Restoring the Image

Time's almost up!

No, I'm not talking about the end of the world, but it could be the beginning of something great for someone half-way around the world.  This Monday is the final day for collection of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.  Our church (valleychurch.tv) is a collection center for our area.  Last year we processed over 7,000 shoeboxes. 

It only takes a few minutes and not much money to possibly change the life of a child somewhere on the globe.  When I started thinking about all of the 'obligatory' kinds of gifts we buy during the Christmas season and how they don't change anyone's life - packing up a shoebox for a child seems like a no-brainer.

It's not too late - bring a box to church tomorrow or even drop it by 1665 (OCB) on Monday before 1:00pm.  Click here for more information! 

Aristotle was smart.

Even though it appears he did a bit of a comb-over, Aristotle was pretty smart.  Here's one of his quotes that I was reminded of today: "Criticism is something you can avoid easily- by saying nothing, doing nothing, & being nothing."

It reminds me of another of my favorite quotes- "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiently; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.  so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt.

It's important to listen to your critics a little bit - discern if anything they are saying is true.  They may see something you've missed.  But after you've done that, let their words fall from your mind like water off of a duck's ... behind.

Don't let critics thwart your potential, passion, and purpose.  Press on.  Stay focused.  Keep running (Hebrews 12:1-3). 

God...small, medium, or large?

Yesterday we did our first installment in the Multiple Choice series at Valley Church.  The first big multiple choice question we asked was this:  What size is your God? a.small  b.medium  c.large

That might seem ridiculous initially but the reality is that many of us live out a small or medium view of God.  When we do that, view God as small or medium, we are limiting His power, authority, and blessing in our lives.  To view God as small, is to see Him as a trinket God that we pull out for good luck or shine up for special ocassions.  To see Him as medium is to want relationship with God, but yet still have a 'let's not go there' area of your heart - it's kind of conditional.

Then we looked at some scripture that describes God as He really is and we looked at a video clip by Louie Giglio that describes just how incredibly big God is.  Here's a clip of a part of Louie's teaching that we didn't get to see yesterday.  If you take the time to watch it, it may blow your mind.

Multiple choice...

This weekend we're starting a new series called 'Multiple Choice.'  Really, everyday we're confronted with questions to answer or decisions to make and there are almost always a bunch of answers that are possibilities, but which one is right?  Here's one of my favorite movie clips of all time.  It has to do with this whole idea of multiple choice - and the fact that so many of our decisions are life and death...life and death of a relationship...life and death of our integrity...etc.  Take a couple minutes to check this out and laugh.  It's good for you!

Happy Birthday!

Today is the 234th birthday of the United States Marine Corps!  I know it doesn't sound like a big deal to most people, but it's a pretty big deal for Marines.  It's actually one of the things I really miss. I miss, every year, putting on my dress blues, my wife getting all dolled-up, and then going to the Marine Corps Ball. 

One of the big traditions is a cake-cutting ceremony.  Almost everywhere there are Marines, there will be birthday cake today.  The cool part of the ceremony is when they cut the first piece, the oldest Marine in the room takes some, and then passes it to the youngest Marine in the room.  This is symbolic of passing on the values, honor, and traditions of the Marine Corps from one generation to another.  It's a pretty cool deal.

Here's a question to think about today - What are you passing on to the next generation?  The question is not whether or not you will pass anything on, the question is WHAT are you passing on?

Great day at Valley Church!

Yesterday was our second annual Catty Fall Fest - it consisted of 700 hot dogs, almost 100 family pictures, 20 pints of blood donated to Keystone Community Blood Bank, 2 huge inflatables, 3 magic shows, one concert, one karate demonstration, karaoke, cotton candy, faces painted, crafts, and lots more - including a hundred or people representing Christ (Valley Churchers) serving in all kinds of areas.

We were blessed with a beautiful day and a good turnout.  Why do we do things like this?  There are lots of reasons - it's Valley Church's gift to the community of Catasauqua - it's an opportunity to connect people with VC (and thereby to Christ) - it's great for the community - and one of the by-products is that it's good for us.

It's good for our souls to give to others.

It's good for our souls to serve other people.

It's good for our souls to put others first.

It's good not just for one day - but for everyday.

It's good not just for yesterday - but for today.

Who are you going to give to - serve - or put before yourself...today?

So I was thinking...

No, this is not a picture of me thinking...:)  I was just reminded of some things about our thoughts and wanted to pass them along.

In Philippians 4:8 Paul tells us this:   Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Message)

Tell me what you constantly think about and I can pretty much predict what kind of an outlook you have on life.  The outlook you have determines your attitude and emotions.  Change the way you think, and the what you think about, and you can change your life. 

John Maxwell is one of my 'book mentors' (he mentors me by me reading his books).  In his book "Thinking for a Change" Maxwell deals with the challenge of people who get stuck in their emotions and then find their lives in a rut.  He challenges us with this syllogism:

Major premise:  I can control my thoughts.

Minor premise:  My feelings come from my thoughts

Conclusion: I can control my feelings by controlling my thoughts.

If you can change your feelings, you can change your actions - and that can change your life.  The way you think impacts every aspect of your life.  Maybe that's one of the reasons that in a book that Paul writes so much about joy in the midst of almost any circumstance he tells us to focus on what we're thinking.

So, what are you feeding your mind?  How are you feeling?  Whatcha thinking?

Where does your allegiance lie?

Do you remember saying the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of every day in school?  I do.  It's funny how often I said it when I didn't know what it truly meant, and now how seldom I say it now that I know full well what it means.  I love our country, (served four years in the Marines and will soon put the uniform on again as an Army Chaplain) - but there is an allegiance that goes deeper.

Last Sunday I talked some about submitting ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit and some reasons why we sometimes don't submit.  Francis Chan in his book Forgotten God has some great thoughts on this I want to share with you about this challenge for our allegiance.  Here's what he writes:

"As disciples of Jesus, being in relationship with Him must be our focus.  When we allow others' perceptions of us (or ever our perceptions of their perceptions) to control how we live, we are enslaved.  We become entrenched in the ways of this world and do not live as citizens of heaven, which is another kind of kingdom altogether....When we become overly concerned about our appearance, our spiritual reputation, our coolness, and our acceptance, we are living as citizens of this world rather than ambassadors.

This is not something that just goes away.  It is an ever-present struggle to maintain your true allegiance.  And that is really what it comes down to: Where does your allegiance lie?  Do you care about what people think when they see you, or do you care about seeking the truth concerning the Spirit of God and then living in light of the truth, holding to those promises, and enjoying that relationship."

Well said Francis (I don't think he minds if I call him Francis...:).

So, the question gets posed to you.  Where does your allegiance lie?

The Big 5!

Yesterday at Valley Church we talked about a lot of things, but one of the really big ideas was a set of incomplete statements that we all get to choose to complete with our lives.  It's really about being intentional with our lives and not living aimlessly.  Socrates said "The unexamined life is not worth living."  I think he's on to something because God has given us way too much potential and way too many opportunities to waste them all on an unfocused life.

Here are the five statements.  As you read them I'd like you to answer two questions: 1. How would this statement be completed today?  2.  How do I want this statement to be completed when I reach the end of my days?

5 Critical Life Statements

1. The thing that was most important to me in life...

2. I made a difference in the world by...

3. God was glorified in my life because I...

4. People knew I loved them because...

5. The reason I expect God to say "Well done" is...

When my wife and I were reflecting on these statements after the service yesterday, my wife had a great idea.  She suggested we email a few people and get them to answer these questions about us.  It takes some guts, but getting honest input from the people around you really is the best way to see how you're doing in these areas. It may hurt initially, but it could really be worth it in the end (kind of like a flu shot!)

Do you have the guts to do it?

What's your problem?

One of my mentors by way of his books is John Maxwell.  I recently read some great thoughts he wrote on problems.  It's titled, "Problems give meaning to life."  I hope it's helpful to you today.

"A wise philosopher once commented that an eagle's only obstacle to overcome for flying with greater speed and ease is the air.  Yet, if the air were withdrawn and the proud bird were to fly in a vacuum, it would fall instantly to the ground, unable to fly at all.  The very element that offers resistance to flying is at the same time the condition for flight.

The main obstacle that a powerboat has to overcome is the water against the propeller, yet, if it were not for this same resistance, the boat would not move at all.

    The same law, that obstacles are conditions of success, holds true in human life.  A life free of all obstacles and difficulties would reduce all possibilities and powers to zero.  Eliminate problems, and life loses it's creative tension.  The problem of mass ignorance gives meaning to education.  The problem of ill health gives meaning to medicine.  The problem of social disorder gives meaning to government.

    We all have a tendency all of our lives to want to get rid of problems and responsibilities.  When the temptation arises, remember the youth who was questioning a lonely man.  'What's life's heaviest burden?' he asked.  The old fellow answered sadly, 'Having nothing to carry.'

Allow your problems to motivate you toward greater creativity and strength!"

Great perspective.  So, what's your problem?