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Building A Dream Life

How Can We Be Prepared for Unexpected Situations?

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We Can’t Know Everything That’s Going to Happen, But We Can Still Be Prepared

Getting ready for things that we weren’t expecting or wanting can be hard.

Like a kid that’s told to get ready. What they hear when they’re told, “We’ll be leaving in five minutes.” is… Get undressed, start a finger painting and lose at least one shoe.

It’s reasonable that young kids don’t fully understand the concept of getting ready. It’s less tolerable when we’re adults.  

In Luke 12:32-40 Jesus is trying to prepare His disciples for their mission going forward after His death. He’s trying to help them see the bigger picture.

He tells them to get ready for eternity and not get sidetracked with things of this world. He tells them to be ready like a servant waiting for his master to come home. We don’t know when our lives will end, so we need to get ready now, so that we will be ready when the time comes.

Being prepared is making a decision and taking action before you need to. If you wait until it’s time…it’s too late.

Being prepared requires work. It’s not something that just happens. This is why a lot of people don’t want to be prepared for things. It requires study and training to get prepared for anything.

If it’s worth doing, it’s worth the effort.

We can’t just show up and expect to perform at our best.

Preparation is the difference between success and failure. People who are good at what they do, don’t perform at that level without putting in time and energy to get that way. Preparation is an advantage.

Being prepared requires willingness to put others ahead of ourselves.

At Texas A&M they have a tradition of the 12th Man. This dates back to 1922 when the Aggies were facing a top-ranked team in a football game.

An Aggie by the name of E. King Gill, a squad player for Texas A&M’s football team, was up in the press box helping reporters identify players on the field below — and what was happening on the field wasn’t pretty.

The Aggies found themselves plagued by injuries, with their reserves seemingly dwindling with every play. As Texas A&M Coach Dana X. Bible looked across his rapidly emptying bench, he suddenly remembered Gill’s presence in the stands. Bible waved Gill down to the sideline and told him to suit up. Gill ran under the bleachers and put on the uniform of injured running back Heine Weir, who had been knocked out of the game in the first quarter.

Gill returned to the sideline, where he stood ready to play for the entirety of the game. When the last play was run, the Aggies found that they had pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college football history, winning the game 22-14.

And Gill remained standing, the only player left on the team’s bench.

Gill’s willingness to serve his team in 1922 has passed down from generation to generation of Aggies for nearly one hundred years, as Texas A&M’s student section stands together during entire football and basketball games, a symbol of the 12th Man on the team.

The power of the 12th Man is echoed in the unity, the loyalty, and the willingness of Aggies to serve when called to do so.

And it is the reason that Texas A&M has earned a name that embraces Gill’s simple gesture of service: Home of the 12th Man.

Preparation is a choice. It requires willingness, sacrifice, learning and training. Are you prepared?

A Successful Life Is More Than Just a Big Pile of Stuff

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Where Your Heart is…That’s Where You’ll Find Your Treasure

Success looks different to each of us. We need to remember that success is so much more than just accumulating things. Not that there is anything wrong with having nice stuff.

Real success comes from where our focus is. Is it on the stuff or fulfilling our God given purpose?

We need to be careful to not get sucked into the commercialism of the world.

If we’re honest with ourselves we’re spoiled. Things that we call problems, really aren’t problems…they’re inconveniences. Things like:

  • I have company coming over and my house is a mess
  • My walk-in closet isn’t big enough
  • I can’t get my Wi-Fi to reach everywhere in my house
  • My air conditioning in my truck quit and its hot outside

Compared to a hundred years ago or someone living in a 3rd world country…these aren’t problems, they’re inconveniences.

We live in an overwhelmingly marketed to world. Advertising is all about creating the want of stuff. Desire is contagious. We need to be careful to not be sucked into desiring the wrong things.

Stuff in and of itself isn’t bad. It’s about where your focus is.

In Matthew 6:19-21 we’re told to be careful where we’re storing up treasures. Earthly treasures don’t last forever while heavenly ones do.

Jesus tells us in Luke 12:13-21 about a man whose farm produced such a big crop that he didn’t have enough room to store it all. The man decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. This would allow him to eat, drink and enjoy himself for years to come. This didn’t work so well…that night the man died.

This is what happens when people store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.

I used to struggle with this Scripture. It seemed to me to be saying that we shouldn’t work hard or be productive or save for the future.

This isn’t what it’s saying. It is saying…it’s not all about me.

If we focus our energy into fulfilling our God given mission, we will be successful…whatever that looks like for each of us.

How Do You Know If Your Servant’s Heart is Focused in the Right Place?

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It’s Pretty Simple Really…It’s All About What Your Focus Is On

If you have siblings or children, you know how things typically progress with each new child. With the first there is a level of inexperience that leads to caution and overzealous instruction. With each following, things seem to relax.

A woman with five siblings (three sisters and two brothers) told a story about one night talking with her mother. They were talking about how the mother had changed from the first kid to the last. Her mother agreed that she had mellowed a lot. “When your oldest sister coughed or sneezed, I called the ambulance. When your youngest brother swallowed a dime, I just told him it was coming out of his allowance.”

Experience is a good teacher.

Most of us are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha. Luke 10:38-42 In this story Martha welcomes Jesus and His disciples into her home. Doing this kicks her servant’s heart into full swing. Hosting people is a lot of work.

While Martha was working to get things ready…Mary went in and sat down with Jesus and the disciples and was listening to Jesus. This upset Martha.

We all know people who excel at hosting. Some of this comes naturally, some is from experience.

A few weeks ago, we had my wife’s family in for the weekend. Debby fixed enough food for three meals a day for twenty-five. (There were only six of us) It’s not that any of us needed that much to eat…it was about her showing her love for them. It’s what her grandma would have done.

Serving others is a good thing…if we don’t lose sight of why we’re doing it.

Mary and Martha were different. All of us are different. These differences lead us to do different things. What’s important to one person isn’t to another.

We don’t know exactly why Martha or Mary were doing what they were in that moment. What we do know, is that in a few days after Jesus was with them, He would be dead.

This is why it is critical that we do what we do with our focus in the right place.

Serving others for the wrong reasons is no better than not serving them.

We need to be careful to focus on the right thing at the right time. Three things we know about focus –

  1. Our time is limited, the demands are endless – We can choose where we spend our time. Don’t let demands have control.
  2. Focusing on the right thing is living with no regret – We don’t know the future so focus on the most important thing now.
  3. You will never have enough time for everything, focus on the right thing – There will always be too much to do and we can’t do it all. We can choose what to neglect.

Make sure to focus on Jesus and what He wants. If we do this…we will be serving in the right way.

Asking Questions is Often the Best Way to Answer Questions

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How Can I Help You? is a Good One to Start With

Asking questions is a great way for us to learn and expand our thinking. This is pretty uncommon in today’s world. People tend to be set in their ways and not interested in hearing different thoughts.

In the Bible Jesus asks a lot more questions than He answers. He asked 307 questions. He was asked 183 questions of which he only gave three answers. Jesus had (has) all the answers, but he asked a lot more than He answered.

Answers provide certainty, but questions prompt growth.

Most of us are familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan.

This story from Luke 10:25-37 is full of questions.

It starts with an expert in the Law, asking Jesus a question. “What must I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus answers him with a question, “What is written in the Scriptures?”

The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’ ”

Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.”

Then comes another question. “Who are my neighbors?”

Jesus then tells the story of the Good Samaritan, answering the man’s question with another question.

“Which one of the three people in the story was a neighbor to the man who was beaten and robbed?”

The man answers, “The one who showed pity.”

Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”

It’s nice to have clear answers to questions, but most of the time, the answers aren’t clear.

Questions cause us to think and grow. Questions encourage all involved to consider other answers. Questions lead to expanded thinking.

Asking questions is what Jesus did. Asking questions is what we should do.

What Is It That You Want to Be Remembered For?

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It’s Better to Answer This Question Sooner Rather Than Later

Too often the driving force behind our actions is selfish and inward focused. Even when we’re doing good work that helps others, we turn that around to being about us.

In Luke 10:1-20, Jesus sent people out to share His message. When they came back, they were excited about what they had accomplished. They said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed when we spoke in your name!”

Jesus told them, “Don’t be happy because evil spirits obey you. Be happy that your names are written in heaven!

We need to think about why we do what we do.

We shouldn’t do good things for the wrong reason.

Satan started out as an angel but lost his direction and fell from God’s grace. He could have done great things but instead….it became all about him.

Some missionaries were in a country where one day they found a big snake in their house. They went and got one of the local’s, who came and cut the snake’s head off with a machete.

He went back outside and told them to wait before they went back inside, because the snake’s body is still squirming and they could be hurt.

As he was thinking about this, one of the missionaries realized that this is like Satan. Even though God has already cut his head off, he is still causing damage to anyone who gets too close.

Be sure to keep your distance.

A few months prior to his death Martin Luther King Jr. preached “The Drum Major Instinct”. He told his congregation what he would like said at his funeral: “I’d like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.”

King’s sermon was an adaptation of the 1952 homily “Drum-Major Instincts” by J. Wallace Hamilton. Both men tell the biblical story of James and John, who ask Jesus for the most prominent seats in heaven. At the core of their desire was a “drum major instinct—a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade”.

King warned his congregation that this desire for importance can lead to people feeling superior. Conversely, King preached that when Jesus responded to the request by James and John, he did not rebuke them for their ambition, but taught that greatness comes from humble servitude.

As King put it, Jesus “reordered priorities.”

King concluded the sermon by imagining his own funeral. Urging the congregation not to dwell on his life’s achievements. He asked to be remembered as one who “tried to give his life serving others”. He implored his congregation to remember his attempts to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and comfort prisoners. “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter”

It’s important that we do good for the right reason.

It Takes Courage to Go Down the Path of Challenge

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The Question is, Can You Find Your Hidden Courage?

Life is full of challenges. Nobody ever said that life would be easy. If they did…they were lying.

Life’s challenges are the things that build character. They are the things that help us to become who we were meant to be.

Anything worth doing is a challenge.

As Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to be crucified, He knew what was waiting for Him there. Even so, He kept pushing forward. You want to talk about courage when facing a challenge.

On the way He encountered several people more focused on their worldly situations, rather than focusing on Him and His eternal message.

Luke 9:51-62

We need to have our focus in the right place.

If we’re honest, just like Jesus we’re all on a path to our death. Accepting this is a challenge and it takes courage.

“If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ll be right.” (Steve Jobs) 

One of the best ways to summon our courage is to put others ahead of ourselves.

Think about how courageous a mother is when her children are in danger. Or how a husband will put himself at risk to save the love of his life. This kind of love gives us courage we didn’t even know we had.

Jesus showed this kind of courage when He went to the cross to be killed in our place.

Courage is out there. It’s up to us to incorporate it into our daily lives.

Whatever the challenges are that you’re facing, large or small, you have what it takes to confront them. You have the courage you need…now find it and use it.

Take on life’s challenges with courage and confidence.

Not Everyone Likes Being the Center of Attention, While Some Do

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Every One of Us is Different and We Need to Shine Where We’re Meant to

Watching kids perform…or not, gives us some insight into who we are as adults.

Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church. Sunday the kids had a program during our morning worship. It’s always fun to watch kids perform (or not 😊).

Some were very animated doing the actions to the extreme as they sang the songs. Others sang without doing the hand and body movements. Some did the movement without singing the words. And then there were a few who just stood there like mannequins.

They looked as though they wanted to be anywhere but there.

I could identify with them. Performing in front of people was never something that I looked forward to doing.

Looking back, I’m glad I did things that were outside my comfort zone. It helped to grow and become more of who God intends me to be.

As adults we still struggle with doing things outside our comfort zone. What if this thing fails? What if no one likes it? What if I’m not any good at it?

Just like the kids performing…we have a choice.

This doesn’t mean that everything is for everybody. We all have different skills and abilities.

It’s up to us to figure out what they are and use them.

We are supposed to be good stewards of what we’ve been given. 1 Peter 4

During fellowship time after church, some of us were talking about how some of the kids didn’t fully participate. Some in the discussion were there during the week and said they participated then. They were perplexed why they didn’t on Sunday.

As I’ve thought about this since, I wondered if anyone bothered to ask those kids why. There could have been any number of reasons, but without asking, we’ll never know.

This also gets magnified as we grow into adulthood.

We don’t want to bother them. We don’t have time. We’re so busy we don’t even think about it. Maybe it’s none of my business.

I’ll never know if I don’t ask.

God made us who we are. It’s up to us to figure it out who that is and use it to make the world a better place.

If you’d like to see the performance, you can watch it here.

Do You Hear That? It’s the Sound of Being Called to Serve

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It’s Up to You to Open Your Ears and Listen Carefully So You Do the Right Thing

How many Christians does it take to screw in a light bulb?

That’s a good question, but first…

Once again, this week we were blessed with a message from a guest speaker. Thanks to Sara Pines for her willingness to share God’s message in the absence of Pastor Lee!

Most of us are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha found in Luke 10:38-42.

In this passage Martha and Mary welcome Jesus and his disciples into their home. Martha is working hard preparing a meal and setting the table, trying to get everything ready. As she’s working, she gets frustrated with Mary, who is sitting in the other room listening to Jesus while Martha is working.

In her frustration Martha goes to Jesus and says, “Lord, doesn’t it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”

Jesus replies, “Martha, Martha! You’re worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I used to struggle some with this Scripture.  

It seemed to me that Martha’s work to serve Jesus was the more important task. The problem is that Martha had made this decision from her own worldly perspective. She had neglected to open her ears to what Jesus wanted her to do.

This is not to say that what she was doing was wrong or right…It is about partnering with God and getting His input.

Serving isn’t the same as slavery. Slavery is forced. Serving is voluntary.

Serving doesn’t have to be something monumental. It can be as simple as showing kindness by opening a door or simply smiling at people we meet.

Having the heart of a servant includes:

  • Using Jesus as our role model
  • Choosing to be last, not first
  • Showing God’s love by loving others
  • Considering other’s needs before your own
  • Using your God given gifts to serve God

Serving others lights up the world around us. In Matthew 5:14-16, we are told to be the light of the world.

“A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, and no one lights a lamp and puts it under a clay pot. Instead, it is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. 

Make your light shine, so others will see the good you do and will praise your Father in heaven.”

Back to the question, how many Christians does it take to screw in a light bulb?

None…As Christians we are the light of the world.

Listen carefully to God and find out how you can serve Him best and light up the world around you.

Where Are You Being Lead…and Are You Sure It’s the Right Place?

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Sometimes We’re So Confident, Only to Find Out We Missed the Mark

This past Sunday we were blessed to have Rev. Bill Brazil filling the pulpit while Pastor Lee is on vacation.

His sermon was based on the book, The Other Wise Man, by Henry van Dyke. This story is an addition to and expansion of the account of the Biblical Magi. It tells about a “fourth” wise man named Artaban. Like the other Magi, he sees signs in the heavens proclaiming that a King had been born among the Jews.

Like them, he sets out to see the newborn ruler, carrying treasures to give as gifts to the child – a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl. However, on his way he finds a man lying in the road, near death.

Artaban felt sorry for him, but he didn’t have time to stay and help…he was in the middle of the most important task of his life. How could he just turn his back on taking his gifts to the Messiah?

But then, how could he leave this man alone to die?

Artaban decides to stay and covers the man with his robe. After several hours the man regained consciousness. Artaban gave him the last of his bread and wine and goes to meet his friends.

Because he had stopped to help the man, he missed the caravan. He found a note left by his friends. They had waited as long as they could and told him he should follow.

He couldn’t cross the desert with only a horse, he was forced to use his sapphire in order to buy camels and supplies necessary for the trip.

He commenced his journey but arrives in Bethlehem too late, the child and His parents had fled to Egypt. The streets were deserted due to Herod’s soldiers looking for and killing baby boys.

As Artaban was walking through the streets he heard a baby crying. He introduced himself to the mother and as they were talking there was a commotion outside.

It was soldiers taking babies from their mothers and killing them. As a captain approached the house Artaban held out the ruby. He said, “I’m waiting to give this jewel to the prudent captain who will go on his way and leave this house alone.”

He saved the life of the child at the price of another of his treasures.

He then travels to Egypt and to many other countries, searching for Jesus. For years he travels around, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and healing the sick.

After 33 years, Artaban, still trying to find Jesus, arrives in Jerusalem. He is getting old, but still desperate to find the King.

It so happens that it was Passover and the city was full of visitors. Artaban asked someone where everyone was going. “We are going to an execution on Golgotha. One of these men is call Jesus of Nazareth. He claims to be the son of God, but Pilate has sent Him to the cross.

Could it be that I might ransom the King with my last treasure?

As Artaban headed toward Calvary, he saw a group of soldiers dragging a young woman. She was able to break away and threw herself at his feet asking for help.

She had been sold into slavery to pay off her dead father’s debt.

Once again Artaban was conflicted. Twice before he had spent the gift consecrated to the King. He just had one jewel left. What was he going to do?

He spent the pearl, to ransom the young woman.

Then the sky grew dark, the ground began to shake and buildings began to fall. As he hid by a wall a tile fell from the roof and hit him in the head. His quest to give tribute to the King was over and he had failed.

As he lay there a still small voice came to him like music. “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

As he lay there dying a calm radiance of wonder and joy lit his face. His journey had ended. His treasures were accepted.

“The Other Wise Man” found his King.

So often we have a plan. We’re sure it’s the right plan. We’ve prayed and asked God. The problem is that sometimes what we think is God’s voice is really just our own.

Don’t get so caught up in doing the right thing that you miss out on the joy of doing the right thing.

No Matter the Circumstances We Need to Give Everything to God

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It’s More Than Our Ability That God Uses to Mend Broken Lives…It’s Our Faithfulness

We’ve all experienced loss in our lives…some big and some small. The question is, in those times, how do we respond? Where is our focus? Is it on the loss or is it on God?

Most of the time we think we got everything under control and then…SURPRISE, the unexpected happens.

We’ve all been blindsided by an unforeseen accident, a startling medical diagnosis, an unfaithful spouse or a sudden death of a family member. These are a part of life.

The important thing is how we handle them.

This isn’t to say that it’s easy, because it’s not. We’ve all been given the abilities for just such a time as this. But ability alone isn’t enough. We need to remember where those abilities come from and when using them, align their use with God’s plans.

In Acts 16:16-34 we get both good and bad examples of how to deal with life circumstances. It starts out with Paul and Silas being followed around by a slave girl who had a spirit in her that gave her the power to tell the future. By doing this she made a lot of money for her owners. As she followed them, she kept yelling, “These men are servants of God!

They are telling you how to be saved.”

After several days, Paul got upset that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I order you to leave this girl alone!” At once the evil spirit left her.

When the girl’s owners realized they had lost all chances for making more money, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into court. They were beaten and put in jail. The jailer was told to guard them carefully.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail and the doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.

When the jailer saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself, but Paul stopped him. He told him that none of the prisoners had escaped.

When the jailer realized what had happened, he began shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas and asked, “What must I do to be saved?” They replied…

“Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone.”

The slave’s master’s focus was on money. The jailer’s focus was on his job. Paul and Silas’s focus was on God. We can see how the different responses turned out.

This isn’t to say that if our focus is on God that everything is always going to turn out how we want.

I don’t think Paul and Silas wanted to be beaten and thrown in jail. I do think their focus on God is the thing that helped them through the ordeal.

It would be easy to say that the earthquake was just a coincidence that worked in their favor. Regardless, it didn’t change who Paul and Silas were. It did however change the lives (both on earth and eternal) of many of those around them.

Too often we overlook God at work in our lives especially in the little things.

Granted an earthquake isn’t little, but God works through both the big and the little.

It’s up to you where you put your focus. Whether or not you will use your abilities to mend broken lives and help build His kingdom here on earth.