I could count the lights on the ceiling as I got pinned for the 3rd time. I remember that I was just a little older than my son when that happened. It was my first wrestling meet and my Dad had come to watch me. I looked over at him as I got rolled for that 3rd time (I believe I wrestled Bart Floyd, Dan Beatty, and Jay Pitz.) I was so disappointed. I felt like such a failure and I never wanted to wrestle again, ever. So when I sat in the bleacher seats for my sons first Martial Arts tournament I had this unwanted memory. With it came all the awkwardness of the feelings that were associated. I wanted him to do well, and felt he would, but I also knew that anything could happen.
After the initial "forms" competition came the "sparing" event that he was signed up for. He was so itching to get in there that he was working the wall over and then another kid from Project Future / Bushido Kai was doing some light sparing in the hallway before hand. He was quite ready. So ready that I thought he'd wear himself out first!
With orders from my wife to record the matches I had my iPhone in hand. I watched the two matches through the screen. The first match I was most nervous about. But right at the start he got a point, the other person got a point. Next thing I knew the match was over and he won 3-1! I looked back at my friend Rod and got a thumbs up from him. He won?! What a relief! He won!
The second match started and with great amazement my son had knocked the kid back on his butt with a clash. After that, well, it didn't go so well. He lost 3-0 (clashes are not points). I waited to see if there were any more matches. None. They lined the kids up and awarded trophies for 1st to 3rd and a medal for 4th. Somehow he got the 4th place medal out of 4 kids. (We're still looking into that as I don't quite see how that happened... with his loss to the 1st place guy he should have gotten at least 3rd place. But I digress...)
He was devastated that he placed last. Just like me, he was faced with the sense of being a failure. He was crying and ready to quit. At that moment I had a chance to pass on to my son something that it took years for me to learn about... Endurance / Perseverance. Failure is not fatal. You have two choices, stay down and throw a pity party, blame and point fingers or get up and learn from the failure... work harder and get better... be responsible for what will happen next. It's scary how much my oldest is a "mini me"... such similar interests and yes, such similar internal frailties (even though I keep telling him the great qualities I see). Personally, I never thought I was very smart, talented or good looking. I learned along the way that who I am in Christ is much more than what I or others have thought of me. I know that my son is taking what he heard and putting it into practice... after his class last night, he put on sparing equipment and got right back at it! So proud of him! My lesson in this? Don't let the past dictate the present... those lights may become stars to reach for.
How about you? How have you kept going when it was easy to just quit?
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Are YOU the new minister?
You probably don't know it yet, but it is official... YOU are the new minister! I can see the shock on your virtual face right now. You were thinking, possibly, "Oh, Lonnie got a church!" Nope, sorry. It's more like "Lonnie got a clue." A clue that we need to grasp with understanding and conviction. Ready? Here it is: God has MADE you to minister to others. God has CALLED you to minister to others. God has GIFTED you to minster to others.
Still in shock?
Think about this: The biggest fallacy that people have bought into in the 'Church,' is that, the Pastor is the "minister" who "ministers" the sacraments of communion and baptism... who "ministers" at weddings and funerals and hospitals... and who "ministers" to all of 'my' needs.
Not true. Ephesians 4:11-13 says, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son
of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness
of Christ.
The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers serve a purpose, but what?
So that those who follow Jesus could, "getcha popcorn ready?!" lol No way!
So that (reading verse 12) to equip his people for works of service... You are the new minister! I hear a shriek, "But I don't know how to minister!" Ok. So God wants to teach you by the Holy Spirit and by the people he's called and approved to oversee you.
Isaiah 50:4 says, "The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
Here's what I know God has been doing in my life from the moment I said, "YES" to His call on my life...
God made me with specific experiences that others can relate to. I don't relate to everyone (though God knows I've tried to be 'all things to all people' and failed)... but I do relate to people who struggle with panic attacks, infertility, self-esteem, sexual abuse as a child, and divorce (my parents). I relate well with people who really want to know how God brings freedom into your life in the areas of hurt, because I've been there and continue to experience healing and hope. I also feel a deep affinity with those people who are tired of dead faith that seeks to hide behind a script of self-righteous behavior. The truth is that God calls us to be real, authentic people with a Living Expression of Christ. (there's much more I could say about that, and will, eventually.)
What the verse from Isaiah explains is that God teaches us though even the most difficult and unpleasant things in life to be able to come along side someone who is in a similar place and give them a word of hope to sustain them. As you grow in your faith and speak with God (prayer), He will wake you up and give you things to think on even at night. I know that is true because God has done that for years in my life. Not a lot at first, but over time it increases. As I ask God to speak to me, He'll teach me and show me who and how He wants me to minister. Sometimes I find myself getting a thought while I'm talking to someone. I know that God is there and wanting to minister to that person through me.
And the truth is that God wants to do all of that and more through you! YOU are the new minister! You are the person He is equipping to represent Christ to people who are hurting in similar ways that you are, to bring them a word that sustains their weary soul.
This world is dying for a new minister. Are YOU the new minister? I pray that you accept the call to be that minister to the people God sends YOU to. "So You're the new minister..." ;)
( A special thanks to God for speaking loudly through Pastor Jon at Kenmore Alliance Church and my friends (Nate and Tami) at Incubator Creative Group this week! I couldn't have posted this with out you.)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Shut the door!
As a parent, I frequently have to tell my boys, "Shut the door!" There are various reasons to shut that door, and most of them are to keep something out like the cold (during winter), heat (during summer), strangers and other dangers, etc.. This made me think about the conversation God had with Cain about Abel.
God says to Cain in Genesis 4:7 (NIV)
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
What God was saying is, "Shut the door!" Don't entertain the thoughts that will lead you to do evil! As you read Genesis 4 you see that Cain chose to open the door and he killed his brother. Sin had it's way with Cain.
But what about us? Sin is crouching at your door and it desires to have you! That word is still for today. Truth is I've entertained thoughts that I never should have in the past, and being part of the human race, I know that you and I have so much in common. LOL :) We may not be opening the door to allow sin into our lives where it will bring physical death, but the Bible teaches that the consequences for allowing that sin to "have it's way with us" leads to death. We have to shut the door to some stinkin' thinkin'.
Years ago I was working at KFC (doing chicken right!) and training a guy. One day while we were working he said, "If that Assistant Manager looks at me again like that I'm gonna quit!" He convinced himself that there was a problem and had decided that he was going to quit. Moments later the Assistant Manager walked through, glanced at us working and walked to the office. Just after that he said, "That's it! I quit!" He needed to shut the door. There are husbands and wives who have or are thinking about entertaining thoughts that will ruin their marriage and family. Shut the door on that! Choose to stop that thinking and make a change. Follow through with that change by finding someone who will walk through the process with you. Knowing that you need to doesn't mean that you will, and trying to do it all alone is setting you up for failure. (does that make sense?!) It's not just marriages, it goes into other relationships, other choices. The great lies of sin are, "it's not gonna hurt anyone." and "But I deserve better!" (there are more lies, but I find these pretty common) You can look around your neck of the world and hear stories of broken hearts and lives. You can probably point to a situation you know about, or even worse, know the pain of personally. It touches all of us. We have to "Shut the door!"
Here's what I know... we gotta do a better job of "shutting the door" on that sin and the thoughts that lead us down the wrong path and leave a trail of destruction. If you are part of that trail I know that Grace, Truth and Time will help you to make it. (but that's another post) Don't give up!
Praying that God helps you do it or helps you through it! Shut the door!
God says to Cain in Genesis 4:7 (NIV)
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
What God was saying is, "Shut the door!" Don't entertain the thoughts that will lead you to do evil! As you read Genesis 4 you see that Cain chose to open the door and he killed his brother. Sin had it's way with Cain.
But what about us? Sin is crouching at your door and it desires to have you! That word is still for today. Truth is I've entertained thoughts that I never should have in the past, and being part of the human race, I know that you and I have so much in common. LOL :) We may not be opening the door to allow sin into our lives where it will bring physical death, but the Bible teaches that the consequences for allowing that sin to "have it's way with us" leads to death. We have to shut the door to some stinkin' thinkin'.
Years ago I was working at KFC (doing chicken right!) and training a guy. One day while we were working he said, "If that Assistant Manager looks at me again like that I'm gonna quit!" He convinced himself that there was a problem and had decided that he was going to quit. Moments later the Assistant Manager walked through, glanced at us working and walked to the office. Just after that he said, "That's it! I quit!" He needed to shut the door. There are husbands and wives who have or are thinking about entertaining thoughts that will ruin their marriage and family. Shut the door on that! Choose to stop that thinking and make a change. Follow through with that change by finding someone who will walk through the process with you. Knowing that you need to doesn't mean that you will, and trying to do it all alone is setting you up for failure. (does that make sense?!) It's not just marriages, it goes into other relationships, other choices. The great lies of sin are, "it's not gonna hurt anyone." and "But I deserve better!" (there are more lies, but I find these pretty common) You can look around your neck of the world and hear stories of broken hearts and lives. You can probably point to a situation you know about, or even worse, know the pain of personally. It touches all of us. We have to "Shut the door!"
Here's what I know... we gotta do a better job of "shutting the door" on that sin and the thoughts that lead us down the wrong path and leave a trail of destruction. If you are part of that trail I know that Grace, Truth and Time will help you to make it. (but that's another post) Don't give up!
Praying that God helps you do it or helps you through it! Shut the door!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Lessons from learning along the way....
I was listening today to one of the Vista Cafe (c) segments from Incubator Creative Group. They started talking about John Wesley (one of my favorites!) and the reason people came to watch him was that he asked God to "Set him on fire" and people came to watch him burn. That moved to the "burning bush" which Moses encountered. At that point my mind begain thinking and here's what came next...
In my mind I moved ahead to Moses and the Children of Israel in the desert. The burning bush was where Moses got his call. The plan was to liberate the Hebrews and take them to the promised land. But it took 40 years for them to get there. Did it have to? Maybe, maybe not. (but is was based on their obedience and trust or lack of that) Then I began to make it personal.
Some of us feel like we've been wondering for 40 years in the "desert" waiting to get to where we are going to. (just had an 'ah ha!' at this point) The desert for the Children of Israel wasn't that they were not going anywhere, because God was testing them to see if they would be faithful. There's always a process, a kind of desert to go through. Incubator has an Application Process which can be confused for: "why did you drag us into the desert to die" feel. ;) But it really is a "testing" time of sorts. Amazingly biblical. So many of us (artists) think that we arrive at the promise land when we get to do our first concert or have enough of a following that we can record our first album/CD/professional digital audio recording or have an "official" tour. (I'm kind of running out of 'what would come next kind of stuff') Everyone wants to get to the Promised Land, not everyone wants to go through the desert of testing. It is in the desert that we learn patience and endurance. We learn to keep plodding and growing. We learn not to just stand and watch because the sands of time will just bury us there. We learn to trust and be obedient. We learn that what we've come through prepares us for what's ahead. We learn in the desert. We apply all of that learning in the Promised Land. What is your Promised Land? Are you trying to dodge the desert? Don't. Ask God to continue to lead you, just as He did when He took them by the hand and provided for them and prepared them for their destination.
In my mind I moved ahead to Moses and the Children of Israel in the desert. The burning bush was where Moses got his call. The plan was to liberate the Hebrews and take them to the promised land. But it took 40 years for them to get there. Did it have to? Maybe, maybe not. (but is was based on their obedience and trust or lack of that) Then I began to make it personal.
Some of us feel like we've been wondering for 40 years in the "desert" waiting to get to where we are going to. (just had an 'ah ha!' at this point) The desert for the Children of Israel wasn't that they were not going anywhere, because God was testing them to see if they would be faithful. There's always a process, a kind of desert to go through. Incubator has an Application Process which can be confused for: "why did you drag us into the desert to die" feel. ;) But it really is a "testing" time of sorts. Amazingly biblical. So many of us (artists) think that we arrive at the promise land when we get to do our first concert or have enough of a following that we can record our first album/CD/professional digital audio recording or have an "official" tour. (I'm kind of running out of 'what would come next kind of stuff') Everyone wants to get to the Promised Land, not everyone wants to go through the desert of testing. It is in the desert that we learn patience and endurance. We learn to keep plodding and growing. We learn not to just stand and watch because the sands of time will just bury us there. We learn to trust and be obedient. We learn that what we've come through prepares us for what's ahead. We learn in the desert. We apply all of that learning in the Promised Land. What is your Promised Land? Are you trying to dodge the desert? Don't. Ask God to continue to lead you, just as He did when He took them by the hand and provided for them and prepared them for their destination.
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