The Door

It was just a broken door, but I couldn't keep my mouth shut. When I was a campus minister at FSU, I traveled and spoke in lots of different churches. Some churches would even invite me back. One church invited me back for five years in a row. As I entered the church building for the first time, I was greeted by a sign that said, “This door is broken, please use the other door.” Things happen, and they can’t always be repaired immediately. They invited me back the next year. When I arrived the second year, I found the same sign and the same broken door. This occurred again for the third, fourth, and fifth year. Then it happened. I could not keep my mouth shut. When I see things that need to be repaired, I think it should be done. I said, “I have been coming for five years and that front door has been broken for over five years. Don’t you think it is time to get it fixed?” Apparently, I said the wrong thing. I did not get invited back the next year. 

One thing that I often found as I traveled from church to church over the years is that the physical state of the facilities is usually an indication of the inner workings of the church. If they put up with a broken door that you walked by every Sunday, what is the condition of the things that you can’t see like the finances and record keeping or keeping track of the sheep. 

Jesus reminded us to be faithful in the small things and he would entrust us with more. Maybe the reason this church was struggling was that they had not been faithful in the small things. That door was a clear indication that they didn’t deal with problems well. For over 250 Sundays, that door screamed that no one cared enough to take care of a problem that was in clear view. What were the other problems that might be lurking behind the scenes that needed attention. 

One adjustment that we can all benefit from is looking for problems and taking steps to handle the issues. This adjustment could be used in our personal lives, businesses, and our churches. If we dealt with one challenge a week, we could make huge changes over a year. 

By the way, the next time I visited that church two years later, the door was fixed.

The old and familiar is an anchor for the soul.

 

Kathy and I recently saw a Beatles Tribute Show. It was a fun show. The crowd was mostly our age.  Most of us had probably not listened to this music in years, but when the music started the words just flowed from our lips. Not only did the words come back, so did the memories like sitting on the couch with my  family and watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.  The evening brought back a flood of memories and emotions. 

Kathy and I were visiting a church in north Georgia. They have a blended service. That means they have some of the new songs and some of the old and familiar hymns. I am a huge fan of most of the new worship songs. I was not prepared for my reaction that day to one of the old and familiar hymns. We sang Great Is Thy Faithfulness. As we began to sing, it took me back to Southeast Christian Church in Orlando where I grew up. We sang that song there often.  It reminded me of the faithfulness of God to me through that church and those who invested in my life as a young person. It wasn’t long before I felt tears running down my face because I was reminded of God’s faithfulness to me over 50 years ago.

A number of years ago, someone told me that the old and familiar was an anchor for the soul. I am not sure of the origin of that nugget of wisdom, but it sounds like something Fred Craddock would say.  That morning in the north Georgia church that old and familiar hymn ministered to my soul as it reminded me of a lifetime of God’s faithfulness. 

Me A Basketball Coach?

I didn’t see this coming. The men’s basketball coach at Point University asked me to help with the basketball team this year. For those who know me, you can stop laughing now. If you don’t know me, I have no basketball ability. It is good to know that God still has a sense of humor. 

Please understand that I won’t be teaching them the fundamentals of dribbling because in my world that involves the feet (soccer - the real football). I am going to be a character coach for his team. You might look at it like being a chaplain for the basketball team. I was surprised to be asked and even more surprised to find an organization, Nations of Coaches, who was dedicated to helping basketball coaches and character coaches train and disciple basketball players. 

I went to the Nations of Coaches marriage retreat and got another surprise. Greg Smalley was the speaker; and he did an awesome job, but that did not surprise me. In talking with one of the coaches, I was surprised when he talked about the original purpose of basketball. Here it is - “Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, held an inspiring vision for the game to change lives and “win men for the Master through the gym.”

To say that I am out of my league is an understatement. I love college students, sports, and Jesus. I believe God can work with that. We have 19 incredible young men. There is the potential to win a lot of games with the talent we have. At the same time, there is even a greater potential to win people for Christ and change the world through these men. 

You can help me by praying for this team, the coaches, and my work as the character coach. When it is all said and done, I believe that the one who has called me to this task is faithful and he will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24). You can be a part of this great work through your prayers.  

Adjustments Needed

My motto is “life is adjustable.”  If you have more month than money, you have to adjust your spending to match your income. When the waistline begins to expand, you will need to adjust to a healthier diet.  You might find that you are being a little snippy with people. That means you might have to adjust your attitude. A friend of mine got a couple of speedy tickets. He needed to adjust his driving. If we are honest, we all need to make some adjustments to our lives. There is a great story about a woman who needed to adjust her life in Luke 10:38-42.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” 

Martha’s first mistake was comparison. She told Jesus that she was working hard, and that Mary was just sitting around. We often compare our lives to others. Typically, we find a person to compare our lives to who will make us look good. Martha’s first adjustment would be not to compare her life to anyone else's and to keep her focus on Jesus. 

There is an old saying that describes Martha’s second issue - Too much time in the kingdom and not enough time with the King. It said she was distracted with all the preparations. While it doesn’t say the exact distractions, I imagine she was distracted by food preparations. She wanted them to eat well. Food was never an issue for Jesus. If needed, Jesus could have provided food for everyone. Gordon MacDonald, in his book Ordering Your Private World, talks about the barrenness of busyness. Jesus warns Martha about that in this story.   

 Martha’s third misstep was not having a priority. We often say, I have to get my priorities straight. Jesus teaches that there is only one priority in Matthew 6:33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Jesus tells Mary that there is only one priority, and that is him. If you get that priority straight, everything else will be good.

“Life is adjustable” is my motto. When I read a story like this and apply it to my life, I automatically see the adjustments that I need to make. 1) Stop comparing my life to others and focus on Jesus. 2) Beware of the barrenness of busyness. 3) Make sure Jesus is the priority in my life. If I make these adjustments, I will have chosen what was better like Mary. 

Adjusting to Shine Brightly

    There is an old saying that reminds us that we won’t make our candle any brighter by blowing out someone else’s candle. Another way this truth has been explained is that no one has ever become skinny by calling someone else fat. If we are honest, this is when we try to make ourselves look good without doing the hard work of adjusting our lives to be better. Our goal is to magnify someone else’s flaws so that we will look good. It most often ends with us selling ourselves as the solution and becoming the savior of the situation. 

    Through the years, I have watched people use this method as a way to seize power. They usually paint someone as the villain or incompetent. Then they point to themselves as the one who can save the day. Paul has something to say about this type of action. He warns us about what he calls unwholesome talk in Ephesians 4:29. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. If I understand unwholesome talk correctly, it is talk that we might use to put someone else’s candle out so that we will look good. Paul says to adjust our talk to build others up. If you have been a victim of someone trying to put out your candle, you know how hard it is not to respond with your own candle-extinguishing words. That should not be the way a Christ-follower responds.

    
In our super competitive world, it is easy to slip into this type of unwholesome talk. As a Christ follower, I must find a way to shine bright and help others shine brightly for our Lord. Paul tells us how to shine for our king in Philippians 2:14-15.  Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.  If we shine brightly and others shine brightly, we will show more people the way to Jesus. That is what God calls us to do.  

  

 

Ego is the Enemy - Part 2

I want to continue with a few more quotes from Ego is the Enemy. This book has challenged me to look hard at my ego and to make adjustments to reduce my pride and increase my humility.  

• If success is ego intoxication, then failures can be a devastating ego blow - turning slips into falls and little troubles into great unravelings. If ego is often just a nasty side of great success, it can be fatal during failure. page 161 

• Bill Walsh says, “Almost always, your road to victory goes through a place called failure.” page 165 

• Vain men never hear anything but praise. page 197

• Anyone can win. But not everyone is the best possible version of themselves. page 197

• When you take ego out of the equation, other people’s opinions and external markers won’t matter as much. page 198

• As Harold Geneen put it, “People learn from their failures. Seldom do they learn anything from success.” It’s why the old Celtic saying tells us, “See much, study much, suffer much, that is the path to wisdom.” page 209

It is well worth your time to read this book if you are willing to let it do some serious surgery on your ego. 

Ego is the Enemy

I recently read Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. It is a very challenging book that makes you think hard about who you are. While his book is not based on the Bible, his view of ego, pride, and humility align with God’s Word. I thought I would share a few quotes from the book that caused me to make adjustments in my life.

• Talking and doing fight for the same resources. page 26

• Genghis Khan groomed his sons and generals to succeed him later in life, he repeatedly warned them,  “If you can’t swallow your pride, you can’t lead.” page 77

• “The first product of self-knowledge is humility,” Flannery O’Connor once said. page 77

• Success is intoxicating, yet to sustain it requires sobriety. page 99  

• Ego tells us that meaning comes from activity, that being the center of attention is the only way to matter. page 139

I will share more from Ego is the Enemy in a few days.