reTHINK Caring

The term caring is very ambiguous – what does it mean to care?

The story of Paul and Barnabas' argument over John Mark is a primary example. Barnabas was an incredible friend to Paul. He was with him when Paul was called Saul ... from the very beginning of Paul's ministry. Barnabas befriended Paul as Paul started his ministry. Many of the believers were still fearful of Paul because of his notoriety for persecuting Christians. Barnabas was willing to be the one to come alongside Paul to validate that his conversion was geniune and to "open doors" for him among the believers. Barnabas accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey.

Yet, in spite of this strong relationship, this happened (Acts 15:36-41):

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Did Paul not care about Mark? Did Barnabas care more? Both of these men were operating in God's will. Barnabas was an encourager (probably an ENFP :-) with the gifts of encouragement and mercy) and Paul was a leader (probably an ENTJ with the gift of leadership, prophecy, and admonishment). They were friends, but they had different styles and approaches. There was a time while their partnership worked. Yet, in this instance, they were NOT UNITED in the methods concerning dealing with John Mark. But, neither was wrong.

Barnabas focused on his gift and "developed" Mark. Mark ultimately wrote the Gospel of Mark. Paul, on the other hand, focused on his calling, his specific mission, and stayed the course -- strengthening the churches as it reads in the text. Barnabas, an encourager, had accomplished what God had intended with Paul. His gifts were now needed with a younger Mark who was probably discouraged because he had been unable to complete his first trip with Paul and Barnabas. Paul, on the other hand, needed to continue to live out his calling to reach Asia Minor with the good news of Jesus Christ. By his decision, he also underscored the seriousness of a life lived for Christ. Mark would learn the seriousness of living out a calling. Later in his journeys, Paul calls for Mark:

Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. (2 Timothy 4:11 NLT)

Rather than continuing fighting over the issue, they recognized the disunity and moved onto their separate giftedness and calling. God was blessed and honored in both.

reTHINK

Rethink - to reconsider profoundly or to change one's mind. We grow when we examine our views and our perspectives. Romans 12:2 (NLT) challenges us to rethink:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NLT)

Our perspective is rarely something that we think about, but often something that influences our decisions and the way we see the world. Our perspectives have been shaped by our families, our environment, our culture, our education, and our traditions. Some are good and shape our thoughts and behaviors consistently with God's plan; others need serious revision. The latter perspectives often become barriers to seeing the way God sees. God challenges us with a completely new perspective:

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my [God’s] ways are higher than your ways and my [God’s] thoughts [are] higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9 NLT)

We need to rethink our lives with a renewed mind that only comes from knowing, trusting, and serving God by knowing God, seeing as He sees, and aligning ourselves with His heart. We need to be open to allowing God to transform us by changing the way we think.

My Leader's Credo

Today, I completed a seminar by Leaders Advantage led by Don Jenkins. I was attending primarily for evaluation purposes. Nevertheless, I approach life as a learner so I focused how I could grow personally from the course.

We were challenged to write our credo for leadership. Credo?!? A form of the word creed, a credo is a formal statement of beliefs and principles.

My attempt is below:

My Leadership Credo

I will strive to be a leader who inspires people to engage in a calling to accomplish the mission while operating consistently within a set of common values and principles.

My actions will be governed within a value system of:

Integrity, where my actions will match my words and I will keep my commitments;
Obedience, where I will be a doer acting in accordance to my beliefs and responsibilities;
Love, because at my core, I am a lover of God and of people;
Gratitude, where I am thankful for both blessings and opportunities in my life;
Passion, as I live with purpose-driven intensity and enthusiasm.

In my daily operations and interactions:

I will communicate openly and honestly;
I will work within the team setting an example with a strong work ethic;
I will be prepared and continue to learn and grow;
I will ensure that we work toward our mission through strategic plans and initiatives; I will encourage feedback and be open and responsive to the communication.

As we work together, I expect us to:

Operate with integrity meaning that we keep our commitments and fulfill our responsibilities;
Know our stuff (be intelligent);
Demonstrate initiative by making things happen and avoiding the trappings of excuses;
Work as a team (interdependent) aligned and committed.

The following actions destroy unity and will hinder the progress toward our mission and will not be acceptable behavior:

Unethical or immoral behavior;
Gossip;
Divisiveness;
Negativity;
Passive resistance.

The priorities of our team will be to achieve our mission, love people, and to agree and act on the methods we put in place to reach our goals.

In interactions with me, you will discover that I sometimes need “alone time” to think, to process, and to plan. If you approach me and I’m unavailable, don’t be offended, but rather leave me a note and I’ll get back to you. Also, in my communication, my energetic or passionate tone may be mistaken for anger. If you notice this in my tone, you have the freedom to interrupt and ask me “to chill.”

I, and we, will make mistakes. We should be willing to discuss our mistakes openly, learn from our mistakes, and encourage one another to resolve the issues and move onward.

Confident in My Calling

Galatians 1
Some people are engaged in a career -- a job. Others are blessed to be engaged in a vocation -- a calling. All work presents its challenges. Knowing that you've been called helps you to weather them. When operating within your giftedness, in your calling, you will experience joy, passion, and fulfillment.

Paul gives us a clear example. He writes in Galatians 1:

... I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father ...

Knowing his calling, he was extremely sure of his direction and confident in his work. For those who have a calling, it is often surprising to them why others do not "get it." Paul's call was to preach the good news of Jesus Christ, specifically to the people of Asia Minor. In Galatia, many of the people were easily swayed and wandering from the call of God on their life. Paul responds:

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you ...

Paul was "shocked." Doesn't sound like empathy was one of his strong suits :-). Paul was on a mission. He had taught these people. They didn't seem to get it nor have the same resolve. Paul uses firm, candid remarks of admonishment to them. He is not worried about their reaction or pleasing them:

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God ...

Paul knew who he believed in, who had called him, and he was not ashamed. This confidence gave him the ability to persist in speaking the truth boldly ... to run and finish the race.

There may come a time where the landscape for living out your calling changes. Communication with the one who called you (God) will enable you to discern whether you need to persist through the storms (which will inevitably come) or recognize that it's time to fulfill your calling in another place. Paul sought his primary guidance from the one who had called him. In this passage he states:

I did not rush out to consult with any human being ...

Well meaning people won't have the same connection with our calling as we have. There is time for Godly advice, but we must be careful to spend time with God in affirming his will and direction for our life. Paul gives us the example in Galatians 2:2:

I went there [Jerusalem) because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement ...

Paul first followed God and then sought out Godly counsel. Consider your calling. Spend time with God to affirm what he has called you to do. Be confident in passionately pursuing the call on your life running the race as one desiring the prize! In that, you will be able to join Paul as he said:

And they praised God because of me.

Perfect Peace - What is that?

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Is this for real? Perfect peace. Not just peace, but perfect peace. Man, I'm not there. You? I have a lot of ups and downs, highs and lows.

Later in this chapter it also reads (verse 7):

... those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them.

The way I'm walking seems both steep and rough at times, and certainly not smooth.

So, what's wrong with me? Am I not walking in God's way? Am I not righteous?

Pondering these verses I had an epiphany. There is a lot wrong with me. And, I'm certainly not righteous. Nevertheless, God has chosen to use me and has stated that his power is made perfect (there's that word again) in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). I believe God has called me for a specific purpose. When I live in that purpose, I'm energized, passionate, and fulfilled. So, what causes the lack of perfect peace and the rough journey.

In the latter part of verse 3, the passage reads "all whose thoughts are fixed on [Him]." My discouragement and difficulties almost always come when I focus on the issues and the reactions of those who are not aligned with the mission or the methods. When challenged by these issues and reactions, the questions always come: Am I doing something wrong? Am I walking in God's will? Do I know what I'm doing?

Verse 8 is the theme for the 268 Generation (http://www.268generation.com/). I'll use their version here which is a merging of several translations:

"Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your truth, we wait eagerly for you, for your name and your renown are the desires of our souls."

God calls me to be obedient - to walk in His way. When I'm obedient to his call, when I wait on Him and my thoughts are focused on him, there will be perfect peace -- even amidst the storms. The way will be smooth ... not necessarily in the journey, but in my relationship with him. Because this journey isn't about me or how I feel. This journey is about the name and the renown of God.

I find hope in verse 4, "Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock."

Preferences or Truth

I received the following e-mail from my brother:

Morning Russ,

I was reading a passage in 2 Samuel 6 that read…

NIV
5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.

The New King James
5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cistrums, and on cymbals.

…and I thought of you. I’ve heard you talk of the grief people give the church staff on the type of music played or the instruments used. I think you mentioned the above verse to me before.

I think we church goers have a tendency to lose focus of our own duties/service and find things wrong with the way others perform their service. It kind of reminds me of little children in school that are always worried about some other child not doing what the teacher says. And what does the teacher say? You take care of yourself and everything will be OK.

I would think that if our relationship with God is where it should be; he would have us so busy doing his work we wouldn’t have time to find things wrong with others. Nick-picking about music or an earring, I would think requires too much ‘trying to find something wrong’. There is enough ‘real’ trouble in people’s lives (because satan’s attack on the church) without the need to nick-pick.

Any way keep up the good work and stay the course that obviously has been given you by God.

Love you brother,
Pete

I appreciated his words of encouragement. I believe he is revealing a lot of insight and truth regarding the strife in many churches. It’s not that styles of music are right or wrong. However, we make our traditions truth when in reality they are preferences. Ironically, Jesus spent more time confronting the religious leaders of his day than he did in judgment for the lost. They were locked in their traditions. In Luke 11:46, Jesus said:

“Yes, what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden."

We spend way too much time in our churches complaining and arguing about the way things are done and not enough time being creative in thinking of ways to reach a world that is desperately in need of Christ.

That's just the way I am!

Our personalities shape a great deal of how we approach life. The best traits of our personalities can be a powerful tool in accomplishing our goals. Too often, however, our weaknesses hold us back. Most of us don't know how to address those. Rather, we choose to complain about them or ignore them.

Romans 9:19b-23 provides some interesting insights to human nature.

19 ... “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”

In responding to our weaknesses, we often say, "That's just the way I am." We may even blame God because he made us a certain way. What does God say?

20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?

We often talk about a greater purpose for which God made us. However, I also believe that God has specific plans for each of us. For those who know him, he is at work in us (Philippians 1:6). We must learn to embrace how God made us and approach life to be the best that we can be for his purposes. Why? Because God loves us and prepared us in advance so that we could be a part of his story, bringing glory to him in the way we live.

22 In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. 23 He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.

So, what are some practical ways to view our personality traits. First of all, we should accentuate the positives. Leverage your strengths to have the maximum influence and impact in your life's interactions. One caution, when used inappropriately, a strength can become a weakness. For example, someone who has initiative and likes to take charge can become controlling. We need to be careful to keep the positive a positive.

Second, complement your weaknesses. There are two ways to approach your weaknesses. If you can correct, learn, and improve in an area, do so. Practice. Improve by making things a habit. Don't exhaust yourself in this if the weakness is ingrained.

If it is ingrained, you're best to surround yourself with people or techniques to address the weakness. If you manage details well, but aren't creative. Find people who are creative and benefit from their gifts. If you aren't very organized but have lots of ideas, find people who are administrators.

Third, and probably the most important, pray for strength. Jesus' promise actually states that truth which can turn our weaknesses into our greatest strength (2 Corinthians 12:9):

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Study yourself. Become self-aware. Focus on what you can do well. Rethink your weaknesses. Get help where you need it. Trust in the power of God in your life.

Immunity

Patty and I enjoy watching NBC's The Biggest Loser. The physical transformations from the beginning to the end of the period is absolutely amazing. Of course the goal is two-fold: 1) lose weight, 2) win the prize money. One of the most cherished short-term gifts is immunity which a team or an individual receives by winning the challenge. If you have immunity, your results in the weigh-in for that week are irrelevant. There is no risk of punishment for that week.

Inside our churches, people often act as if they've been granted or deserve immunity. If we act that way, we're less likely to be seeking the help that we may need or to strive for improvement. We constantly fall back on grace. Don't read me wrong. Grace is the most precious gift we've received and when we accept this gift, we have eternal immunity. On the other hand, the eternal immunity does not shield us from the responsibilities, issues and unfortunate circumstances in our daily journey of life. With an attitude of immunity, we then ignore or miss the opportunity for help and may be in denial regarding the consequences of our decisions and actions.

In an encounter with the Pharisees, Jesus overhead them talking about him to his disciples. They were complaining that Jesus hung out with the less desirable in society - irreligious people, sinners. Jesus responded to them with veiled sarcasm (Mark 2:17 NIV):

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Jesus begins with an analogy. You only need a doctor when you're sick. If you're healthy, you don't need a physicians help. In the same way, Jesus came to help those in need -- those who were sick (sinners) so that is where he was spending his time. The implication in his remark was that he didn't need to spend time with the Pharisees because they were already healthy (righteous).

We know this is a back-handed remark because Jesus himself stated that no one was righteous except God. Another translation lifts the veil in Jesus' remark (Mark 2:17 NLT):

“Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."

Jesus couldn't help them because they were unwilling to admit they had a need. They acted as if they had immunity.

Even if we've already received Jesus into our life, we still need him. He desires to complete his work in us (Philippians 1:6). As far as circumstances that we encounter or issues in life, the people of the church are not so different from those outside the church. People everywhere experience marriage issues, family strife, addictions, financial struggles, job performance issues, and the list goes on. Jesus tells us that the sun and the rain (circumstances in life) fall on the "just" and the "unjust." We are NOT immune in this physical life. We will face difficulties and the consequences of our actions.

Rather than living as if we have immunity, live everyday as a challenge. Seek help. Strive to improve. And for a bonus, reach beyond yourself to love and help others.

Principled Death

I saw the movie Valkyrie this past weekend. I am somewhat a student of history so I knew how the movie would end. For this particular moment in history, I also have an emotional connection. My mother-in-law is German. She was 11 years old when WWII started and by the age of 12 she had been forced into labor at the bomb factories. Her family hid a German soldier who had deserted from the Nazis. Many of the German people were against what was happening in their country.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. (Attributed to English philosopher Edmund Burke)

While the people hold some responsibility for the leadership of their country, I'm sure knowing how to respond was a daunting and seemingly hopeless consideration. Some were passive. Others were willing to respond. Nonetheless, there were numerous attempts to assassinate Hitler (some counts as high as forty-two). Those attempting these were standing on principles and core values that were worth risking and ultimately giving their life. I was inspired by their courage in the face of impossible odds.

Jesus challenges us to live for the glory of God and the good news of reconciliation for all mankind:

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. (Mark 8:35 NLT)

Following Christ will cost us something (perhaps even our life), but it's temporary; not following Christ will cost us everything, and that's eternal.

Jesus knew what it meant to die for something. "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:13 NLT) He gave up his life for us. Now he offers us eternal life. He defines how to have that life in John 17:3 - And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. He calls us to know him intimately and to make him known. In Acts 1:8, we are called to be his witnesses, to tell his story. Jesus tells us that we bring God glory by completing the work he has called us to do -- living a life of obedience to him (John 17:4).

Through history, we've seen examples of men and women who were willing to give of their life for a cause. Many or most of us will never have to face death because of our faith. However, we should be willing. What greater cause than to be reconciled to our creator so that we can reflect his glory to a world in need.

Expected to Conform

When a person does not live consistent with societal norms, they are often labeled a rebel. Depending on the perspective, this can be either positive or negative. Jesus did not live up to the expectations of the religious establishment of his day -- and they labeled him.

The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ ...” (Matthew 11:19a NLT)

In this particular instance, the religious norms had distorted God's original intent. The focus of Christ while on earth and his desire for us is to extend his kingdom to bring God glory -- to reach the lost. The religious leaders had searched the scripture and held to the law but had missed the very purpose God had intended and the one he had sent (John 5:39-40). Yet, Jesus' focus was on those who were in need -- lost without him.

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10 KJV)

Yet, he met resistance because he operated out of the norm. Scripture describes the resistance as violent:

And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it. (Matthew 11:12 NLT)

He described the reaction of that generation as being like children whining because no one would play with them:

16 “To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, 17 ‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’ " (Matthew 11:16-17 NLT)

Our purpose here on earth is not about our own agenda, traditions, or norms. Our purpose is to "be HIS witnesses," to go and "make disciples." And, sometimes, that requires us to do things out of the norm, to be creative ... to reach a changing world, culture, and people with an unchanging gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus did!

Winning by the rules

A young friend of mine provided the following words of encouragement describing our relationship as one similar to that of Paul and Timothy (in this particular case, the encouragement was in reverse):

2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ... 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:2,5 NIV)

My young friend writes:

These are Paul's last challenges to Timothy: preach the Word, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. This will be our road map for success. God has called you, gifted you, and will sustain you during your life of ministry. I'm praying hard for you that God will do one of our favorite verses - Eph 3:20-21 - immeasurably more than all we can ask, think or imagine.

As I looked through the rest of the letter from Paul to Timothy, one section particularly stuck out to me:

2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. (2 Timothy 2:2-5 NLT)

My first reaction was … “what rules?” I’m thinking this means that there are no short-cuts. An illustration:

Rosie Ruiz Wins the Boston Marathon

On April 21, 1980 Rosie Ruiz, a 23-year-old New Yorker, was the first woman to cross the finish line in the Boston Marathon. She had achieved the third fastest time ever recorded for a female runner (two hours, thirty-one minutes, and fifty-six seconds), which was made all the more remarkable by the fact that she looked remarkably sweat-free and relaxed as she climbed the winner's podium to accept her wreath. However, race officials almost immediately began to question her victory.The problem was that no one could remember having seen her during the race. Monitors at the various race checkpoints hadn't seen her, nor had any of the other runners. Numerous photographs taken during the race failed to contain any sign of her. Her absence was overwhelming. Finally, a few members of the crowd came forward to reveal that they had seen her jump into the race during its final half-mile. Apparently she had then simply sprinted to the finish line.

I do want things to happen quickly … mainly because of the sense of urgency that I have for our mission. But, God has his timing. He wants to do a great work IN me, AROUND me, and THROUGH me. His ways are higher than my ways; his thoughts are greater than my thoughts (Is. 55:9). Stay the course and persevere ... God is at work.

Embracing Opportunity

"A leader's legacy is built upon the embracing of opportunity." - Tim DeTellis in The Pearl of Leadership

Our life is brief. From the perspective of human life on earth, much less eternity, our presence is but a hash-mark on the timeline. James 4:14 (NLT) puts it this way:

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

Therefore, we need to take advantage of every opportunity to accomplish the purposes to which we've been called. When we have the opportunity to do good ... to do what's right ... and we fail to do it, we fall short of God's intent for us. James (4:17 NLT) gets in our face about it -- he calls it sin:

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Because our life is so short, we have little time to be passive. Paul encourages us in both Ephesians (5:16) and in Colossians (4:5) to "make the most of every opportunity."

Don't stress or step into legalism over this but be sensitive to God's prompting in your life. Understand the purposes to which you've been called by spending time with him and seeking his direction in your life. As you're open to his moving in your life, call for him to prompt you when the opportunities are near -- then be faithful in responding. Be bold -- not passive -- step out in faith and make something happen on HIS behalf.

reTHINK opportunities.

Kairos

Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning the "right or opportune moment". The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies "a time in between", a moment of undetermined period of time in which "something" special happens.

In the New Testament, kairos means "the appointed time in the purpose of God", the time when God acts. Are we taking advantage of the opportunities that God places before us.

William Shakespeare wrote:

There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; [but when] omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in the shallows and in miseries ... and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.

As believers, we should be praying for opportunities. We should be sensitive to the opportunities as they arise so that we can capture the moment. Sometimes, it's more than a moment, it sets the course and direction for our lives. We aren't intended to live in misery or in the "shallows." Yet, our decisions often lead us there.

reTHINK the opportunities that are presented in your life. Be passionate about God's purpose for you. Pray for opportunities and be prepared to seize them!!

Do you know where you're going?

(John 14:1-6; Focus v. 5-6)
How often do you struggle in search of God's will or direction for your life? Do you know where you're going? We often become stressed or frustrated about God's will. We want him to simply boom from heaven with clear specifics. Perhaps, we've made this more complicated than it needs to be. I believe we have because we think this story is about us. We wouldn't say that outright, but deep in our subconcious (or often openly), we do believe it's about us. So, we want to know the direction for us.

As Jesus prepared his disciples for his crucifixion and departure, he stated that he was going somewhere that they could not come ... yet (John 13:31-38). He communicated that they would join him later. They were confused, wanting to know where they were going ... their direction. What's the plan for us?

Jesus communicated to them simply:

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NIV)

This story is not about us. God can use us wherever we are -- finance, technology, ministry, education, and so on -- if we follow him. Sure, we may receive a specific calling. Unfortunately, we so often spend so much time at determining our calling or direction that we're not simply following him. AS we follow him, the direction that he has for us will become more evident. He'll let us know how he wants to use us in his story. But the role we play is not ours to worry about.

26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 "For in him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:26-28a NIV)

He has determined our role. Ours is to simply follow him "for in him we live and move and have our being." Wherever we are, whatever we do, he will use us if we see him as "the Way" and our "Life" and follow him.

reTHINK your life. Live in His story!

Being Great in the New Year

Society today reinforces success as being first -- in sports, in business, and in life. Jeremy Kingsley, an itinerant speaker, believer and follower of Christ, and friend authored and published a book in 2008 entitled - Be Last: Descending into Greatness. The book is a compelling contrarian view to the world view of our day. Jeremy uses the life and teachings of Christ along with Bible stories and practical examples to show the dangers of putting yourself first and a challenge to a life of being last. It's an easy but challenging read -- a great step to servant leadership.

Note: Reached #10 on Amazon's Best Sellers List under "Christian Living" and #3 on Amazon's Hot New Releases under "Christian Living."

My favorite chapter discussed what amazes Jesus. It really made me think -- Have I done things in my life that have amazed Jesus? Have I done things that have left him bewildered.

I'll join Jeremy as he states in the introduction ... I hope [my life] makes Jesus smile!

His video introduction of the book is below.


You can find the book on Amazon. You can also find out more about Jeremy Kingsley's Onelife Ministries at http://www.jeremykingsley.com/.

reTHINK your life in the New Year and Be Last.