I just finished reading a book by Randy Pausch called "The Last Lecture" and it rocked my world. Some of you may be familiar with the story and the rest of you need to be. Randy has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and he was asked to give his last lecture at the university he serves as professor at. It's one thing to think about what you would say if you could only say one more thing but it's another if it really is potentially your last opportunity. It has had me in a very reflective as well as forward thinking mode for several days.
How would we live our lives if we only had a month to live? I bet we would do a lot of things that we have been putting off and I bet we would let some things go that may not be as important as we make them out to be. If we agree with that statement then we have no excuse to not do what we would do if we knew we had limited time.
I'm asking God in the days ahead to help me live up to my potential and to help me live a very intentional life. To do the things that matter most and be clear about what they are.
For the next few weeks I'll share some thoughts from Randy's book but the best thing I could say is GO AND BUY IT, READ IT, AND THEN GIVE IT TO SOMEONE YOU LOVE!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
POTENTIAL
As I arrived in my office this morning I felt compelled to send a note to my staff with some thoughts I was having. It may be of some benefit and challenge to you as well so I thought I would post it here.
Hey gang,
As I was driving in to the office this morning I was listening to ESPN radio (OK, so not a big shock right!) Anyway, they had one of the greatest players in the history of the NHL on Mike and Mike in the morning talking about the Stanly Cup finals that begin this weekend. They asked him what advice he would give to the young players who were about to play for their first championship. He used one word: "EXECUTE!"
He went on to say that once you make it to this level you don't need somebody to tell you what to do, you don't need a great speech or a pep rally, you just need to execute. As I listened I thought about some of our discussions over the last few weeks and especially the one that some of us had earlier this week. We all see the need to focus on execution of the things we have been designed to do. We know what to do and we know how to do it we just have to get it done.
Then as I got here and fired up the computer I was confronted with one of the greatest quotes I have read in a while.
"Our standard for excellence is not measured against others, it is measured by our overall potential". (Jeff Henderson)
Wow! That is it! The level that we perform at should never be measured by what someone else is doing but measured against the level that we have the capacity to perform at.
Question for the day: Am I maximizing my potential? Am I being a good steward/manager of the potential that God has placed inside of me?
Have a great day!
Hey gang,
As I was driving in to the office this morning I was listening to ESPN radio (OK, so not a big shock right!) Anyway, they had one of the greatest players in the history of the NHL on Mike and Mike in the morning talking about the Stanly Cup finals that begin this weekend. They asked him what advice he would give to the young players who were about to play for their first championship. He used one word: "EXECUTE!"
He went on to say that once you make it to this level you don't need somebody to tell you what to do, you don't need a great speech or a pep rally, you just need to execute. As I listened I thought about some of our discussions over the last few weeks and especially the one that some of us had earlier this week. We all see the need to focus on execution of the things we have been designed to do. We know what to do and we know how to do it we just have to get it done.
Then as I got here and fired up the computer I was confronted with one of the greatest quotes I have read in a while.
"Our standard for excellence is not measured against others, it is measured by our overall potential". (Jeff Henderson)
Wow! That is it! The level that we perform at should never be measured by what someone else is doing but measured against the level that we have the capacity to perform at.
Question for the day: Am I maximizing my potential? Am I being a good steward/manager of the potential that God has placed inside of me?
Have a great day!
Monday, May 12, 2008
THE STORMS OF LIFE
Yesterday was quite an interesting day. I awoke to the sound of much thunder and a steady rainfall. As I began driving toward the church I found myself in a serious storm and was even a little nervous for a few minutes of my drive. I had to swerve to miss a tractor trailer that had turned sideways in the middle of the interstate and thought I was going to be blown off the road a few times myself.
I finally arrived at the church building to discover that we had no electricity which obviously meant that we had no lights. In our main auditorium we have no windows so it made for a really dark room. I was certain that the power would come back on before our first service but it never did and we ended up canceling all three of our services.
Later, as I reflected back on the day, I couldn't help but focus on one of the verses that I intended to share and will share this coming Sunday.
Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
As I walked around the building pointing a flashlight in front of me I couldn't see as good as when all of the lights are on. Then I had this thought; there will be times in all of our lives where we will experience the "storms of life", and when they come we may even experience some nervousness or uncertainty.
God has given us His life and His word to carry us through these times. I'm so glad that even in the midst of storms and uncertainty I have a shelter to run to. It's found in Christ!
I finally arrived at the church building to discover that we had no electricity which obviously meant that we had no lights. In our main auditorium we have no windows so it made for a really dark room. I was certain that the power would come back on before our first service but it never did and we ended up canceling all three of our services.
Later, as I reflected back on the day, I couldn't help but focus on one of the verses that I intended to share and will share this coming Sunday.
Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
As I walked around the building pointing a flashlight in front of me I couldn't see as good as when all of the lights are on. Then I had this thought; there will be times in all of our lives where we will experience the "storms of life", and when they come we may even experience some nervousness or uncertainty.
God has given us His life and His word to carry us through these times. I'm so glad that even in the midst of storms and uncertainty I have a shelter to run to. It's found in Christ!
Friday, May 9, 2008
INTENTIONAL DESIGN
What if we began to discover that God designed each of us for a specific purpose? What would our lives look like? How would we spend our time and energy?
Those are some of the questions that I have been asking myself for the last several days. Now, as a communicator of the truth of God's word, I have been speaking about "finding our purpose" for many years, but what I'm talking about here is a bit more than that. It's one thing to find your purpose and know that you have one but it's another to live your life "on purpose".
This Sunday I will be talking about how the path you choose to walk on determines where you end up in life. (If you miss the message you can listen to the podcast on Monday!) The decisions that you make each day determine where you end up and if you are really living on purpose. How many decisions do we make in a 24 hour period that are based on what someone else thinks we should do or based on what we see in our culture.
When I begin to recognize that I was created with an intentional design then that gives me the clues into the path I need to be walking on. If God is the one who gave me my design then it stands to reason that He will direct me onto the path that will get me there. The questions for me are:
"Am I going to slow down long enough to listen to Him?"
"Am I going to be obedient when He directs me down a path that I may not like?"
This day, may you discover that you were created with an intentional design and as you discover what it looks like may you make the decisions that make it a reality in your life!
Those are some of the questions that I have been asking myself for the last several days. Now, as a communicator of the truth of God's word, I have been speaking about "finding our purpose" for many years, but what I'm talking about here is a bit more than that. It's one thing to find your purpose and know that you have one but it's another to live your life "on purpose".
This Sunday I will be talking about how the path you choose to walk on determines where you end up in life. (If you miss the message you can listen to the podcast on Monday!) The decisions that you make each day determine where you end up and if you are really living on purpose. How many decisions do we make in a 24 hour period that are based on what someone else thinks we should do or based on what we see in our culture.
When I begin to recognize that I was created with an intentional design then that gives me the clues into the path I need to be walking on. If God is the one who gave me my design then it stands to reason that He will direct me onto the path that will get me there. The questions for me are:
"Am I going to slow down long enough to listen to Him?"
"Am I going to be obedient when He directs me down a path that I may not like?"
This day, may you discover that you were created with an intentional design and as you discover what it looks like may you make the decisions that make it a reality in your life!
Friday, May 2, 2008
CIRCLES
We all have circles in our lives. You're steering wheel is a circle, your wedding band (if you have one) is a circle, maybe you're swimming pool is a circle, and your kitchen table might even be a circle. There's one circle that we often times overlook that is the most important circle in any of our lives. It's our "inner circle", or those people closest to us in our lives. I have been challenged recently by the reality that we are only as good as those in our "inner circle" and we will only achieve those things that those closest to us encourage and enable us to achieve.
If this is true then it stands to reason that we really should be selective in the people we choose to get close to and we should recognize the need for people in our lives that make us better. There are two books that are greatly influencing me in this area right now. The first is called "The Hidden Wholeness" by Parker Palmer. Palmer is a quaker who speaks of the importance of "circles of trust" where we learn to stay connected with our true selves and avoid living a divided life. (I'll speak more to this in a few days)
The second book is simply titled "11" by Leonard Sweet. Sweet speaks of the "11" relationships that are essential for all of us if we are going to be the person God has designed us to be. It is a great read and very challenging.
Last night I had a meeting with a portion of my "inner circle" who happen to be the staff of LifePoint Church and during our time we talked about this important truth. After we finished I reflected on the great potential in my life because of those God has surrounded me with.
Today, as you encounter the various "circles" in your life I hope you will think about the most important circle of all, your "inner circle" and evaluate how much you need it and maybe even invite others to join yours.
If this is true then it stands to reason that we really should be selective in the people we choose to get close to and we should recognize the need for people in our lives that make us better. There are two books that are greatly influencing me in this area right now. The first is called "The Hidden Wholeness" by Parker Palmer. Palmer is a quaker who speaks of the importance of "circles of trust" where we learn to stay connected with our true selves and avoid living a divided life. (I'll speak more to this in a few days)
The second book is simply titled "11" by Leonard Sweet. Sweet speaks of the "11" relationships that are essential for all of us if we are going to be the person God has designed us to be. It is a great read and very challenging.
Last night I had a meeting with a portion of my "inner circle" who happen to be the staff of LifePoint Church and during our time we talked about this important truth. After we finished I reflected on the great potential in my life because of those God has surrounded me with.
Today, as you encounter the various "circles" in your life I hope you will think about the most important circle of all, your "inner circle" and evaluate how much you need it and maybe even invite others to join yours.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
DESIRE
I'm almost finished reading a book by John Eldredge called "Desire." He also authored "Wild at Heart" (which by the way we will be doing a men's study through in the next couple of weeks) and both books have really had a great impact on my life. The essence of "Desire" is that we all have one and if we are not careful we can loose it or it can be taken away from us.
In order to be who I believe we were created to be we must posses a desire to live a life filled with passion and purpose. Eldredge says, "There is a secret set within each of our hearts. It is the desire for life as it was meant to be." I know that to be so true!
For far too long too many people in our culture have taken their cues from culture. I believe that as followers of Christ we have been called to influence culture and create culture but not take our cues from it. There is a lot we can learn about ourselves and our world from our culture and I think while we don't get our direction from it we must engage in it in order to make a difference. However, Jesus said "we are to be in it but not if it..."
My greatest desire at this stage of my life is to know God more, to know what it looks like to be His follower in this culture that I find myself in and to invite others on the journey. As we walk with God may we keep hold of our desire and may He increase our desire to know Him more!
In order to be who I believe we were created to be we must posses a desire to live a life filled with passion and purpose. Eldredge says, "There is a secret set within each of our hearts. It is the desire for life as it was meant to be." I know that to be so true!
For far too long too many people in our culture have taken their cues from culture. I believe that as followers of Christ we have been called to influence culture and create culture but not take our cues from it. There is a lot we can learn about ourselves and our world from our culture and I think while we don't get our direction from it we must engage in it in order to make a difference. However, Jesus said "we are to be in it but not if it..."
My greatest desire at this stage of my life is to know God more, to know what it looks like to be His follower in this culture that I find myself in and to invite others on the journey. As we walk with God may we keep hold of our desire and may He increase our desire to know Him more!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
