There is often a difference in…
Knowing…
And…
Doing…
When it comes to right things…things we should know and do…
You can know the right things to do…and never do the right things…
In my experience, not doing is often a bigger problem than not knowing…
Many people who know never do…
Yet…
The margin between knowing and doing may determine the degree of success you attain…
What is the current margin between your knowing and your doing?
Dear church planter (and others)…
In the growth phase, everything is changing, life moves at rocket pace…
Somedays you don’t know whether you are coming or going…
It’s a bit overwhelming, stressful, even a bit scary at times…
I hear this often from new church plants and fast growing churches…
I feel (and identify with) your pain…
I see part of my calling to help church leaders during this time…
I pray you protect your heart and your family…
But…
Do you know that nervous energy you get when you face the uncertainty of life?
You feel it when you assume a overwhelming risk?
It’s that emotion…that adrenaline rush…
You feel it deep in your gut…
Ever felt it?
Well here’s the reality…
Some of us…as awkward, difficult, stressful, and even painful as it can be…
Live for that emotion…
You’ll find it in…
Here’s a principle I’ve learned the hard way:
Sometimes the most successful are not the ones who do it perfectly but the ones who do it…
Whatever “it” is…
Many times we wait until the perfect timing, until all our questions are answered, or until the perfect set of circumstances are aligned before we move forward. In the meantime the world keeps moving and those who move, even though conditions are less than ideal, realize the victories others miss.
What dream, vision, call of God do you need to move forward on today?
I wonder how many times this is our picture when trying to attain victory…
I’ve been amazed this week at the resolve of the people of Chicago. Reportedly this week saw the worst snow storm since 1967. I’ve not been through a blizzard before, so this was an experience. You can read why I’m here in THIS POST.
What amazes me is how the people responded so quickly. Even before the storm hit, people were taking precautions, but during and after the storm, people spread salt, shoveled snow, pitched in to help one another, and quickly got back to normal. Many places were closed early Wednesday, hours after the snow ended, but many were open by the afternoon. By Thursday everyone was seemingly back to normal. There’s still a lot of snow on the group, you have to be careful where you walk, but people have gone about their business…in spite of the largest snow the average Chicagoan has ever seen.
Why?
I always joke that Cheryl keeps pictures on her desk so she can look at the ones she loves, but I keep pictures on my desk so I don’t forget the people I love. (Don’t email me…it’s a joke…kinda!) Seriously, men and women are wired differently. I’m convinced there’s never a moment Cheryl is not thinking about her family. That’s why she’s so much better at remember special occasions and where we keep our favorite socks!
It’s not that I love Cheryl or the boys less than she loves us, but most men are more task-oriented than we are relationally oriented. When I’m in a zone of work, I’m not usually thinking about anything else. Sometimes though I like to stop, turn from my laptop, and receive motivation for why I do what I do. Apart from giving God glory with my life, my greatest motivation is to leave a strong legacy for my wife and two boys.
Today I was deep in thought, but I turned around and saw this picture. It was the spark I need to keep pushing forward.
Last week we started memorizing Scripture together. (Read that post HERE.) It’s something we will do every week this year. A new verse will post each Saturday. Over 50 people said they were doing this based on the comments and then another 50 or so told me on Facebook, Twitter or by email. (You can still join in…whether you comment or not…but I’d love to hear that you will.) We have some people eager to learn God’s Word this year! How awesome is that?
Memorizing Scripture can be made easier than you may have thought. As I said last time, writing it down helps. Write it somewhere you will see often. One Twitter friend took my suggestion and wrote it on her mirror. Another (read his suggestion in the comments from last week), is going to make the verse the background on his phone each week. I love creative ways to do this! Please share them if you have more ideas.
Last week’s verse was:
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
How did you do last week? Could you recite it if you had to?
This week our verse is:
I’m very reflective this time of year…
As we head into a New Year, I considering if my life is achieving the things of greatest value…
One way I’m doing that is asking myself some self-evaluation questions…
For example…
Am I more concerned about:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16
This might not be part of the Christmas story you share with your family as you sit around the fireplace, but maybe it should be!
As we unwrap the gifts of Christmas this year, we can’t help but mention God’s love. It was because of His great love for you and me that we even have a Christmas to celebrate!
When God created the heavens and the earth, the world was a perfect place. Man was in union with nature. Man had a committed relationship with his Creator God.
Then sin entered the realm of mankind. Sin separated man from God. What once was a perfect relationship was scarred forever. Men and women were subject to death, because of the plague of sin. Mankind could no longer reach a Holy God.
But then…
