Todd Stocker's Blog, page 16

The Value of Work

Ashton Kutcher, Teen Choice Awards, 2013

Did you know that your work is a gift. As frustrating, random and meaningless as it may feel, your work is a gift. We’ve seemed to have lost that truth in recent culture. The refrains of our society echo “entitlement” and “you deserve this” rather that lifting up the value of hard work.

Ashton Kutcher’s comments at the Teen Choice Awards a few months ago sparked a national “hurray” for those of us in generations that had work ethic. He said,

“I believe that opportunity looks a lot like hard work. I’ve never had a job in my life that I was better than. I was always just lucky to have a job. And every job I had was a steppingstone to my next job, and I never quit my job until I had my next job.”

It’s true. Working hark is beneficial. Sometimes financially, but most times holistically. Not everyone wins. Not everyone gets a trophy. And as grandpa always said,

“Anything worth getting is worth working for.”

So those of us who have been given the title “parent,” consider your role in developing a thriving work ethic in your kids. Help them discover, develop and deploy their God-given abilities and let them know that working hard is pleasing to our God.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 “It is good for people to … enjoy their work … And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—that is indeed a gift from God.”

(Click Here for another post relating to Procrastination and work).

Peace!

Stranded In The Garage – Selfish or Selfless

Selfishness isn’t often obviously identified in adults.  Kids, yes, but adults, not as much.  However, it does rear it’s ugly head.  My family and I experienced it first hand a few weeks ago.  Here’s the story.

After returning from a wedding in Arizona, we dragged ourselves off the plane, collected our bags and trudged to the long-term parking lot on the far side of the airport.  Being late at night, we were anxious to get home and hit the hay.  As we approached our van, I hit the clicker to open the door.  Nothing.  That was my first clue.  Using the key, we open the back and slugged in our bags.  Then Kellie tried to start our vehicle.  It was dead.  Not even a small churning of the engine.  It was completely gone.

No worries, I thought.  A few rows away was a man who’d been on the flight with us and his brand new F-150 truck was humming as he was loading his bags into the back cab.  I walked over, introduced myself as a fellow traveler, explained our situation and asked for a jump.  He looked down at the ground adjusted his hat and said, “Well I don’t know.”  I mentioned my tired family (he was alone) and how there was an open space in front of us so aligning our front ends would be easy.  “Well, it’s a new vehicle,” he replied.  I told him that I have brand new jumper cables so all I’d need is to hook up his battery to mine – no big deal.  His reply exposed his valuing himself rather than helping a stranded family.  He said, “I just got this vehicle and … and … I don’t know how reliable the charging system is … so I don’t know.”  Charging system!  Did he think I was that dumb!  Battery to battery isn’t a charging system.

Disgusted I yelled in his face, “You are the most selfish human being I know!”  Actually I didn’t say that since he was busting with muscles that I didn’t know existed.  I simply said, “Never mind” and walked away.

Now what?  Stranded in the garage.  (Sounds like a late sixties love song).  Then, another vehicle turned down an adjacent aisle.  I flagged the tired looking family down and explained our plight.  The driver – younger than I – looked over at his wife and then back at his weary kids, assessing my request.  “Sure” he said and dove over to give us a jump.

As we were getting the job done, I found out that they had started their morning in Alaska, tapering off a 2 week fishing vacation.  They had traveled all day, literally – a long drive to a Podunk Alaskan airstrip, plane connection after plane connection.  All that was lacking was the “train” part.  His family and he was far more exhausted than we and yet he stopped and helped, simply because another human being needed it and because it was a selfless thing to do.

May God return to him a thousand fold in blessing for saving my family and operating in the spirit of selflessness.  Now go and do likewise.

Peace!

Evil In The Morning

I love and hate mornings.  The love comes from my experiencing the newness of the day, the time I spend in my prayerful SOAP devotions, and the creative Spirit that envelops my heart.  The hate comes from the barrage of negative thoughts that batter against the walls of my holy time.

This morning, I let some of The Negatives in.  They sat with me and told me that I shouldn’t be doing what I’m doing, that I’ve taken on too much, that I don’t have what it takes and that I’m not making any difference in anyone’s lives.  The result – they told me – is that I should scale back, hide away and quit.

As unsettled as they made me, I buckled them into my car and drove to my coffee-shop hide-away.  I bought them coffee and made a place for them as I opened my laptop to work.  Suddenly, the sun creased across the horizon and I saw The Negatives for what they were.  I saw The Negatives for what they wanted to do to me.  I understood that The Negatives did not bubble from the well-spring of life that God had birthed within me.

If Lamentations – of all books – is true, then what I should be entertaining in the morning is the newness of the Lord’s love, mercy, compassion and grace.  That means, once again, that The Negatives do not come from God.

So tomorrow morning, when The Negatives come knocking, I will recite out loud Lamentations and will wake to the movements of the Spirit of God.

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease.Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”  Lamentations 3:22-23

Peace!

ROSEMONT – Available Now!

Hi Everyone.  Many of you wanted to know when my novel “Rosemont” would be available.  Well, now it is!

To download the first chapters, Click Here.

To purchase the physical book, Click Here.

To purchase on Kindle, Click Here.

God’s Wedding Vows

The thirty foot high palm trees are gently swaying over the resort pool and I am mesmerized by the early morning Arizona sun, dancing on the surrounding mountains.  Phoenix in August seems like a strange arrangement in which to host a wedding but the benefits I’m finding far outweigh the heat.

My niece is marrying a wonderful guy.  Getting to know his family has been a joy.  We are finding out how many common people-connections we have and how many places we’ve shared.  This morning, however, through my devotional time, God impresses upon me the best connection that our two families have – the connection of faith through Jesus.  I realize that while this wedding bring us together for the event of celebration, we are already bonded to each other through what Jesus did for us!

So this afternoon as they say their vows to each other, it will remind me of the vow God said to me, “I will never leave you nor forsake you … I have grafted you in to my family and you are mine … For better, for worse, in sickness and in health, I will be yours and you will always be Mine.”

By the way, congratulations to Mike and Kyrie on this, their wedding day!

Peace!

A Child Of The King!

A few weeks ago, the world watched as Prince William and Kate have introduced their newborn baby boy to the world.  Cute, cuddly and wrinkly, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, emerged from a London hospital with Prince George, third in line to the British throne.

As I admired these first time parents watching every movement of their new son, I couldn’t help but think how ordinary they looked.  Minus the cameras, lights and security, the three-some glowed.   As they smiled and George burped, I realized that this new baby had no idea into what family he was born.  He was born a child of royalty, a child of greatness, a child whose powers and privileges far out weighs the commoner.

I think that Christ-followers forget that they too were born into a royal family.  But not one that legislates the state of affairs, but one through whom the King of kings redeems all of Creation.  The problem I experience and see is that we who are children of the King live life retreating back from difficulties and we allow the world to rule us, not the other way around.

How many times have I given in to the temptational attacks of the enemy when power, strength and rescue lives right within me through the Holy Spirit.  How often do I wallow is self-doubt and fear when my new-birth certificate places me squarely in the throne room of the King.

For me, I will remind myself every morning, before the day crushes in, that I am a child of the King!

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people.

Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

1 Peter 2:9-10

Peace

How To Push Yourself To Grow

If you’ve walked on this earth for any number of years, you come to find out that you’re good at somethings and not others.  One may find they have a compassionate heart and love serving the poor.  Another may discover they can compose sentences with eloquence and clarity.  Still another may realize that they like leading others toward success.  Whatever the fit, there is a inherent danger in knowing what you can do and it’s called THE COMFORT ZONE.

The Comfort Zone is the place where we feel the most comfortable operating, working and living.  When we discover that we have a small amount of expertise in one area and it’s combined with passion for what we do, it becomes easy to sit back and coast because life is good.  But remember that the only time you coast is when you’re going downhill.  (Think of riding a bike).  Eventually, the comfort zone in which you spend most of your time becomes stale and doesn’t provide the fulfillment of stretching yourself and your abilities.

What you need to do is always try to work within your gifts and outside your comfort to achieve a fresh and exciting growth path.  Let me give you a personal example.

I know that my personal mission is to add value and leadership to people around me.  I know that I do that by communicating in creative ways and providing resources that help others succeed – my gifted zone.  (Click Here to read my personal mission statement).  So a few years ago, I was presented with an opportunity to develop and host my own radio show.  After prayer, thought and conversation with others, I agreed.  Why?  Because it fit with my gifts – communication and resourcing – and it was something totally new – being behind a microphone speaking to the 1million+ listeners in the Minneapolis area.

I was scared to death as I walked into the beautiful studio this past week.  But I knew that I had the gifts to at least give it a shot.  It was a wonderful experience and I’m excited to see what God does with it all.

Here are some steps for you to help push yourself to grow.

Find a quiet place and write down what you love to do.  Don’t put any stops on your thoughts.  Write it down.  Everything that comes to mind that you love to do.
Now write down what others say you’re good at doing.  You may have to dig for this one because we tend to remember the criticisms and forget the compliments.  If you can’t come up with anything, picture a group of your friends giving you compliments.  What would they say?  If your friends don’t give compliments, find a new group of friends!
Next, look for overlaps.  If you find you love playing music and others say you’re talented, that may indicate a sweet spot.  If you love talking with people about deep matters of life and others say you comfort them, you may have stumbled upon a future career opportunity.
Now ask what you’re doing in those overlap areas now and how you can do something outside of that comfort zone but still using those gifts.  As a Pastor, I speak in front of groups very often, communicating a message of hope and encouragement.  So being on the radio means that I am still speaking but the audience is out in “radio-land.”  In my gift zone and out of my comfort zone.
Here’s the critical ignitor.  Go and try something new.  Not happens unless something happens.  Take your love of baking and sell scones at a farmers market.  Take your coaching ability and help out at your kids’ school.  I don’t care what it is.  Just do something.

Here’s to pushing yourself forward!

By the way, the show “Life on Purpose” airs for the first time Wednesday 7/24 on WAJC The Remnant 88.1 at 2:30 central time in the Twin Cities.  (Click Here for the station Facebook page).

Peace!

The Buck Tucker Band and Being a Witness

Last week, I had a wonderfully surreal experience.  It being summer, my wife and I attended an outdoor concert by a cover-band named Buck Tucker.  Classic Rock-N-Roll poured out across the warm grass as hundreds added their voices to the lead singer’s and we were joined as one on the perfect imitative riffs that buzzed from the guitars. Purple Rain.  Sweet Home Alabama. Brown Eyed Girl.  They didn’t miss a one.

What is abnormally beautiful about the band is not only are they the best in the Upper Midwest, but of the five talents, four of them comprise part of our church’s worship team and the fifth is a worship Pastor from a Christ-centered church down the road.  How lovely was it to have the lead singer – who also happens to be our lead Deacon – welcome the half-drunken crowd by also welcoming his friends, co-workers and church family!  (I’m just praying the latter were not part of the first half ).

What came to mind as my guys played for the huge exuberant party-goers was the Biblical encouragement to be – as is outlined in John 17 and Romans 12 – “in the world but not of the world.”  In short, Believers are to go out into the world and show people what real life is all about!

The Buck Tucker Band provided entertainment to the crowd who may or may not have known Jesus.  They added happiness to people’s lives for an evenings time.  They also brought together our church family who were rubbing elbows with each other and people far from God – providing a message to people that is so lost in our culture that being a Christ-follower is not a cloistered life but an adventure of joy!

How can Christ-followers live in the world but not of the world?  A few suggestions come to mind.

Check your faith.  The worst place for an newly recovering alcoholic is in a bar.  Some Christ-followers, especially new ones whose faith may be weak for whatever reason, do well to steer clear of situations and experiences that could pull them back into a lifestyle that doesn’t please God.  James 4 says to flee the Devil.  Whatever the situation, always be walking into it with God.
Don’t judge those outside the faith.  This is a biggie.  God calls us throughout the New Testament not to judge those who don’t belong to Him.  (Check it out here).  We are to hold each other accountable and simply love those who don’t know Jesus as Savior yet.
Look for opportunities to talk about the Lord and His goodness.  Harkening back to Buck Tucker – music is God’s creation.  Lucifer takes what God has made and twists it for his evil purposes.  But we can redeem it’s purpose by reclaiming it for God.  By simply pointing out it’s beauty and how it is a gift from the Lord, others will take notice.  (If you want to find out more about picking good music with your kids, click here).
Remember who you are.  Unless you sit on top of a 40 foot pole or move to the outer parts of the Himalayas, you are going to circle around with people who need Christ.  Remember that He loves you enough to save you and make you part of His family.  You have an identity.  You have a name.  The same is available for those who are spinning out of control.  You have a story and that story is a perfect tool to use to share with others about the amazing love of Christ!

The Buck Tucker Band

If they ever cut an album, I want to be the first on their list.  But for now, I’ll remember the witness they gave me of being in the world but not of it.  Thanks guys!

If you want to contact them, check out their Facebook page here.

Peace!

My Value As A Remnant

My wife is fantastic at interior rehab and design.  Those of you who have seen her work can verify.  Staying on or under budget is important to her – and me for that matter – so she is always looking for exceptional value at great prices in the items she buys for the home projects.

One of the items in which she consistently strikes a deal is counter-tops – granite to be specific.  Instead of paying full or even discount prices for these majestic items, she seeks out what are called “remnant” pieces.  A remnant counter-top is the remaining piece after an installation.  Most of the time, these pieces are a bit beat up or irregularly shaped.  Often they end up on the trash heap in back of the installers shop. But my wife sees the value in them.  She sees the beauty in them.  She sees what could be not what has been.  She re-purposes them by having them restored by one of her team and placed into another kitchen in which they look wonderful!

God did the same for the people of Israel in the Old Testament and He does the same for us.  We too are like remnants.  Sometimes beaten up, cast aside, feeling unusable for anything or anybody.  But that isn’t how God sees you.  He sees you for what you are – valuable and useful.  Full of purpose and life.  He sees you as an irreplaceable part of His project called YOU.

Today, live as a loved remnant.  Step into the reality of being a purpose-filled creation of the Ultimate Artist.  As you do, His confidence will be yours and you’ll suddenly realize how valuable you are to the interior design of everyone around you!

Peace!

By the way – If you live on the east side of the Minneapolis/Twin Cities area, there is a new radio station branding as The Remnant (WAJC 88.1). Take a listen.  I love the music and the message!

Celebrating Anniversaries

Yesterday was our anniversary.  For some, these are stellar celebrations.  Big tents in friend-filled backyards.  Exotic meals.  Trips to distant lands.  For Kellie and I, we have rarely had such swarays to mark our day.

Take yesterday for example.  Sharing a simple breakfast gave way to little errands around the house.  A nice lunch at a classic deli and closing the evening watching a flick in our basement.  For us – pretty typical.

But even though the day wouldn’t top any New York Times list, there are elements of our anniversary that capture the importance of remembering special events in our lives.

We did something different.  The deli I mentioned was new for me.  Set in a classic part of town that seems the same today as 60 years ago, it provided a time for us to remember our past years together.


We remember the past.  Every year, we laugh about our 5th anniversary being spent in a laundromat because we didn’t have enough money to fix our washing machine.  We think about our ceremony 24 years ago in the 110 degree Arizona heat and the beautiful music my Father provided for the occasion.


We hit a “reset” button on our relationship.  Our anniversary provides us a chance to remember why we decided to commit, to take the plunge, to cross the line.  Phrases like, “… because I love you” and “… can’t imagine life without you” pour from our lips easier on such days than others and we sense a here-we-go-again reality (in a positive way).

In our simple celebration, we held hands, snuggled and remembered the blessings God has given our family.  We thanked him for sustaining our marriage when our loss could’ve ripped us apart.  And in this wee hour of the morning, I am grateful for the gift I find in my wife.

Peace!