Have You Ever?

Have you ever looked at a problem or a question so long in trying to determine what the best answer should be that you lose track of what the problem really is?  Such is the nature of the analytical mind.  Such is the nature of my mind.

Recently the leadership group at my office was provided with personality training, which I might add was a very good session.  The test, not too surprisingly, put me "off the charts" in the area of the analyticals.  The biggest problem for those of us with this mindset can be that old foe of paralysis by analysis.  Obviously this is a major problem for the population at large as you find "about 20,800,000" hits when you put the words paralysis by analysis into the Google search engine online.

Have you ever struggled with someone like me because of your more quixotic nature?  Given the number of hits listed above it is almost certain that a large number of you have faced this type of challenge.  Despite the huge differences in how we are wired, and how we get to an answer, we do need one another. 

There are times when we in the analytical camp need someone from the fast moving camp to just implement a decision and move on toward the next thing.  While on the other hand we in the more contemplative group can provide a stability for those who prefer fast action.  As Albert Einstein is quoted, "Life is like riding a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must keep moving."

Keep moving, that is great advice for us all.  It is also the message of scripture.  Paul in writing to the Philippians says,

"Not that I have already attained

or am already perfected; 

but I press on,

that I may lay hold of that

for which Christ Jesus 

has also laid hold of me.

Brethren,

I do not count myself

to have apprehended;

but one thing I do,

forgetting those things

which are behind 

and reaching forward

to those things which are ahead,"

Philippians 3:12-13

The apostle Paul was not going to remain stuck in one place, he was going to grow in his faith, understanding, and service.  He believed in the power of progress, he like Einstein's bicycle must keep moving.  

Likewise, Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that there are times for all things.  So no matter which camp you are in recognize the needs of those who are not in your personality style.  Find the common ground and work with each other's strengths rather than against them, and you will make a positive impact.  

We all need to learn from one another, and often from ourselves.  Have you ever thought about that?  There is more than any one of us can know in this world, and there is more than any one of us can share in this world.  My suggestion is to find your character in the richness of scripture and then build upon it with the God-granted gifts that you have in order to aid others, and to Make Today GREAT!

Muddled Thinking

How often do you suffer from muddled thinking?  It seems all too common in my life, and clearly visible in the lives of others.

What is the cause of this affliction?  That is an amazing question that, truth be known, probably reaches beyond my ability to answer.  However, I am going to give it a try.

It seems to me that our biggest problem is we too often put ourselves in the place of God.  In so doing we create a situation where we are not in the proper framework or mindset to make the decisions that are best for us.

"Listen to this, O Job;

Stand still and consider

the wondrous works of God.

Do you know 

when God dispatches them,

and causes the light of His 

cloud to shine?"

Job 37:14-15

Truly it is not within us to fully understand all things, no matter how hard we try.  Though scripture tells us we are made in His image, and that we have been given dominion over all living things, it stops short of telling us that we are gods.  In fact in the Genesis account of the fall, the lie that Satan perpetuates is that by eating of the forbidden fruit would make them as God.

A little humility would go a long way to solving much of our muddled thinking and many of the problems facing the world today.  This is a basic truth for each of our lives as we face the daily grind.  So much more this is magnified in the shortcomings of our ever devolving American government.  In the founding of this country there were many flawed men who gathered to chisel out what this country should strive to be.  Each came with differing viewpoints and often from the various divisions and factions of the religious world.  Yet when they were humble enough to set aside their differences and recognize those things upon which they could be unified God's providence shone upon them and this great nation was born.

Over many years the divisions and the lack of humility has crept back upon us.  As I look at the recent grumblings and groanings coming from the District of Columbia, and all multiplied across our extensive and often overzealous media outlets, I find it disheartening that we have become a nation so divided.  However, I find it symptomatic of the divisions we find in the church.  God desires unity among His people.

"Behold, how good

and how pleasant

it is for brethren

to dwell together in unity!"

Psalm 133:1

See also Ephesians 4

If we as the people of God were to have our collective act together most of this upheaval would not be occurring.  Over the course of the 240+ years of our nation's history we as God's people have abdicated much of our responsibility and handed it over to the government, a government which in its purest form (not what we see today), is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.  

Today I plead with each of you to set your house in order.  Think in terms of humility and unity.  Lets all do a better job of looking to those things which unite us and that we share in common, recognizing opportunity for growth in our differences.  Once our homes are set in order the healing can begin, the groundswell of such a positive force would no doubt sweep us up in a virtual tsunami of unity and clarity for our future.  If we would take this grassroots, Christ-centered approach, rather than a top-down Government-centric approach to living, then and only then, would we gain the fullest measure of the blessings of God and the favor of His divine providence.  This is how we can Make Today Great!

Learning the Script

This weekend I have been on the road with our church's youth group attending an event in Conway, AR.  Over the course of the weekend we have participated in singing many praises to God, hearing some fantastic messages from God's Word, and having some great interaction with these kids.

I know from experience, as do most adults when honest, that growing up ain't easy.  The struggles of our teens are real and of great consequence.  On Friday evening the preacher, Jeremy Pierce, was very real with the audience talking about some of the major issues that we all face today.  He shared statistics that were mind-blowing to many of them, and a stark reminder to us adults, presenting a much needed reality check. 

During these years they are processing all the things they have been taught against all the messaging that the world would thrust upon them in their music, movies, video games, online content, and the like.  Just like us as adults, each has a different individual struggle and those struggles are real and intense.  Many of the decisions they make today will have impact them for many years to come and likely will set the course for the rest of their lives.  The problem here is that at this point in their lives they are often ill-equipped to make such monumental decisions without significant input from others.

Our job as parents, friends, mentors, and persons of influence is to shape them and prepare them for these decisions.  I will paraphrase the writer Andy Andrews by saying that our job isn't to raise great kids (despite what most people would say), but rather to raise our kids to be great adults.  That is an important distinction as most would think that great kids are the goal, this would be a great intermediate goal, but it is short-sighted.  We MUST prepare them for adulthood by controlling exposure to the issues of the world, not keeping them from everything, but shaping them to make good decisions, to recognize trade-offs, to understand consequences and risk-reward systems, but most importantly to put them on firm ground spiritually.

When we remove God and His ways from the context of their lives they are essentially baseless.  The messaging this weekend has been built around a theme of Love Out Loud and trying to identify what that looks like.  One of the most powerful demonstrations I have ever seen occurred last night when the minister, Dr. Spencer Furby, taught that scripture (the Word of God) is the script for our lives.  He set up a scenario that teens face on a regular basis where a young pairing had been dating for several months and was faced with the opportunity to have some alone time together at home.  In this scenario the young man was attempting to talk the young lady into "taking advantage" of this situation and moving to a new level of physical intimacy.  The Good Dr. Furby then pointed to scripture as the script for this situation, to craft a response to the effect of:

  "My body belongs to God,"

and 

"My body belongs to my spouse"

(sorry the actual references escape me this morning)

This scenario was actually played out in front of the roughly 400 teens in attendance and I believe was a seminal moment for several.  In a short debriefing with 5 of the boys from our group after returning to the hotel, it was obvious that they were duly impressed with this demonstration.  When we craft the right object lessons it is possible to make an impact.  This scenario could be tweaked as well to put a more adult spin on it as well, as this type of struggle is not restricted to teens.

We would all do well to get into The Word, as it is the best way to flip the script on society.  Learn it, love it, live it, and you will Make Today GREAT, and set a course for smoother sailing ahead.  That smoother sailing won't be without some headwinds and rough waters, but will keep you in touch with the Great Captain of our lives who is more than willing to navigate you through the storms, when you cast your cares upon Him.

Expect the Unexpected

How often do we find ourselves saying something to the effect of, "I didn't see that coming"? If you are anything like me it is far more often than we would expect.  There we go again, just within that statement it has happened again.  The point is that life is pretty much unpredictable.

Those subtle warnings in fine print, telling us such gems as, "past performance does not guarantee future results", and such are truly trying to tell us something.  There are no sure things in this life.  Our best bet then is to turn the odds in our favor by looking beyond this meager existence. 

"Do not lay up for yourselves

treasures on earth,

Where moth and rust destroy

and where thieves break in and steal;

but lay up for yourselves

treasures in heaven,

where neither rust nor moth destroys

and where 

thieves do not break in and steal."

Matthew 6:19-20

Christ has paved the way for us to have certainty, and the passage above points us to something that has certainty.  In another passage we are told:

"Let not your heart be troubled;

you believe in God,

believe also in Me.

In my Father's house are many mansions;

if it were not so,

I would have told you.

And if I go to prepare a place for you,

I will come again 

and receive you to myself;

that where I am,

there you may be also.

And where I go you know,

and the way you know."

John 14:1-4

With the beginning of a new year we tend to get caught up in goal setting, resolutions and new beginnings, none of which I am opposed to.  However life is going to throw us curves, and if we are not expecting there to be some unexpected moments, events, and outcomes, then we may struggle to maintain our composure.  When we take a fuller perspective and bring Heaven and eternity into the picture, that is when we can begin to have certainty.  

Go forth, chase your dreams, desires and goals in 2018, but do so with a full view of the perspective God has for you.  Expect the unexpected and be certain knowing that you, if you are a Christian, are insured by the greatest insurance policy ever conceived, the grace of God!  When we put our faith to work in this way, that is when we will Make Today (and every day) GREAT!