Personal Confession...

I have a personal confession to make today. I've been doing a series on the Bible the past couple of weeks. One of the great things about teaching is that not only do you learn more that you teach but you are also reminded of the areas where you need to grow. I have been challenging our people to read the Bible for their own personal growth and relationship with God.

My personal confession is that I find it easy to read the Bible so that I can have something to teach and not necessarily for myself. I can sometimes go for days doing this and I find my personal walk suffering when i do. Can anyone relate to what I'm talking about????

Over the past few weeks as I have been preparing for this series God has helped change that focus. I have made some changes in my schedule and in my attitude to get back on track and this verse is helping to guide me.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

I am taking the first part of my day to get alone with God and spend time in His presence and in His word for me-not for teaching. It's making a difference in my life and I'm loving it. So, the next time you see me ask me how's my personal time with God going? I will do the same with you.

Do it now...

Over the last several day on three different occasions a person or couple has came to mind that I had not seen or thought about for some time. My initial thought was maybe I should stop and contact them now. But I was so focused on my agenda that I just keep plowing ahead. I told myself that I would do it later....

The first time that it happened, I did nothing and forgot about it. But, later, I found out that this person was going through a very difficult time and was feeling very alone. I believe that God was trying to get my attention and wanted me to reach out.

The second time it happened, I told myself that I would deal with it later-but forgot it again.. But this time, my wife brought up the person and so we made contact. I was so glad that we did. This person was a dear friend that we had not talked to for several weeks. We were able to go see her and her husband. She had been battling a long term health issue and it was much worse. Turns out that this was the last time we would get to see her. She has since passed. I was so grateful that my wife was more sensitive than me.

Today, I had the same impression and stopped everything to contact the person. I was able to do so and had a chance to encourage someone who is going through a tough time. I was encouraged by our time together.

Is there someone on your mind right now? Someone you have been thinking about? Maybe you need to stop what you are doing and contact them. My advice is to DO IT NOW-don't wait.

Taking Charge of Me...

I have been doing some reading today and came across a great line from author/speaker Jim Collins that has given me much to think about. He said,

"Whether you prevail or fail, endure or die, depends more on what you do to your self than on what the world does to you."

This reminds me of the fact that I must take care of myself. I am responsible for what I do with my life. I can't blame others or the circumstances that I face or the world that I'm in if I don't move forward in my walk with Christ and keep growing in my relationship with Him and in my role as a leader. I must take charge of me-no one else can. You must take charge of you-no one else can.

So, these are questions I must ask myself every day, several times a day is this:

What am I doing to take care of myself and keep moving forward? How am i changing both personally and professionally to make a difference? What am I doing to change the world instead of allowing the world to change me?

So, today, I take charge of my time. I take charge of my walk with Christ. I will take charge of my health and exercise. I take charge of my responsibility to keep growing in my life.

What will you do to take charge of You???

You Make A Difference

Believe it or not, you will make a difference today in someone's life. I know it's hard to believe that we actually do make a difference. Most of us are just trying to get by, doing the best that we can and we rarely stop to think about whether or not we make a difference. But, YOU actually do...

You are the SALT of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. (Matt. 5:13)

Salt was extremely valuable and important when Jesus said this. In fact, salt was more valuable than gold in some areas. Why? Because it was used to preserve the food they ate. The presence of salt in the meat and vegetables kept it from spoiling-salt always makes a difference.

So, what difference will you make today or this week? I sometimes think that what I do doesn't matter or that I have to do something spectacular for it to matter. But, I've come to realize that most of the time it's the little things that matter most.

A phone call...
An encouraging email...
Meeting someone for coffee...
Cooking a meal for a family....

This week there are two people that I am going to try to contact to spend some time with them. I am going to reach out to them today and see what God does.

So, what will you do today or this week to make a difference? I'd love to hear from you....

Our Distinguishing Mark

Billions of dollars are spent each year by businesses and individuals trying to "brand" themselves and "distinguish" them from others. What is it the "distinguishing" mark for the Christian? is it the fish on the back of the car? The bumper sticker? Is it our great theology? (And we need to have great theology). None of these are what Jesus talked about. Here's what he said...

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35).

We are to love others in the same way that Jesus loved. He is our example of what love should look like in this world. Jesus made it clear that this is what will tell others we belong to Him. Which also means that if we do not love others, they have the right to say that we are not his disciples. Kind of interesting, isn't it? This means that people who do not claim to follow Jesus can say that we do not follow Him if we aren't loving like He did.

So, the question you and I need to answer is this: Are we loving like He loved? Pretty simple to comprehend and yet very difficult to apply. Based upon words, actions and attitudes, what would others have to say about you and me? Would they know we are His disciples or not???

May we love others well as He loved others well....