Believe in Me

Cheryl and I recently watched a movie that made a pretty big impression on me. It's called Front of the Class. The movie tells the story of a man named Brad Cohen who pursues his dream to become a teacher despite his battle with Tourette's Syndrome. While it was inspiring to hear the story of a man who overcame such amazing obstacles in his life, I was especially impacted by the people who never gave up on him.

Brad's biggest supporter was his mom. Even when ignorant people thought he was acting out, she believed him when he told her he could not help it. She fought hard and eventually found a doctor who diagnosed him. There were others along the way who supported him as well, particularly his brother and a college girlfriend who would later turn out to be his wife.

As you can imagine, Brad had people who rejected him along the way. In fact, there were many who thought he would never succeed. But Brad's drive to win remained strong because he refused to listen to the naysayers. Instead, he was fueled by the encouragement of a few.

Brad's story really got me thinking about my own life. I certainly don't have a handicap like he has, but I see some other parallels. As I think back, there have been a number of people who did not care if I succeeded or not. Some even openly expressed their lack of faith in me. But like Brad, I have had a handful of people in my life who have believed in me. On many occasions, they have brought encouragement into my life at just the right time and their confidence in me has made all the difference.

Who are you listening to as you seek to fulfill God's fullest potential for your life? Are you getting bogged down by the pessimists and those who are waiting for you to fail? Find someone who believes in you and let their faith empower you to keep moving forward. Oh, and one more thing! Pass on what you've been given. There is a "Brad" out there who needs you to believe in him as well.

Remember, just one voice of encouragement can drown out a multitude of doubters!

A Heart Like Play-Doh!

My kids and I love to play with play-doh! We have all kinds of little machines that make the play-doh into different shapes and sizes. We usually make a huge mess and, even after we clean-up, we often find little pieces of play-doh for days. Suffice it to say, it's a whole lot of fun!

The last time we played together, we ran across some play-doh that had grown hard. We couldn't even get it out of the container. There was some, however, that was salvageable. I softened it up by rubbing it for a while in my hands. Soon enough, it became pliable again and ready to be shaped. Back to the little machines!

There's a verse in the Bible that talks about play-doh...well, sort of!  It says, "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart (Ps. 37:4 NIV). Many times, the second half of this verse is emphasized when it is quoted. We all want God to give us the desires of our heart. But in order to understand the true meaning of this verse, a close look at the first part is essential.

The word "delight" is the Hebrew word "anag' which means to become soft, delicate and dainty. It paints the picture of a potter working with a piece of clay. Like the clay, God has a way of shaping us as we surrender to Him. The more time we allow for this, the more our hearts become one with His. Soon, His desires become our desires and he fulfills His will for our lives. While this can be scary at times, we can rest in the fact that God has our very best in mind. It's up to us to trust Him.

So, the next time you run across some play-doh, think about what it means to delight yourself in the Lord. Ask God to make you like the soft stuff and be sure that he will not throw you in one of those little machines. God's hands are big enough to do the shaping all by themselves.

Leadership Lessons from Brett Favre

I'm not much of a sports fan, but I do love watching some of the greatest athletes. Back when we lived in Chicago, before we had kids, Cheryl and I would sit at night and watch the Chicago Bulls. Why? We really didn't like basketball, but we loved watching Micheal Jordan! That guy was almost superhuman!

Now that we have 3 kids, we don't have as much time to watch the "greats" anymore. Nevertheless, the boys and I carved out some time the other day to sit and watch Brett Favre work his magic. Wow! He may be older, but he still has the stuff! That man can throw a football!

Recently, Mark Batterson blogged about seven great leadership lessons taken from observing Favre. I hope you benefit from these as much as I did.

1) Slap your teammates on the butt.

No one does it better than Favre. Great leaders are great encouragers! They go around slapping people on the butt, figuratively speaking of course! Love the way he head butts his lineman too. Again, I would practice this one figuratively!

2) Call an audible.

On this one I'd say that the only quarterback who is better at it than Favre is Peyton Manning. Great leaders recognize when there are eight men in the box and they need to audible to a quick slant or screen pass. Leadership is not static. It takes all factors into consideration. It is the ability to process a ton of information in a short amount of time and make a good quick decision!

3) Throw a block downfield.

One of the things I love about Favre is that he's not afraid to throw a block for his teammates. Quarterbacks don't do that. Favre does. Great leaders are great servants. They set the example they want others to follow.

4) Laugh in the locker room.

No one has more fun than Favre. Plays the game like a kid. Anybody see his rendition of Pants on the Ground after the game? Gotta love it. I think laughter is so critical to leadership longevity, especially in ministry! There's lots of crying so you need to counterbalance it with lots of laughing!

5) Huddle Up.

Favre exudes confidence when he's in the game. You're never out of it with the old gunslinger in your huddle. I think great leaders build the confidence of those around them. Love the way Drew Brees does this in New Orleans too! Amazing pre-game chants!

6) Keep Watching Game Film

Favre has played the game for eighteen seasons, but he puts in the time watching game films. After every series you can see him coaching his young receivers and looking at pictures from the coaches booth. Leaders keep learning and keep teaching!

7) Don't be afraid of throwing interceptions.

Favre had his career-best when it came to interceptions this season, but he holds the all-time interception record. Lesson? If you want to hold the record for most touchdown passes you're probably going to throw some interceptions along the way! Great leaders aren't afraid of making mistakes. They're afraid of missing opportunities! Win or lose, they leave it all on the field.

Seven Hebrew Words For Praise - Part 2

Seven Hebrew Words For Praise - Part 1

No Regrets

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that 2010 is finally here. And with its arrival comes a sense of anticipation for what God has in store for all of us. The beginning of the year is a natural time to look ahead to what could be. It's a time when many of us begin to dream again. We set goals for the future. We aim higher than we did in the previous year. Our minds paint an almost perfect picture of the days to come.

But so often, alongside our dreams lie our regrets. We regret eating too much. We regret the things we said to our spouse. We regret spending money on things that really didn't matter. We regret watching so much TV! We regret our out of control thought life. We regret not spending more time in prayer. I think you get the idea!

I had a revelation of sorts the other day! I have never regretted doing God's will for my life. I have never regretted obeying his Word. This is not to say that it wasn't difficult at times. In fact, I would have to say that in many situations, following God's plan for my life has been more difficult. At the same time, it has always been the most rewarding choice.

Think about it. Have you ever heard someone express regret for loving their wife or giving to the poor? Wouldn't it sound weird if someone said to you, "Boy, I wish I could have gotten myself into more debt this past year." or "I'm sure glad I cheated on my husband and caused my family so much pain." The truth is that following God's will for our lives brings satisfaction and peace.

Maybe you are wondering how to rid yourselves of regrets from the past. 2 Cor. 7:10 tells us that "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." Give your regrets to God and begin walking forward again.

I have lots of goals for 2010, but my highest aim is that I would do His will for my life no matter what the cost. And I know that as long as I do this, I will not look back with regret to what could have been.

When The Road Curves

This past Sunday, Cheryl and I said goodbye to some very special people at Christlife Church. It was an emotional day for us for sure. It was also very special. Without question, we have made some great friends over the last 5 yrs. It's been an honor to serve alongside some amazingly godly and talented people.

We've learned a lot through this experience already and I'm sure there will be many more lessons to come as the journey continues. Here are just a few things that God is showing us. Hopefully, they will bring strength and clarity to you during your difficult transitions.

1. When God throws you a curve, hit it! Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." If you truly believe that God is in control and your life is submitted to Him, then it only makes sense to believe that your circumstances will somehow be used by Him to accomplish His plan for your life. And the good news is that God's plans for us are always good!

2. Forgive. We all want to find someone to blame when it seems as if the rug gets pulled out from under us. In these times, we must resist the temptation to become bitter, even when it seems as if the blame is justified. Hebrews 12:15 reminds us to "Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. (Message)" Bitterness does not punish the person you blame, it only hurts you and poisons others.

3. Listen for God's voice. C.S. Lewis once said that "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." So often it seems that God has forgotten about us during our times of pain. The truth is exactly the opposite. God is right there with us and he often seems so much more real to us. It's in our difficult times that he can do amazing things in and through us.

4. Put your whole trust in God. It's in times like these that our faith is tested. A mentor of mine used to say that our faith is put on the "witness stand" during hard times. In other words, trials show us what our faith is really made of. We must let God fuel our faith during difficult times. It's in doing this that we will be made stronger and He will be glorified!

Praise God that he holds his children in the palm of His hand!