10-Feb
15

Choosing Your Way — Psalm 43:5

frankl1Victor Frankl wrote, “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Think of all the things you can’t control: the economy, your health, your income, the choices that your kids make, the decisions that your boss makes…You may have some influence over these things, but not complete control.

But there is one thing you can control: How you respond to every situation. You can respond with anger, doubt, and self-pity … or with faith, hope, and love. It’s your choice.

Again and again in the Psalms we encounter David in difficult situations — surrounded by enemies, struggling with sin, sinking in despair — and again and again we see his absolute resolve to think right:

Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 43:5)

You can’t control what happens today, but you can control your actions. Don’t let any situation get the best of you. No matter what you face, you can choose your own way.

10-Feb
8

What Do You NOT Want To Do Today? — Proverbs 10:4

landry1Legendary football coach Tom Landry said, “The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do, in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be.”

It’s also said that successful people become successful by doing the little things that average people don’t want to do.

In your work there are probably a few little things that you don’t want to do: items that should be done, but don’t have to be done — at least not yet.

Though the items on my not-to-do list change from day-to-day, they all have one thing in common: none of them are impossible. They’re all do-able with just a little bit of effort.

They have another thing in common: by ignoring them, we short-change ourselves.

We don’t like to call this type of delay by its proper name, but Solomon doesn’t hesitate to: Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. (Proverbs 10:4)

For many of us, that’s all that stands between us and the fulfillment of our goals. A little indolence. That’s not a mountain in front of you. It’s just a hill. A small, tedious, do-able hill.

Challenge yourself and your team today to make a not-to-do list — and tackle these items first, one-by-one. See what happens.

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10-Jan
25

Gratitude Is A Verb — Psalm 116:17

Fulton J. Sheen wrote:

“An interesting phenomenon in children is that gratitude or thankfulness comes relatively late in their young lives. They almost have to be taught it; if not, they grow up thinking that the world owes them a living.”

A friend once told me that she didn’t want to force her son to say “Thank you” unless he really felt like it saying it. She said, “If I teach him to say ‘thank you’ when he doesn’t feel thankful, I’m teaching him that it’s OK to be a hypocrite.”

That’s not even close to what gratitude is. Our feelings have nothing to do with why we express it. Gratitude is not an emotion, it’s an action. The act of saying “thank you” is for the benefit of the other person. It’s about their feelings, not yours.

The same is true when it comes to saying “Thank you” to God. Thankfulness is the proper response to the goodness of God. We say “thank you” because he is good, not just because we happen to feel good at the moment.

This is why the Psalms so often refer to the “sacrifice of thanksgiving” — it’s an act of obedience, not just an emotional outburst.

David said, “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 116:17)

Like children, believers need to learn how to be thankful. Most of the time, when we consider all the good things God has done for us, we’ll feel thankful. Even when our feelings don’t cooperate, we need to properly express gratitude, offering God a sacrifice of thanksgiving for the kindness and mercy he has shown us.

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10-Jan
18

That’s Gratitude for You — Colossians 3:15-17

A grandmother was watching her grandchild playing on the beach when a huge wave comes and takes him out to sea. She pleads, “Please God, save my only grandson. I beg of you, bring him back.” And a big wave comes and washes the boy back onto the beach, good as new. She looks up to heaven and says: “He had a hat!”

That’s gratitude for you, isn’t it? Have you noticed that some people just can’t be satisfied? Some people — and I’m talking about you and me, not someone else — have a hard time expressing gratitude. Or even feeling it.

In 2001 Stephen Post, a medical school professor of bioethics, created a research group called the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, dedicated to testing and measuring the effects of love, gratitude, and other positive caring emotions in human life.

Dr. Post’s research has discovered that spending 15 minutes a day focused on things you’re grateful for can have the following effects on our physical health:

1. It increases your body’s natural antibodies.
2. It increases mental capacity and reduces vulnerability to depression.
3. It creates a physiological state of “resonance”, improving your blood pressure and heart rate.

That’s gratitude for you, really. It not only lifts up the recipient, it also gives life to the one expressing it. This is why we’re told time and time again in scripture to give thanks: A thankful heart puts us in right alignment with God and one another.

Paul wrote, “And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:15-17)

Today, I encourage you to look for something … and someone … to be thankful for. Take a moment to feel it, and another moment to express it.

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10-Jan
11

The Other Thing Patrick Henry Said — Lamentations 3:22-23

Patrick Henry, who’s primary contribution to the history books is the phrase “Give me liberty or give me death,” made another statement that appears in a number of quotation collections.

He said, “I know of no way of judging the future but by the past.”

Repeat this before an audience and you’ll see many heads nod in agreement. It has the ring of good common sense.

Be careful, though. This axiom might be true when applied to politics or history or investing, but it provides a lousy foundation for developing relationships. And it certainly doesn’t reflect the way God relates to us.

God gives a chance to let go of the past and start over — each and every day. Jeremiah wrote, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

God doesn’t judge our future by our past. He didn’t do it with David or Moses or Peter or Paul or countless other Bible characters. He does not treat us as our sins deserve. [Psalm 103:10] Every day is a new day.

A good way to start the day with God is to remember that you’ve just been given brand new mercies — the chance to start the day with a clean slate.

It’s also a good way to start the day with others. God doesn’t all our past to prevent us from a having a great future, so let’s give the same gift to others.

09-Dec
14

What a Legend Looks Like — Romans 14:10

woodenFormer UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who turned 99 this year, was once asked his opinion of former Indiana coach Bobby Knight. Wooden would only respond, “I think Bob Knight is an outstanding teacher of the game of basketball. I don’t approve of his methods, but I’m not a judge, and I’m not judging Bob Knight. There is so much bad in the best of us and so much good in the worst of us, it hardly behooves me to talk about the rest of us.”

I think he understands what Henry Kaiser once said, “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.”

Wooden has shown us what a legend looks like. He not only was a gentlemen on the court, he holds records that may never be broken. His 10 national championships, his 88 game winning streak, his phenomenal winning percentage, the players he groomed for stardom in the NBA — this is his legacy; he has no reason to add the title of “outspoken critic” to the list.

In your life and mine, in your work and mine, there are a number of potential (even “worthy”) targets of our own outspoken criticism. If we’re not careful, they can take up all of our time. If we’re not careful, we can be sidetracked into thinking our opinions are more important than our actions.

It’s what you do that ultimately makes a difference. Talk isn’t enough. Opinions aren’t enough. Criticism, no matter how on-target or well-articulated it might be, isn’t enough. You prove who you are by the way that you live.

Paul asked, “So why do you condemn another Christian? Why do you look down on another Christian? Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God.” (Romans 14:10)

Let’s strive toward leaving a legacy built, not upon our estimation of others, but upon our own measurable accomplishments. Criticize less, do more. That’s what a legend looks like.

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09-Dec
7

The Old, Old Story — 1 Peter 2:2

newhartWhen comedian Bob Newhart stood in front of a live audience for the first time — it was at the Tidelands Motor Inn in Houston — he performed the only three comedy routines he had: one about Abe Lincoln, one about a Driving Instructor, and one about the Navy.

The crowd loved him, so as he exited the stage, the manager grabbed him and told him to go back out for an encore. “That’s all the material I have, ” he said. It didn’t matter; the crowd was cheering and the manager wanted him to do an encore.

Newhart went back onstage and waited for the applause to die down. Then he asked them, “Which one do you want to hear again?”

He had three routines; if they wanted to hear more, it could only be more of the same. The story goes that Newhart repeated part of one sketch and got laughs all over again.

Preachers feel this way sometimes, I think — like we’ve got only a certain number of messages and we repeat ourselves too often. I feel this way especially when I’m preaching through a book that addresses the same topic chapter after chapter. I also feel it during December; how many ways are there to talk about Christmas?

In preaching, there are certain themes we turn to again and again. Sometimes it feels as though we’re saying what’s already been said by countless others countless times. This is OK, to a certain extent. C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity that “people need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.” Returning to the simple topics of how to pray and have a devotional, the importance of loving others and sharing your faith, accepting God’s forgiveness and forgiving others — these are things we need to be reminded of again and again.

Peter told his readers, “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the Word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2) Milk is food for beginners, but we never get past the need for milk. Neither do we get past our need for the basics of the Christian life.

While it is important for us to strive always to be fresh in our approach to presenting the gospel, we must also remember that our people (and we ourselves) need to hear those same wonderful truths again and again — they never lose their power. — SM

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09-Nov
30

Mastering the Mountain — Matthew 17:21

tenzingThere’s a story told about Sir Edmund Hillary, who was the first person (along with Tenzing Norgay) to reach the top of Mount Everest.

It happened on his third try. On Hillary’s previous attempt he not only failed to reach the summit, but his team also lost one of its members.

After their failed attempt, Hillary spoke to an audience about the experience. Behind him on the platform was a huge photograph of Everest. Hillary turned toward the photograph and said, “Mount Everest, you have defeated us. But I will return. And I will defeat you. Because you cannot get any bigger … and I can.”

When it comes to facing mountains, do you know how we ‘get bigger’? It starts with faith. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Edmund Hillary became “bigger than Everest” through better planning, more detailed research, greater teamwork, and tenacious perseverance. And it started with faith — the faith that this mountain could be conquered.

No doubt you’re facing a mountain or two today: a mountain of debt, a mountain of fear, a mountain of uncertainty. Mountains don’t move without determined effort, thoughtful planning, or courageous perseverance.  And these things all begin with faith. It is faith that gives you what it takes to attempt something bigger than you. Not faith in yourself, but faith in the God for whom nothing is impossible, faith in the God who has called each of us to greatness. — SM

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09-Nov
21

A Seven Word Summary — John 3:30

Windows 7 is now available. I haven’t quite figured out their numbering system, because my machine still uses Windows 98. Does this mean they’ve taken 91 steps backward? Regardless, Microsoft is aggressively marketing Windows 7 these days.

One campaign seen in NFL games involves summarizing each game in seven words. (Because it’s Windows 7) Near the end of each game, the announcers make a seven-word summary, something along the lines of: Seattle led early. Cardinals ruled second half.

Or: Ravens’ defense shuts out struggling Browns offense.

Or: Bill Belicheck must have lost his mind.

It’s amazing how accurately you can summarize a game in seven words.

Do you want to sum up the life of a Christian disciple in seven words? Here it is.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

John the Baptist captured the essence of what it means to be a follower of Christ: He is to become greater; I am to become less. John’s purpose was to pave the way for the coming of the Messiah. There is a sense in which your job and your purpose is to do the same thing. Especially at Christmastime.

This is such a wonderful time of the year, but it’s hectic. It’s easy for some to get lost in the pace to the extent that they miss the beauty and simplicity of the Christmas message. Our job is like John the Baptist’s. We have the opportunity to prepare the way for the Lord, to make a straight path for him so that others can experience his presence.

Maybe the Christmas season could be summarized with the words: “It’s not about me. It’s about Jesus.” In the coming weeks, I encourage you to look for opportunities in which you can step aside and let the message of Jesus take the spotlight in your life. —SM

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This memo was adapted from a sermon in Steve May’s new series, Mending Christmas.
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09-Nov
16

Resilience — Psalm 121

chairI received a brochure a while back from a company specializing in “resilient furniture”: simple, sturdy, water resistant tables and chairs — not fancy in any way, but built to last. They’re not cheap either; a plain white folding chair is about $60. They’re not as pretty as the office chairs I buy at Sam’s for about the same price, but those chairs, as I am reminded every time I have to replace one, don’t have a long life-span.

There’s something to be said for basic, unadorned resiliency—the ability to get through, get over, and thrive after trauma, trials and tribulations. In this sense, sturdy beats stylish every time.

USA Weekend did a cover story a few years ago on the subject of resiliency, asking the question, “Why do some people bounce and others break?” The article noted how some people who experience trauma withdraw into a shell, while others facing the same crisis not only bounce back, but bounce back stronger than ever before. It talked about how resiliency is being studied in universities and taught in corporate seminars. Resiliency, the article said, could become the most important skill of the 21st century.

Why do some people break down while others bounce back? Unlike furniture, I don’t think it has to do with our design. A chair can only be as strong as it was made to be; it can’t decide to be more resilient or less resilient. We, on the other hand, have access to support beyond ourselves.

Our “design” — our emotional make-up resulting from parental and societal influences — can be overcome. A person who is naturally weak and easily discouraged doesn’t have to stay that way.

There’s a verse in Philippians that is so often quoted its meaning is sometimes overlooked. Paul is talking about being able to face hard times as well as good times, and he states confidently, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

Resilience often comes down to a decision: whose strength will I draw from — my own, or God’s? One of the wonderful truths of the gospel message is that if you will look to God for strength, he will give it to you.

I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)