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May 09 2012
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Attitude, Courage, Faith, Fear

The Remaining 300

Today I read about the 300…Gideon’s 300.  Judges chapter 7 talks about how Gideon, a judge of Israel, defeats the Midianite armies.  However, prior to that, is the explanation of why only 300 soldiers went to fight.  Originally Gideon had assembled an army of 22,000.  You never really know how much is enough when it comes to battle; so the adage “the more the better” would seem to make sense.  Especially when we find out in chapter 8 that the army of Gideon would be facing over 120,000 Midianites!

However, God tells Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you.”  So 12,000 of them go home.  Gideon has to be thinking, “Okay, 10,000 should be good.”  But then God comes back again and says, “There are still too many!”  How does God choose which warriors to send to battle and which ones will go home?  Answer: How they drink their water from a stream.

After this, 300 remain.  That is roughly .3% of the Midianite army!  The real question is, “What do you think it was like to be a part of the 300?”

Here are these 300 men; they have seen the exit of 21,700 of their fellow soldiers and now only they remain.  Would you stay?!

I think there are many takeaways from this story for us even today.

Trust is the first one.  It seems pretty easy to see that the Israelites trusted in God’s plan, but perhaps even more the Israelites trusted that Gideon was hearing from God.  Remember, the army was not being told the entire plan, but rather  Gideon.  How much faith and trust would you have in a leader that removes 19,000 of its army to face over 120,000?  I would love to know what Gideon told the remaining 300.

Gideon truly put into practice the leadership principle when talking about vision, dreams, direction, and mission: Always make sure that your visions and dreams have elements that will not occur unless God shows up.

How amazing would it have been to be apart of the remaining 300?  There must have been a sense of anticipation that God was going to show up.  An anticipation that they were going to be a part of something supernatural and historical all at the same time.  Why else would one stay?

Fear must have been around the remaining 300.  For these 300, the fear of missing out on something God was going to do was far greater than the fear of being horrifically outnumbered.  These remaining 300 placed themselves in a position that ensured one of two things: complete and utter destruction, or complete and utter victory by the hand of God.  There was not going to be any in between.

How can we become one of the 300?

  • Don’t let the numbers against you control your decision-making
  • Choose courage over fear; be afraid of missing an opportunity
  • Keep your eyes looking up even when getting replenished
  • Be in tune with God’s Spirit of direction
  • Expect God to show up
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May 08 2012
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Attitude, Christianity, Faith, Lost, Passion

Wanting You to Want…

My wife, Kristina, and I have recently been re-watching the television show, Lost.  As we have gotten sucked into the story lines once again, we came across the scene where Jack is deciding whether or not to operate on the “others” leader, Ben.  There is an intense back and forth from the two characters when Jack says to Ben, “You actually want me to help you?”  Ben’s response: “I want you to want to help me.”

Ben was right on point with his response.  Isn’t this true of most things in life?  Wouldn’t we rather do things because we want to do them, and not just because it seems expected of us?

This is where the Christian faith and Christ-followers must realize the distinct difference because wanting and meeting expectations.  I have lived in the “Bible Belt” for almost all of my life.  The good part is that there seems to be a sense of morality and “Christian-living”, but I think that the problem is after a while people in the region have lost the want and desire, and have exchanged it for simply keeping with tradition.  When Christ-followers begin to think of the Bible as a list of rules, God as the disciplinary, and church as just a part of the normal routine, the consequences create “church people” and not followers.  People begin to ask like Jack, “You actually want me to do that; you actually want me to believe that?”   All the while God is looking down saying, “It is your choice; I have given you the opportunity for a relationship with Me…I want you to want me.”

When we get to the crossroad in our spiritual journey, we make the choice of spiritual vitality or spiritual complacency.  When spiritual complacency begins to take root, God, the Bible, prayer, and church begin to have an inward focus.  A selfish discouragement begins to take over our thoughts, and this routine works in a way that somehow keeps us at a stagnant point while as the same time bringing us down; extinguishing passion and faith.

Passion and faith come with choice and desire.  It is the wanting to want God that gets us moving.  It is the wanting to obey God that creates spiritual life.  It is the wanting to want God that collides with His wanting us that creates a synergy of motion and growth that renews our hearts and reconciles us to God.

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Aug 15 2011
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2 Peter 1:5-8, Attitude, Character, Passion, Patience, Perserverance

Passionate Patience

I was recently looking at the book of 2 Peter and came across such a great phrase from the Message Version of the Bible in chapter 1 verse 6 where it says, “passionate patience”.  Here is some of the entire scripture to give better context:

So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. 

I loved the idea of passionate patience though; for some reason it just jumps off the page.  Who puts those two words together?  When we think of being passionate, we think of words like intensity, intentional, emotional, committed, driven, etc.  While with patience we tend to think of words like meekness, quiet, self-control, and even “willing to endure”.

However, what do you get when you combine these two seemingly diverse words?  When you add these two words together and begin to live in passionate patience, you begin to live out your dreams, visions, and goals.  When we look down the road of life, we set goals or have dreams and we want to achieve them, but so often we don’t team up the two necessities that it takes to reach those dreams.  We need the passion to continue to drive us onward, and the patience to understand that this is not an over night trip…it WILL take TIME.

When begin to develop into people with passionate patience, we gain ground in every area of life.  Become a person of passionate patience.  Develop that character trait that will help you push continually, and yet realize that there is a journey to made.

Jul 29 2011
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Attitude, Inspiration

Inspiration

The piano keys play softly.

Fingers glide over the keys like water pouring over rocks.  The sweet melody, mixed with the technical sophistication of someone who is inspired.  The music pours into the ears of the audience and all of a sudden emotions begin to well up in the crowd.  With awe and amazement the audience is captivated, in a blank stare as the notes resound in their heads.  Yet it doesn’t remain in their heads; the notes trickle down as if they are caught the blood stream.  As the notes flow through their veins, like the blood that is already present, the notes that are only there because of inspiration bring new life.

The inspired are those that inspire us.  Inspiration brings emotions that can only be described as a longing desire to feel those emotions once more.  When we are in the presence of those that are inspired, we to become inspired.

So I wonder, why Christ-followers are not more inspired?  Inspired to bring the One that inspired them to life change.  Inspired to take the emotions of the One who created emotions to the world.  The lifeblood of the spirit of God pouring through our veins, yet not inspired to do anything inspirational.

Live a life of inspiration.  You have the greatest gift ever received or even thought.  Grab hold of the inspiration that took control of your heart and bring that inspiration to others.  Become inspired.  Inspire others.

Jul 20 2011
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#wcalgs, Attitude, Behavior, Decisions, Direction, Heart, Jeff Manion, The Global Leadership Summit, The Land Between

Habits of the Heart

I have recently been reading a book entitled, The Land Between by Jeff Manion.  I first heard of this book last year at The Global Leadership Summit  put on each year by the Willow Creek Association.  The Land Between is all about how we decide to react in difficult transitions in our lives.  This is a great resource for anyone.  Literally anyone, because we will all experience times in our lives that test our faith.  Whether it is a loss of a job, marriage, family member, or even just transitioning from high school to college or college to the “real world”, we all experience and will continue to experience difficult transitions in our lives.  Some will be very positive and we won’t think much about it, but what about those time where they are negative?

Early on in the book, Manion makes a statement that I think should really make us stop and think about how important the transitions in life are:

The habits of the heart that we foster in this space–our responses and reactions–will determine whether the Land Between results in spiritual life or spiritual death.  We choose.

What an awesome statement!  We all have habits, but in those times of life where our habits get disrupted, when normal is cut through with a knife, we are left to form new habits.  And the habits that we form in our hearts are the most important habits that we will form during these times.  Our responses and reactions to situations will set our lives on a path.  What we choose will determine whether or not our journey through difficult times result in spiritual growth or spiritual decay.

What habits are you forming that will help you grow in times of difficulty?

Jul 12 2011
2 Comments
Attitude, Behavior, Change, Decisions, Growth, Resolve

Resolve Today

The lights flicker.

Like a shot of adrenaline, you begin to feel the imaginative juices and hope for a better today.  Yet like the lights flickering away, today gets in the way of the potential better today.  Confusion sets in.  The adrenaline has run its course through your veins and you need another shot to get that high that you just experienced.  The high that today, is the first day of the rest of your life.

We have all heard people (mainly on TV) that have made that statement.  They decided to make a change one day and it was a new beginning.  There was no looking back.  So why is it you and I make a decision and then fall back into the habits of today that keep us stuck in the days of yesterday?  Why can’t today be a new day; a day that is tackled, that is won, that we have victory over?

Is it really as simple as a decision?  Decision has a lot to do with it, but I think there is the underlying attitude behind the decision.  For those who we have heard and seen transform their lives through one decision, there lies hiding in the background, behind the lights, smiles, and excitment the understanding that the decision was not a simple “Today is the day.”  In words, it was simple, but in reality, if you were to ask them, “Did this take you only one try?”  They would answer no.

The key to making a life-changing decision falls on the shoulders of resolve.  

Those that have made the decisions that change lives, only are able to accomplish what they do because of the resolve to achieve it.  It is not a one day decision, it is an everyday, every hour, every minute, every second decision to stay the course.  Reality has finally set in that the hopeful future and current reality will not intersect.  The resolve is to get those roads to come together.

What do you need to resolve today?  Is your current reality going to lead you to your preferred future?

If not, its time to decide today, to decide this hour, this minute, this second, to become the person of your future.

Apr 27 2011
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Attitude, Book Review, Family, Marcus Buckingham, strengths

Family Strength

I recently reviewed a DVD and book by Marcus Buckingham called, The Truth About You.  This is a great little book and DVD about playing to your strengths.  In it, Buckingham states that a strength should leave you feeling energized and wanting more.  As I was thinking about this concept for some reason I began to think about how this applies to our families.

Oftentimes, people say bad things about their spouses and children.  For these people, family is draining, unfulfilling, and they want less and less of them.  For them family is a weakness.  However when it comes to our spouses and children, they must be one of our greatest strengths.

Unlike other activities, we get to choose how our families energize us.  Not everything we do with our families will energize us, but the presence of our family should always leave us wanting more.  I know for me, my wife is one of my greatest strengths.  When we go shopping, I might feel drained afterwards, but my desire to be with her doesn’t change.  Activity with your family can’t define whether or not you see them as a strength.  We choose them to be strengths in our lives or we make them weaknesses in our lives.

“The truth about you” and me is that our families have the ability to be the greatest strengths in our lives.  Will you choose to let them be strengths?

Apr 13 2011
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Attitude, Perserverance, Reality

The Best Part

Deep breath.

One more time. In, now out.

What was the best part?  Was it the relaxation that came over you?  Was it the intake of air?  Was it the release of what was caught inside?

Life will give us the best and worst.  There is no exception.  I have heard it said before that we experience the worst in life so that we know what it looks like to experience the best in life.  I don’t know if it is true, but the worst in life does make us appreciate the best in life.  But I am of the belief that the best of life is all around us…all the time.  It’s how we define the best and the worst, that shapes our attitude, perception, actions, and place in life.  If you were really to take a look, we can always find the best of life even in the worst circumstances.  Through sickness, we can find the best strength that lives within us.  In uncertainty, we can find the best trust in the One who knows all.  In death, we can find the best in the ones around us, who lift us up.

The best is always out there.  Are you looking for the best?  We have been blessed with the best in life and don’t even realize it.  We walk through the fire, and fail to see those around us pouring on the water that not only saves our lives, but refreshes our lives.  We live our lives in a haze, wondering what’s the next bad thing that could happen, when all God is saying, “I give my children the best of life, even through the worst.”

The best part about looking for the best, is that we always can find it.  The best part is never hiding, we are simply blind to the fact that it is right in front of us.

Are you looking for the best?

Mar 30 2011
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Attitude, Authority, Behavior, Leadership

Under Authority

We are all people of authority to some extent.  Whether you have people under you or you have a family or you go out to eat, people see you as a person of authority.  But what is the purpose of authority?  Power?  Power really derives itself from authority.  Power is just a biproduct of authority.

Being a person of authority only comes from being under authority.

You cannot have righteous authority without being a person under authority.  Authority is never for personal benefit, but rather for the benefit of those around you.  To be under authority is not to say that someone is “over you” , however to be under authority is to set your life under a set a principles.  I love how Neil Kennedy puts it,

Any leader who only has followers is a cult.

If we don’t submit the authority that we have been given under Christ, we have missed the point of what authority is all about.  Authority is about serving others.  All of our authority must be submitted to the higher authority.  Authority is established under the principles of God, and through that submission we are protected by God’s authority.

Mar 25 2011
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Attitude, Behavior, Direction, Grace, Hearing from God, Listening

Rhythm

Find the rhythm.

It is very interesting that in so many facets of our lives how important rhythm is.  From music, to sports, to driving, and other motor skills rhythm is an important part of our lives.  Isn’t it funny that when we are out of rhythm we tend to say things like, “I’m just in a funk” or “I just feel a bit off”?  The reality is that rhythm is important to our lives.  Rhythm is also important to our spiritual lives as well.  When we are in rhythm with the voice of God, we are literally in sync with His presence.

How do you find your rhythm?

The only way to find your rhythm, is practice the presence of God.

When we practice the presence of God, the rhythm of our lives begin to find the beat that He wants us to walk.  When we are “just a bit off”, God’s voice is the metronome that calls us back to the rhythm of His grace.

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