Posts Tagged 'ministry'

Weakness

Published May 13, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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My roommate in college got cancer, became weak and eventually died. My biological father also got cancer, became weak and eventually died. It’s inevitable. We all have a shelf life. Our body’s become weak and someday, we die. Death is a result of our weakness… our shortcomings… the inability to to fight off “the death blow”. Something takes over and causes the body to shut down.

When you die you are utterly helpless, without any power or strength.

That something, that weakness, is sin. Sin is shortcoming. Sin is a weakness we all have. Think about it. Weakness is a state of being utterly helpless, without power or strength. That’s death. When you die you are utterly helpless, without any power or strength.

In the book of Genesis (an account on how the world came to be), Adam and Eve choose to sin in the garden. Because of their sin, the consequences to breaking God’s laws were that they would eventually become sick (weak) with the disease of sin and die. They choose it by disobeying God’s security. Not only did they choose it, it was passed down from generation to generation to all their offspring (you and I).

Adam and Eve choose to sin, therefore… we all die (“As in Adam, all die…” 1 Corinthians 15:22).

In our weak condition (our sin) we are helpless because we have no one who will come to our rescue. Maybe in life we have the consequence of sin which is death. But wait… what if there is a cure for death. Don’t get me wrong, you still have to go through dying. However, what if there is a cure once death has been “diagnosed”? What if you have to take the medicine before the diagnosis?

The Apostle Paul says that God (the creator) gave His Son (Jesus) who we have a choose to believe in (trust – the remedy for death) to overcome the weakness which is our sin. In that belief, the antidote for the diagnosis that we know is coming, Jesus gives a gift (counselor and guide) on how to live, how overcoming the weakness that causes death and live in such a way that will prepare us to spend an eternity with Him.

What if you have to take the medicine before the diagnosis?

Loving this God for His gift of life after death gives us power over weakness that will come. We need not fear when the diagnosis comes because we know that we are already trusting in the remedy – Jesus Christ death and resurrection on the cross.

Are you feeling weak? Let me encourage you with what Jesus offers those who will call upon His name…

What Jesus offers to the weak.

  1. Protection and Support: To reject God means we welcome attacks and ultimately welcome death without a remedy for the disease. To accept Jesus means we welcome a support structure, a cure for death, that only God can provide to protect us when death comes. We often give into sin because we are not protected properly. You must go into the bunker to get away from the storm. “Petitioning your requests to the Lord” (Philippians 4:6). If Jesus is the only one who can die for creation, a perfect cure for an imperfect world, then He is the only one who can give protection to the weak in the ability to overcome death.
  2. The Ability to React Properly: Those without protection and support have no time to respond to an attack because the defenses are down. However, the one who trusts in the Lord wears the armor of God to fight everyday, real life, battles.  “You (Jesus) defend the weak and the fatherless; You (Jesus) uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” Psalm 82:3. Word it this way, “You (Jesus) cure the weak and fatherless; You (Jesus) uphold the cure for the poor and oppressed.”
  3. The Ability to be Controlled and Restrained:  A weak, defenseless person cannot respond properly to temptation and thus lives a life out of control. Again they openly welcome death. However, accessing God’s offering of redemption gives us more than a temporary moment of relief but an eternal standing before God. A cure that lasts an eternity.

“At the right time Christ died for the ungodly… rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.” Romans 5:7

Few people might possibly be willing to die to save the lives of the weak… Jesus went beyond that, Jesus died in the place of the weak, for the ungodly, while we were in our sin and weakness and for His enemies. What kind of God does that? Name one other God that does that for His followers?

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Where you are weak, God makes you strong through the power of Jesus remedy for those diagnosed with death. Will you take the cure in an act of faith and rely on it’ power to daily guide you in the ways you need to go?

-jordan

Vault Conference Notes

Published May 8, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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About Vault: 

Vault is a conference on how to do church … for people who don’t like church. There are many books and conferences on how to grow a “successful” church, but unfortunately they’re not focused on how to reach the unconvinced and cynical. Read more about Vault here.

Speaker: 

Vince Antonucci

Vince Antonucci became a Christian out of a completely non-Christian background and ever since his passion has been reaching the “lostest of the lost.” He was the founding Pastor of Forefront Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a church where 72% of the people who attend were previously unchurched non-Christians. Vince recently moved to Las Vegas where he started a new church, Verve, in the heart of Sin City, just off the Vegas Strip. Vince is the author of I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt (2008), Guerrilla Lovers (2010), and Renegade (2013).

Notes:

Session 1: The Call to Reach God’s Lost Children

  • Vince started by telling his story. Interesting that his mom was Jewish and hs dad was a professional poker player. How in the world did those two meet?
  • God has countless number of lost children wondering around… is anyone going to help these children back to their Father?
  • Jesus message “Return to me.”
  • The mission of every pastor and church planter are not good at helping people get back to God.
  • Does the church truly have an “evangelistic DNA”?
  • We can’t pass on DNA that we don’t have.
  • Don’t lose the rhythm of God’s heartbeat for lost people. How do we get ourselves around lost people?
  • The longer we wait to reach the lost, the harder it is to reach the lost.
  • Churches are like steak restaurants for PETA activists.

Session 2: Programming Church Services for People Who Don’t Like Church

  • Principle 1: Uncross your arms –  Change people’s posture. Help people unfold their arms!
  • Principle 2: Wear their Shoes – How does it feel to go to church when you have never gone their before?
  • Principle 3: Bring a Guest to Dinner – What do you do that’s acceptable to you but hard to swallow to an outsider?
  • Principle 4: Be on Your Game (Joe DiMaggio) – Every service should be done like it’s someone’s first time.
  • Principle 5: Check Your Influences – Are you going to other churches to get things or are you accessing what lost people are interested in in order to change what is secular into something that could be sacred.
  • Principle 6: Use their Culture – What are people engaging in that you can access?
  • Principle 7: Don’t Use Your Culture – Be careful about the assumptions you make, your assumptions make your crowd.
  • Principle 8: Authenticity – Who is this person and is he anything like me? We need to let people access the unconditional love of God.

Session 3: Diving into the Chaos

  • It’s not your job to clean up someone else’s mess. Lead people to experience the love of Jesus and their sins will start to pass away.
  • Create the right conditions to grow which is an arena for grace.
  • It’s easier for most Christians to judge people instead of love people.
  • People who are far from God have been living with the enemy for so long they have forgotten what it’s like to experience the love of God.
  • There will be some people who accept grace as a reason to sin. It’s worth the risk.
  • If people think you like them, they will listen to you.
  • We need to be more comfortable in our communities instead of our churches, involved in people’s lives who need Jesus the most.

Session 4: Radical to Radical

  • If you want a radical follower, you need to find someone who is radically lost.
  • Radically lost people become radical followers of Jesus.
  • We are all about igniting a revolution and not starting another country club.
  • We must be compassionately connected to those far away from the Lord.

Session 5: Questions and Answers

  • Courage comes from a genuine love for people and seeking their best.
  • Courage to talk comes from courage of conviction.Are we offering people a better way of life?
  • What is the most loving way to say things to people?
  • Point people to evidence to help change on a level that is beyond yourself.

Session 6: No Splanga, No Glory

  • You’re willingness to rist is your potential return.
  • When we stare at our risk we are giving into our fear.
  • Lives are impacted when we do things for the kingdom of God.
  • It’s totally worth doing what God wants you to do. Stare at potential return and it will help you overcome fear.

An Excerpt from Henri Nouwen on faith: “The Flying Rodleighs are trapeze artists who perform in the German circus Simoneit-Barum. When the circus came to Freiburg two years ago, my friends Franz and Reny invited me and my father to see the show. I will never forget how enraptured I became when I first saw the Rodleighs move through the air, flying and catching as elegant dancers. The next day, I returned to the circus to see them again and introduced myself to them as one of their great fans. They invited me to attend their practice sessions, gave me free tickets, asked me to dinner, and suggested I travel with them for a week in the near future. I did, and we became good friends.

“One day, I was sitting with Rodleigh, the leader of the troupe, in his caravan, talking about flying. He said, ‘As a flyer, I must have complete trust in my catcher. The public might think that I am the great star of the trapeze, but the real star is Joe, my catcher. He has to be there for me with split-second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump.’ ‘How does it work?’ I asked. ‘The secret,’ Rodleigh said, ‘is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When I fly to Joe, I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me and pull me safely over the apron behind the catchbar.’

“ ’You do nothing!’ I said, surprised. ‘Nothing,’ Rodleigh repeated. ‘The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. I am not supposed to catch Joe. It’s Joe’s task to catch me. If I grabbed Joe’s wrists, I might break them, or he might break mine, and that would be the end for both of us. A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.’

“When Rodleigh said this with so much conviction, the words of Jesus flashed through my mind: ‘Father into your hands I commend my Spirit.’ Dying is trusting in the catcher. To care for the dying is to say, ‘Don’t be afraid. Remember that you are the beloved child of God. He will be there when you make your long jump. Don’t try to grab him; he will grab you. Just stretch out your arms and hands and trust, trust, trust.’ ”

Great day drinking from a fire hydrant.

-jordan

The Proposal

Published April 15, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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A friend of mine asked me a month back to let him propose at church. We sat down over dumbbells to plan the scenario. With little interference from his soon to be bride we were ready for action.  Yesterday he popped the question using great form and perfect timing. Not only did she say “yes”, he got a standing ovation.

ovation

The Proposal

Standing ovations are awesome.

The standing “O” makes you feel like you’re doing the right thing. While a human audience’s applause only last a moment, God’s glorious applause for His people lasts an eternity.

As my friend asked his soon to be bride for her hand, the congregation saw an outward action of an internal change. God was on “His feet” because he is in the process of learning what Scripture teaches, living it out realistically, and giving the credit back to God.

Many times we will try and live out what we think we know is best and then go back after a downfall to learn what God’s work teaches on the subject. To make matters worse, if we did consult the scriptures, we will often give ourselves the credit! Double fault! Living out what we think is best and giving credit to ourselves for victories limits God’s favor and silence His applause.

Give Credit and Achieve Impossible

In short, we must learn to give credit where credits due.

As John said, “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30) That means I learn the truths in the Bible, I live it them out and I give credit to the Lord. In order to truly believe that God will step to help us, His people who believe in Him through faith by the blood of Jesus on the cross, remember that our outward actions are symbolic of what is going on inside, and when we are overcome for Christ, we give God the glory He rightly deserves.

This is how you mature in a relationship with your creator.

Have you ever received a standing ovation? Would you like to get one everyday? Learn God’s Word, live it out and give credit to him for letting you have access to His glorious plan. After all, a heavenly ovation trumps human applause any day of the week!

-jordan

The Rewire

Published March 11, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Rewiring is not only essential to getting information and power back to the people; it’s vital to us growing in our spiritual walk with the Lord. Internal rewiring is a concept that consists of going back into our memories to see where negative feelings and emotions have caused pain.  If we can see where our emotions stem there can be great change in the future. While rewiring can be painful, if we are willing to open ourselves to identify internal pain, the freedom obtained will change the course of the future. Imagine being free… Imagine healing and restoration. It’s possible.

Identify the problem can take some time and honesty.

STEP 1: Identification – The first step involves identification of what negative emotion you re actually experiencing.  Is it unhealthy anger, pride, resentment, loneliness, guilt? What exactly is the emotion causing the main issues in your life? If you are experiencing anger, then you need to understand the first and foremost you’re angry. When we’re aware of our emotions and willing to accept that these emotions exist, that is exactly where at a place where God can use this the most.

NOTE: Sometimes we can identify negative emotions and sometimes it takes the voice of another. Identification also means that we are honest with ourselves when these emotions are presented. This means that identification could come from our own knowledge or a result from hearing the same thing from various people in different situations and circumstances.

The rewire can be done alone but it’s better to enlist help.

STEP 2: The Rewire – Once the emotion is acknowledged, we can now retrace or rewire back to where these emotions stemmed. This involves starting at the most recent event or occurrence the emotion occurred and then tracing back days, weeks, months, and even years to how long this emotion has been prevalent.

NOTE: Understand that this is the most effective when these timelines are written down in a tangible format (think journal, piece of paper, etc.). To actually be able to visually see an emotion and how it has taken root in the soul is what ultimately helps us become free.

Find out the trigger that fires the gun and you can stop the bullet.

STEP 3: Trigger – To deal with an emotion and properly run another “clean” wire means that we will look openly and honestly at what exactly triggers these emotions and terminate them immediately.

NOTE: Understand that some emotions can be tied to people, some emotions can be tied to places, and some emotions can be tied to things. When one identifies these people, places, or things that cause these emotional triggers they then can see what needs to be released from their life.

Radical transformation takes radical amputation.

STEP 4:  Terminate – The last of the rewiring is extremely challenging, involving a radical amputation of whatever has caused these specific emotions. In situations that are extreme one may need to move from house, eliminate a relationship (not spouses), or throw out/give away material items such as computers, cars, possessions, etc. We see this a lot with people who smoke cigarettes, as they are encouraged to get rid of their vehicle if they have smoked in that specific automobile. Again, one must understand that this takes either great personal dedication or enlisting the help of someone else.

It’s possible to rewire but understand it takes time, patients, an open mind, and lot of help. You were not born to live with negative emotions from scars in the past. That’s what Christ restores to the broken when they identify, rewire, trigger and terminate what is causing unrest. Allow people to hold you accountable and seek the opportunity to do the hard things to make big change.

You can do it. There is no better time than now.

-jordan

Exercises of Implementation

Published February 18, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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We can have all the knowledge in the world in our mind but without implementation, understanding is useless. Implementation means that we participate in certain exercises to “live out” what we know. Let’s look at four exercises to see how we can implement our internal knowledge.

Workouts are not just limited to the physical.

Exercise #1: Conscious Engagement

Conscious Engagement is the art of visually seeing your surroundings enough to engage the people selectively in your environment. Why engage selectively? Shouldn’t we evaluate the whole? A selective analysis will show that one will get better results if he or she would engage committed people.  Committed people who work hard are worth your time as they not only have a passion for the same things you do but often have perspectives you are unable to see due to leadership demands.

After consciously engaging a selective audience, it is best to then retaliate.  A true leader will then think through all ideas and make a decision regarding what would be best in order to execute properly. Remember, in engaging others you are not asking for specific answers but gauging a temperature in a certain environment.  If we do not engage consciously, we will not execute effectively.

Exercise #2: Devoted Discipline

A true leader loves discipline.  The Bible says in Psalm 94:12 “Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law.” Proverbs states “fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Proverbs 1:7) Discipline means that we stay focused on a specific task remembering how committed we are to accomplishing that goal. An individual fully devoted to discipline is one who is willing to eliminate whatever surrounds them at the current moment causing distraction (this involves people just as much as objects).

People will achieve greatness because they focus on methods and actions that will ultimately highlight particular activities they are involved in. Find out what is causing distractions and eliminate the problem. This is not something one should apologize for as this action can often be done gracefully. Remember, to be foolish is to live out of control and to be blessed is to welcome restraint.

Exercise #3: See it Through

Seeing something through is about being devoted to accomplishing an objective. Often times we do not succeed because we failed to see something through in being disciplined. While one may not be happy at the current moment because of engaging others in a disciplined way, the outcome has monumental rewards. A great way to see something through is to monitor and measure personal progress.

Personally, I write everything down.  This includes, workouts, to-do lists, schedules, meeting notes, etc. Everything I do has some sort of paper trail, as it is vital to seeing a project to completion. While taking notes is great, one also needs to show up, take action, complete assignments, and be committed.

Exercise #4: Get Help

Getting help means finding someone to hold you accountable.  All execution involves someone behind that individual cheering them on, making sure that person is staying on task. The key to accountability is having the right people in the right place for specific results.

It can take months, even years to get into a trust-based relationship where someone is making sure that we have a clear understanding of responsibilities and objectives. Accountability starts with trust.  Hat means we trust that someone is going to seek out best. In order to find someone whom you trust means that you consciously engage your environment.

seriously…

Now that sounds like a familiar concept.

-jordan

Multitasking Mistakes

Published February 11, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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In elementary school and much in the junior high school there were various complaints on the pace my completed assignments. The thoughts of rushing to complete a test because someone turned his or hers in before me are still crystal clear. The to-do-list was much too important than the tasks on the paper. Forget the individual items getting completed properly, that list needed to get done.

In my immaturity and years of learning to discipline myself to slow down the pace of learning, there was a realization that rushing to complete the list is not always the most beneficial fixation.

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” -Anatole France

If the tasks are accomplished properly, to the best of my ability, the satisfaction of completing the list when accomplished will be twice as great.

If we would slow down and focus on executing objectives at a proper place, to the best of our abilities, we would not only be benefiting ourselves, but ultimately bring glory to God because we are taking pride in our work and focusing all our efforts to one centralized place.

We often lose our momentum due to our distraction. Multitasking has replaced fixation. The focus on executing the “get it all done” mentality has declined the overall quality of our work. Listen, what happens if you don’t get all done? What would happen if one task gets completed to the best of your ability? Which one is better? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to complete an assignment to the best of your ability instead of doing ten other objectives half way?

In honing in on a task to the best of our ability, you need to be aware of the under current of change. Change is the proper route in self-improvement. Think about a professional athlete. Do you think they got to the big game as a 10-year-old? Not even close. They made it to the big stage because they worked on one skill at a time until they mastered it and moved on to the next. They had coaching talking through each step of their weakness and making small adjustments to master their position.

We all need the same.

Life is like a camera. Focus on what’s important and you’ll capture it perfectly.

What are some goals in your life? What are some small items that need completed properly in order to achieve those goals? Who do you need to come help coach you? Who needs to make small adjustments so that you can master one, central skill?

There’s a good chance if you rush the road to success you will eventually find yourself back in the box of doing many wrong items extremely well. In order to be great for the kingdom of God, understanding that changing yourself to avoid multi-tasking, focusing on accomplishing one thing well, and slowing your pace is key.

May you see the value and appreciate the value of learning in continuously improving on who you are, in the proper time, at the proper pace.

-jordan

The Seven in Submission

Published February 4, 2013 Uncategorized 1 Comment
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Submissive. That word never really sat right with me. I always thought the Bible used the word to reference how a woman should conduct herself in a marriage relationship. To me the word never had much weight for a man or even a leader.

Wrong.

Titus Three

Submissive has many implications for the life of the Christian, a leader, and men and women in the kingdom of God. While wives are to indeed be submissive to their husband, Paul gave seven qualities in Titus 3 on how Christians can honor the Lord through submission.

  1. Submit to Rulers and Authorities: This is not always easy. Being submissive to authority is to be submissive to God by practicing self-control. It’s easy to sin in avenging an unjust ruler, however, controlling ourselves and living a disciplined life means that we know God is in control. He will gives us His voice when needed to help be a biblical change in the right time and way.
  2. Submit in Obedient: Obedience is tied to being disciplined following the rulers and authorities put in place. While God doesn’t call you to compromise on His Word, He does call you to be obedient to laws in place that are proper for righteous living.
  3. Submit to What is Good: Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand, that we should walk in them.”  When we do good, we ultimately honor Jesus Christ because of our good works are a response to the acceptance of eternal life. Let us walk in those good deeds! These “works” bring honor and glory to the kingdom of God, as we are obedient and submissive.
  4. Submit to Slander No One: In our day we understand that slander is insecurity. There is no honoring the Lord if you have to cut down another. When we speak against our brothers and sisters in Christ were actually defiling the Lord doing what is false and foolish in the eyes of the kingdom of God.
  5. Submit to be Peaceful: Paul sums up his last couple of points with some really good things to consider. He tells us that we should be “peaceable”, meaning we are to be disposed to piece. In other words, Paul says we are to eliminate drama by acting like Christ. A Christian is marked by the freedom he has in Christ through the gospel, which gives a peace like no other.
  6. Submit to be Considerate: Much like peace, being considerate is another mark of the Christian in regards to being submissive to authority. Being considerate means that we are “given to careful consideration”. To be considerate means that we give thought to the feelings of others and strive to understand where somebody has been.  A Considerate Christian wants to see people become more like Jesus, not stay lost in his or her sin.
  7. Submit to Show True Humility: Paul concludes by telling us that we are to show true humility toward all men. The Christian should be an influence for good in the community that’s around him or her. When you are humble, you’re like Christ. When you are like Christ, you’re maximizing impact for the kingdom of God.

Seven traits of a submissive Christian. This is the hope and strength that we need in order to win our community to Jesus Christ and reach the world near and far for the Gospel.

Seriously.

What are you in submission to?

-jordan

Backyard Battlefield

Published January 28, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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In my younger years the neighbor kids and I used to play army in the backyards of our neighborhood. We would chase each other around glorious gardens shooting make-believe bad guys with artificial ammunition. We were soldiers. Warriors. We loved every minute of our fairy tale firefight.

Kids playing war outside

While my friends loved hand-to-hand combat, my own internal exhilaration came after moving troops in various directions. In the heat of battle I barked orders in the heat of imaginary firepower. My fellow soldiers would then go out and win the war under my direction. I hated fighting on the front lines. They loved it. I would rather be in the background tactically figuring our how demolish the enemy while they put in the blood and sweat on the battlefield. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I fought but my passion was in the tactical approach.

I’m sure you might be thinking how much of a pansy I was for not going our to
slay the imaginary enemy. Thanks for the confidence. However, the friends on
the frontline loved every minute of being in the battle while I loved being on the back lines. After some time there was a realization that evaluating the situations as a whole gave a better ability to be victorious by attacking the enemy in the right way. They needed me to scout out the enemy. They needed a leader.

People need a leader.

We all do. In life some people want to be on the front lines while others would
rather facilitate victories. There are leaders on the frontlines of hand-to-hand combat and there are leaders who gather various points of view to maximize the potential of the team.

People needs a leader

Remember Jesus? Remember Jesus sending out the twelve disciples? He sends them out, giving them “authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” (Matthew 10:2). He doesn’t have to be on that front line because the disciples are going to experience a better victory if they are faithful with the orders from their captain. They know the the mission is going to be one of great difficulty. Jesus himself says, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.” (Matthew 10:17)

What a rush; for both sides!

What am I getting at here? I’m glad you asked.

There are so many implications for these two stories. The question I would ask is, “Who are you?” Do you like being on the front lines or are you more of a background leader who facilitates through stimulating, listening, observing, capturing, promoting, clarifying, and summarizing? How has God gifted you?

If you’re a frontline leader keep fighting and taking direction from your superiors. Your captain is most honored when you follow his directions closely and carry out the mission in precise detail. If you’re a back line leader, don’t lead with your opinions. Draw out conclusions from the people you are leading through listening and learning so that when you do need to summon an attack you can state your position with more conviction and clarity.

“War is an art and as such is not susceptible of explanation by fixed formula.” General George Patton Jr

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12

-jordan

Driven

Published January 14, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Friday nights at a Christian Colleges can be interesting. There are two types of activities people embrace when the weekend hits. The first person is a social butterfly. They go hang out with friends leaving homework in the dust. Sunday will come soon enough. It’s time to relax, go to sporting events, laugh, and joke around.  Everything can wait. The other character can be found nestled in a library or dorm room meticulously doing homework or working on a project that “needs finished”. They are trying to get ahead of the game. They want to work. It fuels something driving them within.

Question: What do you do on a Friday night?

While I love people with all my heart and I enjoy their company immensely, if there’s an unfinished agenda on the table that needs completed, I find the time to get it done. This is a sacrificial act. There are times when people are out on the town, embracing fun filled festivities, or even sleeping, while I find myself locked in concentration. At the time it’s brutal to know other people are out having a good time, but in the long run I know that a good time is better when the work is done first.

As my father said, “Work in the beginning, play when it’s over.”

It doesn’t matter what type of personality God gave you, everyone who wants to succeed. The fact of the matter is some want it more than others. Personal development comes in the form of discipline. This discipline starts slowly. When the time put into development increases, a leader immerges. Michael Andrew once said, “the person who consistently stays one step ahead of the issue… demonstrates leadership”.

I don’t waste my life on meaningless endeavors. Getting a virtual character to a imaginary level in a video games that bears no spiritual or eternal significance is pointless. Reading a meaningless book or magazine has never been appealing. My mind is focused on learning what matters and that has come with striving to be disciplined. The goal has always been to take who I am and turn it into who I can be. While there is time to rest and enjoy, the time learning and developing makes us into the people we can become.

It’s amazing to think about what God would find meaningless in our world…

Paul stated that he disciplined his body and kept it under control, so he would not find himself disqualified.  (1 Corinthians 9:27) Paul would not let his body master him. He denied himself rightful privileges and pleasures (1 Corinthians 8:9) for a greater good (1 Corinthians 10:33).

What about you? Are you spending your life simply enjoying what life has to offer? Do you find yourself frustrated because you constantly give into what the world has to offer? God’s yoke may be easy but it takes discipline to truly unlock the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit.

Like Paul we must to be concerned with continuance of running the Christian race well, learning whatever we can along the way. There is nothing worse than a wasted mind. We must be disciplined to do exactly the opposite of what the world does to find ourselves in line with God’s Word.

What would you rather be, ahead with what the world has to offer or one step closer to accessing the kingdom of God.  To walk with the Lord may means that you have to take a Friday night away once and awhile but don’t worry, the joy comes in the morning!

“Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, whether you like it or not.” Thomas Henry Huxley

“Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.“ Deuteronomy 8:5

-jordan

Your Greatest Gift

Published January 7, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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From the time I discovered speaking, chatter consumed my life. The instrument of voice was instantly used to echo personal thoughts off every wall, in every room, off every structure I inhabited. Elementary school consisted of yelling the most random statements in lunch lines, on field trips, and other odd places. There was no “inside voice” or even a desire to whisper properly.  Teachers were quick to point out my favorite instrument may very well be a curse.

Devastation.

In Junior High and High School my voice was only engaged in private arenas. The thought that the voice was a weakness was to much to publically display. Therefore, the art of mastering raising tones, articulating pitch, and adjusting volume was done quietly to maximize future public impact. The “curse” must become a craft.

This is probably what I looked like to a lot of grown ups when I was a little kid.

After a year of switching majors in college, a communication degree was the goal. What was done in private would now become public. The voice would go under scrutiny. Feedback would be administered from professionals who were masters at using their mechanism properly. These men focused on my voice, spoke about their own experiences that matched up with my own. They offered suggestions on tweaks while treating me like a person who wasn’t cursed but blessed with a God given ability. They correctly handled untapped potential. Cast a thrown lump of clay into a blazing fire. This experience changed my life forever.

It took over twenty years to take what others thought was a weakness and revolve it into God given ability (and it’s still being tweaked and developed to this day!).

In life we are often most sensitive about what we are most passionate.  What we are most passionate comes from a resource that is often untapped.  That resource is often what one thinks is weakness. We concealed our passions because we often let others limit our potential because of the amount of difficulty it will take to make something weak into something amazing.

“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless” Isaiah 40:19

Have you ever thought that your greatest weakness might just be your greatest gift?

Improvement is never easy. It takes a lifetime to master your skill. A pianist never sits down in front of a full arena the first time they play the instrument.  A runner works for months just to cut down on seconds.  A factory worker may work for years just to move up one position on the cooperate ladder. These actions and desires to be better come with sacrifice and are often met with criticism.  “It’s not possible,” they will say. “Just give up,” they will murmur. However, the determined one never stops making weakness ability. They learn, indulge, consume and correct.

The old saying is true, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”  Neither were you. God has given you gifts.  Others may see those gifts as weakness. Don’t buy into the lie.  With the proper attitude, training and determination you can take turn insecurity into a powerful God honoring instrument.

Why are you so scared to take that weakness into a passion? “Don’t be afraid,” says the Lord. “Have faith!” whispers the Holy Spirit. I read somewhere that Michael Jordan lost almost 300 games, blowing the game winning shot 26 times. Paul, Peter, Timothy, even Jesus Christ Himself delivered the Gospel to people who rejected it. However, the passion for the gift sparked the ability to take a personal weakness into a potential powerhouse.

What are some things right now that needs tailored or adjusted that you personally think are weakness? This may take time, energy, resources, etc. However, let God do the heavy lifting.  You simply say, “I’ll go… send me”. Think about the possibilities if we utter those words when God says go! Never tell God wait, later or I’ll get to it. Answer the Lord with “here am I… send me”. This attitude will change your life forever. Remember, the best part of doing what God has gifted us to do is that we never have to go at it alone.

“My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.” Michael Jordan

“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” Isaiah 40:19

-jordan

Daily Motivation

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