Self-awareness is an absolute non-negotiable ingredient in any leader's life. You've got to know who you are, how you think, how you tend to react, etc., if you want to be a great leader of men.
I have come to realize over the past few years that I am an achievement junkie. I can't tell you why. The why of it escapes me. I simply know that I can easily become distracted with wanting to climb the next hill simply to see the view. Ironically, I'm not driven by money when it comes to achievement. So I suppose that's a good thing. I simply want to see new territory, and if possible, be the first to see it! I'll be the first to admit that, yes, this attribute of my personality has provided me with great drive and a sense of working hard for the Lord and His kingdom cause.
Yet, it has also been the source of extreme fatigue and frustration at times. The concept of contentment is something with which I often struggle.
Lack of contentment can often be fueled by the desire for greater gains. Financial, professional, communal. These are just a few of the areas where men often want greater gains.
I read recently, however, something Paul told a younger under-study of his about the issues surrounding a desire for achievement. He told Timothy, "Godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6)
Lord God, let my heart never cease to be motivated by Your call to live my life with a valiant pursuit to see Your kingdom fulfilled on earth, as it is fulfilled in Heaven. Yet let my heart cease to be restless just because it has a tendency to.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Forgive
We must forgive those who hurt us. The reason is simple: Bitterness and unforgiveness are claws that set their hooks deep in our hearts; they are chains that keep us held captive to the wounds and the messages of those wounds. Until you forgive, you remain their prisoner. Paul warns us that unforgiveness and bitterness can wreck our lives and the lives of others (Eph. 4:31; Heb. 12:15). We have to let them go.
Forgive as Christ has forgiven you. (Col 3:13)
Now – listen carefully. Forgiveness is a choice. It is not a feeling – don’t try and feel forgiving. It is an act of the will. “Don’t wait to forgive until you feel like forgiving,” wrote Neil Anderson. “You will never get there. Feelings take time to heal after the choice to forgive is made . . .” We allow God to bring the hurt up from our past, for “if your forgiveness doesn’t visit the emotional core of your life, it will be incomplete.” We acknowledge that it hurt, that it mattered, and we choose to extend forgiveness to our father, our mother, those who hurt us. This is not saying, “It didn’t really matter”; it is not saying, “I probably deserved part of it anyway.” Forgiveness says, “It was wrong. Very wrong. It mattered, hurt me deeply. And I release you. I give you to God.”
It might help to remember that those who hurt you were also deeply wounded themselves. They were broken hearts, broken when they were young, and they fell captive to the Enemy. They were in fact pawns in his hands. This doesn’t absolve them of the choices they made, the things they did. It just helps us to let them go – to realize that they were shattered souls themselves, used by our true Enemy in his war against us.
(Captivating, 102-103) John and Stasi Eldredge
Forgive as Christ has forgiven you. (Col 3:13)
Now – listen carefully. Forgiveness is a choice. It is not a feeling – don’t try and feel forgiving. It is an act of the will. “Don’t wait to forgive until you feel like forgiving,” wrote Neil Anderson. “You will never get there. Feelings take time to heal after the choice to forgive is made . . .” We allow God to bring the hurt up from our past, for “if your forgiveness doesn’t visit the emotional core of your life, it will be incomplete.” We acknowledge that it hurt, that it mattered, and we choose to extend forgiveness to our father, our mother, those who hurt us. This is not saying, “It didn’t really matter”; it is not saying, “I probably deserved part of it anyway.” Forgiveness says, “It was wrong. Very wrong. It mattered, hurt me deeply. And I release you. I give you to God.”
It might help to remember that those who hurt you were also deeply wounded themselves. They were broken hearts, broken when they were young, and they fell captive to the Enemy. They were in fact pawns in his hands. This doesn’t absolve them of the choices they made, the things they did. It just helps us to let them go – to realize that they were shattered souls themselves, used by our true Enemy in his war against us.
(Captivating, 102-103) John and Stasi Eldredge
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
We Happy Few
Once more, lend a mythic eye to your situation. Let your heart ponder this:
You awake to find yourself in the middle of a great and terrible war. It is, in fact, our most desperate hour. Your King and dearest Friend calls you forth. Awake, come fully alive, your good heart set free and blazing for him and for those yet to be rescued. You have a glory that is needed. You are given a quest, a mission that will take you deep into the heart of the kingdom of darkness, to break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron so that your people might be set free from their bleak prisons. He asks that you heal them. Of course, you will face many dangers; you will be hunted.
Would you try and do this alone?
Something stronger than Fate has chosen you. Evil will hunt you. And so a Fellowship must protect you.
Honestly, though he is a very brave and true Hobbit, Frodo hasn’t a chance without Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. He will need his friends. And you will need yours. You must cling to those you have, you must search wide and far for those you do not yet have. You must not go alone. From the beginning, right there in Eden, the Enemy’s strategy has relied upon a simple aim: Divide, and conquer. Get them isolated, and take them out.
You see this sort of thing at the center of every great story. Dorothy takes her journey with the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Lion, and of course, Toto. Maximus rallies his little band and triumphs over the greatest empire on earth. When Captain John Miller is sent deep behind enemy lines to save Private Ryan, he goes in with a squad of men. And, of course, Jesus had the Twelve. This is written so deeply on our hearts: You must not go alone. The Scriptures are full of such warnings, but until we see our desperate situation, we hear it as an optional religious assembly for an hour on Sunday mornings.
Imagine you are surrounded by a small company of friends who know you well (characters, to be sure, but they love you, and you have come to love them). They understand that we are all at war, know that the purposes of God are to bring a man or woman fully alive, and are living by sheer necessity and joy in the Four Streams. They fight for you, and you for them. Imagine you could have a little fellowship of the heart. Would you want it, if it were available?
That is our destiny.
(Waking The Dead , 186, 187 )
You awake to find yourself in the middle of a great and terrible war. It is, in fact, our most desperate hour. Your King and dearest Friend calls you forth. Awake, come fully alive, your good heart set free and blazing for him and for those yet to be rescued. You have a glory that is needed. You are given a quest, a mission that will take you deep into the heart of the kingdom of darkness, to break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron so that your people might be set free from their bleak prisons. He asks that you heal them. Of course, you will face many dangers; you will be hunted.
Would you try and do this alone?
Something stronger than Fate has chosen you. Evil will hunt you. And so a Fellowship must protect you.
Honestly, though he is a very brave and true Hobbit, Frodo hasn’t a chance without Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. He will need his friends. And you will need yours. You must cling to those you have, you must search wide and far for those you do not yet have. You must not go alone. From the beginning, right there in Eden, the Enemy’s strategy has relied upon a simple aim: Divide, and conquer. Get them isolated, and take them out.
You see this sort of thing at the center of every great story. Dorothy takes her journey with the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Lion, and of course, Toto. Maximus rallies his little band and triumphs over the greatest empire on earth. When Captain John Miller is sent deep behind enemy lines to save Private Ryan, he goes in with a squad of men. And, of course, Jesus had the Twelve. This is written so deeply on our hearts: You must not go alone. The Scriptures are full of such warnings, but until we see our desperate situation, we hear it as an optional religious assembly for an hour on Sunday mornings.
Imagine you are surrounded by a small company of friends who know you well (characters, to be sure, but they love you, and you have come to love them). They understand that we are all at war, know that the purposes of God are to bring a man or woman fully alive, and are living by sheer necessity and joy in the Four Streams. They fight for you, and you for them. Imagine you could have a little fellowship of the heart. Would you want it, if it were available?
That is our destiny.
(Waking The Dead , 186, 187 )
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
It Must Be Intimate
Got this as a devotion this morning...its from John Eldridge's book waking the Dead, which if you haven't read, you really need to.
"Of course, small groups have become a part of the programming most churches offer their people. For the most part, they are disappointing and short-lived – by the very admission of those who try them. There are two reasons. One, you can’t just throw a random group of people together for a twelve week study of some kind, and expect them to become intimate allies. The sort of devotion we want and need takes place within a shared life. Over the years our fellowship goes camping together. We play together; help one another move; paint a room; find work. We throw great parties. We fight for each other, live in the Four Streams. This is how it was meant to be.
I love this description of the early church: “All the believers were one in heart” (Acts 4:32 ). There is a camaraderie being expressed there, a bond, an espri de corps. It means they all love the same thing, they all want the same thing, and they are bonded together to find it come hell or high water. And hell or high water will come, friends, and this will be the test of whether or not your band will make it: If you are one in heart. Judas betrayed the brothers because his heart was never really with them, just as Cipher betrays the company on the Nebuchadnezzar and as Boromir betrays the fellowship of the Ring. Good Lord – churches split over the size of the parking lot or the color of the carpet. Most churches are not “one in heart.”
God is calling together little communities of the heart, to fight for one another and for the hearts of those who have not yet been set free. That commeraderie, that intimacy, that incredible impact by a few stouthearted souls – that is available. It is the Christian life as Jesus gave it to us. It is completely normal. "
(Waking The Dead ,193, 203 )
"Of course, small groups have become a part of the programming most churches offer their people. For the most part, they are disappointing and short-lived – by the very admission of those who try them. There are two reasons. One, you can’t just throw a random group of people together for a twelve week study of some kind, and expect them to become intimate allies. The sort of devotion we want and need takes place within a shared life. Over the years our fellowship goes camping together. We play together; help one another move; paint a room; find work. We throw great parties. We fight for each other, live in the Four Streams. This is how it was meant to be.
I love this description of the early church: “All the believers were one in heart” (Acts 4:32 ). There is a camaraderie being expressed there, a bond, an espri de corps. It means they all love the same thing, they all want the same thing, and they are bonded together to find it come hell or high water. And hell or high water will come, friends, and this will be the test of whether or not your band will make it: If you are one in heart. Judas betrayed the brothers because his heart was never really with them, just as Cipher betrays the company on the Nebuchadnezzar and as Boromir betrays the fellowship of the Ring. Good Lord – churches split over the size of the parking lot or the color of the carpet. Most churches are not “one in heart.”
God is calling together little communities of the heart, to fight for one another and for the hearts of those who have not yet been set free. That commeraderie, that intimacy, that incredible impact by a few stouthearted souls – that is available. It is the Christian life as Jesus gave it to us. It is completely normal. "
(Waking The Dead ,193, 203 )
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Reeca's little thief
Those of you that know Max, I am sure have no doubt that he is a vicious guard dog, but I bet you never knew about some of his other skills. On Friday, the pest control service came to our house while both Reeca and I were at work. This was the first time that Jason had to come to our house so he had never met Max. I get a call at work about 2:00 and it’s from Jason. Here is the story. He was spraying in the back yard and did not realize that he had left the gate open. It was time for him to leave and when he went to get in his truck, he noticed mustard on his seat. He looked a little further and also noticed foot prints in his truck. Apparently Max has got out of the back yard, went around to the front yard, got into Jason’s truck and ate his lunch…burger and fries…and left only footprints and a little mustard as evidence then came back into the back yard/house without Jason noticing anything. He added a new entry to the computer file…Warning: Dog is a cat burglar. Don’t leave lunch unattended or truck door open.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Fellowship of the Unashamed
A good friend of mine has this as his signature in his email. After a little research, I found that it is called The Fellowship of the Unashamed. I am in.
The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, love with patience, live by prayer and labor with power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till he stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me
Thanks Bob!
The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, love with patience, live by prayer and labor with power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till he stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me
Thanks Bob!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Hole In Our Gospel
I have just finished "The Hole In Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us? The Answer That Changed My Life and Might Just Change the World". Normally it takes me about a week to 10 days to finish a book. However with this book, I finished it in 3 days. It is a great book. It really brought things into perspective. I have often asked myself what does God expect of me? And YES, the book has changed and will continue to change my life. As Christians we are to help people -all people- and more importantly we must help the poor. Without a doubt this book and the message is extremely convicting and will make you think very long and hard about what our purpose is and what we are meant to do as believer’s of Jesus Christ. I would strongly encourage you to read it and then act on it.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Crazy Love
I just finished Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. I love Crazy Love. It made me look at my view of God’s love ask myself if I was passionately pursuing Him. It’s a book with a website video for each chapter that will challenge your faith.
Here is some of my favorite parts:
“The god of the universe—the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor—loves us with a radical unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.”
Has your relationship with God changed the way you live?
He has an entire chapter devoted to lukewarm people. I found myself described in so many of those profiles…it was kind of hard to read.
It’s a must read.
Here is some of my favorite parts:
“The god of the universe—the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor—loves us with a radical unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.”
Has your relationship with God changed the way you live?
He has an entire chapter devoted to lukewarm people. I found myself described in so many of those profiles…it was kind of hard to read.
It’s a must read.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Willow Creek Leadership Summit – WOW!!!
I have never really considered myself a leader and have often struggled with several aspects of leadership (see lack of leadership blog from April) which is why the "lead where you are" from The Leadership Summit (TLS) really caught my attention. I must say that it was great. I ordered the DVD from the summit and several of the books. If you missed it I encourage you to log on the willowcreek.com website and read about future events. Some of the highlights for me were The Prodigal God from Tim Keller. It was a whole new way to look at the parable of the prodigal son and provided several ways to combat spiritual deadness. I also enjoyed listening to Jessica Jackley about KIVA. Harvey Carey definitely got me fired up with his talk about how Christians have been challenged to change the world. Bono and Tony Blair were also good interviews.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Unleashing Courageous Faith
Just finished reading Unleashing Courageous Faith – The Hidden Power of a Man’s Soul by Paul Coughlin. It was a good book with lots of messages for men. The first chapter was titled…When a Dog is more Manly…Kind of ironic since my last Sunday School lesson was about unleashing Christians and was inspired by the pictures in my last blog. You can read my previous blog to get the story behind it. Here are some of my favorite parts and quotes from the book.
Thumos – definition: a fight drive; courageous and animating spirit without which we don’t grow in spiritual depth and breadth, are unable to deeply love, consistently fail to lead or surmount the sins of our flesh. “It’s a reason why some men think that the men’s ministry should do more than flip pancakes.”
62% of American have passive personalities; 85% of Christians have passive personalities. Passive Christians run to Jesus for protection safety and sanctuary (which is what we call our places of worship).
Cowardice is the most under reported causes of depression in men.
We lose or integrity when we see something wrong and don’t act. Being content with the suffering of others is sinful.
There is a great quote from Rick Warren in chapter 6. Something to the effect of why do we applaud heroic strength in films if there is something wrong with having it at church?
Courage is contagious, but we must be willing to be infected. It’s not forged in isolation. For example, the Marines, disciples, Mormons, etc.
Put it on the highly recommend list.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Dog sledding in Alaska
For those that are curious, yes we went dog sledding in Alaska on our recent trip. It was one of the highlights of the trip that included white water river rafting, snorkeling, zip lines, horse rides and helicopters.There were several things that the dogs brought to mind when we were standing there preparing. I noticed that there were 2 kinds of dogs. The first was a kind of that was really ready to go. They would bark and jump and appeared to be excited. It was really easy for the handler to get them off of their chains and on the dog sled because they wanted to go. When the trip was over they fought and fought not to go back on to their chain that limited their freedom. They would stand on their dog houses and bark when other sleds left or when other dogs got selected instead of them. Once they were on the chain, the handler had to anchor the sled because the dogs would start to run immediately.
The other kind of dog was just laying there in the snow. When the handler came to get the dog, he would stand up and follow, because it was time to go to work. When it was over, they seemed to be happy to go back to their house where it was safe and familiar again.
It wasn’t until a few days later when I was looking at some of the pictures that any of this had any spiritual meaning for me. I attempted to describe myself as a Christian in “dog sled” terms. Was I a dog that was ready to be “unleashed” or one that could not wait to get back the house where it was safe? My next and last Sunday school lesson will be about this if you are interested. It will be titled…Unleashed…I wonder do Angels Yawn?Wednesday, July 8, 2009
04:05:06 07/08/09
At five minutes and six seconds after 4 AM on the 8th of July this year, the time and date will be 04:05:06 07/08/09
This will never happen again.
This will never happen again.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Quote
Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier. Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual. But the one who has love, courage, and wisdom moves thw world.
- Ammon Hennacy
- Ammon Hennacy
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Servolution
I recently finished the book Servolution by Dino Rizzo. You may be wondering what is servolution. This is from the website.
A Servolution is not an event; it is a culture. Infusing this culture into the DNA of your church will change the view of the world and your perspective of the needs of those around you. This movement is rumbling throughout the body of Christ - a revolutionary army of people ready to take up this mandate. We are actively pursuing the lost, the forgotten, and the poor to show them a God who is passionately in love with them. We stand ready with one heart, saying, "I will serve others and show them the hope they can have in Jesus."
Why serve?
We serve others for several simple reasons:
1) Jesus did. Our goal as Christians is to become more like Christ every day. As we study God's Word, we learn about Jesus and the way He lived. Because Jesus loved people, He served them to show them that love (John 13). Our goal is the same, to serve people so they would also come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.
2) The church and its purpose is best expressed outside its walls. We can't sit inside and wait for the world to come to us. We've got to get out in our communities and show people that we care and that there's a God who wants to heal them.
We serve others for several simple reasons:
1) Jesus did. Our goal as Christians is to become more like Christ every day. As we study God's Word, we learn about Jesus and the way He lived. Because Jesus loved people, He served them to show them that love (John 13). Our goal is the same, to serve people so they would also come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.
2) The church and its purpose is best expressed outside its walls. We can't sit inside and wait for the world to come to us. We've got to get out in our communities and show people that we care and that there's a God who wants to heal them.
Overall, it’s a good book. I heard about the concept of Servolution several months ago from Family Church in White Hall, Arkansas. It did excite me and I only attend that Family Church once every blue moon we were are back home visiting. Well, I was in Lifeway, saw the book, and bought it.
If you are not sure whether or not the book is for you, before you buy it, read page 15 -16. If you get excited...buy the book. Some of the ideas behind this, to be honest, sound kind of like really wishful thinking…hoping…dreaming until you read about how Healing Place Church responded to events like September 11, and Katrina. The stories are touching and inspiring and will make you want to join HPC.
Here are some highlights (my interpretations of them) and quotes that caught my attention.
“If we do nothing, the result will be ---nothing!...”
Servolution is not just about the local church but about the Kingdom. The mark of a great church is the desire to build everybody’s church. If someone is hurting, then the Church should be the first one to offer help.
Rizzo has a really good example of how the church should grow/continue relationships with the hurting. “The Church and the community should be fused, working as a unit to bring about healing."
I was excited and ready to start something similar to this at our church until I read and really thought about Chapter 10…I was still excited, but realized there is more too it than just the name.
“A servolution costs those that ignite it”.
1. Count the cost. 2 Reject Fear. 3. Face your discouragement. 4. Fanning the flames.
Here are some highlights (my interpretations of them) and quotes that caught my attention.
“If we do nothing, the result will be ---nothing!...”
Servolution is not just about the local church but about the Kingdom. The mark of a great church is the desire to build everybody’s church. If someone is hurting, then the Church should be the first one to offer help.
Rizzo has a really good example of how the church should grow/continue relationships with the hurting. “The Church and the community should be fused, working as a unit to bring about healing."
I was excited and ready to start something similar to this at our church until I read and really thought about Chapter 10…I was still excited, but realized there is more too it than just the name.
“A servolution costs those that ignite it”.
1. Count the cost. 2 Reject Fear. 3. Face your discouragement. 4. Fanning the flames.
That really hit home. Am I really ready to pay the price? How many times do I stop something that I fell called, lead, whatever term you want to call it...because I think the process will cost too much time, money, etc.
Fear-need I say more.
Discouragement - more often than not. Yes. I get and sometimes stay discouraged.
Fanning the flames - complacency-my biggest challenge. I tend to relax when things are going ok. Well at some point, ok, is just not going to work...I think that time will be coming sooner rather than later.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Memorial Day 2009
I will be the first to admit, that I typically do not think a whole lot about what Memorial Day is or why we celebrate it. I usually spend most of my time figuring out what to do on my day off. Now I do stop at some point during the day and reflect on the many that have given so much. This year was different. I was working on Kansas City, MO the weekend before, so Reeca and I stayed an extra day and toured the city. One place that we went was the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial. It was surreal. I am not a huge history fan nor a big fan of museums, but some this was an exception.
I learned a lot. I have to admit, that if you would have asked me to name the good guys and bad guys, I would have gotten a few right, but not many. It was interesting to see the trenches that they fought in and the weapons that were used.
One of the first things you see when you come in is 
a glass bridge.
a glass bridge. On the glass bridge, I passed over a field of 9,000 red poppies, each representing 1,000 combatant fatalities.
I learned a lot. I have to admit, that if you would have asked me to name the good guys and bad guys, I would have gotten a few right, but not many. It was interesting to see the trenches that they fought in and the weapons that were used.Later on in one of the other exhibit halls, we got to see several posters. Here is one that explains so much about why our Grandparents and even parents saved so much.
On Tuesday after Memorial Day, I was in Memphis. I stopped by Memphis National Cemetery where my grandparents are buried and had a chance to say "thanks".
Thursday, May 21, 2009
...isms from a foward
The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire? ?
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out?'
If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?
Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
Handle every Stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, Pee on it and walk away!
Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire? ?
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out?'
If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?
Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
Handle every Stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, Pee on it and walk away!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Quote
You can't behave in a calm, rational manner. You've got to be out there on the lunatic fringe.
Jack Welch, retired CEO, GE
Jack Welch, retired CEO, GE
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane!...It's
Mark the Super Hero???? Well not exactly.
Last night I was getting gas when I heard a woman in the car next to me start yelling. At first I couldn't make it out, but when I turned around, it made sense to me. She was yelling that there was "Nobody in that car. There's nobody in that car!".
Well the reason that she was yelling is that the car next to her car was driving off, all by itself. All of a sudden a woman came out of the store yelling "stop my car. Please! stop my car!"
So I ducked into a phone booth changed into my superhero costume and...wait that's not it.
My adrenaline started flowing, heart rate increased, and the next thing you know I was 10 times my normal size and green...wait, that's not it either.
I closed my eyes really hard and stopped time...while time was stopped I went and put the car in drive...or maybe not...
I twirled around really fast and changed into my superhero costume and was looking for my invisible jet...wait, that really isn't it. I mean, how was I going to see the invisible jet and who wants to see me in a wonder woman costume...I just thought that woman was screaming. Can you imagine the screams if she saw me chasing after her car in a wonder woman costume?
Anyway, I remembered all my marathon training and took off running after her car, dove in through the window and hit the brakes. Well, that might be a little exaggeration. Its more like I jogged after the car, reached in through the window and pulled the parking break right as the car hit a curb (that is the truth).
The lady came out and said "thanks a million". She had left the car running (in Drive) and thought she put the brake on. She was scared that if she put the car in park, it would die and not start up again. I said no problem and went back to filling up the car with gas.
A few minutes later she came back and said that she couldn't get the brake off. My first thought was "great...I have broken her car, now what?" Luckily, I still had some super human strength left and was able to disengage the parking brake. After this I noticed she backed the car back to the pump, left the car running again to put gas in the car.
Moral of the story...It doesn't take a superhero to stop an out of control 1983 Ford Escort...
Last night I was getting gas when I heard a woman in the car next to me start yelling. At first I couldn't make it out, but when I turned around, it made sense to me. She was yelling that there was "Nobody in that car. There's nobody in that car!".
Well the reason that she was yelling is that the car next to her car was driving off, all by itself. All of a sudden a woman came out of the store yelling "stop my car. Please! stop my car!"
So I ducked into a phone booth changed into my superhero costume and...wait that's not it.
My adrenaline started flowing, heart rate increased, and the next thing you know I was 10 times my normal size and green...wait, that's not it either.
I closed my eyes really hard and stopped time...while time was stopped I went and put the car in drive...or maybe not...
I twirled around really fast and changed into my superhero costume and was looking for my invisible jet...wait, that really isn't it. I mean, how was I going to see the invisible jet and who wants to see me in a wonder woman costume...I just thought that woman was screaming. Can you imagine the screams if she saw me chasing after her car in a wonder woman costume?
Anyway, I remembered all my marathon training and took off running after her car, dove in through the window and hit the brakes. Well, that might be a little exaggeration. Its more like I jogged after the car, reached in through the window and pulled the parking break right as the car hit a curb (that is the truth).
The lady came out and said "thanks a million". She had left the car running (in Drive) and thought she put the brake on. She was scared that if she put the car in park, it would die and not start up again. I said no problem and went back to filling up the car with gas.
A few minutes later she came back and said that she couldn't get the brake off. My first thought was "great...I have broken her car, now what?" Luckily, I still had some super human strength left and was able to disengage the parking brake. After this I noticed she backed the car back to the pump, left the car running again to put gas in the car.
Moral of the story...It doesn't take a superhero to stop an out of control 1983 Ford Escort...
Monday, May 4, 2009
I hope I am never one of the 8
The Man Minute
May 4.09
There are many areas in life that we neglect out of the simple assumption that somebody else is on top of it. Take politics for instance. Our nation's representatives have no real idea of accountability because we, as citizens, basically provide very little of it. What else could explain the fact that our politicians spend millions of our dollars on things that make us want to vomit? We always assume somebody is on top of it, when in fact, it's our very own job that we are neglecting.
Believe it or not, the same is true with the concept of encouragement.
Do you know that some studies show that the average pastor will resign and walk away from a church over ... wait for it ... eight people! Eight people make his life so miserable that he literally gives up.
Just so you know, that statistic holds true ... wait for it again ... for mega church pastors as well. Even in churches that host thousands of people in worship, the average mega church pastor is not exempt from the eight people who seek to destroy his spirit. If you were the devil, how would you go about destroying the spirit of a man of God? Would you cause him litigation grief by having the city council sue him for preaching the gospel? No. If I were the devil I know exactly how I'd destroy a pastor's spirit. I'd put eight of the most sour, bitter people front and center on Sunday morning so that when he preaches he must look at their "faithful" faces. I'd find a way to make them deacons, and committee members, so that he must deal with their venom at every turn.
Pastors face incredible spiritual battles, but the average church member never knows it until the battle has gone public, and the pastor is already on his way out the door. In a church of 500 members, what would happen if the voices of the "great eight" fell on deaf ears because the pastor was surrounded by 492 ambassadors of encouragement? Don't worry about it, though, somebody else is on top of it.
www.bethemanministries.com
May 4.09
There are many areas in life that we neglect out of the simple assumption that somebody else is on top of it. Take politics for instance. Our nation's representatives have no real idea of accountability because we, as citizens, basically provide very little of it. What else could explain the fact that our politicians spend millions of our dollars on things that make us want to vomit? We always assume somebody is on top of it, when in fact, it's our very own job that we are neglecting.
Believe it or not, the same is true with the concept of encouragement.
Do you know that some studies show that the average pastor will resign and walk away from a church over ... wait for it ... eight people! Eight people make his life so miserable that he literally gives up.
Just so you know, that statistic holds true ... wait for it again ... for mega church pastors as well. Even in churches that host thousands of people in worship, the average mega church pastor is not exempt from the eight people who seek to destroy his spirit. If you were the devil, how would you go about destroying the spirit of a man of God? Would you cause him litigation grief by having the city council sue him for preaching the gospel? No. If I were the devil I know exactly how I'd destroy a pastor's spirit. I'd put eight of the most sour, bitter people front and center on Sunday morning so that when he preaches he must look at their "faithful" faces. I'd find a way to make them deacons, and committee members, so that he must deal with their venom at every turn.
Pastors face incredible spiritual battles, but the average church member never knows it until the battle has gone public, and the pastor is already on his way out the door. In a church of 500 members, what would happen if the voices of the "great eight" fell on deaf ears because the pastor was surrounded by 492 ambassadors of encouragement? Don't worry about it, though, somebody else is on top of it.
www.bethemanministries.com
Friday, May 1, 2009
Quote of the day...
The gospel is like a lion. It doesn't need to be protected, it needs to be turned loose.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Dr. S.M. Lockridge
From Wikipedia:
Dr. Shadrach Meshach (S.M.) Lockridge (March 7, 1913 – April 4, 2000) was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, a prominent African-American congregation located in San Diego, California, from 1953 to 1993. He was known for his preaching across the United States and around the world.
Biography
Shadrach Meshach Lockridge was born March 7, 1913, in Robertson County, Texas, the oldest of eight children and the son of a Baptist minister. A graduate of Bishop College in Marshall, Texas, he worked for two years as a high school English teacher. In 1940 in Dallas, he felt led to preach. In 1941 he married Virgil Mae Thomas but they never had any children.
Ministry
In 1942, he accepted his first pastorate at Fourth Ward Baptist Church in Ennis, Texas. In August 1952, he was named pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego where he served until retiring in 1993.
During Dr. Lockridge's tenure at Calvary Baptist, a predominantly African-American congregation, his ministry touched the lives of more than 100,000 people. He preached at crusades, revivals, religious rallies and evangelistic conferences around the world.
He also served in key regional, state and national positions with the Baptist Church, including being elected the first president of the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America.
He held doctorates and numerous honorary degrees and was often sought as a public speaker, even after he retired in 1993. He served as guest lecturer at numerous schools and universities and on the faculty of several others, including the Billy Graham School of Evangelism.
Dr. Lockridge was active in the civil rights movement, and under his leadership Calvary Baptist hosted several of its leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson.
His best-known message is a six and a half minute description of Jesus Christ, known as "That's my King!" for Lockridge's repeated refrain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upGCMl_b0n4
Here is the text of that talk
The Bible says my King is a seven-way king....
He's the King of the Jews; that's a racial king....
He's the King of Israel; that's a national King....
He's the King of Righteousness....
He's the King of the Ages.....
He's the King of Heaven....
He's the King of Glory....
He's the King of kings, and He's the Lord of lords. That's my King.
Well....I wonder, do you know Him?....
David said, "The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply. No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings. He's enduringly strong....
He's entirely sincere....
He's eternally steadfast....
He's immortally graceful....
He's imperially powerful....
He's impartially merciful.......
Do you know Him?
He's the greatest phenomenon that ever crossed the horizon of this world. He's God's Son....
He's a sinner's Saviour....
He's the centerpiece of civilization....
He stands in the solitude of Himself....
He's august....
He's unique....
He's unparalleled....
He's unprecedented....
He's the loftiest idea in literature....
He's the highest personality in philosophy....
He's the supreme problem in higher criticism....
He's the fundamental doctrine of true theology....
He's the cardinal necessity for spiritual religion....
He's the miracle of the age....
He's the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him....
He's the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Saviour......
I wonder if you know Him today?
He supplies strength for the weak....
He's available for the tempted and the tried....
He sympathizes and He saves....
He strengthens and sustains....
He guards and He guides....
He heals the sick....
He cleanses lepers....
He forgives sinners....
He discharges debtors....
He delivers captives....
He defends the feeble....
He blesses the young....
He serves the unfortunate....
He regards the aged....
He rewards the diligent....
and He beautifies the meek.......
I wonder if you know Him?
Well, my King....is the King....
He's the key to knowledge....
He's the wellspring to wisdom....
He's the doorway of deliverance....
He's the pathway of peace....
He's the roadway of righteousness ....
He's the highway of holiness....
He's the gateway of glory.......
Do you know Him?
Well....His office is manifold....
His promise is sure....
His light is matchless....
His goodness is limitless....
His mercy is everlasting....
His love never changes....
His word is enough....
His grace is sufficient....
His reign is righteous....
and His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you, but He's indescribable....
He's incomprehensible....
He's invincible....
He's irresistible.
Well, you can't get Him out of your mind....
You can't get Him off of your hand....
You can't out live Him, and you can't live without Him....
The Pharisees couldn't stand Him, but they found out they couldn't stop Him....
Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him....
The witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree....
Herod couldn't kill Him....
Death couldn't handle Him, and the grave couldn't hold Him.
Yea!!!, that's my King, that's my King.
Dr. Shadrach Meshach (S.M.) Lockridge (March 7, 1913 – April 4, 2000) was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, a prominent African-American congregation located in San Diego, California, from 1953 to 1993. He was known for his preaching across the United States and around the world.
Biography
Shadrach Meshach Lockridge was born March 7, 1913, in Robertson County, Texas, the oldest of eight children and the son of a Baptist minister. A graduate of Bishop College in Marshall, Texas, he worked for two years as a high school English teacher. In 1940 in Dallas, he felt led to preach. In 1941 he married Virgil Mae Thomas but they never had any children.
Ministry
In 1942, he accepted his first pastorate at Fourth Ward Baptist Church in Ennis, Texas. In August 1952, he was named pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego where he served until retiring in 1993.
During Dr. Lockridge's tenure at Calvary Baptist, a predominantly African-American congregation, his ministry touched the lives of more than 100,000 people. He preached at crusades, revivals, religious rallies and evangelistic conferences around the world.
He also served in key regional, state and national positions with the Baptist Church, including being elected the first president of the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America.
He held doctorates and numerous honorary degrees and was often sought as a public speaker, even after he retired in 1993. He served as guest lecturer at numerous schools and universities and on the faculty of several others, including the Billy Graham School of Evangelism.
Dr. Lockridge was active in the civil rights movement, and under his leadership Calvary Baptist hosted several of its leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson.
His best-known message is a six and a half minute description of Jesus Christ, known as "That's my King!" for Lockridge's repeated refrain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upGCMl_b0n4
Here is the text of that talk
The Bible says my King is a seven-way king....
He's the King of the Jews; that's a racial king....
He's the King of Israel; that's a national King....
He's the King of Righteousness....
He's the King of the Ages.....
He's the King of Heaven....
He's the King of Glory....
He's the King of kings, and He's the Lord of lords. That's my King.
Well....I wonder, do you know Him?....
David said, "The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply. No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings. He's enduringly strong....
He's entirely sincere....
He's eternally steadfast....
He's immortally graceful....
He's imperially powerful....
He's impartially merciful.......
Do you know Him?
He's the greatest phenomenon that ever crossed the horizon of this world. He's God's Son....
He's a sinner's Saviour....
He's the centerpiece of civilization....
He stands in the solitude of Himself....
He's august....
He's unique....
He's unparalleled....
He's unprecedented....
He's the loftiest idea in literature....
He's the highest personality in philosophy....
He's the supreme problem in higher criticism....
He's the fundamental doctrine of true theology....
He's the cardinal necessity for spiritual religion....
He's the miracle of the age....
He's the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him....
He's the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Saviour......
I wonder if you know Him today?
He supplies strength for the weak....
He's available for the tempted and the tried....
He sympathizes and He saves....
He strengthens and sustains....
He guards and He guides....
He heals the sick....
He cleanses lepers....
He forgives sinners....
He discharges debtors....
He delivers captives....
He defends the feeble....
He blesses the young....
He serves the unfortunate....
He regards the aged....
He rewards the diligent....
and He beautifies the meek.......
I wonder if you know Him?
Well, my King....is the King....
He's the key to knowledge....
He's the wellspring to wisdom....
He's the doorway of deliverance....
He's the pathway of peace....
He's the roadway of righteousness ....
He's the highway of holiness....
He's the gateway of glory.......
Do you know Him?
Well....His office is manifold....
His promise is sure....
His light is matchless....
His goodness is limitless....
His mercy is everlasting....
His love never changes....
His word is enough....
His grace is sufficient....
His reign is righteous....
and His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you, but He's indescribable....
He's incomprehensible....
He's invincible....
He's irresistible.
Well, you can't get Him out of your mind....
You can't get Him off of your hand....
You can't out live Him, and you can't live without Him....
The Pharisees couldn't stand Him, but they found out they couldn't stop Him....
Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him....
The witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree....
Herod couldn't kill Him....
Death couldn't handle Him, and the grave couldn't hold Him.
Yea!!!, that's my King, that's my King.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
4 wives
Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms? However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confident and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times. The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her! One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, "I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone." Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company? “No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart. The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company? "No!" replied the 3rd wife. ?"Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold. He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I am sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave?'' Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated. Then a voice called out: "I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!" In truth, we all have these 4 wives in our lives: Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die. Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others. Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave. And our 1st wife is our Soul - often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go? Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity.... Thought for the day: Remember, when the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Where those sayings came from...maybe
I received this the other day...not sure if any of it is true...but all sounds good.
Here are some facts about the1500s: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold. (Getting quite an education, aren't you?) In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat..
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer..
Here are some facts about the1500s: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold. (Getting quite an education, aren't you?) In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat..
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer..
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Law of the Garbage Truck
I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport . We were driving inthe right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us
My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.
So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.
Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks takeover their day.
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so..... 'Lovethe people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.'
My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.
So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.
Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks takeover their day.
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so..... 'Lovethe people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.'
Monday, April 13, 2009
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?
The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.
1. Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!" 3. Peter and the other disciple ran to the
tomb to see. 4. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first.. 5. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. 6. Then Simon Peter arrived and went
inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7. while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.
Is that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes! In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of
that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done". But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because...........
The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"
He Is Coming Back!
1. Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!" 3. Peter and the other disciple ran to the
tomb to see. 4. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first.. 5. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. 6. Then Simon Peter arrived and went
inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7. while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.
Is that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes! In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of
that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done". But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because...........
The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"
He Is Coming Back!
The Man Minute
I recently started receiving emails from The Man Minute. Here is today's...
The Man Minute
sixty second investments
in Christ-like manhood
The Man Minute
April 13.09
The vast majority of men everywhere want some level of success. Whether it's making more money, the ability to acquire more possessions, or simply to hold a career position that brings him satisfaction, success is something that is a desire in most every man on planet earth.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with ambition or achievement. The real question is, what is it about success that truly motivates you?
A man's greatest fear should never be fear of failure, but the fear of actually succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.
I enlarged my works ... I built houses ... I planted vineyards ... I became great and increased more than all who proceeded me ... all that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. Then I considered all my activities which my hands had done ... and behold it was vanity ... there was no profit in it.
Solomon
Ecclesiastes 2
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
Jesus
Mark 8
http://www.bethemanministries.com/
The Man Minute
sixty second investments
in Christ-like manhood
The Man Minute
April 13.09
The vast majority of men everywhere want some level of success. Whether it's making more money, the ability to acquire more possessions, or simply to hold a career position that brings him satisfaction, success is something that is a desire in most every man on planet earth.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with ambition or achievement. The real question is, what is it about success that truly motivates you?
A man's greatest fear should never be fear of failure, but the fear of actually succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.
I enlarged my works ... I built houses ... I planted vineyards ... I became great and increased more than all who proceeded me ... all that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. Then I considered all my activities which my hands had done ... and behold it was vanity ... there was no profit in it.
Solomon
Ecclesiastes 2
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
Jesus
Mark 8
http://www.bethemanministries.com/
Friday, April 10, 2009
Lack of Leadership
I have recently struggled with leadership in several different areas of my life. As a player in my sphere of influence. I learned a lot about leadership academically and have written several papers on the topic in school, not as it relates to ministry, but on examining the personal characteristics of a leader, the relationships that a leader has, how leadership develops, and the most effective leader traits and habits.
Leaders can be classified as leaders based on many different attributes: power, influence, knowledge, position, age, status, situation, etc. But there is one thing that is characteristic of all leaders…that is, one thing that every leader must have to be called a leader…followers…
I think one way to be a leader after God’s heart, is to keep the followers in mind and as a priority. This brings to mind 1 Peter 5. We are called to be leaders…not because we have to, but because we want to please God. He says to tenderly show others the way. He also calls us (from the Message) to be down to earth with each other….be honest with what you think…not overly critical, but telling others what you think (relates to Titus verse, I think).
I think this is where a control freak may come into play. Imagine a shepherd with 100 sheep, trying to control each and everyone of them, eat here, drink now, sleep, etc…makes for a lot of mindless followers, who prefer the safe and mundane and will only do something when told or via force…not to mention that it makes the leader no longer a leader, but more of a manager.
For some reason, Phillip Yancey comes to mind….Jesus did not say, "all men will know you are my disciples...if you just pass laws, suppress immorality, and restore decency to the family and government..., but rather...if you love one another." Shepherds that love the sheep gently guide until they get too close to edge of the cliff or until they see a wolf. I have always pictured Jesus as a “gentle rebuker”. I am sure that this was not the case, but I do know that some of his most stern rebukes came to those that were not his followers…
Think about Peter writing this…first can you imagine Peter being a shepherd? I picture him kicking the sheep back in line much more than gently using the staff to guide them. I also picture Jesus saying to Peter to feed my sheep and Peter’s reaction to this…. I think to be a godly shepherd we have to be willing to tenderly rebuke in some situations, but also willing to sharply rebuke in others…I guess its finding that balance that I find the source of my struggles…I do believe that different situations call for different leadership tactics or styles.
Being a lazy wimp for much of my life, I can relate to this. I also know that its taking the easy way out. The important thing about falling off the horse is getting back on. I know that God would rather have us fall off everyday than never get on. ...1 Peter 5: 8 and 9...the devil is poised to catch us napping and is always looking for lazy wimps...
Here is a recent prayer that has had meaning for me….
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it...
Merton
Leaders can be classified as leaders based on many different attributes: power, influence, knowledge, position, age, status, situation, etc. But there is one thing that is characteristic of all leaders…that is, one thing that every leader must have to be called a leader…followers…
I think one way to be a leader after God’s heart, is to keep the followers in mind and as a priority. This brings to mind 1 Peter 5. We are called to be leaders…not because we have to, but because we want to please God. He says to tenderly show others the way. He also calls us (from the Message) to be down to earth with each other….be honest with what you think…not overly critical, but telling others what you think (relates to Titus verse, I think).
I think this is where a control freak may come into play. Imagine a shepherd with 100 sheep, trying to control each and everyone of them, eat here, drink now, sleep, etc…makes for a lot of mindless followers, who prefer the safe and mundane and will only do something when told or via force…not to mention that it makes the leader no longer a leader, but more of a manager.
For some reason, Phillip Yancey comes to mind….Jesus did not say, "all men will know you are my disciples...if you just pass laws, suppress immorality, and restore decency to the family and government..., but rather...if you love one another." Shepherds that love the sheep gently guide until they get too close to edge of the cliff or until they see a wolf. I have always pictured Jesus as a “gentle rebuker”. I am sure that this was not the case, but I do know that some of his most stern rebukes came to those that were not his followers…
Think about Peter writing this…first can you imagine Peter being a shepherd? I picture him kicking the sheep back in line much more than gently using the staff to guide them. I also picture Jesus saying to Peter to feed my sheep and Peter’s reaction to this…. I think to be a godly shepherd we have to be willing to tenderly rebuke in some situations, but also willing to sharply rebuke in others…I guess its finding that balance that I find the source of my struggles…I do believe that different situations call for different leadership tactics or styles.
Being a lazy wimp for much of my life, I can relate to this. I also know that its taking the easy way out. The important thing about falling off the horse is getting back on. I know that God would rather have us fall off everyday than never get on. ...1 Peter 5: 8 and 9...the devil is poised to catch us napping and is always looking for lazy wimps...
Here is a recent prayer that has had meaning for me….
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it...
Merton
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Called to Craftsmanship
Exodus 31:1-5
*Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.*
Bezalel was called by God to perform a most important work for Him. I am sure that Bezalel believed that he was naturally gifted with his hands to make fine crafts with gold, silver, and bronze. He probably did not associate it with God's work.
But the Scripture tells us that God chose him and filled him with God's Spirit to enable him.
Does God call men and women into their vocations to fulfill His purposes-to fulfill that which needs to be accomplished throughout the world? Have you ever thought about how many occupations there are in the world? How did that balance of interest among each human throughout the world happen? Did it just happen? Was it by chance that we have only so many doctors, only so many accountants, only so many geologists?
Your interest in your vocation is not born of your own making. So many businesspeople and even pastors have made the mistake of encouraging us who have a deep desire to walk with Christ in the workplace to pursue vocational ministry. To remove us from the marketplace where the greatest harvest is yet to occur would be to remove us from where God called us. Do not take this bait. Serve the Lord in the marketplace where He has gifted you and called you.
*Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.*
Bezalel was called by God to perform a most important work for Him. I am sure that Bezalel believed that he was naturally gifted with his hands to make fine crafts with gold, silver, and bronze. He probably did not associate it with God's work.
But the Scripture tells us that God chose him and filled him with God's Spirit to enable him.
Does God call men and women into their vocations to fulfill His purposes-to fulfill that which needs to be accomplished throughout the world? Have you ever thought about how many occupations there are in the world? How did that balance of interest among each human throughout the world happen? Did it just happen? Was it by chance that we have only so many doctors, only so many accountants, only so many geologists?
Your interest in your vocation is not born of your own making. So many businesspeople and even pastors have made the mistake of encouraging us who have a deep desire to walk with Christ in the workplace to pursue vocational ministry. To remove us from the marketplace where the greatest harvest is yet to occur would be to remove us from where God called us. Do not take this bait. Serve the Lord in the marketplace where He has gifted you and called you.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Abou ben Adam
Abou ben Adam (may his tribe increase!)
awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight of his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
an angel, writing in a book of of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adam bold,
And to the Prescence in the room he said:
"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head,
And, with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?"said Abou, "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still, and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow men."
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again, with a great awakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben adam's name led all the rest.
- Leigh Hunt
awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight of his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
an angel, writing in a book of of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adam bold,
And to the Prescence in the room he said:
"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head,
And, with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?"said Abou, "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still, and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow men."
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again, with a great awakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben adam's name led all the rest.
- Leigh Hunt
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
CAN YOU SLEEP WHEN THE WIND BLOWS?
Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and saidfirmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows." Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired handmeant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew. MORAL:When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in th e story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm . We, secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the midst of the storms.
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Man Minute
You may not be a hunter, but you can learn a simple truth from the wild turkey that just might keep you from the death of all you hold sacred.
A tom is the ultimate male stud. He goes into strut, displays his strength and dominance, and the ladies just can't stand it. They often break into a flat out run to get to him before any competitors come calling. In fact, his created nature dictates that he stays put while they do the work to get to him. He never chases women, they always come to him. Almost always.
On occasion a tom will hear a hen that is elusive. She's sexy in the way she talks to him. She's long legged, and mysterious. She just moves different than the rest of the girls.
Then the tom does something that violates his nature. He will actually investigate her just a bit. He'll move closer. She walks away even more. He can't see every part of her, yet he can't help but visualize what she must look like when the light hits her late in the evening. She keeps talking. Nobody is looking. She's supposed to come to him, and he knows it. They keep talking.
He goes against every thing he knows to be true, and moves closer. The love talk continues. Sweet sounds fill the air right up until he hears the sonic boom of a shotgun blast leading him to his death.
I've looked down my gun barrel countless times as I watched a tom lose his life simply because he violated the truths that have kept him alive in a hostile world.
"For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave ... why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly."
- Proverbs 5
www.bethemanministries.com
A tom is the ultimate male stud. He goes into strut, displays his strength and dominance, and the ladies just can't stand it. They often break into a flat out run to get to him before any competitors come calling. In fact, his created nature dictates that he stays put while they do the work to get to him. He never chases women, they always come to him. Almost always.
On occasion a tom will hear a hen that is elusive. She's sexy in the way she talks to him. She's long legged, and mysterious. She just moves different than the rest of the girls.
Then the tom does something that violates his nature. He will actually investigate her just a bit. He'll move closer. She walks away even more. He can't see every part of her, yet he can't help but visualize what she must look like when the light hits her late in the evening. She keeps talking. Nobody is looking. She's supposed to come to him, and he knows it. They keep talking.
He goes against every thing he knows to be true, and moves closer. The love talk continues. Sweet sounds fill the air right up until he hears the sonic boom of a shotgun blast leading him to his death.
I've looked down my gun barrel countless times as I watched a tom lose his life simply because he violated the truths that have kept him alive in a hostile world.
"For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave ... why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly."
- Proverbs 5
www.bethemanministries.com
Friday, March 27, 2009
On the cover of GQ
Yea, that's one place that you will never see a picture of me or of any of my attire for that matter. If I was going to be on tv for my wardrobe, it would be on the TV show "What Not to Wear" where I am sure the hosts would make me cry...
I have my own style - if out of style can be considered a style- and it suits me (pun intended). I was recently eating at Quiznos for lunch and I heard a guy say "that shirt is awesome". My first thought was "who still uses the word awesome"? and then I was curious as to what the shirt looked like that was awesome. Well, I looked up and he was looking at me. The only thing that I could say, was "thanks???". He asked me where I got it, so I looked down to see what I was wearing that day. Here is what the back of my shirt said (if you don't watch the office, you will not find this even remotely funny-so stop reading here and just know that I own 1 cool t-shirt).
I realized what I had on and kind of smiled. The fans of The Office have a common bond. I am convinced that "real" fans of The Office all work in an office that has too many similarities to The Office had an episode back in season 4 (there are some clips here) where there was a Run for the race for the cure...for Rabies. It was a funny episode. Not too long back, Reeca and I were in New York and we stopped in the NBC store and I saw the shirt there and bought it. I guess probably said the same thing..."That shirt is awesome"...
I have my own style - if out of style can be considered a style- and it suits me (pun intended). I was recently eating at Quiznos for lunch and I heard a guy say "that shirt is awesome". My first thought was "who still uses the word awesome"? and then I was curious as to what the shirt looked like that was awesome. Well, I looked up and he was looking at me. The only thing that I could say, was "thanks???". He asked me where I got it, so I looked down to see what I was wearing that day. Here is what the back of my shirt said (if you don't watch the office, you will not find this even remotely funny-so stop reading here and just know that I own 1 cool t-shirt).
I realized what I had on and kind of smiled. The fans of The Office have a common bond. I am convinced that "real" fans of The Office all work in an office that has too many similarities to The Office had an episode back in season 4 (there are some clips here) where there was a Run for the race for the cure...for Rabies. It was a funny episode. Not too long back, Reeca and I were in New York and we stopped in the NBC store and I saw the shirt there and bought it. I guess probably said the same thing..."That shirt is awesome"...
FUNNY, ISN'T IT or IS IT?
Received this as a fwd (back when I was still reading them). I changed some to be more applicable to me.
Funny how a $100 bill "looks" so big when you take it to church, but so small when you take it to Wal-mart.
Funny how long it takes to serve God for an hour, but how quickly a 60 minute layover in the airport lasts (if things are on time anyway).
Funny how long a couple of hours spent at church seems, but how short they are when watching a movie.
Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.
Funny how we get thrilled when a game goes into overtime, but we complain when a sermon is longer than the regular time.
Funny how hard it is to read a chapter in the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of almost anything else.
Funny how when packing books for a trip, the Bible is that last one that I think about packing.
Funny how people want to get a front seat on Southwest, but scramble to get a back seat at church services.
Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks advance notice to fit a church event into our schedule, but can adjust our schedule for other events at the last moment.
Funny how hard it is for people to learn a simple gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and repeat gossip.
Funny how we believe what the newspaper says, but question what the Bible says.
Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, or to think, or to say, or do anything.
Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.
FUNNY, ISN'T IT ? Are you laughing? Are you thinking? Actually, it isn't funny at all!
Funny how a $100 bill "looks" so big when you take it to church, but so small when you take it to Wal-mart.
Funny how long it takes to serve God for an hour, but how quickly a 60 minute layover in the airport lasts (if things are on time anyway).
Funny how long a couple of hours spent at church seems, but how short they are when watching a movie.
Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.
Funny how we get thrilled when a game goes into overtime, but we complain when a sermon is longer than the regular time.
Funny how hard it is to read a chapter in the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of almost anything else.
Funny how when packing books for a trip, the Bible is that last one that I think about packing.
Funny how people want to get a front seat on Southwest, but scramble to get a back seat at church services.
Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks advance notice to fit a church event into our schedule, but can adjust our schedule for other events at the last moment.
Funny how hard it is for people to learn a simple gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and repeat gossip.
Funny how we believe what the newspaper says, but question what the Bible says.
Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, or to think, or to say, or do anything.
Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.
FUNNY, ISN'T IT ? Are you laughing? Are you thinking? Actually, it isn't funny at all!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Mark sends out a forward - really?
I do not normallysend out a lot of forwards (or any for that matter), but this one came in was well timed. It was good, so I thought I would share....
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.
However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing. Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.""You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."
"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."
For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.
My prayer for you today is that all your prayers are answered.
Mark
"What you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself"
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.
However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing. Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.""You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."
"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."
For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.
My prayer for you today is that all your prayers are answered.
Mark
"What you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself"
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Why I do what I do…at work anyway
For those of you that wonder just exactly what I do, join the club. There has always been a lot of confusion about my job, my vocation, my degree, etc. Well wonder no more, here is a brief explanation of what is I do and why I do, what I do.
First, contrary to popular belief, I am not a spy. Even though when people ask me what I do, my first response is “did you ever watch the tv show Alias?” Well, I am not really a covert operative, although some of the work that we do and the clients that we work with might make you think so. My official title is Senior Consultant. Confusing enough. Think the “Bobs” from Office Space. That is closer to what I do than to a spy.
Some background. I have a degree in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology. That is on the total opposite end of the spectrum from Clinical or Counseling Psychology. I have never worked with a client that involved “therapy” (although many of our clients desperately need it). Most of our clients are Organizations. That is cities, counties, states, government agencies. We do have private sector clients such as retail, transportation, food and hospitality, but the bulk of our clients (this week anyway) are protective service clients.
So what is I/O Psychology? Basically its psychology of business, personnel, and organizations. If you think of clinical psychology (the lie on the couch therapy) with the individual, I/O involves groups; most of the time large groups. Here is a link if you want to know more. http://www.siop.org/. We work with personnel depts., HR, and Legal Departments.
So what classes did I take to get a degree in I/O. A lot of courses in statistics and research. Also took general psych courses, but most of the course were specific to I/O. For example, performance appraisal, employee selection, motivation, attitudes, etc. While taking courses, was helpful in that I learned basic info, most, if not all, the real learning takes place “in the real world”.
Here is an example ‘typical’ project. A large city in the southern United States is having a problem with the police officers. There is a public perception that the police are corrupt. Whether true or not, often times perception is reality. Our job or mission, is to hire or screen out “bad” or poor employees and to make sure that the jurisdiction hires the cream of the crop. We set up several procedures that screen out these potential bad hires. For example, we give a basic reading test, a personality test, psychological tests, physical ability tests, background checks and, oral interviews.
I do a lot with computers, but I am not a “computer or IT” person. I create, maintain and administer online tests around the world. On any day we test people from all over the United States and occasionally from the Middle East.
So that is the what. Now for the why. Basically, I can sum it up rather quickly. I like it. It is rewarding and no 2 days are ever alike. A lot of people can tell you what they will be working on 2 days from now or 2 weeks from now and in some cases even 2 years from now. There is nothing wrong with that, it just doesn’t fit with my personality. I like not knowing what the day will bring (sometimes anyway).
First, contrary to popular belief, I am not a spy. Even though when people ask me what I do, my first response is “did you ever watch the tv show Alias?” Well, I am not really a covert operative, although some of the work that we do and the clients that we work with might make you think so. My official title is Senior Consultant. Confusing enough. Think the “Bobs” from Office Space. That is closer to what I do than to a spy.
Some background. I have a degree in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology. That is on the total opposite end of the spectrum from Clinical or Counseling Psychology. I have never worked with a client that involved “therapy” (although many of our clients desperately need it). Most of our clients are Organizations. That is cities, counties, states, government agencies. We do have private sector clients such as retail, transportation, food and hospitality, but the bulk of our clients (this week anyway) are protective service clients.
So what is I/O Psychology? Basically its psychology of business, personnel, and organizations. If you think of clinical psychology (the lie on the couch therapy) with the individual, I/O involves groups; most of the time large groups. Here is a link if you want to know more. http://www.siop.org/. We work with personnel depts., HR, and Legal Departments.
So what classes did I take to get a degree in I/O. A lot of courses in statistics and research. Also took general psych courses, but most of the course were specific to I/O. For example, performance appraisal, employee selection, motivation, attitudes, etc. While taking courses, was helpful in that I learned basic info, most, if not all, the real learning takes place “in the real world”.
Here is an example ‘typical’ project. A large city in the southern United States is having a problem with the police officers. There is a public perception that the police are corrupt. Whether true or not, often times perception is reality. Our job or mission, is to hire or screen out “bad” or poor employees and to make sure that the jurisdiction hires the cream of the crop. We set up several procedures that screen out these potential bad hires. For example, we give a basic reading test, a personality test, psychological tests, physical ability tests, background checks and, oral interviews.
I do a lot with computers, but I am not a “computer or IT” person. I create, maintain and administer online tests around the world. On any day we test people from all over the United States and occasionally from the Middle East.
So that is the what. Now for the why. Basically, I can sum it up rather quickly. I like it. It is rewarding and no 2 days are ever alike. A lot of people can tell you what they will be working on 2 days from now or 2 weeks from now and in some cases even 2 years from now. There is nothing wrong with that, it just doesn’t fit with my personality. I like not knowing what the day will bring (sometimes anyway).
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Dilbert - in real life
A magazine recently ran a "Dilbert Quotes" contest. They were looking for people to submit quotes from their real-life Dilbert-comic-strip-type managers. These were voted the top ten quotes from the managers we work for in corporate America.
"As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks."
"What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter."
"E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business."
"This project is so important we can't let things that are more important interfere with it."
"Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule."
"No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them."
Quote from the Boss: "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say."
My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday. When I told my Boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, "That would be better for me."
"We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees."
Some more random quotes:
"If you think your boss is stupid, remember: you wouldn't have a job if he was any smarter."- John Gotti
"The secret of successful managing is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the four guys who haven't made up their minds."- Casey Stengel
"Management by objective works - if you know the objectives. Ninety percent of the time you don't."- Peter Drucker
"Kill my boss? Do I dare live out the American dream?"- Homer Simpson
"Show me a man who is a good loser and I'll show you a man who is playing golf with his boss."- Jim Murray
"The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind."Gen. Joe Stillwell
"The first myth of management is that it exists. The second myth of management is that success equals skill."- Robert Heller
"Everyone rises to their level of incompetence."- Dr. Lawrence Peter
"The only time some people work like a horse is when the boss rides them."- Gabriel Heatter
"To make a long story short, there's nothing like having a boss walk in."- Doris Lilly
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Man Minute
My dad taught me a lot about friendships, though the education was mainly non-verbal. I grew up in a small town, and dad would often stop by the firehall to check in with his buddies. They'd all grab a Coke, eat some peanuts, and catch up for 30 minutes or so. No agenda. Just hanging with the fellas. He'd let me tag along many times. For a five year old boy, being given free reign to explore a fire truck was the highlight of my week, maybe even my month.
I learned from dad that relationships matter, but like everything else in life, they don't come free. A person who wants to keep friends must invest time in them. In today's society, time is the most valuable commodity we have, and yet we rarely have time for people. I honestly do believe that the pace at which we now live life is out of control. We have PDAs, emails, faxes, and high speed internet to keep us constantly accessible for communication, yet we rarely have time to actually spend time with people if its not business related. Worse yet, how about we actually do carve out time for lunch with someone and they spend 42 minutes of the hour answering 17 different phone calls, basically sending you the message that every person who calls me is more important than you.
Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." It's hard to express love outside of time. It's hard to show a brother that you love him when all you can do is send a text message to stay in touch. People matter more than business, because people are the business the matters most.
www.bethemanministries.com
I learned from dad that relationships matter, but like everything else in life, they don't come free. A person who wants to keep friends must invest time in them. In today's society, time is the most valuable commodity we have, and yet we rarely have time for people. I honestly do believe that the pace at which we now live life is out of control. We have PDAs, emails, faxes, and high speed internet to keep us constantly accessible for communication, yet we rarely have time to actually spend time with people if its not business related. Worse yet, how about we actually do carve out time for lunch with someone and they spend 42 minutes of the hour answering 17 different phone calls, basically sending you the message that every person who calls me is more important than you.
Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." It's hard to express love outside of time. It's hard to show a brother that you love him when all you can do is send a text message to stay in touch. People matter more than business, because people are the business the matters most.
www.bethemanministries.com
Scars
I don't have the actually quote, but Brennan Manning says something about Nouwen and Wounded Prophet...anyone that God is going to do great things with will be wounded or scarred. Later on he says that when we meet Jesus in Heaven, he will not be looking for awards, plaques, trophies, etc, but he will look for, or at our scars.
I actually have a short Sunday School lesson about scars (titled Papa Roach and band-aids)...not originally from Manning's book...Its by Papa Roach (not the healthiest band by any means). The chorus of their song "Scars" has a line...'the scars remind me that the past is real'...Sometime back, I was asked to describe myself and not use my job, my family, where I was from, or anything that people would usually use to describe themselves. The first thought that came to mind was my scars, which got me to thinking.
I think the coolest thing about Jesus and his scars are that when we see him in Heaven...he will still have those scars.
The people that we connect with the most and the deepest often have or share the same scars that we do. I am thankful for the scars that I have and how I have been able to use those scars. I am still not sure what some of them are for, but I am sure that one day, someone will cross my path...
quote of the day:
Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says... "Oh no...he/she's awake!!"
I actually have a short Sunday School lesson about scars (titled Papa Roach and band-aids)...not originally from Manning's book...Its by Papa Roach (not the healthiest band by any means). The chorus of their song "Scars" has a line...'the scars remind me that the past is real'...Sometime back, I was asked to describe myself and not use my job, my family, where I was from, or anything that people would usually use to describe themselves. The first thought that came to mind was my scars, which got me to thinking.
I think the coolest thing about Jesus and his scars are that when we see him in Heaven...he will still have those scars.
The people that we connect with the most and the deepest often have or share the same scars that we do. I am thankful for the scars that I have and how I have been able to use those scars. I am still not sure what some of them are for, but I am sure that one day, someone will cross my path...
quote of the day:
Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says... "Oh no...he/she's awake!!"
Friday, March 20, 2009
Reeca's dog is crazy
He is not my dog. No actual dogs were harmed in the filming of the following videos. Not physically anyway.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The enemy is here...its us
I think my family and friends would say that I am driven by achievement. I always try to be something more or better. I think that the driving force of my life has been my motivation to succeed at any and all costs. I want my driving force to be God. To live life for the Kingdom doing the stuff to further the Kingdom and to revive the Christian life and unleash the Holy Spirit inside of me.
Leading the discussions in Sunday School and in Faith has really challenged me to change, to move toward this goal. It has challenged me to talk and walk differently. I have to practice what I preach, (even though at times I fail miserably)…This has forced me to examine myself spiritually in many aspects and evaluate myself from the position of a spiritual -dare I say - leader. A very difficult and intimidating task to fulfill from day to day.
Ever been almost asleep and you "hear" something. Happens to me a lot when I am in listening to and in tune with God. Here is a recent quote that was in my voice:
The enemy is here...its us...to be more specific look in the mirror.
Not sure exactly what that means, but I have a good idea. I am the major obstacle to my relationship with God. The blame falls on the man in the mirror. We would all like someone to blame. Now what is the enemy's chief weapon of mass destruction? For me, I would have to say- apathy. When things are going good or as well as I would like them to. I am not happy, sad, or anything else. I am just there. Content. A very dangerous place to be.
Matt Friedman from DaySpring Church shared this poem on a recent Saturday night service:
Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
-Sir Francis Drake, 1577
Interesting tidbit about Sir Francis Drake...the night before he died, he asked a crew member to help put his armor on because he was "going to sleep". Makes me wonder how many battles we fight during the night with "the enemy".
Leading the discussions in Sunday School and in Faith has really challenged me to change, to move toward this goal. It has challenged me to talk and walk differently. I have to practice what I preach, (even though at times I fail miserably)…This has forced me to examine myself spiritually in many aspects and evaluate myself from the position of a spiritual -dare I say - leader. A very difficult and intimidating task to fulfill from day to day.
Ever been almost asleep and you "hear" something. Happens to me a lot when I am in listening to and in tune with God. Here is a recent quote that was in my voice:
The enemy is here...its us...to be more specific look in the mirror.
Not sure exactly what that means, but I have a good idea. I am the major obstacle to my relationship with God. The blame falls on the man in the mirror. We would all like someone to blame. Now what is the enemy's chief weapon of mass destruction? For me, I would have to say- apathy. When things are going good or as well as I would like them to. I am not happy, sad, or anything else. I am just there. Content. A very dangerous place to be.
Matt Friedman from DaySpring Church shared this poem on a recent Saturday night service:
Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
-Sir Francis Drake, 1577
Interesting tidbit about Sir Francis Drake...the night before he died, he asked a crew member to help put his armor on because he was "going to sleep". Makes me wonder how many battles we fight during the night with "the enemy".
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Mark - Anthony
at 7:45 pm, when I walked outside of my hotel, I was planning on going to Quiznos grabbing a quick sandwich and heading back to my room to eat and watch some TV. God however, had other plans.
Quiznos had closed down. Not just closed for the night, but shut its doors completely. My next thought was Lenny's, just a short walk away...nope. Not open at night. So I started walking north on Main street to a place called Napoleon's cafe. Small place with good food and nice people. I walked up at 7:50. The lady met me at the door. "We are closed".
I thought "OK", now where too. I turned and walked south towards Beale - wanting to stay away from all the craziness that goes along with St. Patrick's day, I thought "I will just stop by Walgreen's grab a microwave something and go back to the room. Yep, you guessed it. Closed. It was 8:01. A group of people stepped off the trolley at about the same time I was walking up to Walgreen's. They were talking about what they needed to get from Walgreen's. That is when I heard Anthony.
He said "if you want something better hurry up. They are getting ready to close." The group ignored him and the manager told them the news. "We are closed". I made eye contact with Anthony. He asked me what I was looking for. I told him a store with something to eat. He directed me down the block. Not far he said. Anthony sort of looked homeless. His clothes looked pretty good, but you could tell that he was not a Tourist here for St. Patrick's Day. The group of people did what I have done so many times when dealing with a homeless person---ignore them and hope they go away---. I did not ignore him. I am not sure why I didn't but I talked to him. He asked me where I was from. I told him that I was originally from Memphis but lived in Jackson now. We talked about Memphis and how we had been here his whole life (I later found out, he was 45). He told me to make sure that I stayed on certain streets in downtown to make sure that I was safe. I shook his hand and said nice to meet you, thinking he would go on his way and that would be the last I would ever see of Anthony. He said "I will wait out here for you" and it didn't really register to me that is what he said until I was checking out and noticed that he was waiting outside the door.
I got some vitamin waters, some chips and a sandwich that I could microwave. I went back and got a coke for Anthony after I noticed him waiting outside. Normally, I pay for everything on credit card, and that was my intention. The guy working behind the counter said "I am sorry, but our credit card machine just started acting crazy and was not working". I had to pay with cash. I thought about Anthony as I put the change in my pocket. On the streets of Jackson, we do not give out money, but I thought, I will give him what is left over if I felt it was 'ok' and that he was on the up and up. I had a $5 bill from the change in my pocket when I walked out of the store. I gave Anthony his coke and he was very appreciative. Then he started his story. You know the one that he tells countless times a day, how he is down on his luck and needs...then he stopped. Something changed. I looked him in the eye. I got the feeling, not too many people did that. He told me he was working with a temp agency and recently got in trouble with the law. He needed a place to stay and I knew that there was a shelter 2 blocks over. I told him I would pay his way in. Guess how much it cost? $5.
Anthony then asked me to pray with him. I did. He reached out his hand and I took it. First he took his hat off and put his book bag on the ground. Then it got weird. Anthony then prayed for me. He thanked God that we crossed paths and that we had the opportunity to meet and for people like me that are willing to help. After he said Amen, we started walking towards the hotel. He was talking about God and the people that he puts in your life. I asked him if he knew a guy in a wheelchair named Kevin. He did. Kevin is one of Anthony's good friends. I told Anthony to tell Kevin I said hi. Anthony said that we would tell Kevin that Mark Mincy says hello.
How many times have I been un-willing to help? I can't tell you the number of times that I cross the street to avoid the homeless or street people. Thank you Anthony Merriweather for reminding me...Thank you God for putting Anthony in my path.
Quiznos had closed down. Not just closed for the night, but shut its doors completely. My next thought was Lenny's, just a short walk away...nope. Not open at night. So I started walking north on Main street to a place called Napoleon's cafe. Small place with good food and nice people. I walked up at 7:50. The lady met me at the door. "We are closed".
I thought "OK", now where too. I turned and walked south towards Beale - wanting to stay away from all the craziness that goes along with St. Patrick's day, I thought "I will just stop by Walgreen's grab a microwave something and go back to the room. Yep, you guessed it. Closed. It was 8:01. A group of people stepped off the trolley at about the same time I was walking up to Walgreen's. They were talking about what they needed to get from Walgreen's. That is when I heard Anthony.
He said "if you want something better hurry up. They are getting ready to close." The group ignored him and the manager told them the news. "We are closed". I made eye contact with Anthony. He asked me what I was looking for. I told him a store with something to eat. He directed me down the block. Not far he said. Anthony sort of looked homeless. His clothes looked pretty good, but you could tell that he was not a Tourist here for St. Patrick's Day. The group of people did what I have done so many times when dealing with a homeless person---ignore them and hope they go away---. I did not ignore him. I am not sure why I didn't but I talked to him. He asked me where I was from. I told him that I was originally from Memphis but lived in Jackson now. We talked about Memphis and how we had been here his whole life (I later found out, he was 45). He told me to make sure that I stayed on certain streets in downtown to make sure that I was safe. I shook his hand and said nice to meet you, thinking he would go on his way and that would be the last I would ever see of Anthony. He said "I will wait out here for you" and it didn't really register to me that is what he said until I was checking out and noticed that he was waiting outside the door.
I got some vitamin waters, some chips and a sandwich that I could microwave. I went back and got a coke for Anthony after I noticed him waiting outside. Normally, I pay for everything on credit card, and that was my intention. The guy working behind the counter said "I am sorry, but our credit card machine just started acting crazy and was not working". I had to pay with cash. I thought about Anthony as I put the change in my pocket. On the streets of Jackson, we do not give out money, but I thought, I will give him what is left over if I felt it was 'ok' and that he was on the up and up. I had a $5 bill from the change in my pocket when I walked out of the store. I gave Anthony his coke and he was very appreciative. Then he started his story. You know the one that he tells countless times a day, how he is down on his luck and needs...then he stopped. Something changed. I looked him in the eye. I got the feeling, not too many people did that. He told me he was working with a temp agency and recently got in trouble with the law. He needed a place to stay and I knew that there was a shelter 2 blocks over. I told him I would pay his way in. Guess how much it cost? $5.
Anthony then asked me to pray with him. I did. He reached out his hand and I took it. First he took his hat off and put his book bag on the ground. Then it got weird. Anthony then prayed for me. He thanked God that we crossed paths and that we had the opportunity to meet and for people like me that are willing to help. After he said Amen, we started walking towards the hotel. He was talking about God and the people that he puts in your life. I asked him if he knew a guy in a wheelchair named Kevin. He did. Kevin is one of Anthony's good friends. I told Anthony to tell Kevin I said hi. Anthony said that we would tell Kevin that Mark Mincy says hello.
How many times have I been un-willing to help? I can't tell you the number of times that I cross the street to avoid the homeless or street people. Thank you Anthony Merriweather for reminding me...Thank you God for putting Anthony in my path.
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