Model the Relationship

All Christians need someone in their life that can advise them. Someone, of the same sex, who can help them through various situations or be a friend generally or when they have a specific situation that they need help with.

Watch the beginning of this video where Pastor Stephen Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC introduces Pastor Craig Groschel of Lifechurch in Oklahoma City, OK to speak on ‘Toxic Words’. When Furtick begins talking about the relationship he has with Groschel you sense the sincerity and authenticity of their relationship that has been built over time.

The most important thing Furtick is doing is modeling for the people in his church, and for all who are watching, the importance of accountability and mentoring and how to do it.

Groschel speaks about the power of words and how they can lift people up or tear them down, ways we can change our use of the words we use and then he goes on to talk about some of the challenges in his life.

It’s worth the time to watch. And it’s worth the time to find someone to advise you in an accountability and mentoring relationship.

Video

http://www.elevationchurch.org/sermons

Elevation Church site

http://www.elevationchurch.org/

Lifechurch site

http://www.lifechurch.tv/

A Definition of Manhood – Principle 6

From the Book ‘The Resolution for Men’ by Stephen and Alex Kendrick and Randy Alcorn – from Chapter 4, Be a Man of Responsibility.

A Man Recognizes His Accountability

‘All of life’s privileges, blessings and freedoms that come with responsibility also come with a counterweight called accountability. Having no accountability always leads to irresponsibility. But Jesus explained that we will each stand before God one day and be held accountable for how we lived. Our actions not only have immediate consequences but eternal ones as well.

Everything in a man’s thinking changes when he realizes that he is only one heartbeat away from having to stand before God and give an account for his life.

The first thing this awakens in him is a question about his spiritual readiness for that coming day. Are you ready to meet God?

…We must take full responsibility for ourselves, our wives and our children. We must seek and discover God’s will. We are responsible for obeying the commands of Christ. This is what we will be held accountable for.

And preparing for that day is why we should become accountable to one another. We should surround ourselves with godly men who will help us prepare to be found faithful. Men, who have permission to ask us the tough questions, keep tabs on our spiritual condition and speak the truth into our lives, even when we don’t want to hear it. We need to be reading the Scripture daily, studying it deeply and obeying it willingly as an ongoing lifestyle.

…Accountability dynamically helps make us into men – humble, wise, responsible, faithful men.’

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My Thoughts

Men are designed to be responsible and as indicated above accountability comes with responsibility. To help us deal with the responsibility we need Christian men in our lives to help us be accountable. The decision to be accountable is one you have to make for you and your family and you shouldn’t wait. Time is finite. It is limited.

Your accountability partner can be a Christian man or Christian men you know in your age category or find some older Christian men to help you along the journey. A man or men you and others, that you know, respect. The simplest way to do it is just to invite a man out for coffee or lunch or to hit golf balls or for a walk or to do something that interests him.

Ask him questions about himself and find out some of his interests. Just start talking about things you have in common and build a friendship. You may need to do this several times before you begin to ask him how he does or would handle a situation similar to what you are dealing with. Don't be in a hurry. (If it is very serious contact a pastor or a counselor.) You don’t have to ask him to mentor you or be your accountability partner just tell him you would like to get to know him better.

And as this happens you can decide if he is the one you want to help you with accountability. Then explain your situation and where you need accountability and ask if he will be your accountability partner.

If you don’t think he is the one then find another man and go through the process again. And again until you find someone. For the man who you don't think would work for you but might work with someone that you know suggest to each of these men that you know someone they should meet and arrange to introduce them. See, this is also part of the responsibility and it is simple.

Is it about you or others?

I heard this comment today on Leadership from Mark Schlereth, former NFL player for the Washington Redskins and the Denver Broncos and current ESPN radio and TV commentator, on ESPN TV. He was using the comment below in the context of player leadership on the New York Jets.

‘Leadership is when you care more for the people you lead than you care for yourself.’

I think this can be applied in other organizations as well.

There are people who practice this philosophy and there are people who don’t. But it’s the people who don’t practice this type of leadership that get my attention.

Following Schlereth's advice helps you treat employees with dignity and respect and they think you want to see them and the organization accomplish their goals. 

Schlereth has an interesting Bio

http://www.markschlereth.com/about-mark/marks-football-bio/
http://twitter.com/#!/markschlereth/

He also owns ‘Stinkin Good Green Chile’
http://stinkingood.com/

Declaration of Independence and some History

Some History prior to the signing of Declaration of America

When armed conflict between bands of American colonists and British soldiers began in April 1775, the Americans were ostensibly fighting only for their rights as subjects of the British crown. By the following summer, with the Revolutionary War in full swing, the movement for independence from Britain had grown, and delegates of the Continental Congress were faced with a vote on the issue. In mid-June 1776, a five-man committee including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin was tasked with drafting a formal statement of the colonies' intentions. The Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence--written largely by Jefferson--in Philadelphia on July 4, a date now celebrated as the birth of American independence

As the first formal statement by a nation's people asserting their right to choose their own government, the Declaration of Independence became a significant landmark in the history of democracy. In addition to its importance in the fate of the fledgling American nation, it also exerted a tremendous influence outside the United States, most memorably in France during the French Revolution. Together with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence can be counted as one of the three essential founding documents of the United States government.

From History.com
http://www.history.com/topics/declaration-of-independence

The beginning few paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.

See History.Com for the rest of the Declaration of Independence

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

Crazy College Classes That Cost Big Bucks

Are you paying attention to the courses that your son or daughter is taking in college?

How do the following classes really prepare a student for a career or for life?

If you took all of these classes it could cost over $23K.

·         Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame – Univ of South Carolina – 3 credits - $1,200 In-State / $3,150 Out of State. LG stated in a 60 Minutes Interview that she studied fame and wanted to be famous

·         The Phallus – Occidental College - $5,370. According to the Fiscal Times site they also offer a course titled ‘Stupidity’ – I have always thought that there is a lack of information in society on the Phallus

·         Joy of Garbage – Santa Clara Univ – 4 credits - $4,881 – I wonder how they experience the joy?

·         Harry Potter: Finding Your Patronus – Oregon State Univ - $237.17 In-State / $681.17 Out of State – I didn’t see the Harry Potter movies or read the books but my first thought was that this class was mistaken for the Phallus class above

·         Theatrical Fencing – University Wisconsin, Madison - 1 Credit - $331.00 In-State / $966 Out-of-State – We’re not talking about teaching the kids how to install a fence in your back yard – BTW this is offered through the Dept of Kinesiology that is the Dept formerly known as Phys Ed

·         DJ History, Culture and Technique – New York University – 4 Credits - $4,636 plus a lab fee – at the site it states that …’the class draws wealthy yet hip students from around the world to study with pros’. Is there a DJ Hall of Fame here also?

·         Arguing with Judge Judy: Popular Logic on TV Judge Shows – Univ of Calif Berkeley – 1 credit - $415.40 in-state / $1,178.03 Out-of-State – this should help your kids who can’t find a job argue with Judge Judy while they watch the show

·         Sport for the Spectator – Ohio State Unit, Mansfield – 3 credits - $278.25 – Maybe this is for those who see sporting events as a social occasion and aren’t too interested in the outcome or they want to meet someone else.

·         Learning from U-Tube – Pitzer College, Claremont Calif - $5,318.75 – From the Fiscal Times site - Apparently we were having too much fun. Did you know that, “Radical media theorists have looked with utopian zeal to a moment in the media future which turns out to be upon us: a time where access to the production and distribution of media is democratically available outside channels organized by capital?”  Although this could be a bit amusing I believe the future of education lies in greater use of the Internet

·         Geology and Cinema – Univ of Minnesota, Twin Cities – 4 credits - $1,506.80 In-State  $$2,168.32 Out-of-State – From the Fiscal Times site - Knocking out your physical science requirement and getting to watch such cinematic gems as Tremors and Journey to the Center of the Earth sounds like a liberal arts student’s dream.        

The source of this information is:

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2011/06/21/10-Crazy-College-Classes-That-Cost-Big-Bucks.aspx#page1

Possible Blog Topics

Topics that I have heard discussed, read about or thought about during the past few days that I am considering blogging about.

·      Changes that the Phillies should make to their roster this year and what is causing their problems. Should the view be short term or long term?

·         The bottleneck in public education and related  issues

·         Thoughts and feelings about US healthcare

·         Ruling by Chief Justice of SCOTUS John Roberts on the health care law

·        Reposting my previous blogs about Joe Paterno and Penn State with additional comments in light of e-mails just being disclosed

·         Comparing the fall of the Roman Empire with the current state of the US. Many similarities

·        Do US politicians want to make the US and its citizens better and stronger, control them or just gain power and wealth for themselves?

·     When an authoritative leader uses his position power to coerce and intimidate followers or employees (examples – Joe Patterno , the cult leader from the show the Mentalist et al)

A Definition of Manhood – Principle 5

From the Book ‘The Resolution for Men’ by Stephen and Alex Kendrick and Randy Alcorn – from Chapter 4, Be a Man of Responsibility.

A Man Can Lead a Family Faithfully

…Having the responsibility necessary to start and faithfully lead a family is a clear attribute of manhood.

Manhood does not mean you should marry, but you should be able to.  There is nothing wrong with waiting to get married, but many men delay it for decades because they are so immature.

If you are a single man, you should already be learning and locking down the character qualities necessary for marriage and parenting in your heart right now.  And if you’re already married, it’s time to live them out on a daily, diligent basis.

Furthermore, if you are raising a son, you should be teaching him – by your words and actions – the roles and responsibilities of a husband and a father. Show him how to love and provide for a woman, as well as how to train and lead his children. Pursue with him the goal that by the time he reaches twenty, he will already be mature enough to get married if he chooses. Then whenever he does, he will readily assume his position as leader, a man who will protect and provide for his family in every necessary way. He won’t be flying blind or needing you to handle everything for him. He will be a man. Ready to step up to the plate and hit the long ball and he will join you in considering it his privilege to lead his family well.

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My Thoughts

I think the most glaring oversight in this section titled ‘A Man Can Lead a Family faithfully’ is the lack of references to daughters. A man’s relationship with his daughter is very important to her and her future and will impact her relationships with men throughout her life.
This relationship or lack of relationship between you and your daughter can cause your daughter to be happy and secure or unhappy, insecure and full of doubts.

As a father you have a responsibility to raise your sons and or daughters to become responsible and productive adults so that they can raise their children the same way.
Our children learn a great deal from us by what we model. Take the time to learn how to model being a father to your sons and daughters. It’s never too late to do the right thing. Your children’s future and your legacy are in the balance.