Tim Young's Blog, page 9

Why It’s Easier To Run Into The Headwinds With God When We Believe

Goliath came at King Saul and the armies of Israel so hard that he paralyzed them with fear and panic. Then into this wild scene walks a shepherd boy named David, who didn’t tremble or run from the taunts of this giant. David saw the giant he was facing through the eyes of God, which changed his perspective. We can learn from this confrontation that David did not weigh the risk of failure because his faith was resting totally in the living God. In God, there is no real failure when we act.

Court, intimidation, financial problems, and tragedy after tragedy were some of the training grounds the Lord used to teach me to confront my fears head on. I began to understand that the giants I faced on this journey did their best to intimidate me, but I would learn that these were merely tactics of the enemy designed to keep me in fear. These lessons on the battlefield of life are sharpening my faith and building my trust in the Lord no matter what circumstances come my way. I read in a study of Matthew 6:34 that fear robs us of our today, our tomorrow and gives victory to our past.

One of the greatest tests that we will face along this journey of life is can we trust in God’s goodness even though life does not make sense at times? This involves a change in perspective where we must learn to trust in God who is good and not always the goodness of life!

Does my faithfulness to my convictions really do any good at all?

As I dive deeper into His word, the more I see that God is still concerned with every situation that I face even though He doesn’t intervene immediately. God will have the final say and the day is coming when He will settle all accounts. In a broad scope of time, God executes His justice, and we have His promise to this very fact in His word. We must overcome our desire to give up and not lose hope.

I’m learning that it’s so much easier to run into the headwinds of life when I ask God to run the race with me than going it alone. As my perspective started changing, it happens…I look down at the water’s surface and begin to see the faint reflection of my Heavenly Father. What is really happening here? God is telling me that I have what it takes and that I am adored. This is played out in a snippet from the movie, The Matrix…check it out.

Trinity: What is he doing?!


Morpheus: He’s beginning to believe…

Now I can say to my heavenly Father, “Dad, when I’m running with You, it feels like I’m not handicapped.”

(Excerpt from Heartstone Copyright © 2009 by Tim Young. All rights reserved.)


                    

10 Things I Learned From Divorce About Facing Life’s Obstacles [Series]

It’s impossible to fully understand the sorrows of divorce unless you have journeyed through its dark valleys of anguish. I have learned that these valleys only yield a desolate emptiness to anything that was once close and dear. During the agonizing process of divorce, we do not have the capacity to clearly see that we are blindly making the choice to end a marriage, a family, and are starting a vicious circle that only erodes. People have no idea of the painful realities of what lies on the other side of the violent ripping of a one-flesh covenant God intended. Divorce is always destructive, and its ripple effects are far-reaching and long-lasting. No one would argue that love and intimacy are essential to any marriage relationship, but when we assume that love and intimacy alone will sustain a marriage is when problems begin to emerge. When we build sandcastles around our hopes, dreams, and expectations, it all is violently swept away when the tidewater comes raging in. This modern culture has reduced a God-given covenant between a husband and wife into a self gratifying contract, complete with terms, conditions, indemnification and an exit clause!

(Excerpt from Heartstone Copyright © 2009 by Tim Young. All rights reserved.)

The best way I can sum up divorce is that it just sucks!!!

Having many years behind me on the other side of divorce, let this series be your first step in discovering how you can start conquering life’s obstacles.

You cannot conquer what you will not confront!
-Paula White

1) Self-pityis hell’s crazy glue!

It was so easy for me to feel sorry for myself and I did just that for awhile, until God placed the right people in my life that helped me pick myself up by the bootstraps and move forward.

Feeling sorry for myself was so is destructive and literally prevented me from moving forward to living a full life. Feeling sorry is a complete waste of time, it created negative and sometimes hostile emotions, and it does absolutely nothing for your relationships. Especially for the kids who are innocently caught in the cross-hairs of divorce.

With help from God and friends that were willing to walk through the muck-n-mire with me, I started to trade my self-pity with more gratitude.

2) Divorce doesn’t define you!

We all go through difficult seasons along our journey of life, but our circumstances don’t have to define who we really are.

Because most of us lack emotional boundaries, we let life’s tough circumstances and other people define us. We need to find the emotional strength to rise up, face our circumstances head on and STOP letting others take control of our actions. Once I came into a better of place of emotional health, it was much easier to be there for my kids while fighting the legal battles head on. I also got past many of my so called “friends” bailing on me during my time of need.

Let me be very clear….you are not your divorce!

When you choose to stop living out ‘who you are not’ and you start to live in ‘who you are’, it changes everything!

3) We don’t have to fear change!

Change happens, and well…you can’t change that fact of life.

I thought I had it all under control, holding my fate in my own hands, but with a blind recklessness, I lost sight of God and drifted way off course. In March 2004, a cold darkness stirred on the wind and cast a deep shadow over my blue skies—a day I will never forget…With one last glance, she turned and walked into the other room. As I came to the word ‘divorce’ written upon the letter, I fell to my knees, paralyzed as my reality became a silhouette of yesterday arriving at the edge of a broken heart. My happily-ever-after turned to dust.

On that day, change was definitely inevitable. It took some time to process through all of it, but I’ve learned that the phases of change are: Deep reflective thought, preparation for what’s ahead, developing an action plan or taking action, opposition (oh boy will it come) and lastly and very important…having a maintenance plan to keep you on track. This includes a core group of trusted accountability people that you allow to speak into your life.

Look I’m human just like you and making changes can be frightening, but running for the hills will stifle your growth. Remember; the longer you wait in dealing with change, the harder it gets!

4) Give up the idea that you’re in control!

Worrying accomplishes absolutely nothing because most of the stuff we worry about is out of our control. Worrying is a waste of time and it does’t help you to focus on bringing about a solution, so why waste your time and energy on it?

Trying to be in control of everything is rooted in fear and anxiety. Instead, focus on what you can do…like keep being a dad for your kids!

5) Take some risks in life!

Just to be clear…I’m not talking about stupid risk, I’m talking about calculated risk. I’m talking about charting a course for what’s ahead and still stepping out your comfort zone. So many people like to “play it safe” and are so afraid to take risks, whether it’s financial, physical, emotional, social, or just fill in the blank ______.

Dennis Rainey, President and CEO of FamilyLife ties the idea of planning and providing with this. “The men who are the best providers are those who live intentionally. They are alert, watchful, and cautious, though not fearful. They know where they are strong and where they are vulnerable. If they are married and if they have children, they also know the strengths and vulnerabilities of their family members. They are proactive in their pursuit of God, knowing that apart from Him they can do nothing (John 15:5). They have a general sense of direction for their life and for those under their care. They look to the future with faith and hope.”

6) Don’t camp out in the past!

This one is a second cousin to self-pity, so don’t go there. Denis Waitley shares this, “Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now.”

Living life is not about being focused in the past or even on a future. It’s about being in every moment with God and to be ready for whatever God has prescribed for that moment to be.

7) Some solitude in life is a good thing!

Silence in the world we live in is a very rare commodity. There seems to always be someone or something competing for our time and our silence is invaded from every direction if we let it.

Why is this a concern for you and me? Because God does some some of His best and most powerful work in us, in the silence. Why is this difficult for us? Because we often choose to be at war with our silence and seem avoid it at all cost.

Intentionally unplugging and carving out some time to be alone with God and your thoughts can be a powerful experience. Here are some of the benefits I picked up from my alone time: Solitude increases productivity, it sparks creativity, it’s good for one’s mental health and it offers up some major restoration.

Don’t be afraid of some alone time…instead, make time for solitude.

8) The world doesn’t owe you anything!

Ok, you’re going through a divorce…so!!

It’s so easy to get angry at the world for your failures or lack of success, but the truth is no one is entitled to anything. You have to pick yourself up by the bootstraps and machete your way through life’s jungle.

Life isn’t meant to be fair and stop making the comparative of others happiness or success…that’s life — but it doesn’t mean you’re owed anything if you ran into a rough patch. Stay focused on your efforts on forward momentum. Accept criticism, own up to your flaws and stop keeping score. The comparison game will only set you up for more disappointments.

Though I fall… I will RISE AGAIN. -Micah 7:8!!

9) Learn from your mistakes!

Have you ever noticed that we quickly learn from our mistakes in the areas that matter least in life? Sending that embarrassing auto-corrected text. Inadvertently sending that “not for your boss’s eyes” email right into his/her inbox. Fill in the blank ______. You get the point.

When it comes to the personal-really-matters stuff of life we don’t seem to learn from our mistakes. Most of us get on the merry-go-round of life and do the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

Spend some time reflecting with a trusted counselor or mentor so you don’t repeat your mistakes. It’s important to really dig into what the heck went wrong, what you could have done better, and how your’e going to do it differently next time.

Look if you’re going through a divorce and already walked through one…you’re 100% accountable for your part of the breakdown of the marriage. Accept responsibility and change your behavior.

10) Chill out and don’t expect immediate results!

Here’s the rub: We make a lifetime of bad choices, life gets messed up and we get mad or give up on God because He doesn’t fix it in 8 minutes. Right? It took years for me to get to a better place and for the process of God to change my life. I share that story in my book Heartstone.

But me, I’m not giving up.


I’m sticking around to see what God will do.


I’m waiting for God to make things right.


I’m counting on God to listen to me.


(Micah 7:7, MSG)

We have to develop a mindset of realistic expectations and understand that our path out of the mess we had a part in causing, doesn’t happen overnight. Expecting immediate results is really nothing more then mental weakness!

It’s important to keep your eyes on the prize and relentlessly forge ahead, no matter what! Will there be obstacles and failures along the way? yup, but if you measure your progress (journaling helps) and look at the big picture, success will be on the horizon.

Divorce is a big obstacle, but I want to leave you with this thought…the greatest obstacle you face could be your greatest opportunity. It really comes down to your response to it, so go conquer those obstacles!

Image credit: “Mountain Hiking” via Pixabay. Free for commercial use. No attribution required.

                       

Every Step Away From The Lord Is A Step In The Wrong Direction

Every Step Away From The Lord Is A Step In The Wrong Direction

Pressing ever so hard against this diminishing hope of gaining acceptance and approval, I convinced myself that this purpose was unattainable and my hopes and dreams shatter in the many tears I cry! I arrived at the point in my life where this emptiness and brokenness actually becomes my symbolic birthright represented by my broken leg. I would struggle to fully walk in this life. It’s no wonder I developed an unquenchable appetite for applause, wealth, and power from any source in an attempt to compensate for the loss, to fill this void.

With my broken leg, I would limp through life.

This blurred reality defined my focus outwardly, a public pursuit which left my inner world empty. Behind this intense quest for power was a deep desire for love. As I soon learned, my heart was lifeless, without a beat, and my soul was sick.

I slipped slowly into a shrouded pit as the sorrows and hurt of the scarring wounds from within tore me down. Listening to the faint voices masquerading through the mist and haze of discouragement as the answer to these chains that have entangled me, I slowly leave behind the will to hold on and let go. The core issue we all face is when the self becomes our god and we worship it. When the self is our god, we strive to make all of life revolve around it, and with a consuming zeal, we seek to satisfy empty vanity.

I finally came to the end of myself.

So hurt and wounded, I worshiped at the altar of pride, began living this life for only myself, and walked blindly down this wide path, foolishly reaching out for the things that kept destroying me. Envying the lives and ambitions of others and swimming in the seas of sensuality that fueled this selfishness, I somehow believed that they would all have what I needed! It was cold within this dark reality as the wind blew intensely against my face, stumbling through the shadow over and over. It’s not supposed to be this way.

In Proverbs 13, verse 12a, the writer tells us “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” I had arrived at a place in my life where life became discouraging and hopeless. I had lost all hope, and it made me sick. Being at this place is a scary proposition, and it brings you to the edge of despair.

I ran so far from home desperately looking for a hope made of stone.

Running from these memories, yearning to be held, is the cry of the son.

We need to remember that every step away from the Lord is a step in the wrong direction. When we are hurting or have failed, that is not the time to run away from the Lord. That is the time we need to run to Him!

(Excerpt from Heartstone Copyright © 2009 by Tim Young. All rights reserved.)

Base Image credit: Run To Jesus. By Amy Mykytiuk.

                       

Some Thanksgiving Thoughts for You

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
—Psalm 100:4

I really like Thanksgiving, because there is not a lot of pressure to go out and buy things. You have to get food, of course. But apart from that, Thanksgiving is not about shopping. It is more about getting together with family and friends and doing what most people love to do, which is eat.

We can enjoy the food. We can enjoy our family. We can enjoy our fellowship. But the real purpose of Thanksgiving is to give thanks. It is a day to focus on giving thanks.

Of course, that is sometimes easier said than done. It is easy when things are going reasonably well, the bills are paid, we have a roof over our head and our health is good. But when times are hard, we don’t want to give thanks at all. But here is what the Bible says: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever” (Psalm 106:1 NIV).

Notice this verse does not say to give thanks to the Lord when you feel good. Rather, it says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.”

Someone might say, “Well, what if my heart is not in it? Should I still give thanks?” Yes, you should. Many times when we offer our worship to God, it is just that: a sacrifice. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”

The Bible not only commands us to give thanks regardless of circumstances, but it also tells us to verbally give thanks to God. It would be like a husband never telling his wife that he loves her. She needs to hear it from him. And of course, a husband needs to hear “I love you” from his wife, too.

God knows all things. He knows whether we love him. However, He still asks for us to give Him verbal praise. Far too often, we fail to give God what is due him. As Psalm 29:2 reminds us, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”

Daily devotional by Pastor Greg Laurie. Copyright @ 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved

                       

Why We Shouldn’t Interpret God’s Silence As His Absence

Have you ever been in a circumstance where there seems to be no solutions? Have you ever been in a circumstance where there are lots of options, but none of them are good?

All of us have a picture of what our lives are supposed to look like…and for many of us that vision is a distorted reality. We all step into a space like this at some point in our lives and we can’t see a way forward or a way out.

what’s even worse is the lives of everybody else around you magnify the tough reality of what you will never have and we slip into this “it is what it is” narrative.

Does this sound familiar?

From my own experience, in these seasons of life, we draw some really bad conclusions and we begin telling ourselves some deep lies. Like; “I will never find happiness again.” or “Nothing good can come from my circumstance.” or “I don’t see any point continuing on…I give up.”

Have you told yourself any of these things?

If you’re a Christian, the epicenter of your struggle makes us ask the following questions. Does God know what I’m going through? Does He hear my prayers? Is He concerned and does He even care?

The good news is that your circumstance does not surprise God. The truth is that God is not absent, apathetic or angry with you. Ok great, but that doesn’t make me feel any better, right?

It has been said that you can’t direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails. I cannot control the world. I would love to if I could. Nor can I control the circumstances that come my way. But I can control my reaction to them. I can redirect my sails and adapt. We all will face storms, difficulties, and even shipwrecks. So it is time for us to develop our sea legs and not focus so much on how to avoid storms, but on how to get through them, how to survive them, and how to learn the lessons that we can only learn in such places.
—Greg Laurie

When Jesus went to the cross, God settled once and for all that He knows your name, whether or not He cares about you and whether or not He is concerned about your life!

Talking about circumstances, lets step into the story of John the Baptist because you are not alone in questioning God’s silence.

As Jesus is teaching one day, a group of guys from John’s tribe comes up to Jesus and asks Him some questions on behalf of John. “Are you really the Messiah? Are you really the sent one from God?”

Lets back the story up a bit here. The reason why John sends his tribe to ask these questions of Jesus, is because he is in prison. Talk about a circumstance! He ended up in prison because he started taking some shots at those in power – the political “elites”.

The news about Jesus traveled the same way. Eventually the news about Jesus’ miracles reached the ears of John the Baptist who was imprisoned in one of the palaces of King Herod which was also used as a prison. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus states that John the Baptist was imprisoned in the palace of Macherus. The palace was built in 90 B.C. and was located about 24 km southeast of where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. John had been in prison for about twelve to eighteen months when news about Jesus challenged him.

As the months passed, John begins to have doubts about Jesus, as many of us do. He must have have been asking questions like, “Why am I still in prison?” “Jesus, when are you gonna break me out?” “Jesus, are you even going to visit?”

Tough stuff, right? Well how about this — Jesus tells us, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist…” (Matthew 11:11). What’s even tougher to digest is that when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee (Matthew 4:12). Wait a minute, what?

It gets worse. John the baptist is in a desert prison and Jesus is hanging out in Capernaum – the beach!

Here is how Jesus responds to the men who asked the question on behalf of John. “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor”

Ok, yeah that’s great, but what about John? Right? This is tough stuff, but even when we are stuck in the desert of our circumstance and we’re wondering where Jesus is…He can still love us!

Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.
—Jesus

We need to stop connecting our tough circumstances to how much God doesn’t love us or lack of His presence. He loves us! He knows us! …and he cares about us! Jesus is saying, blessed is the person who trust Him despite what He is or is not doing! Blessed are those who continue to trust Him, when He is not acting on their behalf!

When we are going through hardships it is so easy to believe the lie that God has forgotten about us, that He is too busy for us, or that He doesn’t love us. I know we question why God chooses to hide Himself during our time of need, but His promises are true, and He will reveal Himself when the time is right. Remember that when someone is hiding, it means that they are there even though you cannot see them at that moment. God loves you more than you could ever imagine, and He knows what you are experiencing.

I read in a devotional somewhere that God’s delays are not necessarily His denials.

Not easy, but this is why we shouldn’t interpret His silence as His absence!

Base Image credit: a guy climbing a snow mountain to conquer it in the winte. By Magic4Walls. Labeled for free download.

                       

Why Waiting On God Is Frustrating And Transforming

In the months following Promise Keepers, the Lord moved me into a season of learning the importance of being still and waiting upon Him. This was not a time of inactivity, but a time when I was learning how to rest in Him through the circumstances that came my way. These were extremely difficult, lonely, and necessary lessons to learn for my growth. It was not my nature to be still, to wait, and to remain idle; I kept hammering at God with absolutely no answer! I continued crying out to God, waiting for Him to show up on the scene and fix things, but nothing happened, and I became more and more frustrated. Needing Him every day, I would ask Him where He had gone. It was like a scene from a long family road trip with the kids in the back of the vehicle incessantly saying, “Are we there yet?” and the parents finally uttering a simple “No.”

After some time the Lord would answer me by directing me to Psalms 46:10a, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Not particularly liking this response, I continued to grumble, so God used an e-mail from my cousin to get His point across in a different way. The e-mail had a poem called “Wait” attached to it; check it out.

Wait

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried,


Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.


I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,


And the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait.”

“Wait? You say, wait!” my indignant reply.


“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!


Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?


By Faith, I have asked, and am claiming your word.

My future and all to which I can relate


Hangs in the balance and YOU tell me to WAIT?


I’m needing a “yes’,” a go-ahead sign,


Or even a “no” to which I can resign.

And Lord, You promised that if we believe


We need but to ask, and we shall receive.


And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:


I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate


As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.”


So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut


And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting…for what?”

He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,


And he tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.


I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.


I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.


You would have what you want — But, you wouldn’t know Me.


You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint;


You’d not know the power that I give to the faint.

You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair;


You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there;


You’d not know the joy of resting in Me


When darkness and silence were all you could see.

You’d never experience that fullness of love


As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;


You’d know that I give and I save…(for a start),


But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,


The faith that I give when you walk without sight,


The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked


Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.

You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,


What it means that “My grace is sufficient for Thee.”


Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,


But, Oh, the Loss! If I lost what I’m doing in you!

So, be silent, My Child, and in time you will see


That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.


And though oft may My answers seem terribly late,


My most precious answer of all is still, “WAIT.”

—©Russell Kelfer

Still not fully grasping what He was trying to teach me and still not wanting to wait around for something to happen, I would continue to act independently of the Lord’s timing which always seemed to make matters worse. Waiting is difficult, but God always has a purpose in all of His delays.

Repeating this pattern again and again with similar results, I started to discover what He was trying to teach me. I came to the realization that it was ridiculous to think that I could outmaneuver God; so I started learning to hand over the reins of striving in my own strength and began to wait upon the Lord. I didn’t like it, but I did it. Not running headlong into your circumstances and waiting on the Lord requires courage not to lose hope or to lose heart. It’s hard to stand in God’s will, being quiet, calm and confident while your circumstances swirl around you.

Watch and wait for his leading.
—Samuel Dickey Gordon

I later understood that these seasons of silence were times of teaching, not periods of God’s displeasure with me. It was important to just wait upon God and be completely grounded in Him.

(Excerpt from Heartstone Copyright © 2009 by Tim Young. All rights reserved.)

When life is punching you in the face, being in a period of waiting can is frustrating but when you come out the other side it can be very transforming. Here’s how; God makes us wait to reveal our true motives, to develop patience in our lives, to transform our character and to build intimacy and dependency upon Him.

If any are inclined to despond, because they do not have such patience, let them be of good courage. It is in the course of our feeble and very imperfect waiting that God Himself, by His hidden power, strengthens us and works out in us the patience of the great saints, the patience of Christ Himself.
—Andrew Murray

Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be. Are you in a period of waiting?

Wait. ©Russell Kelfer. Used by permission.

p>Base Image credit: stop sign in the desert. By Andrew Morton via Flickr. Labeled for noncommercial reuse with modification.


            

Can One Person Make a Difference?

Being Fall in New Hampshire, I spent most of the day in the yard blowing leaves into the woods and winterizing my summer equipment. As late afternoon approached and the daylight started retreating, I decided to call it quits and head in to grab something to eat and watch some TV. Of course I couldn’t find anything of interest to watch on my hundred channel cable listing, so decided to see what was on On-Demand.

Was all caught up on my favorite shows, so decided to check out what was on HBO. At first nothing caught my eye until I say McFarland USA and after a quick trip over to IMDb to see what this movie was about, I decided to watch it. McFarland, USA is based on a true story and an inspiring sports drama starring Kevin Costner about an unlikely group of high-school runners competing in 1987 California.

Kevin Costner plays Jim White, a high school football coach with a history of losing his temper coaching and getting fired. Because of his track record any new job opportunities become harder to get that he has no other choice to accept an assistant coaching position at a small town school in McFarland, California. Jim packs up and moves his whole family into the poor farming town of McFarland and soon regrets his decision. McFarland, which is predominantly Hispanic, was not the suburban neighborhood Jim wanted for his family, but his wife convinces him to stay and give it a go.

While teaching Physical Education classes, Jim notices notices a physical strength and speed in some of the students that he hasn’t seen anywhere while running around the track. We soon learn that these young men are “pickers” in the local community. They wake up at the crack of dawn and work in the fields picking fruit and vegetables until it’s time for school, only to go back to the fields after school. Additionally, many of them have to run to and from school because they don’t have cars. Imagine that?

Jim starts connecting the dots here and has the idea to put together a cross-country running team for McFarland.

He enlists seven Hispanic young men onto his team and begins training them. After some missteps, he pushes the young men to achieve the unthinkable and actually beats cross country running teams at schools much larger and better funded than McFarland’s. As Jim begins stepping into the lives of these young men and walking it out with them, something awesome begins to happen — hope returns to McFarland.

This group of young men begin to believe that anything is possible, the community begins to heal and band together, and Jim’s family begins to fall in love with the people of this forgotten town.

We fly like blackbirds through the orange groves, floating on a warm wind. When we run, we own the earth. The land is ours. We speak the birds’ language. Not immigrant no more. No stupid Mexicans. When we run, our spirits fly.
—Jose Cardena

I highly recommend that you add this movie to your watch list to see what happens…and I guarantee that you will find yourself rooting for these underdogs to win!

A couple of things really stood out for me in this movie. The struggles these young men endure, with little opportunity to succeed and the difference one person can make in the lives of people. The vision, sacrifice and perseverance of one person inspired a group of young men to overcome what they thought was the impossible. Despite all the odds stacked against them, Jim White was able to prove that champions can come from anywhere!

McFarland, USA has a good moral, redemptive message about sacrificing and working hard to build a better life. It’s is one of the best movies I’ve seen in recent years. It’s not just a feel good story, it’s a good story period!

There are many who say that one person can’t make a difference, that it’s impossible for an individual to have a major impact or start a trend or create a culture. I wholeheartedly disagree! It has always been some act of compassion that has changed the hearts and minds of people. Step out of your comfort zone and look for opportunities to serve others and to let your compassion help them come alive. Once you’ve found that opportunity…take it and have a profound impact on someone!

Let us all choose to impact the world, rather than have the world impact us.

What are you going to do to impact the world around you?

Photo Credit: Coach Jim White on set w/ the real McFarland ’87 runners and current cross country team runners | Ron Phillips ©Disney 2015.

                       

What Greatness Is Not!

Well, here is where my story begins…

Like most men, I wanted to do something great with my life. Like most men, I desperately wanted to be “somebody.” Like most men, the focus was on me!

I had it all, I was addicted to winning at all cost and over time and I completely lost myself in the pursuit of greatness. My identity became to twisted and interwoven in position, prosperity and power that the man God created me to be…was barely recognizable!

The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.
—Norman Vincent Peale

I was an easy target for the narrative of the world and I exchanged “the truth of God” for a lie and destroyed myself and my family in the process of wanting greatness.

This is what greatness is not! So, what is greatness?

Have you ever felt deep in your bones that you were born to something great? Something that will impact the world?

Then, right after the adrenaline rush of these ideas of greatness flood our minds, we pause and somehow believe that its all just some far off too distant reality. We get stuck in the mud of who we imagine ourselves to be and who we are. Or the life we’re supposed to be living and the one we are living.

We’ve all read the epic stories of the Bible of men and women who went on to do extraordinary things with God, but have you ever noticed that they are filled with flaws and often make choices that are self destructive? Flaws, shortcomings and bad choices…sound like someone you know?

These people as broken as they are become the heroes in the stories that inspire us and cause us to believe that maybe our lives too could be used for something extraordinary.

Do you believe that you were created by God? For intention, purpose and because of His love? That your life is supposed to have significance and that this burning desire to do something great is supposed to be awakened in you?

The question we wrestle with is why is greatness so hard to get to?

Why is it that we see a world does not exist, imagine a life we’ve never known and long to be a person we’ve never become?

Because we confuse greatness with fame and applause!

Jesus said that if you want to be great in the kingdom of God, you need to be a servant of all. What He is saying is that we are trying to pursue the right thing the wrong way. On this path to greatness we typically see people maneuvering and manipulating to be seen as someone who is great. The focus is on self, position, prosperity and power!

That desire we have in us to become great does not go against what God wants for our lives and it does not go against the character of God in the world. Why? Because God created you to something that matters in the world!

Your greatness is not what you have, it’s what you give!
—Unknown

Jesus doesn’t stop telling us to be great or stop trying to do something that matters…He is telling us to serve people. What happens is that most of us punt on living the life of greatness that Jesus is calling us into and we choose living a life of mediocrity.

Now, when you decide to walk the path to greatness that Jesus describes; you will be challenged; you will be critiqued; and you will have enemies. Sign me up, right? If any of this scares you, just play it safe…living an average life trying to please everyone and trying to fit in. Or you can step into the courage of Jesus and rise above the crowd. What’s it going to be?

So with the context of how Jesus defines greatness, are you living up to your greatness?

Base Image credit: Robert The Bruce. Labeled for noncommercial reuse with modification.

                       

What Willy Wonka Can Teach Us About God’s Promises

Whether you’re new to the Christian faith or have walked it out with Jesus for years, have you ever pounded you’re head against a tree trying to wrap yourself around versus such as:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. -Philippians 4:13

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. -Matthew 17:20

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. -John 14:13

We all want to believe versus like this, but many of us don’t experience the promises that these verses offer. Have you noticed that no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem do ALL things through Christ?

My childhood dream was to be a fighter pilot in the US Air Force. I got into the Air Force Academy, I tested into the pilots training program…but failed my eye exam! Not sure if things changed, but back in the 80’s one needed 20/20 vision without correction. I prayed hard for my eyesight to be miraculously healed, but it wasn’t.

The dilemma here is that if you’re a person of faith you’re supposed to believe all this stuff. We try our best to live it out and we discover it’s not quite true, right? What happens over time is we either (1) live out our faith only focused on God’s commands thinking that if we obey enough the promises will come (legalistic) or (2) we allow others to rate us on their pious meter (unrealistic). You know…your not doing it right, you don’t have enough faith or you didn’t say “In Jesus name” right.

Have you ever wondered when the promises are going to kick in…in your life?

Ok, let’s hit the pause button. I’m not suggesting at all that’s God’s promises are not true and I’m not saying that He doesn’t answer prayer. I’m framing up a reality that most of us find ourselves in…if we’re honest with ourselves. We have all wondered what the heck is keeping God from doing what He promises to do in our lives, don’t we? Some good news here is that Paul offers up context as to the “why” in Galatians.

Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.
—Galatians 4:1-3

Paul is saying is that as long as the heir is underage or childish, he is no different from a slave — even though some day he will inherit the estate. If we continue reading, we discover that we have become heirs of God through Jesus. Awesome stuff, but what’s missing? When do we get all the stuff an heir is supposed to get? The promises, right?

Re-read the verse again, because Paul answers also answers all this. When one becomes an heir of something, they don’t necessarily get it all at once. There is often a journey, a process and maturity involved before they can receive their inheritance.

Good parents do not let their children decide whats best for them when they’re young or immature. Good parents will set parameters and establish healthy boundaries for their kids because they would make destructive decisions if they were left to themselves. We tend to focus on the stuff that we don’t really need or things that would hurt us in the long run. We are so out of alignment with God and we wonder why the promises don’t come our way.

Are you starting to connect the dots here?

The challenge we face is that many of us just refuse to grow up and mature. Paul is telling us that its time to put this behind us, because we have to STOP acting like a child if we’re going to STOP living like a slave. We need to STOP living like a slave and START living like a son and daughter of God!

The only thing the slave mentality does is dulls our hope of who we can become in life.

If we’re going to start living like an heir, its important to know what we’re supposed to receive and how to enter that space to receive it. An heir thinks differently than a slave because poverty changes our way of thinking and changes our entire life narrative.

When we live in a slave mentality our prayers reflect it and we are not aligned with God’s will for our lives. Take a hard look at the things you pray for because often it starts with “God, I want this and I want that and I want it NOW!”

Most of us act just like Veruca Salt from the 1971 movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, with the “but Daddy…I want it NOW” attitude.

A poverty mentality always focuses on what we want to have, but the mindset of a person who achieves great things always focuses on who they want to become.

Move from what you want to have, to what you want to do, to what you want to be! [Tweet that]

A slave always has to think about what they want to have and an heir already has it…and they can focus what they want to become.

Perhaps the promises have not come into reality in our lives because we are still thinking like slaves and not taking on the mindset of an heir. Heirs pray, long for and strive for different things!

Move out of your poverty and slave mentality and step into the heir mentality that our generous God is wooing us into! Remember that this passage is not about having stuff, its more about being in alignment with God;’s will, Christ’s ability to meet our needs and being content in any circumstance. The only limitations we have are the things that are not in God’s will for our lives!?

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19

Adapted from: Unchained © MOSAIC LA/Erwin McManus.

Base image credit:Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. © Paramount Pictures (1971). Labeled For Reuse.

                       

#012: Hope For The Broken-Hearted [Podcast]

Was excited to be a guest on “In It Together” with host Lori Lynn Greene (90.7 FM WLMW, Manchester, NH) for this weeks Variety Channel on Voice America live international radio. Lori is the Principal Advancement Strategist at Alpha Advancement Strategies, a Board Certified Professional Life Coach, Advanced Life Coach, and Health & Wellness Coach. She is also a member in good standing with the American Association of Christian Counselors and the International Christian Coaching Association.

Join our conversation as I share a message of hope. After a life of self-centered focus I arrived home one day to celebrate my year-long corporate victory, but instead lose everything. We talk about what led up[ to my breaking point, my lowest point and the journey of my restoration.

Listen in…

http://cdn.voiceamerica.com/voice/011593/greene100515.mp3

It’s easy to feel hopeful on a good day, but many of will have to walk through dark days too.

We need to live courageously from our hearts and we have to become greater than what we suffer. This is the the greater story that God is inviting us into, the story of hope.

And even when we fail…what better way is there to live?

Want more? You will find all the Heartstone Journey podcasts here.

Base Image credit: sign pointing to the village of Hope, Derbyshire UK. By pol sifter via Flickr. Labeled for noncommercial reuse with modification.