Teachable

January 31, 2011 Leave a comment

There are SO many truths in Scripture about being teachable to others. I would say that probably my biggest strength is my ability to learn from others. I’m not ashamed of it. Teach me something!

Proverbs 9:8-9 (NIV) “Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; Teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.”

Proverbs 10:22 (NIV) “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Proverbs 12:1 (NIV) “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.”

Proverbs 12:15 (NIV) “Fools think they need no advice, but the wise listen to others

Proverbs 19:20 (NIV) “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”

Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 28:26 (NIV) “Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.”

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Recovering From Mistakes

December 23, 2009 Leave a comment

Okay, so if you are a football fan then you’ve probably noticed that there have been two really really ridiculous play calls this year by some of the leagues best coaches.

The first one was by Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots who went for it on 4th and 2 at his own 28 yd line when they were up by 6 pts over the undefeated Indianpolis Colts.

They didn’t get it.

Bad decision. Colts score. Patriots lose.

The other one was the other night. Mike Tomlin, coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, decided to go for an onside kick while they were up 30-28 over the Green Bay Packers with 3:58 left in the game.

They didn’t get it.

Bad decision. Packers score.

But the Steelers came back and scored on the last play.

Both bad decisions. Different outcomes.

Reminds me to always RECOVER from my bad decisions. It’s not over when I’m way off. I just have to figure out how to recover. How to win even when I’m not perfect.

We have to learn to say “I’m sorry.” Work on our weaknesses. Change. Be proactive and solution oriented. Learn from mistakes. Verbally admit our imperfections.

*Here are some posts I wrote on responding to failure here, here, here, & here.

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Shalom In The Home: Restore Any Broken Relationships

December 18, 2009 Leave a comment

A couple of weeks ago I spoke a message to our college students called “Shalom in the Home.” I coached them on how to go back home and have peace in their families. Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace. My encouragement to them was to be leaders, examples, and proactive members of their family.

So over the next few days I’m passing some ideas on to you in case you need some extra peace in your home and you tend to wait around for the magic peace fairy to wave it’s wand. :-)

1. Restore Any Broken Relationships

During times with family there can be a lot of hostility. There can be some weirdness. Is there any relationship in your life that is strained? Weird? Awkward? Because our lack of communication and confrontation in relationships is destroying families, marriages, and friendships.

There doesn’t have to be anything bad wrong for a relationship to be messed up.

  • It could be a lack of approval from a dad.
  • An unsupportive mother.
  • A jealous brother.
  • An old girlfriend or boyfriend with no closure.
  • A member of the family could have hurt you and you are holding on to it.

Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Have the tough conversation. You’ll feel better when you do.

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Today Not Tomorrow

November 19, 2009 Leave a comment

I’ve been thinking about a little concept called living for today. Not tomorrow.

Paul told the church at Corinth “Today is the day of salvation.” II Corinthians 6:2

The psalmist says “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Matthew 6:34

Sometimes I carry too much weight and pressure in my mind and subconscious about the future. I worry about tomorrow. I dwell on the unknowns. I am a planner. I am a control freak. I am a perfectionist.

But it’s really all about TODAY. God made this day good.

And it’s all about HIM. And what He’s already done and what He’s already made good.

This is one of my “tweets” from today:

“Live  for Christ TODAY because TODAY turns into TOMORROW and TOMORROW turns into the NEXT DAY. Live one day at a time!”

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Simple Ways God Speaks #7

September 29, 2009 Leave a comment

#7 Creation

I’m NOT talking about pantheism which says God is everything and everything is God. Pantheism is worshipping what God has made and I’m just saying that I see God in what he has made.

There have been many times I’ve been overwhelmed by how BIG God is in creation:

  • Recently on vacation I saw dolphins swimming on the shore of the ocean in Destin. Freakin awesome!
  • I saw some breathtaking views of the Himalayas in Nepal.
  • My wife and I take beautiful drives through the Ozarks in the fall.
  • If you’ve never been white water rafting in Colorado you haven’t lived.

I’m just in awe of God when I see these things. It reminds of how creative and big he really is.

God speaks through what He has created.

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Simple Ways God Speaks #6

September 28, 2009 Leave a comment

#6 Circumstances

Sometimes things happen and God uses them to speak to us.

When you go to a funeral of someone you love and feel compelled to live a better life. That is God speaking to you. Leave a legacy.

When your boyfriend/girlfriend cheats on you. God is speaking. Get out!

When you lose your temper and yell at someone and embarrass yourself and them. God is trying to get your attention. Get some help.

When you have no money because you spent it on “stuff” and bills are coming soon. God is saying stop spending what you don’t have on things you don’t need so you can pay for the things you do need.

A good question to always ask ourselves when we face difficult circumstances is: God what are you trying to show me through this?

God may be trying to teach you something, challenge you, or test you. God may be allowing you to feel the consequences of your actions so that you won’t repeat them.

God can speak through what your going through.

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Simple Ways God Speaks #5

September 27, 2009 Leave a comment

#5 Miracles

Most of the time God speaks in simple, everyday kind of ways but SOMETIMES He does speak through miracles. Some things are just unexplainable.

Jesus healed people. He healed paralyzed people, diseased people, people that were possessed by demons, people that had high fevers.

One time he fed 5000 people with just a couple pieces of fish and some bread. That is a miracle.

God still speaks to us through miracles.

We can dream dreams, have divine passions, see visions, be healed, and do impossible things.

Joel 2:28 “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”

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Simple Ways God Speaks #4

September 25, 2009 Leave a comment

#4 Doors

Closed doors

God will speak to us by closing doors:

  • You want a new car but the loan falls through. Done. God spoke.
  • You think you are called to be a singer. You try to sing. It sucks. Done. God spoke.
  • You like her. You saw her smile at you. You looked over your shoulder and saw who she was really smiling at. Closed door done. God spoke. Hallelujyer.
  • Boyfriend cheats on you. You are obviously hurt. I think God is probably closing that door.

Closed doors signal change in a new direction. They are good. They save us from wasting our time.

Paul tried to go to Asia but the spirit of God wouldn’t let him. Acts 16:6-8

Open doors

After God closed the door to Asia Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia begging him to come help them. Paul took that as God’s voice and went to Macedonia. Acts 16:9-10

God will speak to us by opening doors:

  • You are praying for something, anything, to happen in your finances and a friend offers you a job in an economy where it’s hard to find a job. Maybe God is hearing your prayers and speaking.
  • You are depressed and lonely. You look at your phone and scroll through all the people that might like you. “Should I call someone to hang out?” Text message shows up. “What you doin?” Guess what. God probably just spoke to you.
  • You can’t figure out what to do with the rest of your life. So you pray that God would give you wisdom on what major to pick and what career field to focus on. And then you meet someone who encourages you and pulls out your potential and passions and you leave there feeling confident about what you should do. Open door God spoke.

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Simple Ways God Speaks #3

September 24, 2009 Leave a comment

#3 People

God uses people to speak to us.

If you hear a story of how someone has overcome something and you haven’t overcome that something then that is God’s way of speaking to you and encouraging you.

When a friend who you trust confronts you with truth in love then God may speaking to you.

Nathan confronted King David. It changed him. II Samuel 12

A family member or coworker can encourage you at the right time. God may be speaking through them to you. 

God can speak through all kinds of people. authors, actors, artists, and anything else that starts with the letter “a”. Kidding….

Songwriters, painters, servants, small group leaders, teachers, father figures, poets, dancers, etc.

God speaks through people. 

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Simple Ways God Speaks #1

September 22, 2009 Leave a comment

#1 THE BIBLE

II Timothy 3:16-17 “16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Hebrews 4:12 “it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

God speaks through the Bible and it’s the true filter for hearing from God.

God has already spoken on several relevant topics in the Bible. No prayer needed. You don’t have to pray about if you should have sex before marriage or get on your knees and beg God to speak to you about gossip and envy. You don’t have to ask God for wisdom on if you should forgive someone who has hurt you. It’s not necessary to ask God if you should get drunk.

The Bible is God’s words. It’s the recording of what he did, what he stands for, what we should do with our lives, what to avoid. It’s the explanation of HIS heart.

It has survived centuries of persecution and attack. Some people hate the BIble and want it destroyed.

If you question the power of the Bible it might help you to know:

The Bible is powerful! God speaks to us through it.

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