front yard again. First I posted about the project which seemed like it would never end. Then I wrote about the fact that before I knew it there was grass growing. A couple weeks ago I discussed the weeds that have cropped up.

Well, in order to begin this project, my son and I needed to move the stone that was already down (we put this down instead of wood mulch). This stone was moved on a sidewalk on the side of our garage until we could find a new home for it.

We began the moving project last weekend and before the first shovel hit the first stone, the above picture is what we found. There were actually weeds growing in these rocks (see above). I reached down to pull them out and noticed how easily I could remove them. You see, just prior to this I was removing some weeds in the area where these stones were going to go. It took an incredible amount of effort to remove these weeds.

I was reminded of Jesus’ parable of the farmer who was planting his seed. He was showing us that that there would be different types of Christians:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Jesus was showing us that some people will be just like the weeds growing in our rocks with very shallow roots and easy to dislodge (“But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.” – Matthew 13:21).

He also mentions there are three other types of people. One who doesn’t understand the word at all, another who lets the worries of this life choke out the word and a third who will be like most of my other weeds, with deep roots and very difficult to remove—these people will produce a nice crop. So which are you going to be?

One of a Kind

2010-06-10T17:46:00.008-05:00

I have always been a huge fan of John Wooden, UCLA's legendary basketball coach who recently passed away at the age of 99. So when I read what my friend and fellow Buckeye, Bob Tamasy, wrote about Coach Wooden, I thought I would share it here. I hope you enjoy:

As a teenager, I hated UCLA basketball. After all, they won all the time. From 1964 to 1975, the Bruins reigned as National Champions 10 years out of 12, including seven in a row. It seemed unfair UCLA could have players like Lew Alcindor (now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton, when nobody else did. But what UCLA had, most of all, was a one-of-a-kind coach named John Wooden.

Over his 27-year career at UCLA, Wooden posted an overall record of 620-147. Look up “dominant” in the dictionary and you’ll probably see his photo alongside the definition. Despite remarkable on-court accomplishments, however, Wooden stood out for other reasons. He was a man of integrity, of principle, and of faith. With his passing June 4 at the age of 99, the world lost a remarkable individual.

Millions of words already have been said and written in homage to him, and I’m hardly one to write with authority about Wooden. I did meet him once in Columbus, Ohio at a sports awards program back in the late ‘70s. Already retired, he was still held in awe by everyone he encountered. He was humble, unassuming, quite unlike many celebrity coaches of today. Like the old E.F. Hutton commercials, whenever Wooden spoke, people knew they should listen.

After his beloved wife, Nellie, died in 1985, he never remarried. He never even dated. It’s said that Wooden, a native Midwesterner, had just accepted an offer to coach at UCLA when a phone call came to offer him a job to coach at Minnesota. Wooden declined the offer, holding to his UCLA commitment. Why? Because he had given his word.

Young men who played for Wooden at UCLA inevitably left his mentorship as better men, whether they advanced to the professional level or not.

Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” From all accounts, Coach Wooden was never accused of “duplicity.” In an age when double-mindedness seems prevalent, when principles rarely interfere with ambition, we need more people like John Wooden. By God’s grace, may it be so.

Stress

2010-06-08T16:07:00.003-05:00

The picture below has two identical dolphins in it. It was used in a case study on stress levels at the mayo Clinic and later at Fletcher Medical Center in Burlington.

Look at both dolphins. They are identical. A closely monitored, scientific study revealed that, in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress will find many differences between the two dolphins.

The more differences a person finds, the more stress that person in experiencing.

Scroll down the page and look at the photograph below, and if you find more than one or two differences, you may need to take a vacation...

A friend gave this to me today and I thought it was great. While it is funny, there is a lot of truth to the fact that we are all stressed to some degree.

While at times I am the poster child for a stressed person, I know that that is not what God wants for us. He wants us to have peace (John 14:27) and life to the full (John 10:10). Perhaps we just need to slow down and know that He is God...

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

Begin With End In Mind

2010-06-07T06:34:00.002-05:00

In his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes that one habit effective people have is that they begin with the end in mind. In other words, they determine where they want to go and then they are intentional about doing the things necessary to get there.

Francis Chan, in his book Crazy Love, has a chapter titled, "Profile of The Lukewarm." In it he describes what a lukewarm Christian looks like. It is quite sobering. He quotes CS Lewis who said, "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this."

I have been stressing this point to my fourteen year-old son lately. I have been telling him that real men expect the greater reward, God's reward. I explain that men push through their feelings and do what is right, even if it means not getting what they want right now. They are to expect something much, much greater...God's reward.

God does have something much greater for us. In addition to being with Him for eternity, He has rewards for us that He wants to give us for what we have done here (on the Day - notice the capital D in the verse below). Let's look to those rewards which are much greater than any rewards we can receive here.

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15

Class

2010-06-04T09:01:00.006-05:00

On Wednesday night, history was made, but not in the way two individuals would have liked. The Detroit Tigers were hosting the Cleveland Indians and the Tigers' pitcher, Armando Galarraga had to get one more out in the ninth inning to complete the 21st perfect game in major league history. He had faced 26 batters to this point and gotten 26 outs. Amazing stuff.

He pitched to Jason Donald who grounded to first baseman Miguel Cabrera who then tossed it to Galarraga who rushed over to cover first base. Jim Joyce, (who was born in my home town of Toledo) the first-base umpire called the runner safe when replays showed he was clearly out.

Being a lifelong Tigers fan, I was furious when I saw this. I was amazed though at Galarraga's reaction. He just smiled. Then the next day I was even more amazed at the graciousness, humility and class shown by both Galarraga and Joyce (I ENCOURAGE YOU TO WATCH THE ABOVE VIDEO - IT IS A MUST SEE!).

Armando Galarraga comes out to present the lineup card (a job typically done by the manager of the team) to Jim Joyce who is the home plate umpire. Joyce is totally choked up with emotion because he knew that he had made a mistake and cost this young pitcher a place in history. He is totally undone by this and looks totally humbled. And then there is Galarraga, who could be very bitter and angry, supporting this broken man with great compassion.

Total class in action from both of these guys. Totally amazing and beautiful to see!

Fertilizer

2010-06-02T13:26:00.004-05:00

I have posted a couple of times now about a landscaping project that we began a month or so ago in our front yard (post 1 here, post 2 here).

This past weekend, my son Robbie and I were outside and we noticed that there were a ton of weeds in the area that we are growing new grass (see above picture) so we began to remove them. While doing this, Robbie asked me why there were all these weeds here and not in the rest of our lawn.

Great question I thought. I went on to explain that we put down a special fertilizer in the spring which helps to prevent weed seeds from germinating and that I made sure not to get that fertilizer on our new soil, otherwise, in addition to not having weeds we wouldn't have much grass either.

Then I had the opportunity to point out to him about how this is like our life. Without missing a beat he said, "I sense another devotional coming." He was right of course.

I shared with Robbie that our lives can get infested with "weeds" if we don't apply the proper fertilizer...
* Reading the Bible regularly
* Talking with God regularly
* Hanging out with other Christ-followers to hold us accountable
* Keeping a thankful heart

So remember to fertilize.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Practicing The Presence

2010-06-01T13:10:00.007-05:00

On Sunday at my church, Andrew, our Creative Arts Pastor delivered a message that was incredible. The focus of the message was to answer the question, "How can I fully live my life with God?"

A lot of what Andrew spoke about was taken from a 16th century monk named Brother Lawrence. There is a book out which is very good called The Practice of the Presence of God which is a collection of letters from Brother Lawrence. In the letters it is revealed how he went about seeing God in everything in his life, even the pots and pans he needed to wash.

The following is a summary of how Brother Lawrence suggests we practice God's presence:

1. Seek purity in our lives
2. Find or create triggers (eg. put a sticky-note on your computer or every time you stop at a red light, pray and connect with God)
3. Practice inviting Him in

Great questions to ask or things to tell Him when inviting Him in:
* God, where are you in this situation?
* God, what would you have me do in this situation?
* God, what would you have me see or learn through this?
* God, be with me in this, I give you all that I am.

4. Don't be discouraged when it "doesn't work"
5. Offer yourself fully to God - "God, I'm all Yours. Make me more like You!"

"Lord of the pots and pans and things, make me a saint by getting meals and washing the plates."
Brother Lawrence

Rear View Mirror

2010-05-27T13:08:00.004-05:00

"God always looks better in the rear view mirror than in the windshield."

That's a quote I recently heard that I really like. I was reflecting on that as I was writing a future newsletter for my subscribers this morning (if you would like to receive this at no charge, you can sign up at www.bleedership.com).

This particular newsletter issue I'm working on deals with the pain we experience in our lives and how God promises that He will use it for good if we love Him and are called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28).

The way I see it, God can turn our tough stuff into good in a lot of ways, but in this particular newsletter I'm focusing on two:

1. It can later be used to help others who are going through similar struggles
2. It can be used to make us better and to further develop our character making us more suitable for the job God has for us

We need to remember that God does not waste anything, especially our hurts.

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3-4

Growth

2010-05-25T13:04:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a 5 ton pile of dirt that I had dumped on my driveway. the reason I did this was to re-landscape an area in my front yard. The area above is the almost finished project. The only thing left is for the grass to fill-in completely.

When I planted the grass, I did everything I was told to do with it. I spread the seed. I fertilized. I raked it in lightly. I watered it several times per day (and it has rained like crazy this month!). Yet, after ten days, I saw nothing, not even a little sprout of green anywhere.

So, I called the place where I purchased the seed. I was told to give it a couple more days as the ground has been cooler than normal (I guess because of global warming--lol). So when I got home that evening, I looked again, and grass was coming up--yea!

Each day I look out there to check its progress. Most days it just seems like there is no change. But over the course of a week, the change is pretty drastic.

Much like the spiritual growth path we all are on. There are some days when it just seems like nothing is happening, or it seems like we are moving backward! But, if we continue to seek after God, over the course of time He is fertilizing and watering and before we know it, we are much further than we ever thought possible.

Humility

2010-05-24T06:38:00.003-05:00

Saturday night, I had the privilege of attending the induction ceremony of the 2010 class into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in Columbus. My college coach, Bob Nichols was inducted along with an incredible group of people.

The event was very well orchestrated and one thing in particular stuck out to me. Each inductee was given instructions that they were to keep their remarks to no longer than two to three minutes. When I heard this, my immediate thought was, Yea, like that's going to happen.

Well, it did. If I had to sum up this entire class of honorees with one word, it would be humility. It seemed that every person who gave remarks took less time than was allotted and they deflected the honor and praise toward their teammates, players, fans, family or friends. Maybe that is why they are now in the hall of fame.

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested be the praise he receives.

Proverbs 27:21

Apology

2010-05-21T06:58:00.004-05:00

Last week I posted about the importance of being slow to speak. In the post, I used a video clip of the Wood Brothers and their song, Loaded. I was highlighting a great lyric from the song, "Sometimes the tip of my tongue is the barrel of a gun, and it’s loaded."

Anyway, I had never heard of this group before Scott, a friend of mine, introduced them to me. In the post I made reference to the fact that this type of music makes me cringe.

Scott apparently thought that I was misguided so he brought over their CD for me to listen to. I have to admit, I was open to it but I didn't have high hopes. However, my mind has been changed. I actually liked it. I don't know that I would buy the CD just yet, but I have found myself singing some of the songs to myself this past week...pretty scary.

So, to Scott, and all you other Wood Brothers fans out there, I apologize for not speaking more highly of them. I have seen the light!

Spectator Sport

2010-05-20T06:47:00.002-05:00

I heard it said recently that a college football game is 22 people desperately in need of rest being watched by 100,000 people who are desperately in need of exercise. Pretty much right on.

This is a very similar view of the Church also. Not your local church, but the big "C" Church, the body of Christ. We need to transform the Church from a spectator sport to a participatory sport.

Many times we look at one another and compare ourselves to them. We may wish that we had abilities like they had. We might feel that because they seem so much more talented than us that we can't do anything to add any value. This is not true. God has designed each of us with unique talents and abilities to fulfill the purpose He set out for us.

I am sure there have been people who have said, "I can't do what Billy Graham does." That may be true. However, if there weren't the thousands of volunteers and workers performing their tasks behind the scenes, none of Billy Graham's events would have happened. We all have gifts and abilities and they are all equally important. We each have a role to play.

So let's get in the game!

We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Romans 12:6-8

Judging Others

2010-05-18T17:02:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine sent me the link to this commercial from Ameriquest...absolutely hilarious.

I used to live in this world in which I didn't want to share anything about me to anyone, especially if it involved my weaknesses. That changed radically for me when I became part of a weekly men's group which met to study the Bible and "do life together."

I was pretty uptight about the first meeting. However, I remember driving home and feeling like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders because I was able to share some burdens that I had been carrying alone.

Anyway, the point of all this is that during the first year and a half in this group, every one of us (6-7 in the group) had experienced a major life issue in which the support of the group helped immensely. It was during this time that I had the realization that we are all messed up people, every one of us. That has helped me on two fronts: 1. to be more open with others and 2. to hopefully not be as quick to judge others.

While the above video is pretty funny, it is also a good reminder to us to not judge others too quickly, or preferably not at all!

"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Matthew 7:2

The Cost of Being Nice

2010-05-17T06:23:00.003-05:00

At a Touchdown Club meeting many years before his death, Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant told the following story:

I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old car down in South Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player and I was having trouble finding the place.

I spied an old cinder block building with a small sign out front that simply said "Restaurant." I went in and every head in the place turns to stare at me. A big ole man in a tee shirt and cap comes over and says, "What do you need?"

I told him I needed lunch and he says, "You probably won't like it here, today we're having chitlins, I'll bet you don't even know what chitlins are, do you?"

I looked him square in the eye and said, "I'm from Arkansas, I've probably eaten a mile of them. Sounds like I'm in the right place."They served me up a big plate. When he comes back he says, "You ain't from around here then?" I explain I'm the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the University and I'm here to find whatever that boy's name was and he says, yeah I've heard of him, he's supposed to be pretty good. And he gives me directions to the school so I can meet him and his coach.

As I'm paying up to leave, I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big to be flashy, but a good one and he told me lunch was on him, but I told him for a lunch that good, I felt I should pay. The big man asked me if I had a photograph or something he could hang up to show I'd been there. I was so new that I didn't have any yet. It really wasn't that big a thing back then to be asked for, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address on it and told him I'd get him one. I met the kid I was looking for later that afternoon and I don't remember his name, but do remember I didn't think much of him when I met him.

I had wasted a day, or so I thought. When I got back to Tuscaloosa late that night, I took that napkin from my shirt pocket and put it under my keys so I wouldn't forget it. Back then I was excited that anybody would want a picture of me. The next day we found a picture and I wrote on it, "Thanks for the best lunch I've ever had."

Now, let's go a whole bunch a years down the road. I'm back down in that part of the country scouting an offensive lineman we sure needed. He's got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he's got his heart set on Auburn too, so I leave empty handed and go on see some others while I'm down there.

Two days later, I'm in my office in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings and it's this kid who just turned me down, and he says, "Coach, do you still want me at Alabama?" And I said, "Yes I sure do." And he says OK, he'll come.

And I say, "Well son, what changed your mind?" And he said, "When my grandpa found out that I had a chance to play for you and said no, he pitched a fit and told me I wasn't going nowhere but Alabama, and wasn't playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you and has ever since y'all met." Well, I didn't know his granddad from Adam's housecat so I asked him who his granddaddy was and he said, "You probably don't remember him, but you ate in his restaurant your first year at Alabama and you sent him a picture that he's had hung in that place ever since. That picture's his pride and joy and he still tells everybody about the day that Bear Bryant came in and had chitlins with him...”

"My grandpa said that when you left there, he never expected you to remember him or to send him that picture, but you kept your word to him and to Grandpa, that's everything. He said you could teach me more than football and I had to play for a man like you, so I guess I'm going to." I was floored.

But I learned the lesson that it don't cost nuthin' to be nice. It don't cost nuthin' to do the right thing most of the time, and it costs a lot to lose your good name by breaking your word to someone. When I went back to sign that boy, I looked up his Grandpa and he's still running that place, but it looks a lot better now; and he didn't have chitlins that day, but I made sure I posed for a lot of pictures. I made it clear to all my assistants to keep this story and these lessons in mind when they're out on the road. If you don’t remember anything else from me, remember this. It really doesn't cost anything to be nice, and the rewards can be unimaginable. ~

Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

Isolation

2010-05-14T07:09:00.004-05:00

Right now, my wife and I have three friends who are going through really rough situations. They are all dealing with addictions of different sorts and all are causing incredible damage to themselves and to their family members. It is quite sad to see it unfold.

Two of our friends know Scripture as well as, or better than most people I know. Yet, they have chosen to go down this path during this season of their lives.

Though they are all different situations, there is one similarity which stands out. Each of these people have pulled away from their community prior to this change in their lives. In the past, they were each part of a small group in their church and for whatever reason they stopped being involved.

I am a big proponent of "doing life together." I have seen the fruit of this over the past year and a half in Truth at Work for business leaders as well as over the past six years in the men's group and couples group I am a part of.

This has really hit me right in my heart and given me what I hope is a healthy dose of fear. It has shown me that none of us is infallible. We can all go the wrong direction and, in fact, our human-ness desires that. That is why it is so important for us to surround ourselves with others who can encourage us, challenge us, help us, hold us accountable and love us where we are.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:25

Slow to Speak

2010-05-12T07:36:00.006-05:00

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Abraham Lincoln

To be honest, the music played in the above video makes me cringe...it's just not my type of music. In fact, prior to last week I had never heard of the Wood Brothers. I don't know, maybe I haven't heard enough...

A friend of mine, though, shared with me a lyric in this song and I think it's fantastic, "Sometimes the tip of my tongue is the barrel of a gun, and it’s loaded."

And so true for so many of us.

Have you ever said something you wish you could take back? Sure you have.

Will you join me in practicing what God's word clearly tells us to do and be slow to speak? Maybe we can even make an effort to take things to God before we speak them...now there's a novel idea!

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3