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Archive for the month “January, 2016”

28 Jan 2016

Team.. two ways to look at it

teamBuild a team….

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift his companion. But wow to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.”

The Team…. Have you ever been a part of a team, maybe in sports, academic or work related? If you have I assume some of the teams were good and others less than enjoyable, what causes some to succeed and others not?

Well I have a couple theories and Ideas I would like to share, more for thought than anything.

  1. The team had a clear understanding:
  • Goals are clearly defined and accepted
  • Roles are clearly defined and accepted
  • Direction is clearly defined and accepted
  1. The team is equipped
  • Each team member has the right tools (equipment) to succeed.
  • Each team member feels inspired and encouraged to play the game.
  • Each team member is held accountable for their role and team’s success.

I could easily send the same ideas to what might be causing issues with the team

  1. The team has no clear understanding:
  • Individuals don’t really understand the team goals
  • Individuals don’t accept or own their personal role in the game.
  • Individuals lack personal direction and choose not to own the teams.
  1. The team is unprepared
  • Individuals haven’t developed their tools (equipment). They settle for average.
  • Individuals are left behind, forgotten about
  • Individuals have no personal or team accountability.

Which set of list best describes your team? Which set would you say is most common amongst your peers? And finally which set would you say represents you personally?

The challenges we deal with isn’t a team challenge as much as it is a personal challenge. That challenge simply is who are you? Are you a team player or a lone ranger (the person who needs no help)?

Tune in next time as we continue to look at Team vs Me

Posted in life happens, sermonizing, think about it, time for action, Uncategorized, youth ministry leadership | Leave a comment
19 Jan 2016

Prepared? Really does it matter?

That question really is a question of context… depending on the context being prepared does matter.

Malachi 3:1 “ Look, I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.”

Check it out… Allow me to indulge a bit for you… allow me to offer some examples…

  • Ever take a trip to the bathroom, only to walk away with TP stuck on your foot?
  • Ever take a trip with a baby and figure out you left the diaper bag at home?
  • Ever take a group of teens to a retreat and forget one at the rest stop…. NO, that wouldn’t be good.. bad example.
  • Ever go to a concert, amusement park or movie only to remember you forgot the tickets?

I will admit I have walked out of a restroom with TP on my shoe.
I will admit I have left the diaper bag at home.

I will admit to forgetting a ticket to a theme park.. that was an expensive lesson.
I have never ever forgot a teen at a rest stop… but know someone who did. They turned around and got the teen.
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  • Ever go to the bathroom only to find out you are out of TP, or worse there is barely enough tp to use…

I know we all have to commit to this one…. We are all subject to this in two ways… we are the one who used the last of it up or we are the ones who discovered this issue.

But is this what Malachi from the bible is talking about? Not really… He is talking about someone coming in our behalf to help us find our way in the world, through the world and to a better place. He was a messenger.

Allow me to offer some additional indulgences?

  • How well do you prepare for things in your life?
    • Do you do your homework or cram to finish?
    • Do you slack when the boss or teachers is missing?
    • Do you prepare in practice to be the best during the game?
    • Do you find truth only to blow it off?
    • Do you find yourself compromising for the moment or an impulse instead of waiting? Simply put, do you regret the decision once you realize you chose it?

Maybe all of these are true, I know I fall prey to some and that doesn’t define me.. I have chosen to allow those examples to shape me, to train me to use my time of preparing as a tool, that when it is go time I will preform to my ability.

John Wooden (Great college basketball coach at UCLA) said,  “How you run the race – your planning, preparation, practice and performance—counts for everything. Winning or losing is a by-product, an aftereffect, or that effort.”
Such truth to this statement.. please read it again before you move on.

 

I hope you can find healing, hope and a challenge in how you prepare. I hope you to can and will stop the cycle of compromise and begin a fresh.. prepare well to perform well in life. It is up to you to choose.

Go Team prepared.

Posted in life happens, sermonizing, speaking, Teaching Youth, think about it, time for action, Uncategorized, youth ministry leadership | Leave a comment
12 Jan 2016

Been fighting the Greed?

 
Wow.. Yeah early in January 2016 I am already at it, talking greed and fighting.
I was reading in my bible the other day… a verse in Proverbs jumped out to me… partly due to suffering through a Bengals playcat fight.jpegoff game (1/9/16) where the Steelers and Bengals actually were getting into issues, fightings etc.. It was a frustrating experience for me as a football fan and human… Back to proverbs..

Proverbs 28: 25 (NLT) ” Greed causes fighting; rushing the Lord leads to prosperity.” Boom there it is.. if we pursue greed it will result in fighting… I wonder if:

  • the players were playing a fun game of football or a game of greed ball? I am not or never have been a NFL star let alone good football player. I guarded the bench and played a lot in practice..

Rushing to the Lord leads to prosperity….

  • at the end of the game… at mid field.. the very same spot where the officials where standing on point guarding to prevent a pregame fight.. some players gathered to pray.

The prayer time did not make the press, Sports Center, or any other sports show, it didn’t make the Live with Kelly and Michael show… but the fighting, arguing and all the issues did…

Why? Why did one get media attention and the other not?

I believe in my heart it is simply based on the above scripture.. we live in a world who is consumed with greed, not everyone but most fall to the greed monster which leads to fighting.. some of the fighting is external but I bet most of us are fighting internally..

But if we follow the verse… “trusting in the Lord leads to prosperity.”  I know.. trust that is a big thing as is being prosperous. Again two things the world struggles to achieve and do.
We aren’t trusting people and often perceive prosperity in a worldly way.. We want riches, fancy cars, big house and what ever the neighbor gets that we do not have.

God is talking about trusting in Him first.. He is the key and when we do, we will be more able and equipped to trust others.

My prayer is simply… Lord allow me to run from greed and towards you in prayer and trust. I encourage you to join me in this pursuit. Pray, seek and grow.

I would rather be the one not making great headlines impacting the world one person at a time than making every major news show as they discuss my poor example.

 

Posted in life happens, sermonizing, Teaching Youth, think about it, time for action, Uncategorized | Leave a comment
01 Jan 2016

New Years Resolutions… How about a reminder instead?

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New Years Resolutions… How about a reminder instead?

 

I am all about New Years Resolutions; especially ones that will help you become a better person who will contribute more to our world. But I equally struggle with resolutions that don’t make sense or will never make it a week let alone a year. For example….

  • Working out everyday at a gym.
  • Buying a membership to a place across town.
  • Paying off a years worth of debt in a week
  • Stop a habit (Drinking, smoking, or even profanity) without a solid plan
  • Being held accountable for something… without an accountability partner
  • Becoming an Ohio State Fan… no that is a joke. As a Michigan fan this will more than likely never happen.

I think there is great value in making a list of things to working in becoming a better person. I am all for success and making and reaching goals.

In my recent bible reading this week… I came across a verse that smacked me between the eyes. This might be a good verse to implement into our New Year.

Please know I struggle with this one as much as the next person and you might want to sit down for it… Here goes. You have been warned

James 4:17 says… “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” NLT (Jesus Centered Bible)

I recommended you to sit down…. Ok so let me unpack and connect this one to New Years.
First.. sin is defined as anything you do, think, say that is wrong and goes against God’s teaching and ways. I am not arguing the idea of sin.

Please don’t lose focus of the idea of knowing what we should do but don’t do.

  • We will fail in life…. Acknowledge it
  • When we do not do, what we should do is wrong:
    • Not picking up the garbage you drop… is wrong
    • Not driving the speed limit… is wrong
    • Not working to the best of our ability … is wrong
    • Not being honest with others or yourself is wrong

They are wrong because we know we ought to be doing the right thing…

Friends, lets be honest this is a bible verse but it also applies to everyone. You don’t have to be a Christian or Christ-Follower to know when you are not doing what you know you should be doing

  • We look around to see if anyone noticed our not picking up garbage.
  • We lift our foot off the gas when we see a police car.
  • We work harder when the boss is in the area

All the things listed above,we do when we know we are being watched but in reality we shouldn’t need to be watched or the fear of being caught shouldn’t drive us to do good (them). We should do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Everyone is designed to do the right thing.

I challenge myself and you the reader to think about the times we choose to not do what we know we should be doing, and simply do the right thing. Because we should do it.

Happy New Years and good luck doing what we know we should do… Life is a system of choices.
Choose wisely.

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