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Figs- Being Found Fruitful

It’s the “Holy Week” and as I said on Friday it’s one of my favorite weeks. This year, I am trying to spend a little time each day taking a look at the things that Jesus the Christ did on these days between the time we was selected as the lamb and the events of the coming weekend.

So its Monday, and today he cursed a fig tree.

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. (Mark 11:12-14, New International Version, ©2011)

I have heard some people say this was a selfish action of the part of Christ. However, I believe he was making an example through the figs.  (This is getting a little bit theological here, but not real deep because I am not sure I am that deep of a scholar.)  Some others say this is a example of the religious leaders of the day– probably.  But I was thinking this morning while I was rushing about, and looking for a cat who was hiding very well ( he will be made an example this evening).  Anyway, I think this shows the burning desire of the Christ for us to produce fruit.  Not to earn anything, not to show our own greatness, but in return for his gift. He created the fig tree, he created us.  He burns for us to produce fruit – the fruit of the spirit – the outcome of good done in His name.

So, just like on Friday with the rocks, I think it’s our job to not be found out of season, but to be constantly working to produce fruit – fruit that brings glory to Him.

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My Favorite Week

It;s Friday and for those of you that don’t have that song still stuck in your head you realize that we are on the verge of one of my favorite weeks of the year.  It kicks of this weekend with what has been called Palm Sunday and then ends next week with the Resurection day on the Passover!  This is exciting stuff.

And so today I thought I would share one of my favorite verses and one of the verses motivates me to keep writing this blog.  When Jesus was entering Jersalem he was being praised by the residents there, much to the chagrin of the “religious leaders” of the time.  Take a look:

 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

   “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

   40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:35-40, New International Version, ©2011)

What I love about this verse is that Jesus says hey if you silence them, even the stones will cry out and testify to me! That’s pretty powerful!
But why does that motivate me? As much as I would love to see stones literally praising him, I think that is my job to testify of his love and grace and mercy.
How about you, are you letting the rocks do your job, or are you keeping them relegated to a back up role?

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Being a Servant

Last night I sat in a class on servant leadership.  Overall and quite surprisingly the class was rather challenging and enjoyable, as this concept of servant leadership was introduced.  During the class several comments where made about leaders cleaning toilets and climbing ladders, and of course there were references to the show Undercover Boss.   This didn’t set well with me, and I have been wrestling with it since.  I started thinking about the CEO of my company, and how I don’t want that guy on a ladder,and I don’t want him cleaning toilets.  And for sure, I don’t want him coming down and doing my job.   He has a job to do a the leader of a large corporation.  I have a job to do building software.  The janitors have a job to do keeping the place operational. In a small company those examples may work great but in a large company it is quite perplexing.

But yet there is still something to this idea of leading by being a servant.  I don’t think it is always manifests itself in “I will do your job for you” type of service.   I think about the people that I attempt to lead, and I will tell you most of the time, they don’t want me messing with their source code or taking care of their job for them, however, they do want something in the form of service.  Some days I think I know what that is, but most of the time I stare at this idea with a little bit of consternation.

Yes, there is something to this idea of servant leadership.  It seems that it is a natural outpouring of a follower of the Christos.  Really look at what he says:

26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28, New International Version, ©2011)

I think I will need to study this a little more and see if I can find some tangible examples of how this really plays out in a large company.  Do you have any ideas to share?

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Making Others Better

Man its tough.  Trying to understand that at times your only purpose in life to to help others.  The selfish impulses that are woven deep inside of us want to take over and push the others out of the way. However, when you are able to swallow pride, develop some patience and provide assistance to others it always seems better in the end.

I know that when I do that I am a better spouse, father, and co worker.  So what is it still so difficult to not just chuck those people to the wind and move on with out them?  Casting aside a personal agenda for the sake of other seem so fundamentally wrong when we examine ourselves, yet is is the cry of the Christ.

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16, New International Version, ©2011)

and there’s this

25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matthew 16:25, New International Version, ©2011)

So, today, I am trying to figure out how to lose myself, how to give up on my personal agenda and how to make the others that I am blessed to be around better. Any ideas?

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Civil War

Today is the 150th anniversary of that fateful shot in Ft Sumter that start the War Between the States, or as it is referred to in the south – “The War of Northern Aggression”.  It’s quite an interesting period of history for Americans, and I hope that you are able to spend a little time investigating and learning about what was going on during that time.

It’s also the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight by Yuri Gagarin.

So it’s a day that seems to be either be about the issue of internal fighting, or about shooting for the moon. But even that seem to be a divided thought. And that is sort of what I had intended to discuss today, but my brain is so scattered on other things that I can’t even focus!

3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3, New International Version, ©2011)

It’s one of those crazy things about being scattered – and its one of the most frustrating things about my daily life. My spirit wants to focus and shoot for the moon, but I find myself in this battle amongst myself, tore between several masters and in the end not getting anywhere. This has been something that I have written about in the past and is one of those things that we all struggle with. So as we consider the historical significance of today, try to see if you can get out of the quaqmire of internal stiff and focus of the amazing things that can happen when you are working all in the same direction.