Do You Have New Stories?

Sometimes as a communicator there is a temptation to use old examples that I’ve used before as illustrations in a message. One night at one of our ENCM meetings at FSU, I was using an evangelistic example I had used before in a message. It had been a long time since I had used it and most of the students had probably never heard that example, but as I was speaking and telling the story, the Holy Spirit just whispered, “Why don’t you have any new stories?”

I felt like I just got smacked in the face. I was reminded of this last night watching an interview on TV with a prominent Christian pastor. I’ve heard him say this same story at least 3 times and I don’t even go to his church. It just reminded me, if we are really living a life that proclaims the gospel, there should never be a shortage of new stories.

Are you living your life in such a way that you don’t have to tell old stories over and over?

You Can’t Outrun Sin

You may have heard about the academic cheating scandal that has tormented my beloved Seminoles. If not, you can read the latest here. I’m not gonna blog about how ridiculous and overbearing the NCAA is as an orgnization, I want to talk about the actions themselves and what we can learn from them.

I can see it happening like this. Some student athletes were taking a test in class and the TA happened to help them out a little too much. Everyone giggled and commented about how awesome this TA was. Little did they know or even dream of the ramifications this thing done in secrecy could have on the entire school.

They probably weren’t thinking that records they very may well stand forever in college football regarding coaching wins are now in jeopardy, national championships could be stripped from the school in addition to loss of scholarships and other penalities.

Isn’t that the way sin is, the little things we do in secret will eventually catch up and be brought into the light. It may take some time for it to happen, but don’t worry it will. The little “white” lies we say, the gossipping, the manipulation will catch up with you.

No matter how hard you run, you will never outrun your sin.

Who you are in secret is who you really are. You are not the polished person that people see at work or on Sunday mornings. Let’s make sure we take holiness and character serious, otherwise we’ll pay for it one day.

I hope and pray that by the end of my life and my family’s life, the man I really am and the family we are will come forth and that I will never have anything to hide or be ashamed of.

The Blinding Light Of Positivity

I am a cup is half full kind of guy which many people would regard as a good thing. By nature I’m not a pessimist or a skeptic, I generally believe people and take them for their word.

Over the years I’ve realized you can’t always do that. One thing I’ve seen and witnessed time and time again in the media, in business, in church, in any organization, is that positivity can be a blinding force that actually keeps us from the truth.

I’ve been asking myself, are there any areas where I need to take that blinding light and point it in the other direction so that I can better deal with reality?

I’m not saying become a negative, pessimistic, skeptic. I’m just saying lower your lumens so you can see reality.

I Think I Have A Problem

Amy and I have been talking about eating at Paula Deen’s restaurant, Lady & Son’s, in Savannah, GA for a long time. By the way, if you don’t know who Paula Deen is, you should be deported from our great nation. I had heard stories of the long lines and the legend grew in my mind over the years. Every year on the way to our Campus Harvest Conference in Raleigh, NC that we take our students to every year, I would always drive up 95 and dream of butter and fried stuff. My stomach would growl and then curse me for not eating there.

The thing is Savannah is about 20 minutes east of 95 and you have to be there around 8:30 in the morning to make a reservation for that specific day, you can’t call in reservations. So on the way back from our Every Nation North American Conference in D.C. last week, we started talking about it in the car again. As we were driving down 95, we made a few phone calls and struck out. We didn’t have our kids with us and we decide if ever there was a time, then now was it.

I could not take this anymore! So we veered off of the fast highway and sped over the big suspension bridge to get into Savannah. Our nerves were racing, the fear of the unknown was gripping our hearts! We pulled up to the restaurant and I dropped Amy off @ 12:30 to stand in line while I looked for a parking spot against the recommendations of the restaurant of just walking up to try and eat there.

Low and behold the favor of the Lord must have rested on my precious, beautiful wife. It pays to marry a beautiful woman. We got in, they turned away a bigger group in front and then let us in. Praise erupted from my soul! I was about to have sweet communion with Paula Deen! Then my heart stopped beating for a moment because it knew of the food that was about to enter the large oraface on the bottom of my head.

I ordered the buffet, cause I am a man. Amy ordered a tilapia sandwich with peach sauce. Both of our meals were fantastic and the hoe cakes were amazing. If you don’t know what they are they are kind of like a pancake version of cornbread. AMAZING! Amy had some chicken fried potatoes which were potato slices dipped in batter and then fried. Can you say heart attack? I had a hodge podge of many southern foods. Fried chicken, mac and cheese, potatoes and gravy, rice, green beans and a few other things. Dessert was also included with my meal and I had some banana pudding that was great and included the bananas being caramelized. We also ordered two of the 40, yes 40 different flavors of gooey butter cakes.

If you are ever driving on 95 and would like to roll the dice and try and get in, I would recommend it. If you’re ever in Savannah and you don’t go, you should be publicly tar and feathered. This is an experience every American should partake in. Paula, if you ever read this, please invite me to come eat for special events with dignitaries and celebrities and send me lots of your food.

So if you’re wondering why I titled my blog post, “I think I have a problem.” Its because we took a two hour excursion just to eat food. What do you think, would you have done it too? Or do I have a problem?

How The Irish Saved Civilization

This book is by Thomas Cahill. I’ll just be straight up, he is way more intelligent than me. I think I need to read a World History for Dummies book. He referenced so many battles and wars that I should totally know that I didn’t have a clue of.

The original reason I read this book was in preparation for a message I did at my church,  Every Nation Tallahassee on St. Patrick. A large majority of this book is about St. Patrick and his influence in the nation of Ireland. Just in case you were wondering, St. Patrick was a baller. I think I’m gonna get tatted up with something Celtic, cause he’s a bad…..yeah he’s that awesome.

I’m not gonna type it all, it would be way to long, if you want some of the history and my application just go listen to my message right here.

But the book itself is pretty intellectual, so prepare to have your cranium expanded if you want to take on this beast. The best thing about this book is that its just an unbelievable testimony to the sovereignty of God over the nations of the earth and the spreading of the gospel.

God is at work everywhere and in all nations, this book is an awesome story to seeing how God used a barbaric people of warring clans to turn the world upside down and literally save civilization. They scribed, preserved documents that would have otherwise been lost and spread the gospel all over the globe, breaking down so many paradigms in the church.

They also brew some fantastic beer, I mean I’ve heard they make good beer. Anyways, the church universal would not be what it was if it wasn’t for the brave people literally almost two thousand years ago. Here’s to you, hairy, red headed, feisty Irishmen!

Great book, I would highly recommend it, but do a cursory reading of world history first.

Please, Be Decisive

I know I am still in my infancy as a leader but I have learned this. When I first started leading, I wasn’t decisive enough. I would get too much input, I would try and make everybody happy with my decision. It won’t happen. I also had a people pleasing problem, an insecurity problem and lots of other problems too. All these issues played into my issue of not being decisive enough.

If you are a leader, get the appropriate amount of information and then make a decision. Don’t change, don’t wallow, just make the decision. It will only create frustration in those you lead.

I would rather follow someone who I disagree with occasionally than someone who can’t make a decision.

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe

Book review time. This book was by Larry Osborne, who pastors a big church out on the left coast. I heard him speak this year at the Exponential Conference in Orlando this past year and enjoyed it. He’s a veteran guy who has some great perspective.

This book was pretty good. I know that I will differ on some theological stances. He tries to be pretty PC theologically, but you could definitely tell which way he leaned.

I’m not sure I agree with everything he said but he definitely had some very though provoking questions. Just for your interest here are his Top Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe.

1. Faith Can Fix Anything

2. Forgiving Means Forgetting

3. A Godly Home Guarantees Godly Kids (Probably the most provoking chapter for me)

4. God Has A Blueprint For My Life.

5. Christians Shouldn’t Judge

6. Everything Happens For A Reason

7. Let Your conscience Be Your Guide

8. God Brings Good Luck

9. A Valley Means A Wrong Turn

10. Dead People Go To A Better Place.

Execution

I’ve come to believe that one of the things that separates average leaders from amazing leaders is execution. Its an area where I feel God stretching me in my own leadership and I want to go to the next level.

Anybody can have a great idea, but it takes a leader to execute.

I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to be a leader who just is full of hot air and has lots of ideas but never implements. I want to be a  master of execution, not killing people but getting things done.

Principles & Blessings

One thing that makes me feel like I am taking crazy pills in church world is that people live unbiblical lives and violate the principles of scripture then expect God’s blessing.

Its simple, if you mismanage your money, I don’t care how much seed you sow, how many TV preachers you give to that will promise your personal financial breakthrough, how much you confess the word or listen to prosperity messages, you WILL NOT PROSPER! It doesn’t matter how many books you read, it doesn’t matter how many conferences you go to. You will not prosper.

So don’t get mad at God when you rub Him and he doesn’t give you your 3 magical wishes.

You cannot violate the principles of God and expect the blessings of God. Won’t happen. Ever. Get over it and be obedient so He can really bless you.

Weeds & Leadership

I’ve had to do a significant amount of yard work recently to get my yard looking like Disney World so someone will come buy my house.

As I’ve been pulling weeds, which makes me want to buy a house with no landscaping or live in an apartment for the rest of my life, I was meditating on all the freaking weeds that keep popping up in my beds.

First, weeds will always be there, we can spray some weed killer but there will always be some gossip or backbiting that will seep into your organization.

Since they are always growing, we must be masters at tilling and protecting the soil or culture of our organization. Meaning, when something is funky, deal with it. Don’t let it grow, don’t let it get bigger, because it will. Like a weed, it will be out of control quickly if you don’t do something about it.

If you like this analogy, don’t expect many more, I’m tired of yard work. I could use a break for a while.