Recently, I’ve been a little uptight…bugged might be a better word, about the needless and stupid choices so many of us make—even though we know it’ll cost us. In the past month, I’ve talked to way too many people who are willing to take their chances and probably lose than to make the wise decisions and rack up numbers in the ‘wins’ column.
So, I find myself asking “why?” Why do we still choose it? Why risk the pain, the embarrassment, and the failure when it could all be avoided.
I guess it’s kinda like death…we all know it’s going to happen; we just never think it’s going to happen to us. Yes, the odds are against us, but we don’t think we’ll lose. It’s a Las Vagas mentality. Too bad that Vegas has the highest suicide rate per capita in the country. “Who, me pay the price? Never!”
But how many times have you already lost because of bad choices? How many instances have you experienced where you wish you could do it all over again? You might call it the coulda, shoulda, woulda factor. It would be safe to say that there’s not a person alive who didn’t wish they would have made better choices along life’s journey. Life has a way of demanding that we look for wisdom in our decision making.
Enter the book of Proverbs in the Bible. Written by the wisest and richest man who ever lived (apart form Christ)…it’s practical wisdom for daily living. The book of Proverbs deals with everything from our finances to coworkers and bosses to relationships and friendships. In short, it deals with our choices in extremely practical and pragmatic ways, so you and I can live a regret-free life.See for yourself. Read and begin applying what you just read from the book of Proverbs (there’s 31 chapters—one for each month) and you’ll never again have to say, “If I only coulda, shoulda, and woulda.”
www.realitychurch.com
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Something Crazy Pays Off
Okay, the crazy stuff we did at Reality this past weekend was worth the risk and paid-off well. We also took a chance as a church to do something out-of-the-box on another occasion which made the news…at least locally.
First, my staff and I usually meet weekly for about two hours to focus our thoughts on the creative aspect of an upcoming series of talks. By praying, talking, and just throwing things out on the table as ideas, we think God gave us the idea of having a six week series of talks on how to build great relationships. We called it “My Lame Relationship,” and went to build a basic, but fun website dedicated to relationships. The domain name www.MyLameRelationship.com was purchased for about $10 and we began to work on the look, layout, and content and then had it go “live.”Then, we got another idea. We thought that creating a few hundred signs to place around the city would be an inexpensive way to promote the series and had a host of people come out to put them all over town in one evening. It worked. People started hitting the website and visiting the church for the series the week it was launched
A local news station, WTKR NEWS CHANNEL 3 got wind of it and came out to do a story on the series and we got 2 minutes and 47 seconds worth of free air time on the 11 o’clock news. All because we listened to God and took a risk to color outside the lines.
Then last Sunday (Easter), we decided (in our creative planning meeting weeks before) that I would make Salsa on stage…in front of the Easter crowd…for both services…even though I don’t cook…and somehow make it all correspond to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Well, it happened…we took the risk, stepped out of our comfort zone and did the deal. The result? Fifty-three people chose to put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal forgiver. Can you imagine? How cool is that?!?!?
My reason for blogging about these two incidences is to somehow inspire you to pursue what God has put in your heart by taking some risks. Risks don’t always work out well; but after you pray and follow the Spirit’s prompting, step out…do the deal…choose the unknown…and watch the results!
www.realitychurch.com
First, my staff and I usually meet weekly for about two hours to focus our thoughts on the creative aspect of an upcoming series of talks. By praying, talking, and just throwing things out on the table as ideas, we think God gave us the idea of having a six week series of talks on how to build great relationships. We called it “My Lame Relationship,” and went to build a basic, but fun website dedicated to relationships. The domain name www.MyLameRelationship.com was purchased for about $10 and we began to work on the look, layout, and content and then had it go “live.”Then, we got another idea. We thought that creating a few hundred signs to place around the city would be an inexpensive way to promote the series and had a host of people come out to put them all over town in one evening. It worked. People started hitting the website and visiting the church for the series the week it was launched
A local news station, WTKR NEWS CHANNEL 3 got wind of it and came out to do a story on the series and we got 2 minutes and 47 seconds worth of free air time on the 11 o’clock news. All because we listened to God and took a risk to color outside the lines.
Then last Sunday (Easter), we decided (in our creative planning meeting weeks before) that I would make Salsa on stage…in front of the Easter crowd…for both services…even though I don’t cook…and somehow make it all correspond to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Well, it happened…we took the risk, stepped out of our comfort zone and did the deal. The result? Fifty-three people chose to put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal forgiver. Can you imagine? How cool is that?!?!?
My reason for blogging about these two incidences is to somehow inspire you to pursue what God has put in your heart by taking some risks. Risks don’t always work out well; but after you pray and follow the Spirit’s prompting, step out…do the deal…choose the unknown…and watch the results!
www.realitychurch.com
Friday, April 10, 2009
Something Crazy
Doing something crazy, something rad, something new for Easter. It’s totally out-of-the-box…at least for me, but I can’t say what it is yet or the news will get out before its time. So, here I am, at the church offices at 2 o’clock in the morning, practicing this crazy stuff for this weekend when I speak. Thought I’d write a post about it…but not just about “it,” but why I’m doing “it.” That’s probably more important.
I gotta tell you, I'm really scary to try this…especially on the biggest Sunday of the year! I’m not sure of myself -- not even sure of the decision to do it. I guess the worst I could do is mess everything up and it become a total flop. But at least I’ll have tried…and people will have something funny to talk about for the rest of the week.
So, why put myself in such a vulnerable position anyway? Well, the “why” behind the attempt to color outside the lines this Easter, is because I think God inspires us to make the biggest impact possible to reach others with the greatest message the world has ever known.
I'm not sure, but isn't it possible that the reason so many of us are uninteresting people is because we live uninteresting lives? But I think God calls us to go on an adventure with Him. And if that’s true, then there will be times (like this Easter Sunday) when the adventure He has us on will seem crazy, risky, and radical.
So, go ahead. Why not ask God for the next adventure He has for you? I can probably guarantee you one thing...it’ll be off the pavement…but isn’t that where the real buzz begins?
www.realitychurch.com
I gotta tell you, I'm really scary to try this…especially on the biggest Sunday of the year! I’m not sure of myself -- not even sure of the decision to do it. I guess the worst I could do is mess everything up and it become a total flop. But at least I’ll have tried…and people will have something funny to talk about for the rest of the week.
So, why put myself in such a vulnerable position anyway? Well, the “why” behind the attempt to color outside the lines this Easter, is because I think God inspires us to make the biggest impact possible to reach others with the greatest message the world has ever known.
I'm not sure, but isn't it possible that the reason so many of us are uninteresting people is because we live uninteresting lives? But I think God calls us to go on an adventure with Him. And if that’s true, then there will be times (like this Easter Sunday) when the adventure He has us on will seem crazy, risky, and radical.
So, go ahead. Why not ask God for the next adventure He has for you? I can probably guarantee you one thing...it’ll be off the pavement…but isn’t that where the real buzz begins?
www.realitychurch.com
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
What Do I Do?
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? What happens when you have the facts you need or the information at hand, but you don’t know what to do with it? For example, you know your kid has a substance abuse problem or your marriage is hitting the skids or your investments are tanking. What do you do? Really, what do you do?
Recently, I have needed to pursue wisdom for things I’m facing. I may have all the facts concerning the matter, but still lack the insight I need to proceed.
Here’s a quote I’ve heard many times before. “Knowing about something is one thing; knowing what to do with what you know is something entirely different.” The idea is that knowledge, by itself, isn’t enough to cause you to make right decisions. What’s far more valuable is knowing what to do with the knowledge you have. The former is of course called knowledge; the latter is called wisdom. Wisdom trumps knowledge every time, which begs the question, how does one acquire wisdom?
Earlier this week I met with my staff and posed this question, “How do you get wisdom for the inevitable circumstances of life?” Here were our answers: [1] Go first to God in prayer. [2] By reading after and listening to godly people. [3] Keep your nose in The Book (the bible). [4] Learn from the past. [5] By developing the art of observation.
I love the words of Abraham Lincoln who said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.”Stop scratching your head wondering what to do next. Instead, adopt these five amazing ways to get wisdom!
www.realitychurch.com
Recently, I have needed to pursue wisdom for things I’m facing. I may have all the facts concerning the matter, but still lack the insight I need to proceed.
Here’s a quote I’ve heard many times before. “Knowing about something is one thing; knowing what to do with what you know is something entirely different.” The idea is that knowledge, by itself, isn’t enough to cause you to make right decisions. What’s far more valuable is knowing what to do with the knowledge you have. The former is of course called knowledge; the latter is called wisdom. Wisdom trumps knowledge every time, which begs the question, how does one acquire wisdom?
Earlier this week I met with my staff and posed this question, “How do you get wisdom for the inevitable circumstances of life?” Here were our answers: [1] Go first to God in prayer. [2] By reading after and listening to godly people. [3] Keep your nose in The Book (the bible). [4] Learn from the past. [5] By developing the art of observation.
I love the words of Abraham Lincoln who said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.”Stop scratching your head wondering what to do next. Instead, adopt these five amazing ways to get wisdom!
www.realitychurch.com
Saturday, March 28, 2009
I.Q. of Zero
I just got my butt kicked by something that has an I.Q. of zero! No, it wasn’t some idiot driver on the road; that would be easier to defend myself against. For a few moments, I got beat up by my emotions. Doesn’t happen often, and I know why…but this time I did.
During my bout with these criminal feelings that attempted to rob me of my joy, I immediately began asking, “Why…why do I feel this way?” And if you’ve ever let negative feelings…with a zero intelligence quotient get the best of you, then you know depression is next.
Some wonder why these crazy feelings seem to just come into our heads without an invitation and then take over…a sort of coup d'état, ganging up on us all-at-once. To keep this post from becoming too lengthy, I’ll quickly share with you what I’ve learned over the years in my journey with Jesus.
I’ve learned that I’m susceptible to all kinds of negative emotions if I’m fearful, fatigued, frustrated, or sinning. And here’s the cool thing…I can control all of these. With fear, I can trust God. Fatigue, I can get rest. Frustration, I can turn to others and God for help. Sin, I can submit to God. Check out Isaiah 41:10 and James 4:7 for Scripture that supports this.
Now, how about you? What do you do when you feel bummed out, beat up, or burned out? Instead of losing your perspective and rationale, why not pause and assess your situation? Do you need to trust God, get rest, ask for help, or submit to God?
That’s what I’m going to do as soon as I’m done writing this. You? You can win over the oceans of emotions by doing any or all of these beginning now!
www.realitychurch.com
Garlic Knots
It was a good choice. Scratch that...it was a great choice. I got to take my wife on a date last night to an Italian joint. Good food, but the best part of it all was their unbelievable Garlic Knots. They totally rocked! Freshly baked, with loads of fresh garlic and parmesan cheese doused in olive oil. Makes my mouth water just writing about it. How 'bout yours?
Bad thing though about those garlic knots. They give you bbbbbad breath. I could have stopped a train with as much as I had. I won't speak for Julie, but she likes the garlic too! It's unfortunate that garlic repels people. And when you eat lots of it, people run the other way if you get near them. It's just the affect that it has.
Funny thing is, there's something worse than strong garlic breath that drives people away when they encounter it. No, it's not onion or milk breath, or even coffee breath. It's not a food and it's not because of poor oral hygiene. No, the thing that repulses more people and causes more of us to turn and run in the other direction is the human tongue and the poor choice of words that come out of it.
The tongue has done and can do unthinkable damage to even the best of friends and lovers. As bad as strong garlic breath is--what's worse is strong words used to do damage to others. This is especially true of those we want most in our lives...our spouses, kids, parents, and friends. Our garlic-knot-bad-breath-of-words is killing the relationships we really want to thrive. So, I recommend a few things.
First, realize you have a problem. Second, ask Jesus Christ to help you overcome the prob. Third, start reading the Book of Proverbs in the Bible; you'll be surprised at how practical and good it is. Four, determine to practice what you find out in Proverbs. Five, do the third and fourth thing again and again and again.
Go ahead; do it and you'll be amazed at the results...and the relationships that get healed up. Oh, and if you've never had garlic knots with all that stuff on them - the stinky, smelly breath is worth it!
Bad thing though about those garlic knots. They give you bbbbbad breath. I could have stopped a train with as much as I had. I won't speak for Julie, but she likes the garlic too! It's unfortunate that garlic repels people. And when you eat lots of it, people run the other way if you get near them. It's just the affect that it has.
Funny thing is, there's something worse than strong garlic breath that drives people away when they encounter it. No, it's not onion or milk breath, or even coffee breath. It's not a food and it's not because of poor oral hygiene. No, the thing that repulses more people and causes more of us to turn and run in the other direction is the human tongue and the poor choice of words that come out of it.
The tongue has done and can do unthinkable damage to even the best of friends and lovers. As bad as strong garlic breath is--what's worse is strong words used to do damage to others. This is especially true of those we want most in our lives...our spouses, kids, parents, and friends. Our garlic-knot-bad-breath-of-words is killing the relationships we really want to thrive. So, I recommend a few things.
First, realize you have a problem. Second, ask Jesus Christ to help you overcome the prob. Third, start reading the Book of Proverbs in the Bible; you'll be surprised at how practical and good it is. Four, determine to practice what you find out in Proverbs. Five, do the third and fourth thing again and again and again.
Go ahead; do it and you'll be amazed at the results...and the relationships that get healed up. Oh, and if you've never had garlic knots with all that stuff on them - the stinky, smelly breath is worth it!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Falling Asleep in the Wrong Places
I just got up... it's 3:11 in the morning. Fell asleep on the most uncomfortable couch in the US of A. I don't remember what I was watching and don't know if I dreamed about anything. What I do know is that I missed out on snuggle time with my wife. Bummer. I'll make that right in a few!
As I was climbing up the stairs to get ready for bed, I started to think about how much I hate falling asleep on that couch. Then another thought struck me. I really seriously wondered how many good, normal, fun-loving people fall asleep in life on couches they just as soon wished they had never dozed-off on!?!?
What I mean is "Have you fallen asleep on the dream you had for your life? Have you fallen asleep at being the kind of husband, wife, parent, or friend you really wanted to be? Have you dozed-off at the things that matter most in life...the important things 'cause you were watching some stupid thing on TV that didn't really matter?"
Maybe it's time for you to say, "I hate falling asleep at (fill in the blank) _______." Why not redirect you decisions by doing something about what really matters before it gets too late [in life].
Right now...it's 3:29 in the morning and I'm going to do something about what I missed out on before. Time to snuggle!
www.realitychurch.com
As I was climbing up the stairs to get ready for bed, I started to think about how much I hate falling asleep on that couch. Then another thought struck me. I really seriously wondered how many good, normal, fun-loving people fall asleep in life on couches they just as soon wished they had never dozed-off on!?!?
What I mean is "Have you fallen asleep on the dream you had for your life? Have you fallen asleep at being the kind of husband, wife, parent, or friend you really wanted to be? Have you dozed-off at the things that matter most in life...the important things 'cause you were watching some stupid thing on TV that didn't really matter?"
Maybe it's time for you to say, "I hate falling asleep at (fill in the blank) _______." Why not redirect you decisions by doing something about what really matters before it gets too late [in life].
Right now...it's 3:29 in the morning and I'm going to do something about what I missed out on before. Time to snuggle!
www.realitychurch.com
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