Wednesday, October 26, 2011

ALL

I don’t think I can share something today without referring to the Rugby World Cup Final in some way.
It was such an intense night watching it with some friends! That final half was so stressful to watch. It must have been pretty tough to play let alone for us watching from the comfort of a lounge…

Everyone now has an opinion on the game itself.
Why they won?
Who played the best?
What team deserved the prize?
Who played using the most dirty tactics?

But beyond all the drama, one inescapable fact stares me in the face…
Those boys really wanted to win and they were willing to give everything of themselves to win. Even if it meant they could feel pain or shed some blood.
In my opinion they won not because they were necessarily the best on the day but because they really, really, really, wanted to win!

When it comes to life in general and your relationship with God, maybe you could take a leaf out that teams playbook?
Things go better when you put all of yourself into it.
The Kingdom of God is all about ALL.
All your heart.
All your soul.
All your mind.
All your strength.
It is never about trying or giving it a go.
It is never about seeing what might happen.
It is most definitely about giving your all.
There is no other way…

It worked for the All Blacks...so what about you?

Something to think about…

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

reaction | response

When I went to school some physics teacher tried to instill in me this idea…
‘That every action has an equal or opposite reaction
Sounds a bit like hedging your bets both ways to me…
I guess the point is that with every action there are some options when it comes to reaction.

Watching some drag racing drivers on TV the other day I realized that a lot of what they do, and the potential success of each run...comes down to their reactions.
If they react quicker, they have a better chance of actually winning.

When it comes to our lives I am not sure that a quicker reaction speed serves us that well.
I mean, what if your reaction ends up being wrong?
You have then just got to a bad result quicker…

One leader I respect, some time ago called together a meeting of all his heads of departments.
They sat around the table and listened to his plans on how to increase their capacity.
Essentially his plan was to add 33% to the capacity they had with the same staff and resources. He acknowledged that this would potentially be a big ask, but asked each leader to support it and at least give it a try.

Now at that point I was a little apprehensive.
Human nature seems to so easily kick in sometimes and you then start thinking about yourself.
What about me? How much more work will I have to do?
Obviously I wasn’t the only one in the group.
Most of the leaders there were quite negative towards the proposal. They had plenty of reasons why it wouldn’t work. They reacted!

Now I am the last to say I handle this reaction thing well.
But in this case I decided to keep my mouth shut.
I wanted to respond better and not let my issues get in the way.
In the course of time this leaders decision was a great idea. Things grew beyond expectation and every negative comment was proven to be unfounded.

So here is my idea…
We need to be people who respond more than we react.
Responding speaks of a considered and planned response.
It gives you a chance to make sure you handle things well.
Whatever you are facing this week, don’t just react to it.
Take a deep breath, think, pray, consider and then respond.
It will serve you well.

Something to think about...

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Cramp

Another confession time.

Today I made a mistake.

As I drove to a certain place today a little thought crossed my mind. That thought was to not go there. That if I do that it might not be the best thing for me.
To be honest I just ignored it.
I really wanted to go where I was going and do what I had planned.

So I followed through on my intentions...
And ended up stranded on a large flight of stairs at Eastern Beach, wracked with the worst cramp I have ever experienced.
When I eventually hobbled to the bottom I had cold sweats from the pain and nearly fainted.

Maybe, just maybe God was gently telling me not to go there today? Maybe that thought was actually the Holy Spirit doing his ‘still small voice’ thing?

I am recovering now typing this email late because I haven’t been able to move for a long time.

Maybe hearing from God needs two levels of trust?
One, trusting God can speak can you.
Two, trusting yourself to be able to hear.
Where you trust yourself enough to go with the ‘still small voice’ in your head.
I wish I had done the 2nd one today!

Instead of completely beating myself up over this, I am encouraged that God can and will speak to me about even non ministry things. He cares about every area in life, even trying to help me avoid cramp.

Something to think about…

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Gotta have...

Well what do you gotta have?

Check this passage out with me…
18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully
persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Romans 4:18-21 NIV

The original story goes that Abraham was told by God that he would be a father of many people...so many that they would look like stars in the sky or sand on the shore to him.
That is a lot of people!
That is a pretty ridiculously looking promise coming from God!

I think God hasn’t changed.
He still makes BIG promises to us because He has a fantastic plan for your life. That plan is supposed be beyond your own imaginational level.

On a side note...If you think God’s plan is simple and achievable without something miraculous, then I suspect it’s not His plan for you.
Check in with Him and get an upgrade…

Anyway, Abraham did some things as he waited for God’s promise to come to pass. But all of them related back to something you gotta have...Faith!
Whatever big promise you are waiting for you gotta have faith as well. It is non negotiable.

It doesn’t matter if it looks hopeless.
It doesn’t matter what the circumstances say.
If God said it, then faith is what you need to get you to that promise.
And didn’t God say that faith is a gift? So if you find yourself lacking in the faith department, get asking for some of that gift!

Do what you can today to strengthen your faith, not weaken it.
Do what you can to be fully persuaded that this God you serve, can do as He has promised.

Something to think about…