When I think about all the questions I have been asked in life, one question comes to my mind as more important then others. That one question is, “In whom do you place your trust”? There are many great politically correct answers an individual could share. Depending upon the context the questioned is asked would have some barring as to the answer. Just imagine you are facing an unknown path. Imagine you have been struggling for help looking for answers but you have yet to discover what you believe you are looking for. So who do you trust in those types of situations?
I answered that very first question with a very simple three letter word, I said God. God to me is Jesus Christ. He is the one I trust when I don’t know the direction to go or turn and He is the one I trust when I am standing still listening for the answer to come. Jesus Christ is the one I place my trust in when I have been butting my head up against a wall because everything I do seems to be wrong and nothing I do seems to ever work out. This situation can be frustrating and it may very well make you want to quit, stop believing and just go and hide. The discipline of placing your trust in Jesus is easy at the beginning of that relationship with Him, but when you get some of life’s adult experiences under your belt and you get that bitter taste in your mouth that’s when the question becomes one that matters for your daily steps of faith.
As a pastor and minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I know that not everyone likes me. Not everyone likes positions I have taken on issues, or things I believe should be the daily practice of those professing the name of Christ. Sometimes you don’t even have to say a single word as some individuals will not like you because of where you are from, who you married, or even the friends you have. People don’t like others because of the types of automobiles someone else might drive, or there maybe dislike because you just simple heard something and you base your entire opinion on that ‘hear say’ as the final evidence you needed before you planted in concrete your disposition.
In dealing with people remembering that folks are human is important. 28 years of ministry has taught me that most folks that will not forgive another have a difficult time sharing the name of anyone they have ever personally forgiven. They live and walk their lives in a bitterness that robs them of peace and the ability to smile. Trusting people is a practice we must exercise. Will you experience let downs because folks are human, absolutely. Are there consequences because of our actions, yes. Can we expect that we will hurt people, totally. Will such moments be easily identified by ourselves, sometimes but not always. What is the best approach to living life and who should people trust? My advice: Live life that allows you to experience hurts and to see failures as those moments that occur and that require us to work diligently to minimize. Live life loving people, working to the good of others believing that God has an abundant plan for each of us always, in every situation. If this is or becomes your position you too will be able to say when asked in whom you believe, you can simply say, in God.
Until then
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Jonathan Bundrick; Ken Fritz; Dorothy Eagle; BOOKS; PEOPLE; PLACES: EXPERIENCES
In attempting to motivate people in life, I have often used many different resources in pursuit of that goal. Not sure if everyone sitting in a church pew would describe what they hear from the pulpit as positive motivation or not, but the minister’s, pastor’s and friends that I have would want to believe, as I , that our messages are good motivations for those that tune in with their hearts and minds wanting to be encouraged and motivated.
Speaking to different settings and groups of people I have shared some of the same thoughts over and over throughout the years. I’m not one for repeating the exact same message over, but certainly the same thought lines with different emphasis has been a practice over these past 28 years of ministry. One of the recommendations I have shared over the years has been this challenging and motivating thought.
“You will be the exact same person you are today, 20 years from now, with these four exceptions: the books you read; the people you meet; the places you go; and the experiences you have;”
Over the years I have often asked individuals what is the last book they read? Currently I am reading Bounce Back: Overcoming Setbacks to Succeed in Business and in Life, written by John Calipari. I have long practiced trust in friendship and when my friend Ken Fritz made the recommendation I purchased the book. Books you read will make a difference. Meeting people is easy for me, but you don’t have to be an outgoing social person to meet people nor does it need to be a celebrity, politician or a name that everyone would recognize. I’m writing about people you meet that have an impact, that create change in your life because of who they are! My first grade teacher, Mrs. Dorothy Eagle, she changed my life. She was tender, and compassionate. Amazing what you remember from an early age. Places you go will challenge our views. It allows us an opportunity to see different things, done different ways, in different styles and formats. Jonathan Bundrick served as an intern with me in ministry here in Southeastern Kentucky. He attended Wofford College then New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He also served our Country as an officer in the U.S. Army. He has been to a lot of places, but who would have thought coming to serve in Southeastern Kentucky first, would lead to service in Southern Africa? That’s where he serves today as a missionary. Experiences you have will make a difference. Before leaving to serve in Africa, Jonathan wrote this: “Seminary has been an incredible experience and a benchmark that will define my life from this point forward.” This is what I call motivating!
What experience have you had that is a positive benchmark that has changed your life? Books, people, places and experiences! If you could go out and buy this set of four you would have everything you need in one day. I wish I could write that it is that easy, but I can guarantee this. If you start today, you will be one step forward in being the person the world needs you to be tomorrow. 20 years will come quickly, let us not delay.
Until then
Speaking to different settings and groups of people I have shared some of the same thoughts over and over throughout the years. I’m not one for repeating the exact same message over, but certainly the same thought lines with different emphasis has been a practice over these past 28 years of ministry. One of the recommendations I have shared over the years has been this challenging and motivating thought.
“You will be the exact same person you are today, 20 years from now, with these four exceptions: the books you read; the people you meet; the places you go; and the experiences you have;”
Over the years I have often asked individuals what is the last book they read? Currently I am reading Bounce Back: Overcoming Setbacks to Succeed in Business and in Life, written by John Calipari. I have long practiced trust in friendship and when my friend Ken Fritz made the recommendation I purchased the book. Books you read will make a difference. Meeting people is easy for me, but you don’t have to be an outgoing social person to meet people nor does it need to be a celebrity, politician or a name that everyone would recognize. I’m writing about people you meet that have an impact, that create change in your life because of who they are! My first grade teacher, Mrs. Dorothy Eagle, she changed my life. She was tender, and compassionate. Amazing what you remember from an early age. Places you go will challenge our views. It allows us an opportunity to see different things, done different ways, in different styles and formats. Jonathan Bundrick served as an intern with me in ministry here in Southeastern Kentucky. He attended Wofford College then New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He also served our Country as an officer in the U.S. Army. He has been to a lot of places, but who would have thought coming to serve in Southeastern Kentucky first, would lead to service in Southern Africa? That’s where he serves today as a missionary. Experiences you have will make a difference. Before leaving to serve in Africa, Jonathan wrote this: “Seminary has been an incredible experience and a benchmark that will define my life from this point forward.” This is what I call motivating!
What experience have you had that is a positive benchmark that has changed your life? Books, people, places and experiences! If you could go out and buy this set of four you would have everything you need in one day. I wish I could write that it is that easy, but I can guarantee this. If you start today, you will be one step forward in being the person the world needs you to be tomorrow. 20 years will come quickly, let us not delay.
Until then
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Christians and love - or just Valentine's Day?
If you mention the subject of love and special days, no doubt the first thought that comes to the mind of most folks will be Valentine’s Day or a wedding anniversary. I noticed this year the promotion of Valentine’s Day began in January and stores and shops were selling roses weeks before the 14th of February arrived. Celebrating love and remembering anniversaries that honor commitments and marriages is a milestone that deserves noting. I’m not worried at all about the advertising skills of corporate America, they seem to be in tip top shape, but I am worried about the promoters of authentic love and our skills in advertising and promoting.
The Bible is quite plain about the greatest gift in the world today. 1 Corinthians 13:13 states that faith and hope are great gifts but the greatest gift is clear, its love! As a Christians I know that the author of love is God, and it was best demonstrated in that he provided us His son to die in our place so anyone who wanted could experience forgiveness of their sins. For those that do not believe in faith this concept is foolishness and I respect those that believe differently then I, but it doesn’t change truth no matter what we accept or believe. As for hope, it is what most folks would say keeps them getting up in the morning and smiling throughout the day. Thoughts of a better day coming, we call that hope. Dreams that stimulate our thinking and cause us to see the best in ourselves and others, that is hope too. Yet, the greatest gift is love.
Again, as a Christian, I know the author of love and His name is Jesus Christ. I know Him personally and He has changed my life. Yes, it is because of faith that I discovered Him and yes, it is through faith that I too have discovered hope as a positive force in my life. However, I have learned that both faith and hope are products of love and one can only experience real faith and hope because they have first experienced real love.
On Valentine’s Day it’s all about buying a card and sending flowers for most folks, and if that’s you let me share this new advertisement that you might have missed. The commercial begins with a picture of a young man who grows throughout the 60 second commercial and is old age by the end. The commercial shows his attempt to discover the meaning of life and his hope of finding true love through his experiences of many things. In the middle of the commercial the music softens and in the stillness of the moment the individual who is the focus of the advertisement realizes the inner calling he has often heard himself was Jesus Christ calling out to him, by name.
For those who really enjoy Valentine’s Day, I would suggest that as a Christian you can celebrate that moment everyday, but especially at two different moment each year. First at Christmas, since that’s when love came down to us and then on Easter, because that’s when love arose for us.
Until then
The Bible is quite plain about the greatest gift in the world today. 1 Corinthians 13:13 states that faith and hope are great gifts but the greatest gift is clear, its love! As a Christians I know that the author of love is God, and it was best demonstrated in that he provided us His son to die in our place so anyone who wanted could experience forgiveness of their sins. For those that do not believe in faith this concept is foolishness and I respect those that believe differently then I, but it doesn’t change truth no matter what we accept or believe. As for hope, it is what most folks would say keeps them getting up in the morning and smiling throughout the day. Thoughts of a better day coming, we call that hope. Dreams that stimulate our thinking and cause us to see the best in ourselves and others, that is hope too. Yet, the greatest gift is love.
Again, as a Christian, I know the author of love and His name is Jesus Christ. I know Him personally and He has changed my life. Yes, it is because of faith that I discovered Him and yes, it is through faith that I too have discovered hope as a positive force in my life. However, I have learned that both faith and hope are products of love and one can only experience real faith and hope because they have first experienced real love.
On Valentine’s Day it’s all about buying a card and sending flowers for most folks, and if that’s you let me share this new advertisement that you might have missed. The commercial begins with a picture of a young man who grows throughout the 60 second commercial and is old age by the end. The commercial shows his attempt to discover the meaning of life and his hope of finding true love through his experiences of many things. In the middle of the commercial the music softens and in the stillness of the moment the individual who is the focus of the advertisement realizes the inner calling he has often heard himself was Jesus Christ calling out to him, by name.
For those who really enjoy Valentine’s Day, I would suggest that as a Christian you can celebrate that moment everyday, but especially at two different moment each year. First at Christmas, since that’s when love came down to us and then on Easter, because that’s when love arose for us.
Until then
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