Todd Stocker's Blog, page 14

How NOT to accomplish your goals

A friend of mine has jumped on the weight loss journey. I hadn’t seen this person for a few weeks but knew that she was significantly lighter than before. When I did see her, she looked great. I could tell, even as a guy, that she had lost a decade of pounds. My natural inclination was to say, “You look great! I heard how much you lost.” But instead I chose a different bent and said, “You look great! I heard how much you gained!” She obviously looked at me with one eyebrow jetting up and the other frowning down revealing both her confusion and irritation. Then I said, “Yes. You’ve gained beauty. You’ve gained confidence. You’ve gained comfort.”  She smiled.

You see, the problem with New Years resolutions is that they tend to focus on the negative and not the positive. We sprinkle our statements with words like “lose” “stop” and “quit.” I think that is a wrong mindset and why statistically most people fail at their resolutions by January 15th. The Bible says that we are to think and focus on whatever is good, healthy positive and helpful (click to read the verse).  That is where true change happens. That is where the vision of your goal is energized.

So as you think and plan for this next year, write down the “gains” and not the “losses.” Don’t lose the weight, gain the comfort. Don’t stop bad eating, gain healthy options. Don’t fear change, embrace progress. Remember that God gives us a new start every year but more importantly, every morning!

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(note from Todd:  ”This past year I gained all of the above by dropping 40 pounds.  I wrote about it in a short ebook.  You can check it out by clicking the link below.  Several people have already achieved their goals using the 5 keys.  If you have read the ebook, I’d love to hear your feedback.  Make a comment on Amazon.  It’d really help others.  Thanks!)

CLICK HERE for “Break Through Weight Loss”

Peace!

Pondering

A quick Christmas Day tour of Facebook reveals “pondering.” The student who is glad to be home for the holidays. The mom who watches her kids as they open gifts. The dad who reflects on his gratefulness for his family. The pondering heart is a thankful heart because to ponder means to throw ideas together and weave them into a tapestry of meaning.

As the sun crept over the line that marks evening from morning, Mary pondered. She thought of the visit by the angel nine months before. She remembered the pain it caused to tell Joseph her fiancé that she was pregnant, out of wedlock. She rehearsed her journey to see Elizabeth and the flowing heart of love that poured out into praises to God. She thought through the last months of dodging the condemning looks of the townspeople and the long journey to Bethlehem. She received the shepherds’ message with joy and she pondered it all.

I wonder. Do you ponder this morning. Jesus birth, the angels, the manger scene, what Jesus did for you – do you ponder it. Busyness chokes deep thinking and selfishness squelches love.

In the aftermath of presents and parties, gatherings and give aways, I pray that you wake up a bit earlier tomorrow and simple take time to ponder.

“… and Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:19

Peace!

Ornaments

The Christmas tree. Tall and green and decorated as a fixture in our home during the Christmas season. Each year, I sit on our couch next to our tree and admire the decorations that are so carefully placed on its branches. I admire the creativity of the handmade ones.  You know the ones.  The ones made from clay or paper.  The ones that kids bring home from school made especially for you.

The ornaments on the tree each have their own stories. They tell of that first Christmas. They speak volumes about your own childhood or that one special year. And maybe, they remind us of someone we love who is not here.

Ultimately all of the ornaments tell our story. One families story. Of hope, of struggle, of peace and of love.

As you look at your tree this Christmas, my prayer is that the memories that flood your mind are ones of goodness and grace.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Peace!

Good Men Are Sometimes Afraid

“Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:19, 20 NLT)

Good men are sometimes afraid.  Think about Joseph.  A hard-working man whose integrity was well known.  He falls in love with a young girl and pledges to marry her.  In that culture, the pledge was binding.  Suddenly, the love of his life shares the news of an unplanned pregnancy.  Joseph knew that scorn and ridicule would await him if he went through with his plan to marry Mary.  But the Spirit told him not to be afraid because even though on the outside, things look bleak, on the inside often the Holy Spirit is at work.

This reminds me to trust that the Holy Spirit of God is at work behind the scenes, even though it can be scary.   Move forward. Don’t stop.  See what God can do.

Lord, as I look at aspects of my life, fear paralyzes me.  Help me to be a good man an give me the confidence to move forward with fear.

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(This post was written using the S.O.A.P. method.  It is the method I use for my morning quiet time.  Want to know what it is?  Click Here).

Peace!

We Just Eat Crumbs

Yesterday, our family ate dinner downstairs by the fireplace, which has been more the normal than the occasion in this blustery winter-time. I found myself watching my dog Jack, scramble for the few crumbs that drifted off our plates. His attention, however, was not on us, but was set on the floor at our feet. A crumb of bread here, a piece of cheese there and he pounced on each one.

Because I love this little guy, I would have been glad to give Him way more than the little crumbles, but he never looked up at me in relationship, only at the ground in want.

It occurred to me that often, I am that way. I am constantly scanning the ground around me, looking and waiting for the blessings that may dribble from the plate of God. I guess, most of society is that way too. Only wanting what God gives and not God himself. We desire the goodness of God but are not willing to simply look into His face and know Him first. I think that if we did, our desire for the crumbs would be blanketed by the outpouring of His riches.

Grace gives more than we can ask or deserve.

“Even the dogs eat the crumbs from the Masters table.”  Matthew 15:27

Peace!

Feeling Small – Lessons from the Lake

I was at a cabin, working on my next book project when outside, I heard what sounded to me like thunder.  I thought that was strange since it wasn’t in the forecast.

I continued working but soon, I heard it again.  The sound thundered loudly to a point that it shook the windows of the cabin. So I went outside and looked around and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  It was clear.

As I looked across the lake, I watched a flock of birds suddenly fly off of the ice followed by the thunder sound.  I couldn’t figure it out.  Then, it happened again.  It was then that I realized the thundering sound was the cracking of the ice that happens as the temperature changed.  It expands and contracts which causes the “thunder.”  Right at my feet, the ice-thundering erupted and spread across the entire lake.  The ground on which I stood shook and I felt very powerless and very small.

It reminded me of when God had a conversation with Job.  Job was questioning God about his life and why he was experiencing loss and struggle.   God responds to Job and says, “Job, were you there when I sent the foundations of the world in place?  Were you there when I started the cosmos or when I created the very environments in which you walk?”  At that moment, I felt like Job.

Sometimes I think too big of myself.  Sometimes I want to completely control my life and that I have the power to do so.  But then I realize that ultimately, power and strength comes only from God.

The Bible says that the earth is the Lords everything in it.  He created the sky.  He created the mountains.  He created the ice that operates on the surface of the lake and causes the ground to shake.

The next time I try to control everything in my life, I’ll remember the lesson of the lake.

Peace!

The Two Tables of Thanksgiving

If you come from a larger family, you are familiar with the two tables of Thanksgiving.  First, is the adult table which is aptly named for those who grace it’s lacy clothed edge.  Lit candles, real china and elegantly etched wine glasses decorate it’s festive landing.

Second is the kids table.  Lucky just to have paper plates, this table holds less expectation and prestige as the former since it’s occupants couldn’t care less.  Most of the occupants, that is.

I remember sitting at the kids table at that delicate school age of 6th grade.  That was the time of transition, the time when I sat in view of the adult table.  How I longed to not have to dodge the cranberry sauce globs being thrown at my head by my little brother and sister.

The next year, my father pulled out a chair and I joined the ranks of the outnumbered elite at, (pause for dramatic effect) the adult table.  It is a grand thing to be invited to graduate.

Reflecting on the two tables makes me wonder how many people live their lives at the kids table.  Life has invited them to a better standard, a higher living, a progressed status and yet, they choose to stay with the status quo.  They find security in the mediocre and actually have a fear of success.

If you look around, life invites you to be better, to do better, to achieve and succeed.  Opportunities still dot the hours of your day like cloves in the skin of a well-goldened turkey.  Look.  The world has just pulled out a chair.  It is time for you to take it.

Peace!

What is FRIENDSGIVING?

I heard of an event yesterday that I think is pretty cool for this time of year.  Having worked with single people and college students in the past, I know that one of the frustrating times in life is holidays.  Especially when one doesn’t have family or family close by.

So the event is called “Friends-giving.”  Like Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving happens the weekend before.  One friend opens up their loft to their friends, cooks a turkey or ham and simply celebrates the blessings of friendship.

What makes this gathering different from any other gathering of friends?  It is intentionally geared toward giving thanks for friends.  It is focused on the blessings we derive from being in relationship with those with whom we do life with other than family.  It is lifting up our human need to have friends.

I love it!

Remember that you don’t have to wait until November to celebrate all that God gives you, including your friends.  Train your brain to take a step back and cultivate a thankful attitude – even for your friends.

Peace!

Redeemed

Yesterday, our church hosted a group called Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge.  Their core purpose is to help people break the grips of addiction through the basic understanding that they are a child of God and that He has a purpose for their lives. 50 strong, they filled the front of our congregation, spoke testimonies of God grace and deliverance and literally brought our church to tears.

Before their first song, one of the folks said in their testimony, “You don’t know where you are if you don’t know where you’ve been.”  We all nodded in agreement. Then they sang a song named “Redeemed.”  (Redeemed means to be retrieved or purchased back).

As their full voice choir sang the chorus, I couldn’t help but think, These people have been in places so dark that they truly know the power of redemption. They know the beauty of going from death to life and they understand the difference.

When you’ve been so lost and so broken for so long, redemption seems so out of reach.  Freedom seems unattainable and hopelessness rules the day.  But when God sends someone – a friend, a relative, a stranger – to speak words of truth or to get you help, the light of redemption is overwhelming, the love of God in Christ is breathtaking and the contentment of the Holy Spirit forces your face to cut a smile.

You have been redeemed.  You have been set free.  The chains of hopelessness, depression and death have been unlocked.  God is real and He holds out His hand of peace to you and to me.

As I drove home, I realized that while my life has never been hopeless, God is still in the business of redeeming the lost parts of my life and setting me free.

Peace!

What A Dumb Thing To Ask!

“Good Teacher – what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Mark 10:17

What a dumb thing to ask!  “Doing” and “Inheriting” don’t fit together!  Think about it.  If you inherit something, is there anything you have to do to inherit it?  When I die, isn’t it up to me to assign my possessions to my kids?  Can you manipulate the system to be born into the family into which you are born?

That’s silly!

When this man came to Jesus and asked this question, I can imagine Jesus rolling his eyes.  You don’t DO ANYTHING to inherit eternal life.  It is offered to you as a free gift of God!  It is laid out in front of you like a red carpet of Grace onto which you step by the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is an inheritance that you inherit, not earn.

So if you’re a believer, live with the inheritance in mind.  You are a child of the king!  You are an heir into the throne room of God!  You are saved by the Grace of Christ!

Do nothing – Inherit everything!

Go and live like that and stop being so silly!

Peace!