Nothing’s better than dreams. Not the kind of dreams that come when we’re asleep (even though those are great too). No, I’m talking about the kind of dreams we have when we’re fully awake – the dreams about what we want our lives to look like and where we’re headed.
Some dream of graduating Harvard Law school one day, while others dream of discovering the cure for cancer. Some dream of making it on Broadway, while others dream of making it to the NBA.
Dreams dreams dreams. We all have dreams. And let’s be honest. WE LOVE OUR DREAMS! A life without a dream isn’t much is it? Dreams are what keep us going. They push us to fight through obstacles and barriers. Without them, life can be boring and quite difficult. Agree?
Read MoreI tricked you yesterday didn’t I? Admit it. I tricked you because I asked you what it means to be great and I intentionally led you down the wrong path for answers. I’ll bet that most people thought in terms of prayer, Bible reading or other such spiritual disciplines. Most of us equate our spiritual success with the amount of spiritual practices that we do.
BUT GOD DOESN’T LOOK AT IT THAT WAY. If God looked at it that way, then the Pharisees would have top dogs in His eyes. They did all the spiritual practices and disciplines; and they did it religiously (pun intended). But while those things are all very good, it takes more than that to be GREAT.
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become GREAT among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)
Read More“Greatness is not given. Greatness is taken.”That’s a line from the new Gatorade commercial starring DC’s newest celebrity – Robert Griffin III, quarterback of the Washington Redskins.
In addition to being a fan of RGIII and hoping that he is the long awaited franchise quarterback that the Redskins have been waiting for, his commercial got me to thinking:
what does it take to get great? What defines greatness?
What makes a great doctor or a great lawyer? What makes a great husband or wife? And in a spiritual sense, what makes me great as a child of God?
I’ve always believed that the measure of success in any field isn’t based on what you DON’T DO, but rather it is based on what you DO DO. I even said that once at a retreat and it quickly became the catch phrase of the retreat: SUCCESS = DO DO (copyright coming soon, once I figure out how to do that :)).
Read More“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:1-3
We’ve all been therefore haven’t we? Thinking that we’re so right about something only to be smacked in the face with the reality that a) we’re far from being right and b) we’re actually more wrong than we’ve ever been before! It’s not the “being wrong” that surprises us, but it’s the shock that I could be “so wrong” all the while thinking and acting as if I am “so right.”
That’s where the disciples found themselves today. They are walking down the road discussing a question that seems to have come up quite often with them, “which one of us will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” [It looks like they inherited the competitive gene as well :) ].
Read More“But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5
We are called to do the work of an evangelist. Actually, let me say that more bluntly: YOU ARE CALLED TO DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST.
All week I’ve been talking about evangelism and what it is and what it isn’t. I’ve already made it clear that evangelism doesn’t mean standing on a corner and yelling at people to repent before they go to hell (see video above for many ways to NOT do the work of evangelist).
But the issue still remains that I have to do something. I cannot sit back and do nothing and claim that evangelism isn’t for me. I am called to be evangelist and to do the work of an evangelist. Whatever talents and gifts God has given me, I have to somehow figure out how to use those in a way for the purpose of witnessing for God. And as I said yesterday, that can take many different shapes and forms, but the inescapable point is this: I AM CALLED TO DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST.
But the major question is this: How should I start?
Read More"Aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time." Zig Ziglar
"If you don't know where you are going, you probably end up someplace else." Yogi Berra
This week I’ve spoken about the importance of evangelism and the definition of evangelism – why we need to do it and what it is. But usually our problem with evangelism isn’t the theoretical side; it’s the practical side. It’s the “how-to” that we struggle with.
So today I want to make it easy for you. I don’t like to do anything unless I know the goal upfront. If the goal isn’t clear, how will I know if I am doing it right? How will I know if I am accomplishing anything? No one wants to work hard on something and later realize that they were doing it all wrong. So we need to establish a goal for evangelism before we dive in.
So what’s the goal? What would you say? Is the goal to bring people to church? Is the goal to baptize people? Is the goal to make them pray a certain prayer or to do certain good works?
What is the goal of evangelism and how will I know when I’ve accomplished it?
Read MoreWhat is evangelism? What does it mean? What does it look like? What does it sound like? What does it mean to be an evangelist?
I believe that if you ask those questions to a random group of people, you’d get as many answers as there are people in the room. Everyone has their own idea of what evangelism is and what it looks like.
But what does God think? What does He say it is supposed to look like? Does it have to be preachy? Is it supposed to be intrusive? Is that really what God wants from us?
Read MoreImagine that you are walking down the street one day and you see a small child wander out into the street. The child clearly is too young to be in the street and someone needs to get this child back to the sidewalk and safety. As you walk towards the child, you realize that it isn’t just any child; it’s actually the child of one of your close friends – someone whom you have known for years.
As soon as you make that realization, you realize something else too…THERE’S A CAR COMING! The car is coming down the road fast and it doesn’t see the child. You are standing on the side of the road – there’s still time to do something if you choose to, but you need to hurry. You could run out and grab the child. You could yell at the child to get back to safety. You could try to get the driver’s attention and tell him to stop. YOU MUST DO SOMETHING!!!!
But instead, you sit idly by. You choose not to take any action. You turn your head so you don’t have to see what’s coming but you know what happens next. The driver tries to slam on the brakes at the last second, but by then it’s too late. The child suffers fatal injuries and doesn’t make it through the night.
You were there. You could have done something. You could have at least tried. But you chose not to. You stood by idly and took no action when you had the chance to save your best friend’s child.
Read MoreSETTING a goal and ANNOUNCING the goal makes it easier to ACCOMPLISH that goal. That is what I learned from my recent 4th of July 5k run. Yesterday I spoke about step 1, SETTING THE GOAL. Today I want to talk about the second step – a step that I believe will increase your likelihood of accomplishing your goal exponentially.
Step Two: ANNOUNCING YOUR GOALS HELPS YOU OVERCOME OBSTACLES
Setting a goal is good, but there’s something extra motivational about announcing it publicly. Maybe it is just the competitive nature inside of me, but once I announce I am going to do something, I am going to do everything in my power to accomplish it.
Read MoreI DID IT! YES! I DID IT!!! That was one of the first thoughts that entered my head yesterday shortly after I crossed the finish line of my first 5k race. I ACCOMPLISHED MY GOAL! I DID IT!
Of course, I’d be lying if I said it was the first thought – to be fully honest, I think my first thought was closer to “I NEED WATER AND A PIECE OF OPEN SPACE TO COLLAPSE ON FOR A FEW MINUTES.” But it wasn’t long afterwards that the feeling of exhaustion was replaced by a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.
I think I finally understand why so many people like to run in these races. It never made sense to me before, but I think I get it now. I learned a lot in the process and I want to share some of lessons with you to hopefully make a believer out of you too.
The most important lesson I learned is this: SETTING a goal and ANNOUNCING the goal makes it easier to ACCOMPLISH that goal.
Read More"What’s the will of God for my life?" That’s the #1 question that we all want to know. Where does God want me to go? When does He want me to go? And what does He want me to do when I get there? WHAT DOES GOD WANT FROM ME?
Well, I believe that the answer to this question isn’t supposed to be as hard as we often make it. Sometimes the answer is right in front of us and we just don’t see it. Of course, no one can fully know the mind and will of God – see Romans 11:33 – but we aren’t supposed to be completely in the dark either. This isn’t “hide & seek” – God wants to reveal His plan for your life even more than you want to discover it.
So what’s the trick then? How do I discover it?
Read MoreWho won? Who lost? Who came in first? Who came in first? Most importantly…who’s the best?
You don’t have to spend a lot of time with me to know that I am competitive person. That’s just how God made me. I can turn just about anything into a competition. Even fun relaxing activities – like swimming with the family at the pool – inevitably turns into a “who can hold their breath underwater the longest” competition with my ultra-competitive daughter.
I like to compete. And when I compete – while I agree 100% with the idea that the most important thing is to have fun – I’ve always felt that WINNING the competition is the best way to have fun! Winning is the most fun isn’t it?
Read MoreI've received a lot of messages recently from people who want to start their own blog. For the most part, people want to do it but they don't know if they can keep up with it or if it's worth their effort. If that's you, my advice to you is GO FOR IT!
Blogging is definitely a time consuming activity and it isn't always easy. There are times when I just can't come up with anything to write. But despite the difficulty and time it takes to write, I've found it to be extremely rewarding and beneficial to me personally. I don't blog for advertising money or to sell a product. I blog because: a) I felt God calling me to do so, and b) it helps me personally.
How has it helped me? I can think of three specific ways off the top of my head.
Read More“And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:33
Great power. Great grace. I love those two phrases. I want that in my life and I bet you wouldn’t mind them in yours either. The question for today is this: where did that 'great power' and 'great grace' come from?You’ll be surprised by the answer. That verse is found in between some other verses that seem out of place. The verse before it says:
“Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.” (Acts 4:32)
And the verse after it says:
“Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” (Acts 4:34-35)
Huh? Those verses are about giving. You’d expect a verse about 'great power' and 'great grace' would come from a passage about prayer or love or fasting or humility or something along those lines. But the Bible here connects it with generosity and giving instead. But not just any kind of giving – real giving, sacrificial giving, giving in a way that doesn’t make sense to give. Maybe the early church knew something that we don’t.
Read MoreCall me crazy but I am actually going to do it. I am going to do something I never thought I’d do. I’m going to do something that I’ve never even understood why others do it – to me it always seemed a bit crazy. But now I am officially one of the crazy people. Why? Because I am going to run in a race – a 5k race on the 4th of July.
Those who know about running know that a 5k isn’t that big a deal (it's a little more than 3 miles) but the point is that I’ve never done this kind of thing before and to be honest I’ve never really understood why people pay money to run. I always said that I’d pay money to sit or to lie down, but never to run. I never understood it.
And actually not only have I never run a race before, but I’ve never been someone to even run outdoors. I enjoy taking walks outdoors with my wife and/or kids, but I’ve never been one of those people who exercises outdoors. I usually do my exercising indoors so I can catch up on ESPN'S SportsCenter while I workout. But ever since I signed up for the run, I’ve been running outdoors. The weather has been great and I have fallen in love with my new workout program.
Read More“Do you ever sense that there’s far more to prayer, and to God’s vision for your life, than what you’re experiencing? If so, it’s time you learned from the legend of Honi the Circle Maker—a man bold enough to draw a circle in the sand and not budge from inside it until God answered his prayers for his people.”
That’s an excerpt from a book written by called THE CIRCLE MAKER: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears, (Kindle edition here, audiobook here) written by Mark Batterson – author of several bestselling books such as In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.
I recently started listening this to book on audio and I LOVE IT! The book is PHENOMENAL! It totally inspired me to change the way I pray because it opened my eyes to what prayer should/could look like. Below is a brief excerpt from the book:
Read MoreIntegrity. What does it mean? How would you define it? More importantly, do you have it? Would those around you say that you are full of it?
Integrity is not an easy word to define. It’s one of those words that people define in different ways. But I define integrity as this: HONESTY. Integrity is living a life of honesty – a life where I am who I say I am, and my deeds are visibly in line with my words.
Integrity comes from the same root word as “integer” – meaning one, or not divided. A life of integrity is a life where you are one person, not many people. You’re the same person on Sunday mornings as you are on Monday mornings. You’re the same person in front of the spotlight as you are when no one’s looking. Integrity. One. Honesty.
As much as we demand honesty from others, there’s one person that we are willing to put up with some dishonesty from. There’s one person that deals with us dishonestly on a regular basis and we accept it and don’t say a word. Who? OURSELVES!
Read MoreOk, it’s time for a confession. While I might be looked down upon for what I am about to confess, I will do so honorably and proudly and with no shame. I LOVE WATCHING PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING.
There I admitted it. Go ahead and judge me if you want, but let me just say this. When I grew up in the 80s and 90s, wrestling was a lot different than it is today. I am talking about the glory days of wrestling – back when you had the WWF, not the WWE; back when the good guys were good guys and everybody cheered for them because you knew they were always going to find a way to pull it out; and most importantly back when the fighting was real, not fake.
[I know, I know, I know. You think it’s all fake. Well, I agree that it might be choreographed, but I won’t go as far as fake. There is no way you can watch this video and tell me it’s fake. This is the infamous Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs Macho Man Randy Savage match from 1986. It still sends tingles up my spine.]
If you’ve ever watched wrestling, you know that the goal in any wrestling match is to either a) pin your opponent to the ground for 3 seconds, or b) to make your opponent submit/surrender.
Read MoreDo you know someone who is delusional? We all do, don’t we? I’ll bet that you know at least one person who thinks they’re funny, but they’re not. Or who thinks they can sing, but they can’t. Or someone who thinks they’re doing the right thing, but they clearly aren’t.
We all know someone who can’t see the reality of the situation at hand. Well, here’s my question to you based on just simple math. If every one of us knows someone who is delusional and who can’t see reality for what it is, then what are the chances that THAT PERSON IS ME?
Read MoreI promised myself I’d never say this but here I am – about to say it. This is the official sign that I am no longer young and have turned into my parents. Ready? Ok… here goes…
WHERE DID THE TIME GO?
I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true: time really does fly. You get married, have kids, and before you know it, they’re off to college and you’re stuck with the bill. I am not quite at that point yet, but I am at the point of realizing that the pace of life continues to get faster and faster, and our ability to keep up with it becomes less and less with each passing day. Life seems to speed by so fast that we often don’t know what hit us.
I remember back to a time when I was driving out to an area about 3 hours away to visit someone in prison. This was back before the days of GPS so I had to do it the old school way – with MapQuest! You youngsters out there below the age of 21 probably haven’t even heard of MapQuest have you?
SIDE NOTE: For those old people like myself, do you remember MapQuest? When it first came out, it was like God’s gift to mankind – a computer program that knows where and when I should turn. It was the greatest invention ever. But now that we’ve gotten used to our GPS, using MapQuest feels like using a compass to fly a plane!
Anyways, back to my story…
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