faith

“It’s about Jesus baby!”

March 30, 2013 by doug 1 Comment

On my last to Mexico, I was invited to speak in a prison, and when I got there, they wanted me to play basketball with some of the prisoners. The guys playing were in jail for murder… so as you can imagine, they had no problem fouling hard. Most were mean-spirited, which makes sense because of the miserable surroundings. Outside this game of basketball, they guys seemed hopeless.

Except one guy.

The guy who was different was was picking guys up, smiling, laughing… he definitely stood out in this environment. He looked a little like a gangster… but didn’t act like one. After the game I asked, “Why were you the only guy to pass me the ball?” (Okay, I didn’t ask that, but it was true). I asked, “Why do you seem so different than everyone else in here?”

In broken English he said, “Jesus baby! It’s all about Jesus!”

That’s what this weekend is all about–Jesus. When Jesus defeated death, the word “impossible” should have been removed from the believer’s vocabulary. Because of God’s power, a man in misery can live with joy and hope. Willpower doesn’t do that to a person. You don’t rise above those kinds of circumstances with a little more Vitamin C and a good diet. There’s a supernatural power infused into the life of a Jesus-follower. It’s the same power that parted the Red Sea and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead… and it’s available to you and me and all those we have the privilege of leading and teaching this weekend.

Help people see the resurrected Jesus and the hope that’s connected.

Filed Under: Church, Faith, posts Tagged With: basketball, changed-life, Easter, faith, hope, Jesus, Mexico, power

“If only…”

March 17, 2013 by doug 5 Comments

It feels like I’ve had several “if only” conversations lately. “If only” is a phrase used in the never-ending search for “IT.” If only I… [fill-in the blank]
…had that job.
…held that title.
…lived in that neighborhood.
…made that amount.
…went there for vacation.
…etc.

My earliest recollection of “if only” and the never-ending quest for IT goes back to when I was a little kid and I had a Huffy bicycle. All the kids on my street owned a Schwinn. I had a Huffy—Kmart’s brand. You couldn’t be cool with a Huffy. But, that was my life. No expensive brands for me. My friends had the Spalding indoor/outdoor leather basketball and I had one my parents bought from a grocery store–that looked like a brown painted volleyball. My buddies wore Levis and I wore Sears’ brand—Husky pants. I was that kid–Husky’s on a Huffy. All the discount brands started with “H” for “humiliation.”

So I saved my money and, with a little help from my parents, I finally got a Candy Apple Red Schwinn 3 speed—very fancy. I rode that thing around like I was the CEO of Schwinn and they gave me the very best one ever made. No baseball cards in the spokes for me—not a chance—that was so childish. But, it wasn’t long before I determined that my life would be a little better if I had a 10-speed.

I wish that was my first and last visit with “if only” thinking… unfortunately that’s not reality.

Question: how do you help coach people to get past this limited thinking. What’s your advice? Share it here.

Filed Under: Faith, Leadership, Personal, posts Tagged With: ambition, faith, money, personal

I struck out…in slow pitch (perspective)

December 21, 2012 by doug 4 Comments

A few years ago, I played on a church softball team that ended up winning the league championship. But in the final game—the biggest game of the season—I struck out. Struck out! In softball! I’ve played against senior citizens and legally blind people who didn’t strike out. (There’s an unwritten rule that if you’re good enough to be on a team, you should never strike out in slow pitch softball.)

Do you think I was discouraged? Absolutely! But we won the game and the championship! The discouragement of striking out was nothing compared to the joy of winning the championship. I got my three-inch-high plastic trophy and was voted Most-Likely-to-Improve (or not be asked back).

If I’m honest, most of the discouragement in my life is about me. It’s about my unrealized dreams and expectations. It happens when my needs are not getting met. I’m not getting my way. Someone is hurting me. That opportunity should have been mine, not his. Hearing any common words? Me. Mine. My. And everyone knows that being self-focused causes myopia.

To limit my discouragement, I’m learning (too slowly) to move from a perspective that says, “It’s all about me” to one that realizes, “It’s all about Jesus.” When I fix my eyes on Jesus, it causes me to think about the bigger picture—it’s about kingdom living now with eternity on the radar. Perspective is remembering “Christ in me…the hope of glory”… “Immanuel–God with us”… Jesus is her, now. That perspective is a game-changer… or, life-changerr! Discouraging stuff—like striking out in a big game—seems so insignificant with that perspective.

With that perspective, the overwhelming clutter in my life isn’t that overwhelming. With that perspective, the arguments in the backseat are noises of opportunity. With that perspective, the people I let down or who let me down… those are just windows for God’s grace to shine. When my focus is Jesus, discouragement loses its power!