Cause and Effect

For those of you who may not know, or have forgotten, I live with type II diabetes.  Though it is a condition that "runs in my family", up one side of the family tree and down the other.  It is a condition that I could have likely avoided, or at least postponed further if I had made better decisions in regards to my health.

As I awaken this morning I did my glucose monitoring test and found by blood sugar level to be 123.  This is not an alarming number by any means, but it is 15 points or so higher than my current norm.  Why is it higher this morning?  Cause and effect, plain and simple.  Yesterday I made poor choices, and today those choices manifest themselves in my blood sugar reading. 

When you live with chronic conditions such as diabetes it is crucial to your long term health to understand your illness, and how to manage or control it.  Even when you have a solid understanding of your situation it is easy to fall to the seduction of the forbidden fruit.  In the life of the diabetic one of the the primary challenges is diet.  As someone who thoroughly enjoys food, maintaining complete control of my diet is practically impossible.

Cause and effect.  Eating pasta and breadsticks for dinner at 7:30, followed by a Krispy Kreme doughnut two hours later is wonderful on the tongue, but terrible on the glucometer, and the scales were unkind as well this morning.  The real danger is not in the short term aberration in the blood sugar level, but in the establishment of habits where these poor decisions become routine.  It is in our habits that the hemoglobin A1C levels are set measuring our long-term level of blood sugar.  It is in this level over time that damage can ensue.

Cause and effect.  What is the danger of longer term elevation of blood sugar level?  There are many, I see the examples daily as I go to the office.  In  extreme cases it may be the loss of limbs due to infections or the unrelenting routines of dialysis for those whose kidneys no longer function as is necessary to sustain life.  More common are those who have suffered strokes or lost most, if not all, of their vision.  Diabetes is bad, and uncontrolled you can see that it is really bad.

Bad is something that can be said for several other common conditions as well, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and being overweight or obese.  Here are some links to investigate related to various afflictions:

Mayo Clinic - Diabetes Diagnosis and Treatment

Mayo Clinic - Top 5 Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Cholesterol

Cleveland Clinic - Weight Management: Special Procedures and Treatment

CDC - Blood Pressure Fact Sheet

It is not my desire for this week's piece to be a downer, but rather to be a wake up call.  Recognize that the decisions we make have an impact.  That impact is different for each decision we make, but the key thing is to know that we have a great deal of control over the future of our health, even if we are afflicted with a chronic illness. 

You might be asking, what does this have to do with my faith?  This is Workout Your Faith isn't it?  Yes this is Workout Your Faith, and yes it does have something to do with our faith.  Two things actually. 

1. The first thing this has to do with our faith is when we are not at our best physically, mentally, or emotionally, then we will have difficulty serving others which is a calling card of our faith.
2. The other thing that is a direct application to our faith is that the same principles apply to our tastes for sin.  God has immense grace to cover our sin, but he does not want to us make those poor choices and dabble with sin.  We must recognize there are consequences that result from our choices.

Life is all about cause and effect.  Decisions influence outcomes.  Make better decisions today and live better tomorrow.  These are a few ideas of how to MAKE TODAY GREAT!

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!  

Take It To The Bank

The old Bob Hope television specials, they would always end with this song, "Thanks for the Memories", and that's how I want to end this year, with an Open Letter to 2017. 

Dear 2017

2017 you were an amazing year for me and my family.  You provided ups and downs, and tremendous memories that we can treasure for a lifetime.  All in all you were not only the most recent year of our lives, but one of the best.  So lets take a look back at a few highlights.

Shiloh National Cemetery

2017 you saw us visit places ranging from the flea markets of Central Arkansas to Callie's Hot Little Biscuits to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and so much more.  Each stop along the way bringing joy and fulfillment to our lives in their own unique ways.

Centennial Bank Stadium

Jonesboro, AR

Just as our Red Wolves faced a daunting schedule on the football field we faced the challenges of a busy schedule from the multiple audits I and my co-workers faced to the burgeoning schedule of events for my daughter as a high schooler, to the frenzy of activity here at the holidays.  Each step of the way learning and growing as we must if we intend to thrive in God's abundance.

Yes 2017 you were awesome, one that will be hard for us to forget, not sure why we would want to.  You added to our memory bank, you strengthened our bonds, you built upon the successes of your peers of earlier years.  You made us a better family, gave us a stronger faith, enriched us in so many ways, you may be gone but you will not be forgotten.

Pineapple Fountain

Charleston, SC

The Bible tells us in James 4:14

"whereas you do not know

 what will happen tomorrow.

For what is life?

It is even a vapor

that appears for a little time

and then vanishes away."

With that thought firmly entrenched in our minds we need to live each moment recognizing that God is in control.  He will provide for our needs, and His abundance is more than we can even begin to imagine.  

Father-Daughter Banquet

Center Hill Church of Christ

Paragould, AR

While most will measure their wealth by the number and type of possessions they have, or how much money is in the bank.  Our true wealth is being stockpiled on the other side.

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 

moth nor rust destroys

and where thieves

do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:19-20

We are given a glimpse of the treasures of Heaven in the relationships we build, the beauty of God's creation all around us, and the simple joys of His abundance shared with us each day.  

Tybee Island, GA

We can take you to the bank, 2017, our memory bank.  You have been a blessing rich in God's love and abundance.  Fair thee well in the annals of history.  Thank you for preparing us for our future.

The Angel Tree

near Charleston, SC

Now we begin to look forward to the appearance of your little brother 2018 and wonder what it will hold.  I am sure of one thing, and that alone.  If God provides it, then it must be good!  

It is with a heart filled with gratitude that this little family will begin the journey of a new year.  No we may not be wealthy at the bank, or in the stock market, but our needs are more than met, we have a firm foundation in God, and the health and well being to serve Him as we enjoy the journey.

Shiloh National Military Park & Cemetery

My encouragement to you, my readers is to take stock of the blessings in your life.  Recognize from where they have come, and build upon them to the glory of God.

Gaylord Opryland Hotel

Nashville, TN

This is how you will 

Make 2018 GREAT!

The Gifts

Merry Christmas to each of you.  As I begin to write it is 5:15 a.m. and I have already been up for close to an hour and delivered my wonderful wife to work at the retail giant to spend the better part of her Christmas Eve managing the madness of today's last minute shoppers.  The upside of this, if there is one, is that my mind has had a little extra time to awaken before I start writing.  Bear with me as I begin because the initial thought may seem a bit unorthodox for the season, but you've likely gotten used to that in this space.

Yesterday I attended my fourth funeral in the past three months or so.  In those four services I have found each to be different in tone and execution.  That is not to say that any were wrong in any way, shape, form, or fashion.  The funeral, or as the term seems to be changing to, "celebration of life", is as individual as each person.  All of this has gotten me to consider my own mortality in at least a slightly different light, and to consider my own services.  I am not certain at this point to what actions this may lead but it is likely that I will put some thoughts on paper as to how I would like for my services to be handled.

Yesterday's funeral was for a cousin who was 5 years younger than myself, and had fought with a form of leukemia, been through a bone marrow transplant, and recently began to reject that transplant.  She left behind a devoted husband, 3 young adult daughters, and a loving set of parents.  It was not hard to feel a portion of the family's pain throughout the services as the memories flooded their minds, and the heartache swelled knowing that their wife, mother, daughter, etc. would not be with them for the holidays or the many special occasions to come.  This is where my thoughts became reflective in nature.

I began to consider the juxtaposition of the holiday season and the giving of gifts with what had been lost.  The biggest thing for me to think about here was opportunities lost.  In a finite way we each have only so much of ourselves to give; time, energy, emotion. . .   However, it is in this sense that we must recognize all the people that cross our paths are a gift.  Each has a unique story to tell, and perspective to share, and each can enrich our life if  we will accept he gift, unwrapping it slowly over time.  The gifts that we see exchanged at the holiday season are often short-lived and of only fleeting significance, while the gift of relationships is one that can often enrich us for a lifetime.

We need one another in this old world, and thanks to the institutions of the family and church along with the building of friendships we can build the support we need.  What I am really saying in all of this is the greatest gifts we can give is the gift of ourselves, and the greatest we can receive is the gift of others.  Missed opportunities may haunt us, but opportunities seized will be powerful and like treasures that cannot be stolen.  The writer of Hebrews said this:

Beware, brethren, lest there be in

any of you an evil heart of unbelief

in departing from the living God,

but exhort one another daily,

while it is called "Today",

lest any of you be hardened 

through the 

deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 3:12-13

We have a divine appointment to lift one another up, and be an encouragement to others.  Yes we may have failed at this in the past, but today is a new day, and a new opportunity.  Carpe diem, Seize the Day!  Do just a little bit daily to build upon, or establish, relationships with others.  This is how we will MAKE TODAY GREAT!