That's All You Got?

Hey guys a women’s magazine presumes to know what things that shouldn’t be said to men and may tick them off. Joe Queenan, an American journalist, critic and essayist, who wrote a piece on this has some interesting observations. Make sure to read the last few paragraphs where he does identify things you shouldn’t say to a man. FYI, vig, in the last paragraph, has to do with betting if you didn’t know.

I have excerpted a small portion below:

Redbook, for whatever reason, is feeding impressionable young women totally false information about the male psyche. No man I know would go ballistic just because a woman said, "Your tummy is so cute." Nor would he lose it if she said, "Well, you are a bit on the chubby side." Or even "My, aren't you the chunky little butterball!"

See the whole piece at the site below.

Words Assured to Tick Off Any Man
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304176904579111343745543778.html

We all have a part to play

My thoughts on a blog post by Pete Scazzero

Thinking Evangelicalism has the answers to societal problems is the problem. If we taught more people to be disciples and read the Bible there would be more strong and dedicated Christians. We're in a losing battle until the end but we should be doing what Christ told us to do as long as we are on earth - make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey what Christ commanded (my abbreviated interpretation of Matthew 28:19-20). Anything less makes weak Christians subject to worldly temptations and ineffectiveness for Christ.

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Scazzero was responding to a question uttered by Gordon MacDonald during a recent leadership meeting at New Life. –‘Is Evangelicalism Exhausted?’ It has caused me to wonder also: “Might it be true

Scazzero stated that MacDonald noted three things:

1. Society is unraveling and evangelicalism has few answers.
2. Research studies, like Reveal, seem to confirm that mega-churches do no grow deep Christians. Those who do go “deeper” with Christ often leave.
3. 80% of the quotes in evangelical books are from outside our tradition, i.e. from Roman Catholics and the Orthodox believers.

See Scazzero’s blog for the remainder of his post

http://www.petescazzero.com/discipleshipformation/is-evangelicalism-exhausted/

 

 

Confident Assurance

Joyce Meyer, who is one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers, according to her book, and author of almost 100 books, is writing about the topic of indecision in the section titled ‘The Misery of Indecision’ in chapter 3 of her book ‘Making Good Habits, Breaking Bad Habits’.

I found the section in italics that is pasted at the very bottom of this piece interesting and I pulled out some of the key points and show them immediately below. These are things that God is teaching us in the book of James.

·         We should ask God for what we need, wisdom for example

·         Ask in faith with no wavering

·         If we waver in our faith we don’t get what we ask from God

·         The indecisive person will be miserable, confused and unable to get God’s help

·         We should approach God in faith and be ready to take action

·         God may not provide direction so he is giving us the freedom to make our own choice

The ideas of faith, decisiveness and confidence were reinforced for me this past weekend. A number of us attended a fund raiser held at a church my wife and I previously attended and was held for a local ministry. The pastor of the church who is now 20 years older than when we attended did not speak until the end of the program when he offered the closing prayer.

This pastor’s heart for people, which has always been visible, was in evidence when I heard him pray at the end of the program and ask for God’s blessing on the ministry, the people aided by the ministry and the supporters and volunteers. I was struck by his calmness and confidence that God would answer his prayer. It was reassuring and comforting. It is evident that he serves God and depends on God to bless his church and this ministry.

I have learned much about being a Christ follower from those whose words match their actions, like this pastor, and especially when those words are Biblically inspired and used to glorify God.

If you haven’t yet, then learn to learn from those who have a strong personal relationship with God and are committed to helping and teaching you and others as well as building God’s kingdom. They model what Christ modeled and that is what we should do.

Excerpt from the book

‘The apostle James, being directed by the Holy Spirit, teaches that if we need wisdom we are to ask for it, and God will give it. Only it must be in faith that we ask with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). If we do waver, hesitate or doubt we become unstable and unreliable in all of our ways and we are unable to receive from the Lord anything we ask for (James 1:5-8). These Scriptures make the position of the indecisive person quite clear. He is going to be miserable, confused, and unable to get help from God. We must approach God in faith, ready to take action when we have assurance in our heart of some direction. If after prayer and waiting we still feel that we have no direction, then it may mean that God is simply giving us the freedom to make our own choice’.

 

It's Alabama all the way

The big NCAA football game today is Alabama at Texas A & M at least based on the media blitz. Don't forget that the media's job is to create the hype that gets you to pay attention and buy into it so you will watch the game.

A&M beat Alabama last year in a kind of coming out event for Johnny Football Manziel who went on to win the Heisman Trophy.

You may be caught up in all this but I think that Alabama was surprised last year by A&M and I don't think it is going to happen this year.

I don't know what the score will be but I don't think Johnny Football will be as successful this year because Nick Saban and Alabama have had the whole off season to prepare.

Take Alabama.

Pompous is as Pompous does

I borrowed this style from the movie character Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) who popularized the phrase ‘stupid is as stupid does’ in the movie of the same name, Forrest Gump.

I think the first time I heard the phrase ‘pompous ass’ used was when I was in high school. If so, it was in freshmen English class when we were reading something by Shakespeare. Not my favorite author by any means. I have no idea who Shakespeare was calling a pompous ass nor do I care but I know that I got the meaning of that phrase.

In fact most of the stuff we read or attempted to read that year was not my favorite and was not of interest to me at all. Until I and some others who were in the same position heard the phrase ‘pompous ass’ we were bored. When we heard the words we looked at each other and smiled and realized that Willie S was an ok guy even if we couldn’t understand anything else he wrote.

You might wonder why I bring up pompous ass now.

If you have been following the situation in Syria I think President Obama is putting himself in the position of being a pompous ass.

Originally I think he believed he had the upper hand in Syria regarding chemical weapons and decided to go to Congress for support to attack. His motivation, I believe, was to stick it to the Republicans by requesting Congress to take a vote. He was cruising to what, in his mind, was another victory and he wasn’t going to let the Republicans or the rest of us forget it.

He even sent Secretary of State John Kerry to try to drum up some support (which turned out to be potentially limited) from other countries, mainly our allies, even though the majority weren’t interested in assisting the US in an attack on one side or the other or both. I’m still not sure which it is?

Ultimately Vladimir Putin, Russian President, played Obama by offering a way out for Obama but by keeping Syrian President Assad in power and not allowing the US to do anything in Syria. But hundreds and thousands of Syrians continue to die daily on each side whether by conventional or chemical weapons.

The results to this point: no changes in Syria (Assad is still in power and Islamists are still fighting on the other side and one or both sides have chemical weapons) and the reputation and credibility of both the US and Obama have been reduced drastically. How about Putin and Russia? Their image and credibility have been greatly enhanced and their effectiveness in the entire Middle East has been and will be significantly improved if Obama and the US don’t get their act together.

I don’t know about you but I grew up during the period called the ‘cold war’ and there was an amount of insecurity to life every day during that time. We weren’t sure if we were on track to go to war with Russia (Russia at that time was much larger and stronger than today as it had taken over many Eastern European countries after World War II and was referred to as the USSR) or if we would be attacked or whether we would live another day. In school we even used to have air raid drills where we would hide under our desks or go down to basement hallway thinking we would be protected in the event of a conventional or nuclear attack.

I haven’t had those feelings of insecurity in a long time. But I have them now. With Obama at the helm and his lack of leadership and resolve I do wonder much more about what is going to happen.

A weak leader puts his nation and his people at significant risk. Obama’s pomposity, thinking he is smarter than all of us and can talk his way out of this, puts us all in jeopardy.
 

For more see: Obama Is Lost in the Mideast Bazaar, by Fouad Ajami

Mr. Ajami, a senior fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, is the author, most recently, of "The Syrian Rebellion" (Hoover Press, 2012).

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324549004579070802007714622.html

 

 

 

Men’s LEADERSHIP TRAINING (in the Philadelphia, PA Area)

‘No Man Left Behind’

Trainer David Delk

David Delk is President of Man in the Mirror and

Co-Author of the book No Man Left Behind

Oct 18, 2013 -Oct 19, 2013

Biblical Seminary - Greater Philadelphia North , 200 N. Main St., Hatfield, PA 19440 (US)

Details for this session

http://www.maninthemirror.org/event/125/nmlb-essentials-greater-philadelphia-north-area

To see Brochure

http://www.maninthemirror.org/images/ltc/Greater%20Philadelphia%20North%20NMLBE%20Flyer.pdf

 More info on Man in the Mirror

http://www.maninthemirror.org/ministry-overview/

 

 

Faking Injuries

One current problem in the National Football League is faking of injuries by a player or players on the defensive team to slow down play by an offensive team that has momentum and is driving for a score.

One way to deal with this is to require the injured player to sit out at least the remainder of the current series or the current series plus an additional series and possibly until the opposing team scores or the ball changes hands. If the player is truly hurt this is in the player's best interest. If the player is not hurt then the team and the player are both being penalized for faking injuries.

The 'injured' player could be placed in an area on the sidelines to receive treatment similar to a penalty box in hockey.The replay official or someone else in the replay box can keep track of the participation by the 'injured' player whether he is in a specified area or not. Not a lot of work will be required to track this..

Here are some other options (the fine has to be significant - maybe the player's salary for a game or $250K as an example):
Fine the team owner for every injury, and/ or
Fine the team head coach for every injury, and / or
Fine the individual player for every injury
Or something similar

If the player can't return to the game, assuming the 'injury' doesn't occur near the end of the game, or misses the following game then the fine is refunded.

One thing that will become clear quickly is that the team won't want to fake injuries because it is making it easier for the other team to score and possibly win the game plus it can get expensive. Thus the team faking the injuries may be eliminated from playoff contention and lose additional monies.

Complicated? Yea, maybe a little bit. But the coaches and players are forcing the league to do something to deal with this situation. If you don't like that something will have to be done then blame the coaches and or the players and pressure them to stop it now.

The league should immediately develop a plan with penalties and fines and implement it quickly. It appears that more teams are moving to speedier play and as a result there will be more injuries both legitimate and fake.

Mr. Obama, You’re No George Washington!

After reading an opinion piece in the September 7, 2013, Wall Street Journal by Peggy Noonan I thought that a particular portion of that piece, that I have pasted below, should be titled ‘Mr. Obama you’re no George Washington’.

This idea is adapted from the 1968 Vice Presidential debate where Democratic candidate Senator Lloyd Bentsen said to the Republican challenger, Senator Dan Quayle, ‘…I knew Jack Kennedy (35^th US President) and Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy’.

Obviously I didn’t know General Washington but I do know President Obama through his speeches, press conferences and various press reports and I am comfortable stating that President Obama is no General Washington - Unfortunately not only for America but also for the world.

Obama is proving that he is not a strong leader; neither strong in character nor strong in conviction. What makes him most scary is his poor judgment and lack of experience. He is like a five year old playing with a loaded gun. It may be interesting and kind of cool to handle it because you have seen the big boys play with it but you don’t know what to do with it and there is a good chance that that gun will fire and someone will get hurt or killed and many lives will be harmed.

Take the time to go to the piece and read the entire article.

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‘Finally, this president showed determination and guts in getting Osama bin Laden. But a Syria strike may become full-scale war. Is Barack Obama a war president? On Syria he has done nothing to inspire confidence. Up to the moment of decision, and even past it, he has seemed ambivalent, confused, unaware of the implications of his words and stands. From the "red line" comment to the "shot across the bow," from the White House leaks about the nature and limits of a planned strike to the president's recent, desperate inclusion of Congress, he has seemed consistently over his head. I have been thinking of the iconic image of American military leadership, Emanuel Leutze's painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware." There Washington stands, sturdy and resolute, looking toward the enemy on the opposite shore. If you imagine Mr. Obama in that moment he is turned, gesturing toward those in the back. "It's not my fault we're in this boat!" That's what "I didn't set a red line" and "My credibility is not at stake" sounded like.’

*******************

Noonan: Why America Is Saying 'No'

Syria and Obama: Wrong time, wrong place, wrong plan, wrong man.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324577304579057420154706690.html?KEYWORDS=peggy+noonan

 

Basics, Basics, Basics

Life is all about the basics and this story below related by Dr Benjamin Carson shows that by learning the basics as soon as or as early as you can will make a big a difference in your life. Even if you didn’t learn the basics as early as Dr Carson did you still can benefit from learning and implementing the basics in your life. Why wait longer? Get started now.

And most importantly help your children learn and implement the basics.

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‘One of the steps Carson’s mother took was regularly taking her children to the library, having recognized that people who read a lot “had the ability to change the direction of their lives,” Carson said.

In Carson’s estimation, the importance of knowledge and education cannot be underestimated both in terms of preserving our liberties, and as a factor in shaping the course of one’s life.

The average person lives to be about 80 years old, he said, and they can either spend the first 20-25 years of it preparing, or choosing not to.

“If you prepare yourself, you have sixty years to reap the benefits.  If you fail to prepare yourself, you have sixty years to suffer the consequences,” he said.  “You get to make that choice. Each person gets to make that choice, how they want to program that incredible computer, the brain that God gave us.”’

Dr. Benjamin Carson Reveals Unexpected Childhood Hobby That Helped Lift Him Out of Poverty

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/09/04/dr-benjamin-carson-reveals-unexpected-childhood-hobby-that-helped-lift-him-out-of-poverty/

Really, you're offended by someone being called a clown

Some people really don't believe in truly free speech.

Either speech is absolutely free or it is relatively or conditionally free. When it is the latter then that means it is being controlled or limited by those with the most power or the loudest voices even though they may not be the majority.

Those whose speech is deemed offensive by a subjective standard or a group's feelings are losing their rights to express themselves.

What this says is that some one's rights are greater than another's rights. In this case the rights of the offended are more important than the rights of the one who says something offensive.

For us to believe in absolutely free speech we must be willing to tolerate whatever people say or do that expresses their beliefs no matter how offensive or stupid it may be.

I don't agree with what the rodeo clown said or did in the attached piece and video but I believe he has the right to say it without repercussions.

If President Obama doesn't come out and call off his minions who are so critical of the clown's words and actions it is just one more action or lack of that shows that he is more interested in controlling America's citizens than enforcing the rights guaranteed to US Citizens.

I am more offended by the overwhelming amount of vulgar language used in movies and on television. But I guess I have to accept that because those who are offended by someone calling someone a clown don't think multiple usage of the F-bomb in a movie is offensive.

See in the attached piece by Byron York an explanation of the situation that caused this uproar and references to much worse treatment of other US Presidents. Maybe you could say that they just don't make Presidents the way they use to.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/in-partial-defense-of-the-missouri-rodeo-clown/article/2534213

Derek Jeter, the Captain –A leader by example

Derek Jeter homers on first pitch after returning from injury

Shortstop jump-starts struggling Yankees offense in return to lineup

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/07/derek-jeter-homers-on-first-pitch-after-returning-from-injury-obviously/

Say It Like a Pro

'Say Sorry Like a Pro!'

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324110404578626222863321106.html

'By now you have probably read and laughed over Ryan Braun's halting 130-word statement-slash-apology to baseball, which was so comically awkward and tin-eared it appears to have been written by a robot stoned on allergy medication.'

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The points identified in this WSJ piece are also used by politicians and other high ranking officials in government, religious institutions, labor unions, non profits and corporations when they try to distance themselves from a crisis or embarrassing situation.

Yankees’ Rivera Spends His Goodbye Tour Saying Hello

Yankees’ Rivera Spends His Goodbye Tour Saying Hello

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/sports/baseball/yankees-rivera-spends-his-goodbye-tour-saying-hello.html?_r=0

 After announcing in spring training that he would retire at the end of this season, his 19th with the Yankees, the 43-year-old Rivera has embarked on an unusual tour of American League cities, meeting with ordinary, behind-the-scenes workers and some fans, who drive the machinery of baseball.

With all their money and success, the Yankees may be the most widely disliked team in baseball. A rival executive once branded them the Evil Empire, and few people came to their defense. But in stadium conference rooms and offices, Rivera thanks rival fans, charms them, regales them, awes them. And he turns many Yankees haters into admirers.

Matheny aspires to change the culture of youth sports

Mike Matheny, former professional baseball player and the current manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.^[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for four different teams during his thirteen-year playing career

Mike aspires to change the culture of youth sports to provide the greatest impact to kids, their character and their communities.

See Mike's thoughts at:

http://mikematheny.com/

The 140 Second Interview

Q&A: 140 Seconds With Pizza Hut on Its 140-Second Job Interview

By Venessa Wong on March 07, 2013 – Bloomberg Business Week

You’d best talk fast. Pizza Hut is holding job interviews this Sunday at the Hilton in Austin and online on March 14 (via Google (GOOG) Plus), and it’s giving each candidate only 140 seconds. The position: manager of digital media based out of Plano, Tex. In addition to preparing your spiel, be prepared to show them everything on your phone.

How much can you really learn about a job candidate in 140 seconds? A lot, Pizza Hut (YUM) claims. To test the theory, we sat down for 140 seconds with Caroline Masullo, Pizza Hut’s director of digital and social media and the person who will be conducting the interviews.

Explain the thinking behind the 140-second interview.
It literally ties to the way people communicate on Twitter today. We need this person to be super knowledgeable in the social space. They need to be able to communicate with our consumers in fun, quick, concise ways. They need to be relevant, and they need to be on the cutting edge of the social space and keep us at the forefront. In terms of that short an amount of time, we need someone who knows who they are, what they are looking for, someone who’s super passionate, quick on their feet, able to communicate clearly in a short amount of time.

Will you show more mercy if they run over time than, say, the Academy Awards?
If I love them, absolutely.

So no band ushering them away.
We talked about having an air horn or something. If they are amazing, we want to hear what they have to say, but at the same time, we want to hear as many people as we can. The other benefit of giving people 140 seconds is we’ll be able to talk to tons of people within that 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. time frame.

Have you been practicing? Are you talking faster?
Yeah. I spend a lot of time in the social space, so I would say, you know, we’re pretty good at it as a brand. We already have a good presence on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, so this is a space we’re familiar with.

But you’re not looking for a glimpse into the hearts and souls of these candidates.
No. Ultimately it’s like an elevator [pitch]. Tell me in 140 seconds why you think you should be the next manager of ….

Oh! Sorry, we’re at 140 seconds. Thank you for your time.

Wong is an associate editor for Bloomberg Businessweek.

Make the effort

Knowing Jesus and living like Jesus requires more effort on our part than just attending a weekly church service and or a weekly group session. And weekly volunteering doesn’t do it. As Jesus explains in the scripture below, that Pat Morley uses in his book, reading and learning the Bible help us to know the power of God.  

In the next section of the book Morley explains that ‘You can be transformed. God will change your life one verse at a time’. It’s all a result of reading the Bible. Find someone to help you if you need some help or guidance.

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Excerpt from the book ‘Man Alive’ by Patrick Morley

Section titled ‘What’s going on? - pages 10 - 12

Jesus gave us a picture of both the problem and the solution (to a question asked in the previous section. The question is: ‘What do men who lead powerful, transformed lives do differently than their lukewarm counterparts?) in His well-known parable of the four soils. A sower went out and scattered the seed of God’s Word on four kinds of soil: the hard path, the rocky soil, the thorny ground and the good soil.

Most men today would recognize themselves in the first three soils where the seeds don’t grow. Yet they honestly want to be like the good soil where the fourth seed fell – to be men “who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty or even a hundred times as much as had been planted” (Matthew 13:23).

What is keeping men’s lives hard, rocky and choked with thorns when so many urgently want more and when God created us for more – much more?

And, positively, what do men who lead powerful, “a hundred times” lives do differently than their mediocre counterparts? Jesus gave us an insight when He was speaking to a group of confused religious men. He said,

‘Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and

you don’t know the power of God.’ (Matthew 22:29)

Do you see it? Jesus made a direct connection between knowing the Bible and leading a powerful life. Lukewarm men are in error because they ‘don’t know the scriptures’ and therefore ‘don’t know the power of God’. Their capabilities don’t equal their intensions. Without the right training, their soil remains bare, stony and full of weeds. And as you’ll soon see, by ‘know the Scriptures’, Jesus was talking about a lot more than mere head knowledge.

On the other hand, transformed men ‘truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest’. Digging into the Word of God is easily the number one factor that differentiates men who have tapped into God’s power.  

What is a Disciple

Morley provides an easy to remember definition of discipleship. He also points out that disciples are pupils or learners not just attenders (of a church for example). Disciples are in the game for the long term. Attenders are not committed and will show up when convenient (I would have come but I couldn't get up early enough). You don't build churches, organizations or movements with the uncommitted. Ask any great leader.

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Excerpt from the book ‘Man Alive’ by Pat Morley.

 What is a Disciple? – P70 – 72

The word disciple comes from the Greek word mathetes, which means “pupil” or “learner.” When used in conjunction with Jesus, it came to mean “an adherent to the person and teachings of Jesus.”

To be a disciple of Jesus is the highest honor to which a man can aspire. When Jesus called Peter, James, John and the others, He called them to become what? Disciples. When Jesus left earth, the marching orders He left behind are to do what? “Go and make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19)

Discipleship includes both the moment of salvation and the lifelong process of sanctification.

Here’s an easy to remember definition. A disciple is…

·         Called to live in Christ

·         Equipped to live like Christ

·         Sent to live for Christ

 

Jesus said, “I will show you what he is like who comes to me [called] and hears my words [equipped] and puts them into practice [sent]” (Like 6:47 NIV).

Let’s break this down. First, a disciple is called to profess faith in Jesus Christ and abide in Him. This begins with the evangelism piece, or salvation. Without eternal life, religion doesn’t mean much. I know because I grew up in a “Christian” home that didn’t know Christ. We didn’t reject the good news, because we never heard it. Our church was focused on other things. The results have been devastating. To be called also includes deepening our relationship with Jesus.

Next a disciple is equipped by a process of ongoing spiritual teaching, growth and transformation. To not disciple (train and equip) people who profess Christ will almost always mean they become lukewarm in faith, worldly in behavior, and hypocritical in witness. Evangelism without discipleship is cruel.

Finally, a disciple is sent to live for Christ by becoming part of a community, loving others, bearing much fruit and doing good deeds. We each want to give our lives to a worthy cause. Once you have been with Christ – experienced the joy of His grace, the warmth of His love, the cleansing of the His forgiveness and the indwelling of His spirit – you inevitably come to a point where you can no longer be happy unless you are serving the Lord.

What I most like about this biblical description of becoming a disciple is that it’s actionable. It doesn’t get lost in glittering generalities.  

 

Transformation not determination

I think that if you don’t read Christian books, watch and or listen to other Christian pastors and attend Christian conferences you limit your opportunity to learn more about God and how to grow closer to and become like Christ. And this is what God wants for us.

Much of your growth can come from hearing stories of what others have overcome and how God has worked in their lives and knowing that you are not the only one dealing with these issues.

I believe becoming a stronger and more mature Christian requires more than just attending church on Sundays. It requires you to make a greater effort to seek God.

The excerpt below from the book ‘Man Alive’ by Pat Morley can help you in this quest.

***************

From the section titled ‘It starts with the heart’ – p32 - 33

Christianity is heart transformation not behavior modification. The reason that 90% of men lead lukewarm, often defeated lives is really quite simple. They’re trying to solve the wrong problem. Most of us have the idea that Christianity is about behavior modification – using determination to change our behavior and be more spiritual. We think that if we can just get the right information, if we can just have more willpower and ‘man up’ then we will do the right things and everything will be ok.

But everything is not okay. In fact the harder we try the more frustrated and confused we become. A man can only will himself to act and perform like a Christian for so long. One man who abandoned his faith said, ‘I served in the church for twenty years and I got worn out. I decided to try something else.’ Determination, we all learn eventually, is not a strategy.

How does heart transformation happen in practice? If we were to ask Pete (Morley’s younger brother referred to previously), what would he say? He would tell us that his heart was transformed when he stopped trying to go it alone and dug into God’s word with a group of guys who accepted him “as is”. He would tell us that he didn’t really do anything. He simply presented himself to God as a flawed vessel, looking intently into God’s Word in the company of a few men who cared about each other, and God changed the way he thinks.  

That really is the story of transformation. It happens from the inside out as we build our faith with each other. Everything starts with the heart. Jesus put it this way:

‘The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart,

 and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.
For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks’ (Luke 6:45, NIV)

Authentic faith really is about the heart. Of course, Christianity is also about behavior, but its behavior that overflows from changing what we believe in our hearts. Belief determines behavior. You could think of it like this:

Right reading leads to

Right thinking and that leads to
Right believing and that leads to
Right behaving

 

Thoughts on mentoring

This is a great article on Mentoring. It is simple, clear, uses common sense and is to the point. Reiland makes some great suggestions on the responsibilities of the person desiring to be mentored, gives a good example, in John Maxwell, about the hunger to learn a person who wants to be mentored needs. Successful mentoring needs to be looked at as a lifetime process and is not limited to one mentor.

ARTICLE
“Want a Mentor?”
By Dan Reiland

My mentor, John Maxwell, has written and spoken about being mentored by the great coach John Wooden among others. I recently received a question by email asking: “How does one go about getting the greatest NCAA coach (John Wooden) as a mentor? Did he (Maxwell) just ask for regular meetings and what does mentorship look like?”

Good questions.

I will admit that getting John Wooden as a coach is an extraordinary circumstance involving an extraordinary leader. But on the other hand, John Maxwell didn’t start there. It was only after nearly 30 years of successful leadership that John was able to connect with Coach Wooden. It was John’s desire to grow and his great passion to add value to people’s lives that made the difference. The fact that John is a tremendous student is also a very significant part of the story.

Over the years I’ve wondered which is more important – to have a great mentor or to be a great student? The easy answer is both. But more and more I think the secret is in being a great student. You can have the most brilliant mentor in the world, even a famous one, but if you aren’t ready to pay the price, dig in, learn and change, it won’t matter.

I love John’s early stories about offering to pay $100.00 for an hour of someone’s time just to ask questions and learn. Back then $100.00 might as well have been $1,000.00!! But that didn’t matter to John. That showed how serious he was, and at age 65 John is still passionate about learning and growing. I think that’s one of the reasons his books and talks are so good. They come not only from (now) 40 years of experience, but also from a fresh place of learning and relevancy.

In contrast, I’ve seen men and women receive an hour or so of someone’s time and show up ill-prepared. They had no written questions. They talked more than listened and expressed very little gratitude. It was almost as if they had some time to kill and thought that might be fun. When you do that to a busy person, they will not give you a second meeting.

So, do you want a mentor? Let me offer some good advice.

1. Be good at something first.

This might sound strange, but you need to be good at something before you ask someone to help you be great at something. You can be good at anything! That doesn’t matter. You may want to be a great leader and your only claim to fame is that you are really good at golf or giving a talk. Maybe you are brilliant at math or a technological genius type. Here’s the point, if you are good at something, you have shown the passion and discipline to create the needed potential to become great at what you really want. I don’t want to discourage you, but if you’ve just been hanging out and you’ve never worked hard at anything, you’re not ready for a mentor. Perhaps you’re a young adult and your only claim to fame is that you were an A student in college. Great! That’s what I’m talking about. Get good at something first.

2. Seek someone just a little ahead of you.

A common mistake is to think: “If I’m going for a mentor, I’m going right to the top and getting the best.” I appreciate the sentiment, but you are likely making a mistake. For example, if a pastor who serves in a church of 500 seeks a mentor who pastors a church of 5,000, the two of them clearly live in two different worlds and they barely speak the same language. Yes, leadership principles are leadership principles. That’s true, but trust me on this, and this is the key, you are much better off being mentored by someone who understands where you are because they were there at one time, and maybe even not so long ago! If you lead a church of 500 try to get a mentor who leads a church of 800 to 1,200. This is not a legalistic thing. Don’t get hung up on the numbers, just go with the idea. And of course, make the ask.

3. Think intentionally organic.

Don’t ask for lots of regularly scheduled meetings. You will likely lose a potential mentor that way. Don’t ask for monthly or even quarterly connects. Go for a more intentionally organic approach. Here’s what I mean. If you can hang with a couple meetings (phone or in person) a year plus a few short emails, you might be surprised by how quickly you get a yes. Intentional refers to staying strategic and on purpose and the organic simply means to catch the meetings when it works out naturally in both your schedules.

You don’t need lots of meetings, not if you really want to change and grow. Information requires lots of meetings – transformation requires only a few. If you connect with a good mentor two or three times in a year, that is plenty. It will take you at least that much time between conversations to really put to practice what was given to you. Now let’s do the math, if you have two or three mentors, you can see that would be six to nine meetings a year – basically way too much.

Note #1: When it’s a boss/employee relationship, of course you meet much more often, but much of that is just “doing business.” That’s natural and normal. It is unrealistic to think that’s all mentoring. In fact, if it is, you are likely into something closer to a counseling relationship than coaching and mentoring.

Note #2: When it’s a crisis situation, everything changes. If it’s a true crisis, your mentor will get that and quickly respond, and that requires more time. Sometimes in those situations I encourage the one I’m coaching to hire a consultant who can devote the needed time, and I remain as chief encourager during that crisis time.

4. Work harder than your mentor.

Don’t waste your mentor’s time. Show up with well thought through and relevant questions. Take notes. Work hard to practice what was discussed, and the next time you talk, tell him or her what you have done.

A good mentor will always have some questions, a resource or two, and good advice, but the mentoring is more your job than his/hers. You set the agenda and come with it in writing. If your mentor asks you to do something, make the necessary adjustments, but do it. This does not prevent healthy disagreements and intense conversations, but you either want their advice or you don’t. If you don’t, that’s ok, but then stop taking their time and end the mentoring relationship with respect and gratitude.

I’ve been blessed with five mentors over the course of my life and I’m grateful! I’m sure that’s part of the reason I’m eager to coach as many as I can. I trust that you will also pass on what is given to you.

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Dr. Dan Reiland serves as Executive Pastor at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He previously partnered with John Maxwell for 20 years, first as Executive Pastor at Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, then as Vice President of Leadership and Church Development at INJOY. He and Dr. Maxwell still enjoy partnering on a number of church related projects together.

Dan is best known as a leader with a pastor's heart, but is often described as one of the nation’s most innovative church thinkers. His passion is developing leaders for the local church so that the Great Commission is advanced.

As a communicator, Dan has a down-to-earth style that combines humor and strategic thinking. Each year he "coaches" many pastors and speaks to several thousand people, impacting lives and strengthening the local church.

Dan and his wife Patti live in Dracula, Georgia with their two children Mackenzie and John-Peter.

Being new and improved

Tony Hawk, skateboarding legend, had this to say when asked by TMZ about skateboarding becoming an Olympic sport in light of the Olympics dropping the sport of wrestling.

‘The Olympics needs skateboarding more than skateboarding needs the Olympics’

Out with the old and in with the new. Society now more than ever is looking for the new and improved of everything. You can see this over time with various consumer products. It seems after the release of the initial product a new and improved version shows up relatively soon to improve sales and profits.

How about with TV’s? There was black and white then color, plasma then LCD, analog then digital, cabinet models then portables and now flat screens. And due to all the changes screen sizes have increased substantially.

How about you personally? Are you new and improved or are you the same as you were when you graduated from high school or college? Do you hesitate to learn to use the new technologies in smart phones and computers? Have you changed physically or mentally? Gone to get additional training?

Some people make changes in themselves for personal reasons like getting a new job and some so that others will notice. Some make changes because they want to be better or achieve some other objective. People become Christians for similar reasons. The Christians who have the most impact on earth for God are the ones who choose to change and become like Christ and love God and love others. Loving others means loving all types of people in many situations.

We are all born with gifts and talents that God has given us. And by spending time in reading the Bible, by praying, associating with other Christians in groups for community and with more mature Christians who can mentor us and help us with accountability, by volunteering as well as attending services we come to grow and to realize what God wants us to do.  

Serving God is a noble and worth cause. Jesus came to serve and God wants us to do the same.

²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28 NIV

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Tony Hawk was one of the top skateboarders in the world by the time he was 16, and in his 17-year career, he won more than 70 skateboarding contests. Hawk started his own skateboarding company, BirdHouse and also has a successful line of video games and skateboarding videos. Through the Tony Hawk Foundation, he provides grants and technical assistance for new parks, especially in low-income areas.

TMZ offers entertainment news, gossip and an inside look at the latest celebrity scandals

Wrestling in shock as IOC wields Games axe

(Reuters) …Contested in the first modern Olympics in 1896 and part of the ancient Games in Olympia, wrestling will now join seven other candidate sports battling for one spot in a revamped program.

 

Is appalling a strong enough word?

On 60 Minutes this past Sunday night three American survivors of the Al Qaeda attack on an Algerian Gas Plant talked about what it was like to experience the terrorist attack. The experience of fear, doubts, wondering if they would see their families again and not knowing what to do or what was going to happen created fear for each.

This January attack followed an earlier attack in September on the American Embassy in Benghazi, Libya, where the American Ambassador and three other Americans were killed in another terrorist attack.

The US Government, specifically President Barak Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, didn’t appear to be concerned with the health and safety of the Americans, dead or alive, in either situation. Even when a US Ambassador in Benghazi was reported under armed attack, with time for the US military to respond, and then killed. If you don't know by now, a politician’s image and reputation is always more important than being linked to problems or being identified as responsible for the problem.

If you or someone you know will be travelling to other countries I would be concerned. The reason is that the Government has shown by its lack of action, concern or involvement that they are not concerned if something happens to you or other Americans including a US Ambassador while you are outside the country. Actually it appears that the US is more concerned about not upsetting the Muslim nations than protecting or defending their own citizens.

But on the other hand if you want more government benefits you will be encouraged by all types of government officials to apply and will be protected by the entire US government including the courts when people who believe in lower government spending and less government want to cut those benefits and other types of government spending in order to get more control of government overspending.

Big Government gets bigger, stronger and more dominant when people depend on it more. And Big Government means you have less choices and less freedom and that government that seems so good now because it gives you benefits is less and less accountable to you and the American citizenry. The end result of this is arrogant and unaccountable or uncontrollable politicians.

Government only cares about itself and will use you and all citizens to achieve the objectives of its agenda whether those goals benefit you or not. So what you think is so great today could end up being terrible for you and your family in the future.

Algeria attack survivors: "You could hear bullets start to hit the side of the bus"

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57568129/algeria-attack-survivors-you-could-hear-bullets-start-to-hit-the-side-of-the-bus/