Who is Wilma Rudolph? Most folks would not easily recognize the name and would have to look it up to learn who she is. Wilma was born in 1941 as the 20th of 22 siblings. She was born premature and would go on to be diagnosed with polio affecting her right leg to the point she would have to wear a special brace and shoe through the age of 9 years old. What makes her special is her determination never to settle and never give up. Despite her handicap, she fought to walk and use her right leg despite the leg brace and special shoe she wore. Her parents though poor did all they could to help her stay determined and encouraged. Wilma would go on to develop her leg to the point of being able to walk and run without the need of a brace, She would go on to become a high school basketball star and go on to win medals in two olympics. Her "never give up" attitude reflects the perspective we all need to take when presented with an obstacle in life seemingly impossible to overcome.
Christ teaches us that all things are possible for those who love the Lord; that greater is He that is in us, then he that is in the world; and that we abide in Him and His word abides in us, we can ask for the desires of our heart and He will provide them. If we are abiding by His word, we will be in the right state of mind to know that nothing is impossible for our heavenly father and thus we will Never Give Up! Just a little advice to go!
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Be Vulnerable in Christ!
Christ proclaims that the truth will set us free in John 8:32, yet for many believers the truth is kept buried in our hearts. We fear the truth because it means being vulnerable. Researcher Brene Brown defines vulnerability as "being honest with how we feel, about our fears, about what we need, and, asking for what we need. Vulnerability is a glue that holds intimate relationships together."
What more intimate relationship than the one we have with Christ. Yes, Christ is all knowing but this doesn't preclude our being vulnerable with him. Practicing vulnerability with him will ensure our communication is an open one and we are both asking the right questions and carefully listening for His responses.
Vulnerability in Christ starts with Him and then continues with those we love. For many parents, children, husbands, and wives vulnerability is exactly what is lacking. The ability to speak openly from the heart admitting our weaknesses, hurts, and pains is critical for those whom we love to understand why we behave the way we do and why those behaviors are often hampered by the pains of the past. We often feel a sense of shame which prevents us from being open and honest; for many of us this type of vulnerability is a sign of weakness. However the opposite is true. When we have the courage in Christ to admit our mistakes and confront our hurts, we grow in strength and confidence. We begin to overcome the pains of the past and recognize Christ provides a way for overcoming them. Confessing those pains, understanding how they impact our behavior, and owning our mistakes are critical if healing is to take place. It all starts with the truth; owning it, being vulnerable about it, and knowing Christ will help you through it. Just a little advice to go!
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown
What more intimate relationship than the one we have with Christ. Yes, Christ is all knowing but this doesn't preclude our being vulnerable with him. Practicing vulnerability with him will ensure our communication is an open one and we are both asking the right questions and carefully listening for His responses.
Vulnerability in Christ starts with Him and then continues with those we love. For many parents, children, husbands, and wives vulnerability is exactly what is lacking. The ability to speak openly from the heart admitting our weaknesses, hurts, and pains is critical for those whom we love to understand why we behave the way we do and why those behaviors are often hampered by the pains of the past. We often feel a sense of shame which prevents us from being open and honest; for many of us this type of vulnerability is a sign of weakness. However the opposite is true. When we have the courage in Christ to admit our mistakes and confront our hurts, we grow in strength and confidence. We begin to overcome the pains of the past and recognize Christ provides a way for overcoming them. Confessing those pains, understanding how they impact our behavior, and owning our mistakes are critical if healing is to take place. It all starts with the truth; owning it, being vulnerable about it, and knowing Christ will help you through it. Just a little advice to go!
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown
Saturday, January 31, 2015
No Pain, No Gain!
Physical fitness trainers will teach you improved fitness is often accompanied by some type of physical pain. As you begin to develop and work out your various muscles, you will often feel muscle soreness. This type of muscle soreness is most frequently associated with the start of a new exercise program, changes in your exercise routine, or a dramatic increase in the duration or intensity of your exercise routine. While it may seem alarming at first, like you may have injured yourself; it is simply a normal physiological response. Your muscles are healing and becoming stronger with each workout, providing for greater stamina and strength.
As believers in Christ, we often experience pain as part of our spiritual growth. This pain can be the result of a new experience, challenges or trigger taking us back to a previous pain or hurt. We can find ourselves torn down by this pain, disenchanted and even discouraged. But if we take the time to draw nearer to our heavenly father, this pain can be part of our spiritual growth. He can use this pain to strengthen our relationship with Him, to make us spiritually stronger.
Christ doesn't promise us there will be no pain, but he does assure us that our faith will see us through the pain, enabling us to overcome it through His love and peace. The pain of the past or the present becomes an opportunity for us to adapt and develop spiritually providing greater stamina and strength in our walk with Christ! Just a little advice 2 go!
Scriptural Insights:
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
1 Peter 5:9-10 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Quotes to remember:
I am not a theologian or a scholar, but I am very aware of the fact that pain is necessary to all of us. In my own life, I think I can honestly say that out of the deepest pain has come the strongest conviction of the presence of God and the love of God. ~ Elizabeth Elliot
God never allows pain without a purpose in the lives of His children. He never allows Satan, nor circumstances, nor any ill-intending person to afflict us unless He uses that affliction for our good. God never wastes pain. He always causes it to work together for our ultimate good, the good of conforming us more to the likeness of His Son (see Romans 8:28-29). ~ Jerry Bridges
Pain removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul. ~ C.S. Lewis
As believers in Christ, we often experience pain as part of our spiritual growth. This pain can be the result of a new experience, challenges or trigger taking us back to a previous pain or hurt. We can find ourselves torn down by this pain, disenchanted and even discouraged. But if we take the time to draw nearer to our heavenly father, this pain can be part of our spiritual growth. He can use this pain to strengthen our relationship with Him, to make us spiritually stronger.
Christ doesn't promise us there will be no pain, but he does assure us that our faith will see us through the pain, enabling us to overcome it through His love and peace. The pain of the past or the present becomes an opportunity for us to adapt and develop spiritually providing greater stamina and strength in our walk with Christ! Just a little advice 2 go!
Scriptural Insights:
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
1 Peter 5:9-10 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Quotes to remember:
I am not a theologian or a scholar, but I am very aware of the fact that pain is necessary to all of us. In my own life, I think I can honestly say that out of the deepest pain has come the strongest conviction of the presence of God and the love of God. ~ Elizabeth Elliot
God never allows pain without a purpose in the lives of His children. He never allows Satan, nor circumstances, nor any ill-intending person to afflict us unless He uses that affliction for our good. God never wastes pain. He always causes it to work together for our ultimate good, the good of conforming us more to the likeness of His Son (see Romans 8:28-29). ~ Jerry Bridges
Pain removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul. ~ C.S. Lewis
Sunday, January 4, 2015
2015-New Beginnings In Christ!
2 Corinthians 5:17King James Version (KJV)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
This is one of my favorite verses because it reminds me of God's willingness to renew me, to make me whole. His forgiveness is neverending; his willingness to make me a new creation everlasting. He is a god of chances, willing to give you as many chances as you need to get it right. His mercy endureth forever. Blame is not the issue, as He is not a god of blame. In Him, there is no condemnation and thus we must move from self condemnation to receiving his forgiveness. His forgiveness is the key that enables us to open the door leading to renewal, enlightenment, and the newness of a fresh path towards the destiny He has for us.
A new year is about new beginnings, a fresh start down the path God has established for us. Be resolved to becoming a new creation in Christ, to letting go of the old things and letting them pass away, and to believing that all things will be made new. Begin your transformation by the renewing of your mind in Christ. Make your new year's resolution about a new spiritual diet; one in which you are committed to nourishing yoursself daily with His word, committing it not only to your memory but to how you live every day of your life! Then you will begin your journey towards becoming the new creation God has intended you to be! Take a step of faith and God will ensure he carries you the rest of the way! Just a little advice to go!
Sunday, December 21, 2014
A2G: Celebrating Christmas!
Celebrating Christmas is about remembering Christ; his birth, death and resurrection. It is a time to remember His mission to provide each and everyone of us the opportunity for salvation. He has given us the ultimate gift and in doing so endured a taste of humanity, as well as the joys and sufferings that accompany it. We, by being his chosen ones, celebrate him daily and come together during Christmas to share His joy with our loved ones, friends and even those strangers we run into. Gifts in the form of purchased items, time, and behaviors are provided to reflect our love and faith in Christ.
Let us not lose site of the spirit of Christmas by spending more than we can afford, by worrying about what others may think of our gifts, by failing to act with kindness or by being critical of others’ efforts. Let us faithfully remain within the Spiritual realm of the meaning of the Christmas season remembering to celebrate Christ by caring for our loved ones, loving those who for some reason or other hurt and battle depression in this season, and by loving the strangers with whom we come in contact each day with a simple act of kindness.
May your Christmas be a true celebration of Christ, one in which you faithfully practice the love of Christ! Just a little advice to go!
Friday, November 21, 2014
A2G: Peace, Discipline, and Teamwork!
I wanted to share Pat Lencioni's Article on Peace Discipline and Teamwork as this week’s devotional because it could not be said better. It applies to work, home and church! Pat is a regular presenter at the Global Leadership Summit and an expert on team building. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!
Peace, Discipline and Teamwork
All people want the same thing in life: peace. Not happiness, which is an unsustainable and fickle emotion, but rather peace, which is the deep understanding that all is well, even when happiness is not possible. And we all know when we have lost our peace; it’s when we feel fear, anxiety, angst or dread. As much as those feelings are painful, they are actually blessings if we respond to them correctly.
See, fear and anxiety alert us that something is wrong, and force us to make a decision. Will we work with courage to recover our peace by identifying and addressing the causes of our anxiety and fear? Or will we choose to distract ourselves from those feelings through self-indulgence, and allow them to continue? Here’s how this choice manifests itself in my life.
I often lose my peace when I get caught up in following the news and indulging in entertainment, and neglect to pray. It’s like clockwork. I start to feel uneasy, even anxious, and I know I have a choice to make. I can either turn off the TV or shut down my computer, and make real time for prayer, or I can try to distract myself by finding something more stimulating on television or the internet. The first option is a little painful because it requires discipline and sacrifice, but it always works. The second option is certainly easier and more convenient, but ultimately leads me further from my source of peace.
Okay, so what in the world does this have to do with teamwork? Well, I recently came to the realization that teams also want peace. They want to know that all is well in the group, regardless of whether the organization is in the midst of great success or struggle. Essentially, they want to know that everyone trusts one another deeply, and is aligned around a common cause. They need to know that no toxic, painful issues are fermenting beneath the surface, and that teammates say what they mean and mean what they say, without fear.
But peace on a team, not unlike in our hearts, is elusive and precious, and must be maintained through discipline. Otherwise, it can be easily lost in the swirl of daily stress, sometimes abruptly, but more often, gradually over time. We usually know we’ve lost our peace as a team because we see the signs of it; team members hesitate to disagree with one another, they use passive aggressive language, or they engage in back channel conversations after meetings. Whatever the case, everyone knows that something isn’t right, but no one is talking about it openly.
These signs, as unsettling as they are, can be invaluable if we see them as alarm bells alerting us to take the steps to reestablish peace. They can provoke us to address whatever it is that is causing the problem, regardless of the discomfort it will inevitably, though temporarily, entail. It is always worth the effort.
But we leaders are human, and we’re often tempted to look the other way when we see signs that peace is threatened on our teams. Sometimes we just underestimate the cost of the problem. But all too often, we know the magnitude of the issue and simply choose to blunt the pain by indulging in the very behaviors that are causing the problem in the first place.
In my weaker moments, I’ve done this by failing to directly and compassionately confront a difficult or struggling colleague, instead indulging in water cooler discussions about them with others in the organization. I’ve also held back frustrations from my team to avoid potential conflict, choosing instead to vent to my wife or a friend. Of course, those behaviors only took our team further from the precious peace we wanted and needed, requiring unnecessarily painful recovery efforts later on.
The next time you feel that your team is losing its peace—trust me, it will happen and you’ll know it—challenge yourself to be the kind of leader that embraces temporary suffering for the good of everyone else. Enter humbly into the discomfort of that situation, because that is the only real remedy. When you’re tempted to choose the easier but destructive path of distraction and stimulation, opt instead to be the leader your team needs, and that peace demands.
Pat Lencioni
Peace, Discipline and Teamwork
All people want the same thing in life: peace. Not happiness, which is an unsustainable and fickle emotion, but rather peace, which is the deep understanding that all is well, even when happiness is not possible. And we all know when we have lost our peace; it’s when we feel fear, anxiety, angst or dread. As much as those feelings are painful, they are actually blessings if we respond to them correctly.
See, fear and anxiety alert us that something is wrong, and force us to make a decision. Will we work with courage to recover our peace by identifying and addressing the causes of our anxiety and fear? Or will we choose to distract ourselves from those feelings through self-indulgence, and allow them to continue? Here’s how this choice manifests itself in my life.
I often lose my peace when I get caught up in following the news and indulging in entertainment, and neglect to pray. It’s like clockwork. I start to feel uneasy, even anxious, and I know I have a choice to make. I can either turn off the TV or shut down my computer, and make real time for prayer, or I can try to distract myself by finding something more stimulating on television or the internet. The first option is a little painful because it requires discipline and sacrifice, but it always works. The second option is certainly easier and more convenient, but ultimately leads me further from my source of peace.
Okay, so what in the world does this have to do with teamwork? Well, I recently came to the realization that teams also want peace. They want to know that all is well in the group, regardless of whether the organization is in the midst of great success or struggle. Essentially, they want to know that everyone trusts one another deeply, and is aligned around a common cause. They need to know that no toxic, painful issues are fermenting beneath the surface, and that teammates say what they mean and mean what they say, without fear.
But peace on a team, not unlike in our hearts, is elusive and precious, and must be maintained through discipline. Otherwise, it can be easily lost in the swirl of daily stress, sometimes abruptly, but more often, gradually over time. We usually know we’ve lost our peace as a team because we see the signs of it; team members hesitate to disagree with one another, they use passive aggressive language, or they engage in back channel conversations after meetings. Whatever the case, everyone knows that something isn’t right, but no one is talking about it openly.
These signs, as unsettling as they are, can be invaluable if we see them as alarm bells alerting us to take the steps to reestablish peace. They can provoke us to address whatever it is that is causing the problem, regardless of the discomfort it will inevitably, though temporarily, entail. It is always worth the effort.
But we leaders are human, and we’re often tempted to look the other way when we see signs that peace is threatened on our teams. Sometimes we just underestimate the cost of the problem. But all too often, we know the magnitude of the issue and simply choose to blunt the pain by indulging in the very behaviors that are causing the problem in the first place.
In my weaker moments, I’ve done this by failing to directly and compassionately confront a difficult or struggling colleague, instead indulging in water cooler discussions about them with others in the organization. I’ve also held back frustrations from my team to avoid potential conflict, choosing instead to vent to my wife or a friend. Of course, those behaviors only took our team further from the precious peace we wanted and needed, requiring unnecessarily painful recovery efforts later on.
The next time you feel that your team is losing its peace—trust me, it will happen and you’ll know it—challenge yourself to be the kind of leader that embraces temporary suffering for the good of everyone else. Enter humbly into the discomfort of that situation, because that is the only real remedy. When you’re tempted to choose the easier but destructive path of distraction and stimulation, opt instead to be the leader your team needs, and that peace demands.
Pat Lencioni
Sunday, October 26, 2014
The Value of Family!
The value of family is beyond question critical to who we are and what we most treasure. A weekend with my two daughters; one who lives in New York and the other who is away at school, made for a very emotional but complete experience. The only thing that could have made it better would have been to have my son and his family join us.
Family doesn't come without challenges, but in the end all of those challenges are overcome by the love we have for each other. That love is only enhanced by the common union we have in our faith in Christ. Now we are not just a physical family but a spiritual family, united in one accord and serving the God we love and abide in.
But it gets better because in Christ our family is expanded to all believers, loving and caring for them as if they were our own children, brothers, sisters, moms and dads. The scripture tells us in John 13: 34, 35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Yes, that is a command not an option, we must love one another in Christ as if we were one family, one body in Christ. We must celebrate the time we spend together, the words we share, the messages we write each other, and so forth. Imagine all of us united in Christ as one amazing enormous loving family, wouldn't that solve most of this world's problems? In Christ this can be a reality if we honor the scripture and love one another the way he loves us! Just a little advice to go!
Family doesn't come without challenges, but in the end all of those challenges are overcome by the love we have for each other. That love is only enhanced by the common union we have in our faith in Christ. Now we are not just a physical family but a spiritual family, united in one accord and serving the God we love and abide in.
But it gets better because in Christ our family is expanded to all believers, loving and caring for them as if they were our own children, brothers, sisters, moms and dads. The scripture tells us in John 13: 34, 35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Yes, that is a command not an option, we must love one another in Christ as if we were one family, one body in Christ. We must celebrate the time we spend together, the words we share, the messages we write each other, and so forth. Imagine all of us united in Christ as one amazing enormous loving family, wouldn't that solve most of this world's problems? In Christ this can be a reality if we honor the scripture and love one another the way he loves us! Just a little advice to go!
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