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Archive for the ‘Thought for the Day / Quotes’ Category

Thought for the Day – Asking for Directions

Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged on June 2, 2014| Leave a Comment »

At a time when I was laboring to hear the voice of my heavenly Father, the Lord showed me an image of my (then) young son Andrew.  Within the vision I had told him to go clean up his room, but I somehow realized that I’d given that direction in French.  As my little boy blinked at me in confusion, the Lord said, “Whose fault is it that Andrew’s not cleaning up his room?”  To which I responded, “It’s my fault because I spoke to him in French.”  To which the Lord replied, “That’s right, it is a father’s responsibility to speak in a way that his children can understand.”  I understood that this was God’s way of telling me to stop worrying about whether I would hear Him, and to trust that He knew how to get through to me.  Later, the Lord brought some balance to this picture by reminding me that it is not a father’s job to chase down his children in order to give them direction; and that a wise son looks to his father for guidance.

 

While I’ve most often heard the passage from James (4:2) “you have not because you ask not” used in the context of asking for what we want, I believe that it more rightly applies to asking for His guidance. Generally speaking, our desire for the former tends to keep us from seeking the latter.

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Thought for the Day – Decision Making

Posted in Parenting / Family, Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged , on May 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

It’s hard to believe that my two youngest (i.e. twins) will start high school in the Fall. Without a doubt they’re growing up fast, and as a parent I spend a lot of time praying about the decisions they will face. Of course, part of my job is to teach them how to make good decisions. To that end, I had an interesting conversation with my youngest son last night. He’s facing a tough decision about what to do when the next school year starts. He’s been playing both football, and in the band, for the last few years; but will now have to pick just one of those for his high school years. As we spoke, he expressed his fear of the regret that would come with making the “wrong decision”; and he seemed surprised when I assured him that he would regret it, regardless of which way he went. I guess that may seem a little harsh to some, but as I explained to him, that is the nature of making a decision. I told him that if he picks football, he will be bummed every time he sees the drum-line march by without him. And that if he picks the band, it will hurt to watch the team run onto the field without him. The reality of the situation is that he is going to have to give up something that he loves, and that is never pleasant.

 

I could see that this made him feel as though he was in a “no-win” situation, but I assured him that the opportunity to do both of these things, during the years leading up to high school, has been a great gift; and that the opportunity to continue with one of them was an even greater gift. I told him that whatever he decided he needed to do it with his whole heart, and to stubbornly refuse to entertain the thought of “what if I’d gone the other way”. By example, I said that a married couple, who walks around thinking about what it would be like if they’d married someone else, is destined for either a lifetime of unhappiness, or a divorce.

 

I’m not sure that any of this made his decision easier, or made him feel the slightest bit better, but hopefully it prepares him for the repercussions he will experience next Fall. It strikes me that our human nature always wants to have it both ways, but that life rarely allows for that. I know far too many adults who get paralyzed at this same point of decision. In the end, making a decision generally becomes the only way to keep moving forward.

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Thought for the Day – The Government of Heaven

Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged , , on May 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »

It is most likely a byproduct of our national heritage that we are generally repulsed by the concept of a monarchy as our form of government. Unfortunately, this aversion is clearly reflected in our Americanized brand of “Christianity”, which seems to favor the notion that the masses should get a vote in how the truth is ultimately defined. While we can embrace the image of a powerful King in the role of our defender or provider, we much prefer the picture of a gentle lamb when it comes to addressing the issue of our accountability. In reading the parables Jesus used to describe the Kingdom of God (a.k.a. the Kingdom of Heaven), it is very clear that democracy is not the form of governance at work there.

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Thought for the Day – Generosity

Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged on May 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I’ve noticed that cantankerous or uncaring individuals are rarely taken to task for their lack of generosity, and that it is actually people who do contribute something that are most often accused of not doing enough.

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Thought for the Day – Church Growth

Posted in Commentaries, Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged on May 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The standard measure of “church growth” is the number of bodies in the pew, though I’d suggest that the more compelling scale would be the degree to which people are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. Without that transformation, the church becomes little more than a benevolent order, much like the Elks or the Lions club.

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Thought for the Day – Incurable Blindness

Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged on April 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Because of the covenant that God made with mankind, the only kind of blindness that cannot be overcome is our unwillingness to see.

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Thought for the Day – American Christianity

Posted in Opinions, Social / Political, Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged on April 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

In American Christianity, we’ve generally traded “The Greatest Commandment / The Great Commission” for “The American Dream / The Pursuit of Happiness”. While the former is rooted in sacrificing our life for something greater than ourselves, the latter is the epitome of trying to gain our life. Within this distorted system we are less likely to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, and more likely to take on the character of Oprah or Bill Gates.

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Thought for the Day – Relapsing

Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged , , on April 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

We have been in a season of dealing with addicts and addictions; and I’ve found that one of the most painful things to watch is someone who’s battled through the detoxification process go back to the poison.  It’s confounding, but sadly there seems to be something inherent in our human nature that makes us prone to return to the things that never really worked for us.  As I was praying, I remembered a little song I got several years ago.  Though I’m not much of a lyricist, I believe that the concept comes across.

 

Heading Back to Egypt

(A Folk Song)

Lord my feet are tired

More walking than I planned

Much further than I thought

So tired of the sand

*

It started out so good

The promise to be free

Marched out like we’d won

But then we had to flee

*

Sure – the waters parted

Yeah – their chariots sank

Each morning there was food

And from the rock we drank

*

But now it’s all so strange

So hard to feel at home

Worried bout the giants

So endlessly we roam

*

(Chorus)

So I’m heading back to Egypt

Going back to what I know

It’s as easy as falling down

And not that far to go

We left town in a hurry

Now I’m going back real slow

I’m heading back to Egypt

The only place I know

*

We left town with the treasure

Didn’t sneak out in the night

Chasing milk and honey

Weren’t ready for a fight

*

We thought it would be easy

That we would walk right in

That He would lift us up

Not confront us with our sin

*

We saw the smoke and fire

He’s been our rod & staff

But He is kind of scary

Not shiny like our calf

*

Can’t seem to find the comfort

It’s more than I can take

Guess I’m trading in the promise

For venom from the snake

*

(Chorus)

So I’m heading back to Egypt

Going back to what I know

It’s as easy as falling down

And not that far to go

We left town in a hurry

Now I’m going back real slow

I’m heading back to Egypt

The only place I know

*

Didn’t count on all the strife

Guess freedom isn’t free

Tunneling back into prison

It feels like destiny

*

I’m putting on the chains

Cause they couldn’t get to me

But their voice is in my head

And it’s hard not to agree

*

Sure I hate the bondage

And working in the heat

Least I’ll know what’s coming

And they might have some meat

*

Maybe I’m meant to serve

This yoke seems to fit so well

One man’s place of comfort

Is another’s place of hell

*

(Chorus)

So I’m heading back to Egypt

Going back to what I know

It’s as easy as falling down

And not that far to go

We left town in a hurry

Now I’m going back real slow

I’m heading back to Egypt

The only place I know

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Thought for the Day – Recruiter, Manager or Coach?

Posted in Entertainment/Music/Sports, Social / Political, Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged , , , , on April 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Professional sports organizations often possess the resources to hire an entire staff dedicated to assembling a competitive team. These groups can include Scouts – to identify talent, Recruiters – to persuade those individuals to be a part of their team, Managers – to optimize the arrangement of the various elements, and Coaches – to develop & inspire the players. On the other end of the spectrum, few amateur sports organizations have this luxury when putting their teams together. This generally means that the person designated as “Coach” is often expected to wear many hats, even if they are not particularly adept in each area of the process.

 

As one of four siblings, who grew up playing various sports, and as the father of four kids, who continue to play on multiple teams, I have noticed that there seems to be a lot more Scouts, Recruiters and Managers out there, than there are genuine “Coaches”. It appears as though most organizations are more interested in identifying the talent, corralling it onto their team and assembling a winner, than on teaching, developing or inspiring their players. In fact, just like pro sports, many of the most successful teams no longer bother with developing talent, they simply go out and accumulate players from other organizations. This is truly a shame, as the vast majority of those participating in amateur sports will never get beyond that level, and a great “Coach” can teach them things that will ultimately transcend the game and be of more value than any trophy.

 

Given the fact that many within the amateur ranks are unable to recruit their players, I believe that a coach’s value should ultimately be based on what they’ve done with what they’ve been given, as opposed to strictly looking at their win-lose percentage. Within my own experience, I was impacted a lot more by great coaches/teachers than by undefeated seasons.

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Thought for the Day – Being a Man of Principle

Posted in Opinions, Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged on April 14, 2014| Leave a Comment »

There is a world of difference between being a man of principle and being a man of God. While adhering to sound tenets is not without virtue, the real power lies within the proper application of the appropriate principle, in the precise moment. The former is driven by our own sense of what is good, while the latter requires the working of the Holy Spirit. The scripture is clear that without Him we can do “nothing!”

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