What Should have been?

The season is over. Girls were crying. Another team was smiling. I started the season looking forward to a fun year of going to the ballpark and watching my daughter play and her team win. Thanks to a coach who only cared about winning….she barely played and the starters on the field never really became a team just an anointed group of individuals playing a game. Many games were won but in the end the result was the same…another loss to a bitter rival.

For me and my daughter this was her last game and her last season. She will graduate next week. I am glad that she knows that my love is not determined by her success on the softball field or her grades in the classroom. I know the player that my daughter is. Ever since she was 2, I have known that she is gifted and talented. I know the love she has for the game. I know how much it hurt to sit and watch each grinding pitch and never be given the opportunity to play. What would I have given to have a coach that cared more for his players and helping each one reach their full potential than just winning a game. I can see the all star that resides in my daughter. I know that if given a legitimate chance and the right encouragement she would have contributed to help the team not only win some games but become the team that could have won the elusive championship.

Her high school career as a player is over. What should have been a fun and great senior season turned out to be a lesson in perseverance. My prayer is that this coach did not take her self-esteem away and cause her to doubt her worth. I pray that her father in heaven will encourage her and let her know that He sees the all star that resides within and the incredible young lady that she has become and remind her that He has a plan for her life.

What about you? Are you a coach or a teacher or a minister like my daughter’s high school coach that uses people to accomplish your goals or do you recognize the potential that resides in each boy and girl, man and woman that you teach or lead?

God, What do I do?

Sunday School Teacher, do you ever feel in a powerless situation, a situation that you have absolutely no control over, you feel trapped. What do you do? Do you teach? Should you be transparent and real or just put on the mask that Sunday?

The situation has led to frustration and discouragement. You are feeling bitter, anger, and even Hatred. Your heart is breaking… Yet, The Bible says, Love Your Enemies. That All things work out for good to them that love the Lord. To Control your tongue. Do nothing to keep a little one from stumbling.

You want to be Christlike and upbeat and encouraging. But your heart is breaking. What do you do? Do you teach? That’s my question this early, sleepless Sunday morning…do I teach? Sunday School begins in five hours. Do I share with my class? Am I real or do I put on the mask?

God, What do I do?

Don’t Be Afraid...The message of Christmas.

The following is a daily devotional, published by my good friend and minister of Education at FBC Clarksville, Ron Moore:

Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born to you in the city of David. Luke 2:9-11 HCSB

Recently, I was walking through the hallway at the church in the dark. A member of the facility crew was walking through as well and did not see me. When I said something to him, he almost jumped out of his skin. He was not expecting me to be there, and I inadvertently frightened him. Most of us at some time have had someone jump out from behind a door or from around a corner to intentionally scare us. We are usually terrified and scream or jump because we are not expecting their presence.

Imagine being out in a field late at night. It is totally dark with many stars in the sky. Picture hundreds of sheep around you who have gone to sleep. Everything is quiet and peaceful when suddenly, an angel of the Lord is standing before you and there is a bright light. I am confident you would have been as terrified as the shepherds that night so long ago. The angel quickly calmed their fears and said, “Don’t be afraid.”

Challenge – Just as the shepherds were not expecting an angel to come and announce the birth of Jesus, many people today are hurting or afraid and do not expect Jesus. Be a caring friend and reach out to someone who needs a loving touch. Calm his fears and assure him that Jesus loves and cares for him.

God is my Anchor!

President Obama promised Americans, “Change that we can believe in." Since he has been in office, changes and possible changes have been implemented or are being debated. This blog is not about the merits of these changes but to simply discuss dealing with change.

Daryl Conner wrote the book, Managing at the Speed of Change, How Resilient Managers Succeed and Prosper Where Others Fail. Conner has observed that “the single most important factor in managing change effectively is the degree to which people demonstrate resilience: the capacity to absorb high levels of change while displaying minimal dysfunctional behavior.”

The newspaper headlines read daily of corporate mergers, impending strikes, political unrest and constant restructuring. Leaders in growing churches are faced with a multitude of issues such as a shortfall of budget, a shortage of workers, lack of worship and education space, shortage of parking spaces, personnel issues, etc. A growing church needs increased resilience to deal with these issues just like corporations need resilience to deal with the market pressures that they face daily. As a church consultant, I witnessed weekly that many churches fail to even acknowledge change.

At the Tennessee Baptist Convention, we are facing the unknown of who will take Dr. Porch’s place as Executive Director, declining budgets, same work with less personnel, the national issue of where do State Conventions fit in with the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. These are real concerns that could paralyze me unless I am able to be resilient.

According to Conner, when people can no longer absorb the change, they begin to display dysfunctional behavior. Christians need to remember and believe that God is in control and let this be our anchor. We must not allow ourselves to feel like victims and become dysfunctional in our behavior. We must surrender ownership of our lives to our Lord and Savior and trust in him to help us through these unusual days.

Good…Ain’t Good Enough!

Are we settling for Good when God wants to give us Great? William Carey exhorted Christians and churches to attempt great things for God and expect great things from God. In my walk with Christ, too often I have settled for good things instead of attempting great things for him.

Not settling for good, must start with a desperate desire to know Christ. In Mark 10 Blind Bartimaeus had a passion to know Christ. I am passionate about lots of things: my family, my work, my church, my Sunday School Class. I cheer loudly for the St. Louis Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Tennessee Volunteers, Nashville Predators, and the Independence Eagles. I love to play golf and dedicate hours to improvement. But if I want to be great for God and not just settle for good, nothing can be more important than Christ.

When those around Blind Bartimaeus told him to be quiet, the scripture tells us that he shouted all the more: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. What about you? What about me? When the world tells us to be quiet and to be tolerant, too often the church and Christians become silent instead of taking a stand for Christ. I am praying that Christians will take a stand.

I am praying for a revival in my life and in my land. Will you join me in not settling for Good? I am convinced God wants to bless his children and that we can expect great things from God when we attempt great things for him.

Baseball...

I am a baseball fan…I grew up playing baseball. My team is and has always been the St. Louis Cardinals. Most Cardinals fans are fanatics and that’s certainly describes me. If you want to get my blood boiling, ask me about the 6th game of the 1985 World Series and if Mark McQuire deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

As a baseball fan, one of my dream trips was to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Last month, I made this dream a reality and spent a whole day at this Baseball shrine.

While visiting, I read the following quote from Honus Wagner, “There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you are a ballplayer.” Honus Wagner is considered by many to be baseball's greatest all-around player. The Pittsburgh Pirates' shortstop was a sensational hitter, a brilliant base-runner and a flawless fielder. One of the first five players inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, he led the league in stolen bases on six occasions, finishing his career with a total of 722 steals. Wagner retired with more hits, runs, RBI, doubles, triples, games and steals than any other National League player. Honus Wagner was certainly a baseball player.

I have been meditating on the following thoughts: “There ain’t much to be a Christian, if you are a Christian.” For Christians who seek to follow the Lord God wholeheartedly and have a passion to know Christ, living the Christian life and serving Christ is normally not a drudgery but a joy. When we as Christians, allow pride and lust to emerge and we fail to put God first, the Christian life can seem difficult and hard.

“There ain’t much to be a Sunday School teacher or leader, if you are a Sunday School teacher or leader.” Certainly, there are skills that all Sunday School teachers and leaders need to hone, much like baseball players must learn to catch, throw, hit, and run the bases. But for me, Sunday School is a passion and I love to teach God’s Word. I hope teaching and leading Sunday Schools can become a passion for you as well.

Hope to see at Sunday School University! For a list of locations,
www.equippingu.org.

Seeking God’s Direction

Last year, my wife brought me a GPS for my birthday. My Magellan does a terrific job of giving me turn by turn directions to get me from one place to another. “Maggie” the name my daughters have designated for my GPS can only direct me to where I have instructed her. Some days, I will be driving down the road and decide to jump off the interstate to get gas or a meal. Maggie politely lets me know that I have taken a detour. I have come to trust my GPS. One feature, I particularly love is knowing approximately what time that Maggie thinks I will arrive.

I live in a fast growing community of Spring Hill, TN and Maggie occasionally has to be updated with new maps or programs so that she can direct me the best route, so that I don’t confuse her when I keep going straight into those woods or fields. Maggie also cannot help me unless I power her up and input the address for where I am headed.

Many Christians treat God the way I treat my GPS. We fail to begin our daily journey with seeking his guidance…we just get in the car and go. Then, when we need his help, we pull Him out of the glove compartment, power him up, and tell him what we want him to do for us. Bless my lesson today, let my team win, heal my friend or family member, or give me a job. God is loving and still hears these prayers but what God is reminding me these days is that I need to start every day surrendered to his plan and his direction.

My prayer for you is that you will not treat God like a GPS. He never needs to be updated or plugged in and he always knows what best for his children. “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you” (Matthew 6:33, HCSB).