Deadliest Catch
One of my favorite shows to watch is a show about crab fishing. I’m too lazy to fish so I regularly DVR the show Deadliest Catch. As I caught up with the last couple episodes of this season I was moved with a bit of emotion. One of my favorite guys on the show was Captain Phil Harris who died recently from a heart attack on the show. I watched the episodes where they honored him and thousands of people came out to pay tribute to him.
They said things about him such as; he was a great fisherman. He was dependable. He was always good for a laugh. He was hard headed. He loved his boys. He was a good person. He was one of the best. He will never be forgotten. He was a great friend. As I watched that and listend to it I began to get knots in my stomach because I didn’t hear what I wanted to hear about Phil. I didn’t hear that he loved Jesus. That he was passionate about his relationship with God. I didn’t hear the things that eternally really mattered. It broke my heart that somebody so loved and honored and somebody with so much influence didn’t to my knowledge get to have a relationship with His creator.
It bothered me because the first list of things are said about so many when they die but unless the second list of things are said about that person does it really matter? Our role is not just to receive Christ, but our role as Christ followers is to share what Christ has done for us to others. That is truly fulfilling the great commission. I don’t want anybody around me to miss out on a relationship with Christ. It is too important to let my pride get in the way of God’s calling on my life to share His name with others.
Swagger Wagon
Vacation
I am taking a blog vacation. Working on some new ideas and concepts for the blog. Excited to be back and blogging on June 15th.
Guard Rails, Speed Bumps & Yellow Lights
Do you see them? They are called guard rails, speed bumps and yellow lights and they are there to keep us on the right path, slow us down and cause us to avoid danger. So do you see them? How do they enter your life? Are you listening to the cautions? Are you looking out for your blind spots? Is there somebody in your life who is a “wingman” to you? [Nice little Top Gun reference there]
I am learning that you can be blindsided when you least expect it. I am also learning to be on the lookout for those around me. Too easily I can be consumed about me and my needs and looking out for myself that I forget there are people around me who are hurting who need me to look out for them. It is selfish to live and think that it is all about me when those who are looking out for me need to be looked after as well.
So who is in your life? Who is asking you the tough questions? Who or what are your guard rails, speed bumps and yellow lights?
Moving Day
This weekend has been filled with painting and prepping as we literally moving to the end of the driveway. Of course to make a house a home it requires multiple color changes to each wall and it requires that furniture is moved at least 7 times because obviously that is the number of perfection. Have had a good amount of help from friends, youth staff and life group and thanks to all of them. Thankful for the chance to be able to live in this house and have some privacy and freedom for the kids. So thank you to the Eric, Gus and the elders for letting us have this opportunity.
Don’t you love the fact that I am to lazy to take my own picture of the house that I had to steal it off of Eric’s Facebook page?
Happy Former Decoration Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War), it was expanded after World War I. Thank you to all those who have fought to defend our freedoms. Taken from Wikipedia.
One of my favorite parts of Memorial Day is BBQ. I am a BBQ fanatic. Every time I travel I am always keeping my eye out for good coffee and BBQ. So here are some fun facts for you on this Memorial Day. Taken from yumsugar.com.
- In the US, North-Easterners are the biggest barbequers, followed by those who inhabit the North-Central, the South, and the West.
- Hamburgers are the most popular food to grill at 87%, followed by steak 83%, chicken 78%, and hot dogs 76%.
- The 4th of July is the largest barbeque holiday, followed by Memorial Day and Labor Day.
- American presidents have openly expressed their love for grilling by hosting barbeques dating all the way back to Thomas Jefferson.
- The most commonly grilled side dish is corn, followed by other vegetables, and potatoes.
- Hickory barbeque sauce is favored, then mesquite, honey, and tomato based.
- In homemade barbeque sauces, garlic is almost always found in the recipe, as is brown sugar.
- After aluminum foil, the preferred barbeque tools are long handed tongs, clean brushes, and spatulas.
- To check the propane level of your barbeque’s gas tank, weigh on your normal bathroom scale. An empty tank weighs between 17 and 19 pounds. The difference between that and what your tank weighs is how much gas you have left.
- The origin of the word barbeque is debatable. Some believe it’s from the Spanish word barbacoa which was a framework of green wood that held cooking food over hot coals. Others think the word is French because of the term they gave to the cooking technique of pirates who cooked meats from whiskers to tail or de barbe a queue.
- Both Memphis and Kansas City claim that they are the barbeque capital of the United States.
Tripp & Tyler Babies
Journey To Unite
I love movies. One of the best movies that I have seen in a very long time is Invictus which is the true story of Nelson Mandela and his journey to unite a country as he became the president of South Africa after spending 27 years in prison for sabotage and other charges. Mandela claimed that the poem Invictus written by William Ernest Henley, hence the name of the movie, gave him strength in the darkest of times.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
At one point Mandela sat Francois Pienaar down who was the captain of the South African Springboks to challenge him to win the World Cup of Rugby and Mandela said this, “How do we inspire ourselves to greatness when nothing less will do? How do we inspire everyone around us?” Mandela’s dream was to unite the whites and blacks of South Africa by inspiring them through rugby. Francois took the challenge and inspired a mediocre team to greatness and for a moment inspired a nation to greatness.
Andy Stanley has said this quote before, “What do you do when you realize you are the most powerful person in the room?” Both Mandela and Francois leveraged their power together in their respective areas of influence. The word Invictus is Latin meaning, unconquer, unconquerable or undefeated. Towards the end of the movie Francois commented that, “We’ve become more than just a rugby team.”
I wonder in our lives when do we realize that we were created for more than what we are doing currently? When do we realize that we are more than just a Christ-follower but we are part the Kingdom of God? When do we realize that we are more than just a neighbor or a co-worker but we are a link between them and an eternity with the Creator? Romans 8:37 says, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” We are more than Invictus in Christ.
10 Second Prayers
Sitting in life group last night something hit me about prayer, I really suck at it. You probably do as well. Not because we don’t use big fancy words or because we don’t try but simply because we don’t understand it. We’re going through some series by Andy Stanley that is taken from Matthew 6:9-13. What I’m getting is that it is not a formula prayer and I don’t have to pray exactly a certain way. The Lord’s Prayer is simply an order of elements but it’s up to me in how I pray.
9. Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. This whole idea keeps in perspective who He is and who we are. It’s the idea of declaring God’s greatness. I don’t do that nearly enough. Not because I don’t believe He is great but because I am too anxious to get to my stuff.
10. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. The main idea idea here is surrendering our will to His will. It’s saying God I want what you want for me more than what I want for myself. Your agenda. Jesus the night before He was crucified prayed and begged God saying if there is any other way that would be great, but it is not my will but yours to be done. Amazing that even Jesus himself wrestled with God to be completely in His will.
11-13. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. This is acknowledging your dependency on God. It’s asking God for your needs and wants and begging Him to protect your life, heart and mind.
Interesting point that Andy made though…this third part of the prayer really will become the shortest part of the prayer once we recognize the greatness of God and surrender our will to Him because everything else will seem so small and insignificant. It’s taking our agenda off the table. ”When your faith intersects with His faithfulness then life change happens.”
I’ve always struggled with how long to pray and I heard this last night, “The length of your prayer should be determined by the condition of your heart.” Jesus prayed a quick 10 second heart to raise Lazarus from the dead but He prayed all night in the garden before His crucifixion.
I wonder if you struggle with prayer as much as the rest of us do? Be encouraged today that there is no magic formula. There is no specific way. I am learning to simply realize how great God is and surrender my will to His. Easier to say than to do.
That’s Why It’s Here
A person who has always intrigued me is Walt Disney. When you think of vision you have to think of Walt Disney. Here is a man who had a dream to build a world that would capture and engage the imagination. What I didn’t know is that he died before the completion of the project. Soon after the completion of The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, someone said, “Isn’t it too bad Walt Disney didn’t live to see this?” Vance replied, “He did see it. That’s why it’s here.” Even after Walt Disney passed from this life, his vision for the future held strong. He had established firmly in the minds of all those he came in contact with the vision he held for the future. He had a passion and a desire and those things are contagious. Because of that passion and desire people today plan their entire year around visiting the Magic Kingdom.
Walt once said, “As a leader you must live like everyone matters… too many leaders keep their distance from employees physically & emotionally.” Walt said, “The ability to relate with all types of people and backgrounds is not a gift, but a learned behavior.” Disney has learned that people will return on two things: 1.Satisfied with first visit. 2.The biggest return is positive interaction with Disney staff.
All that to say, for a vision to be complete and for it to last it has to be all about people. Walt Disney was an example of connecting with people and connecting people with the vision. Walt Disney World exists today because people bought into him as a leader because he lived out the vision in every area of his life.
What are you trying to sell? What is your vision? Are you fighting to be heard or do people listen because you care about people and your vision is compelling?
