Also Ran!

Also Ran!

Then the LORD said to Joshua,

“Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

(Joshua 8 vs.1) 

            Being an also ran is a way of life. We rarely finish first. As many of you know I detest the sports attitude that “Winning isn’t everything it is the only thing.” Here are some examples: My friend Pat McNamara qualified in four different Olympics and did not win a medal; my brother Wayne swam for years and was a national top ten in four events but never had a national championship; Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski played years for the Red Sox and never received a world series ring; and the list goes on! None of the above is a loser and all were or are proud of their accomplishments.

                       Clint Purvis, the team chaplain for Florida State University’s football team under Bobby Bowden put it like this after a tough loss to Miami, “There is a huge difference between getting beat in a game and being a loser.” Clint reminded the team of the characteristics of being a winner: 

1.      A winner still remembers that God never forsakes his own.

2.      A winner must remember that it is always painful and costly to claim victory again.

3.      A winner will always remember the source of all his blessings.

(from Bobby Bowden’s Called to Coach, Howard Books, 2010” 

            We rarely are number one but since God is always with us, we are always winners. 

Thought for Today: Today we will have battles we do not expect. With God’s help, let us be winners no matter which way the battle turns out! 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we thank you for being with us at all times in every place. We thank you because when you are along we will be winners.

Amen

Examples!

Examples

“Who is wise and understanding among you?
Let him show it by his good life,
by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts,
do not boast about it or deny the truth.
Such wisdom does not come down from heaven
but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
For where you have envy and selfish ambition,
there you find disorder and every evil practice."
(James 3:13-16)

        One of my recurring themes is that we are all ministers of the Gospel. Within our individual congregations we hire ordained ministers to lead and teach us as we move forward on our spiritual journeys. Sometimes we catch ourselves in the Sunday only mode.
        A very dear friend of June's and mine is in spiritual crises. For whatever reason faith has left and bouts of depression have occurred. It is probably not coincidental. For Christians, there is a strong tie between our faith and our inner peace. When our faith is doubtful we take control of things. We forget to "Let go and let God".

        As Christians, we need to demonstrate our inner peace to others. Show our caring spirits and our love. Not on Sunday but every day in every activity. Our ministry needs to be subtle, persistent and very public. When we function in a very Christian and public way, people in doubt will come to us.

Thought for Today: Today let us demonstrate our inner peace to all we meet. Let us look for opportunity to talk about our tranquility and our faith. Let us offer to share with others.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, there are many great events that are masked by tragedy. Today we pray that somehow we as Christians may find a way to contribute. That we may have our prayers answered with a lasting miracle. We all need an end to hate and hateful decisions; we pray for world peace.

Amen

Tradition!

Tradition 

“Now, brothers and sisters,

I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you,

which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

By this gospel you are saved,

if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.”

(1 Corinthians 15 vs. 1&2)

            As a sales and marketing person over thirty years I saw markets change in many ways. In the old days we drove a lot of miles selling trinkets and gadgets that met customer needs. We often brought new technology and served as an educational force and consultant. We called it “show and sell”.

            Through technology the products evolved as did the communication. The advent of email and the internet minimized personal visits. In today’s world, the customer has reviewed the products and others on line and the sales challenge is to assist in his selection process. In my former industry salesmen now sit on line with the customer reviewing products and applying them to the customer’s situation. The style is totally different but our message is the same. We can meet your needs.

            We have a project in our church trying to adjust to 2000 years of a changing market. We need to TWEET, POST, E-mail and use the latest technology to give out a 2000 year old message to an ever changing population. Our services are overhauled so we refer to them as traditional, combined and contemporary. We are challenged and adapting to the world of high tech communications!

            However, even though our communication has changed, the message has not and cannot. Over these new mediums and through the different styles we must hold firmly to the word. The new market will find the help they need in a very old message.

Thought for Today: For today let’s marvel at the message; never changing, always true. The lord is with us.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly father today we are in a hurry. Our calendars are full and technology gives us very little time to meditate. Today we pray for your guidance through it all. We pray for grace and solitude through Jesus. Amen

Positive Reinforcement

Positive Reinforcement

"... let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate,

and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
…Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,

 just as in fact you are doing."
(1 Thessalonians 8-11)

In my high school years of football, our coach was a negative motivator. It seemed that everything we did was wrong. The best complement we ever received was a "good job, but...”. The criticism after 'the but" was all that most of us ever remembered. None of us believed that we were very good and we were not having any fun. In 1956, three of us quit the team to go to private schools for a variety of reasons. There was a large article in the local paper about how significant a loss it was to the local high school team because they lost some great players. All three of us were really surprised at the compliments given to us by the coach.

        At my new school, I found my way to a swim coach named Al Houston. Al was caring man, a positive motivator and would have two or three swimmers at each Olympic games. Receiving positive motivation was a wonderful experience. The team all felt good, worked hard, we liked Al and each other. We were also the best team in the northeast. We learned to care about excellence, not letting each other down and generally care about each other.

        This is a strong message. We are in challenging political and economic times right now and there is a lot of negativity our country and the world. Each day we read and see bad news. To stay positive we need to follow the lead of Christ and demonstrate our love and caring.   We need to show our fellowship toward others.

Thought for Today: Today we will have the opportunity to be negative. School teachers will have a mischievous child, salesmen will lose an order, the weather may not be good... and we will want to whine. When that happens, stop and meditate, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up". Let us all have a positively great day.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly father, today we pray for those with negative ideas, those with aggression toward humanity and their victims. We pray for them and the opportunity to influence with them in a positive way.
Amen 

Commitment

Commitment

“Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do…”

(Deuteronomy 23 vs. 23)

            One of the ways to be successful in life is to keep all of your commitments. If you say it, make sure you do it; even after having second thoughts. Become known as one hundred percent reliable.  It is probably impossible to be 100% but the closer you are the more you will benefit.

            I have a friend who coached youth soccer and had never played. He told the league that he was unqualified but would be available if they could not find someone else. They called and he managed a team and with the help of two assistants that could teach skills they worked things out. He managed the team rather than coached and the kids had fun. This same guy also managed a youth hockey team and could not skate. You see, the people with the skills did not (or could not) make the time commitment.

            In the business world one of my jobs was training people new to sales. Trainees working with me heard the word commitment a lot. Fortunately in sales, most of the competition lacked the passion or desire to be fully committed. If you were the one that got back to the customer first, if the customer trusted you would be prompt, if your information was reliable, you would get the first call and the most orders. It was a simple task and the most important.

            At some time in your life you made a commitment to God. These messages are an opportunity to review that commitment and recharge your batteries; a way to keep committed and stay on track in a world of distractions.

Thought for Today: Today let us be committed. First to God and then to ourselves by being the best we can be!

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we give thanks for our many blessings. Our families, friends and people that we do not know yet. We give thanks for being Godly people that will be accepted and liked by others.

Let God lead

Let God Lead

"Precious Lord, take my hand
lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
through the storm, through the night,
lead me on to the light,
take my hand precious Lord,
lead me home."
(Thomas A. Dorsey, 1932 UMC Hymnal 474)

        God works in many ways when we allow Him to help us. Yes, he is always there, but not always present in our minds. We have a way of being self-centered, focusing on business issues, personal problems etc. We want to be in control. We can deal with it ourselves.
        Many years ago, June came home with a big orange refrigerator magnet that had the message "Let go and let God" written across it. She did it because we were, and still are, control freaks. Often we get into the "control mode" when we cannot help or do anything about the problem. Trying to control things beyond our sphere of influence made us "tired…weak...and worn".
        It is easy to become frustrated when things are beyond our control. It is normal to try to control. It is better to recognize our place and let God take our hand, lead us home.
Thought for the Week: This week is a new week. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. We do not have to function the same way as we did last week. This week let us take a look at God's influence in our decisions. Let's let some of it go and allow Him to help us.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we thank you for our many blessings and the many wonderful things that we enjoy. We are concerned about others in our society that have less; some without food, housing or a job. This week we pray for our society in general. We pray that somehow everyone can be at peace, that everyone may find enough, that all children have food and that our riches are shared as you would have us share them.
 Amen

Young at Heart!

Society seems to be way to negative right now. I thought this post would help!

Young at Heart

"Be happy, young person, while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart..."
(Ecclesiastes 11:9)

Throughout our lifetime, June and I have met people that seem at peace, people that have never quite joined the "rat race" of life, people that had something that we were looking for. The interesting fact was that they crossed all socioeconomic boundaries. The common thread always seemed to be their faith. They always believed that things would work out.
The strong message here is that the things that bring peace, serenity and happiness to our lives are found in our spiritual growth and it will be found in yours.

Thought for Today: Today let us avoid the rat race by praying for serenity and doing what we need to obtain peace.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord we give you thanks for the opportunities you have placed before us. Today we pray for serenity and peace in our lives and the opportunity to help the cause of peace in our community.
Amen