"Do as I do"

I'm reading a devotional this week that is designed to lead up to Easter. Today the thought was wrapped around the fact that Jesus came to give us an example on how we should live. The most incredible part of this is that What we celebrate this week gives us the power to live that out.

Jesus said "Do as I do" but he didn't ask us to do it on our own-His resurrection gave us access to His strength. Wow.....and then the words I read in the first verse in John 13 hit me right between the eyes. In John 13 Jesus is at the last supper with His disciples, but that's not what stood out to me today.

John 13:1-...."when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father"....and then it continues and He serves. He washes their feet. Are you kidding me? Jesus knew he was about to be betrayed and handed over to die and he serves. Me? I might have sat there and asked for a little more to drink or another slice of dessert. After all, it was about to be a fairly traumatic few days. No, He......my Savior......your Savior, got up and humbly washed the feet of those he was going to die for.

Can you just picture it? I did, and I think that's why it hit me a little differently today. God has blessed me with a position of leadership and I strive to be a servant leader, but I fail too many times because I worry about myself or am not humble enough, yet Jesus, in the week he is going to do die, modeled yet again what servant leadership should look like. And today it hit me.

Sometimes I get so caught up in what someone did to me, or said about me, that I won't or don't think they should be served. Oh, I'll be nice, but serve? They probably need to repent first, but today I see Jesus, facing death and He serves. I need to do more like He does. Not through my own power, I've seen how that works out, but through His power.

Rejoice! He is Risen!

Be Blessed!

Family Life Weekend

This past weekend Deb and I had the opportunity to attend the Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference in Omaha.  To say we were blessed probably doesn't begin to describe it.  I always go into these things like I do coaching clinics.  Get one thing and it's worth the weekend.  Well, this was better than any coaching clinic I ever attended.  Every session I had my eyes opened to something new as they unfold God's plan for marriage.  

Two things really stood out to me.  

#1 - Our spouse is made in God's image and if we just take time to see them that way it may change our entire perspective as life happens and we may start to get frustrated. 

#2 - Our spouse is not our enemy or the opposition when tensions do arise.  (See #1)

Sure, I remember going through the old mandatory pre marriage counseling, but I was 21 years old and was just thinking get me to the wedding day.  To hear sit and see marriage through a different lens 29 years later was eye opening.  Stuff to work on?  Sure, but I'm excited to see where God can take our marriage in the next 29 years.  

Plus, as is a lot of things with me, there is a bit of competition.  Had couples stand up and gave a book to the couple that was there and been married the longest...43 won it.  Got beat by 14 years.  I told Deb we're going back until we win a book.  

Finally, it reminded me of how fortunate I was to grow up witnessing a Godly marriage modeled to me by my mom and dad.  Perfect, probably not, but they modeled for me how to pursue a Godly marriage.  I thank God for that.  Thanks Don and Peggy Gordon.  And even though mom's been gone now for over 7 years, I'm thankful God placed Kathy in dad's life to continue to enjoy marriage and institution that God gave us.  

Finally #2, Happy Birthday to our wonderful daughter Nicole, who turns 26 years old today (March 18th).  We're proud of you and love you.  

Be Blessed!

Friends & Laughter

This weekend in Carroll again reminded me of laughter and good times we have with friends.  I could probably get a little sappy and throw some friendship quotes up or write a poem...OK, unless I find it on a Google search I'm probably not doing any poems.  Instead, why not laugh a little more.

As I mentioned before we started singing as the Messengers Quartet a good 20 years ago or so.  At that time, there were a few names floating around like Three Old Guys and a Kid because of one youngster we had in the group, but now we're all a bit older and we could go by Three Grandpas and a Dad.  We still do a  number of the good old quartet songs that have been around for a long time but we haven't changed any words.

So, here's Tim Hawkins and his new rendition of some old rock star songs.

Don't forget to laugh this week.  It's good for you, and everyone around you.

A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day. 
Proverbs 15:13 (MSG)

Be Blessed!

Random

Just a couple of random thoughts this week on how I was challenged in my thinking and living this week.

1)  Last Friday night I was blessed to be a part of the worship band at the Real Men Conference in Des Moines.  The speaker was Dave Erickson from First Christian in Council Bluffs, the church where we attended for 7years while in Treynor.  Dave challenged the 300+ men who were there for the evening to be Godly men in their personal life, their families, and any of their positions of influence.

Plain and simple here's the first challenge:  We sometimes think that our aim is not to sin very much, or maybe not as much as the person next to us at work.  If we can do that then we talk ourselves into thinking we're OK, we're just not like "that" person.  Really though, we should make it our aim not to sin period.  That struck me and stuck with me.  Thanks Dave.

2)  Today at church we heard from a passage that is familiar.  Matthew 28:18-20, the Great Commission.
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go Therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  
Today, it was explained the Greek for "Go" is translated to "as you go", and that our main purpose in life is to make disciples.  We may be a teacher, coach, administrator (hey, that's been me) or we may work at a bank, a grocery store, or be a student....but if we're His, whatever we're doing in life right now is a venue for us to make disciples. It's not just a job.  God put us there for a reason....to make disciples.

Just a couple of thoughts that I'll work to act on daily.

Headed to Branson on Tuesday to watch Coach AJ Gordon and the Midland Warriors play in the NAIA National Tournament.  Look forward to some time alone with Deb....in a car....she may sleep some...but, will be a nice little trip.

This weekend we'll be in Carroll for our 10th, 11th, maybe 12th reunion weekend with the Messengers Quartet.  A group that started singing together about 20 years ago.  Always a great time (great food) with some great friends.

Should be a fun week.

Be Blessed in your week.

Here's a fun song that we do every year and is a favorite of ours and our friends in Carroll.

Is Worship Over?

In some reading last week I was reminded again that worship starts to really take place after we leave church on Sunday.  It may be the end of our corporate worship for the week but our true worship takes place every day as we go about life with our family, friends, and work.  

Worship is a lifestyle.....an offering.....not an event.  

Here's what the Message version says in Romans 12:1-2:

"So, here's what I want you to do.  God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking around life--and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.  Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God.  You'll be changed from the inside out.  Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you".

Two things I really like in the previous passage and the Message translation: 

1) "Readily recognize what he wants from you and respond to it".  

      --How many times do we know what we should do and don't respond?  How many opportunities do we 

         miss to reach out to someone or stand up for the cause of Christ?  

2)  We need to let God bring out the best in us.  Our culture wants to drag us down but God will bring out 

      the best in us.  First step?  We have to give him our everyday, ordinary life.  He'll then make something    

      great out of it for His glory. 

Did worship end when we left the church? I hope not. Our world needs it not to be.  

  

Redeemed

This song has just been on my mind for the last week and I've listened to it a lot.  I'm anxious to sit down and learn this and sing it because of the message for myself.  It's part of why I love to be involved in worship and why I think we do it.  We get to share personal worship, speak what's on our heart, and invite others to join us. I Hope "Redeemed" by Big Daddy Weave speaks to you.  I'll get out of the way let it speak for itself.

Be Blessed!

Valentine's Day

With this being the week of Valentine's Day I guess I'll write a bit (300+ words or so) about it....or at least the love my life part of it.

 As many know, or as you may have read in previous posts I've moved around a bit.  You don’t dare do something like this without a woman who believes in you and will go with you.  Actually, Deb said a couple of moves ago that if I moved again I was going by myself but I’m sure glad she changed her mind on that one.  J

I believe that God brought Deb into my life as my wife because for some reason He decided I should have someone to share life with me who would go with me from Walnut, to Lisbon, to Manning, to Norfolk, to Harlan, to Treynor, and to Carlisle.  OK, wait, maybe that says a lot more about the kind of Godly woman she is and nothing about me.  It just confirms that I am the recipient of that blessing. 

She usually previews everything I write.  She has edited Player Handbooks, Parent Handbooks, Coaching Handbooks, Letters, Resume’s, and now Blogs, but she won’t preview this one so that’s why there will probably be a lack of commas or an over abundance. 

She has listened to me during the good times, the bad times, the times I’ve wanted to quit but didn’t, the times I needed a voice of reason before making a rushed decision, and the times I needed the confirmation that a decision was the right one. 

She did all this while getting our children carted to 20 years of basketball games and only missing 2-3 during my head basketball coaching career, and those were due to someone being sick. 

I’m thankful that last year, in my last coaching gig, when we were fortunate to finish as State Runner-Up at the Boy's State Golf Tournament, she was there and shared it with me the final day. She was there three years before too when we did  it the first time, but this was extra special  because of it being my last event as a coach.  

We’re enjoying this phase of life now and enjoy our time alone eating out, going to college games, theatre and music events, or even a drive to do some shopping.  Point is, after coming up on 30 years (in December) of being together I thank God for the blessing of marriage and the love of this one woman. 

I hope if you're reading this you are, or will be, blessed with love and happiness not only on Valentine's Day, but every day.  If not, please remember that God has His plan and His timing.  Seek it, Trust it, and Live in it. 

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord.  “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. (Jeremiah 29:11)  I thank God for His plan and I’m thankful He blessed me with the woman who is a wonderful mother, grandmother, and wife.