Tag: encouragement

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Corn Ma(i)ze Adventures

Over the weekend I was so blessed to be able to assist in the “chaperoning” of a group of junior and senior high kids to the local corn maze.  This adventure started out as any good chaperoning trip should – an hour long ride on a bus.  Then we had the somewhat expected bus trouble ( blowing out a tire on the interstate), the highs and lows of drama ( Tennessee Won- YES, oh no Tennessee Lost- bummer) and then the fateful assignment from the youth leader.  In the past it might have been the prayer for for food, or monitoring the boys restroom, or keeping one of “those” kids in your group, but tonight it was watch the dating couples.

Oh no, my heart froze, the dating couples in a corn maze, after dark! Luckily I had my trusty 15 inch maglite so I could pretend to be a officer of the law.

After finding the couples after they had already had escaped once on the hide ride, we went into the maze.  A group consisting of 5 junior high boys, the 2 boys and their dates, myself, and 2 other chaperones entered the maze in that order.   Quickly, the smaller boys dispeared into the corn as if they had been wisked away by aliens, only to have to be removed from the maze later in the evening apparently by the “corn cops”.   I knew they were on their own, but I had a mission to stay on.

By this time, we had somehow found the outside loop of this maze, and march in long straight lines, in boy then girl order.  These kids moved at rates of speed that seemed supernatural.  They didn’t communicate with each other.  They just kept plodded forward – heads slightly angled towards the ground, shoulders hunched over. It was so bad that all three of the chaperons expected at any moment the kids to turn around possessed by the corn with eyes wide and manic expressions on their faces.  It had become a little bit frightening. This continued until we reached one of the “check points” in the maze and hollered “hey y’all, lets stop here”  But no,  undeterred, they continued blindly, on their seemingly possessed march through the corn.  In desperation, my partner hollered out the name of one of the boys who then awoke from his state of hypnosis and returned to us.    It was quite an adventure.  After reconnoitering at the post for a few minutes one of the girls returned to us, and eventually we were able to round up the other couple, when they exited the maze via the entrance.  I dunno how.

But here is one thing I know.  That plodding – that determined focus to move forward, undettered by the distractions of life – that’s something to ponder today.  One can look at it from two perspectives and I have been waffling on which one to attack.  The first way could be to say that’s how we should live life – undeterred, focused on the path ahead, eyes on the prize.  The second, well that’s for tomorrow.  So, today, keep trudging through the corn, but know were you are going – heavenwward in Christ Jesus.

13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:13-14 (New International Version)

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The Return of Captain Zoom

Do you know that chances are if you know someone, that person is born in September.  That’s right, more birthdays in September then any other month!  And since you know me, you know someone else with a September birthday!

When I was a little guy, I guess lower elementary school age, my big sister bought me a flexible record with a personalized birthday message from Captain Zoom.  It went something like this “Hey Jason, it’s your birthday…” etc.  I played that think every birthday until I think I left for college, or until I got rid of my record player (last year… no not really!)

When I was in high school, two teachers in the school shared my birthday.  During my freshman year, just a few weeks in to the school year, these two teacher came bursting into one of my classes, with a large cake in hand, singing and dancing.  And right then and there, we had a birthday party.  Little shy freshman Jason, was a little bit unsure of how to handle that situation.  This continued each of my 4 years of high school, some time during the day in one of my classes the door would burst open and well, party time!  I think this is one of those simple little events that help move me from little shy Jason to someone with some confidence – odd I know.

This may seem like a narcissistic post, or just a way to get some attention, but actually there is a point here.  These birthdays gone by have taught me several things about birthdays.  First, it showed me that I really really liked the attention on my birthday 🙂 – even though it goes against some of my basic principles.  But more than that,(and here is the real point of all of this mess) I think it has taught me that people, no matter who they are, like to be made to feel special and loved – no matter if it is their birthday or not.

So, today is my birthday, thankfully, my Facebook wall is going nuts, I have found the birthday song as an MP3, and I am taking the day off from the mill.  This morning, in a birthday text message exchange with my sister-n-law, after I told her I was trying to figure out how to spend the day, she replied “WWJD”.    Instantly, I replied “Go to the synagogues and teach, or retreat to the mountains and pray”.   And there you have it.  What would Jesus do on his birthday.  He would spend the day reaching out to others, or spend the day drawing closer to his heavenly father.

And that sort of my message today.  Birthdays are great, and with this day I am reminded how important it is to reach out to others, to lift others up, and to encourage people, if it’s there birthday or not.  And mostly I am reminded “to do unto others as I would have them do to me” (Luke 6:31)- birthday or not.

Eat some cake!

3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Philippians 2:3-4 (New International Version)

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Dead Batteries

I am no where near becoming a mechanic.  I just want to get in the car, crank the ignition and go.  I really don’t even care for driving that much.  So you can imagine what it was like this morning when Amy’s car was making that “click, click, click”.  You know it, the sound that is worse then finger nails on a chalkboard.  A battery that is not strong enough to start up the good old combustion engine.  (insert deep and long sigh here).

But aha, no problem right – just pull out the jumpers and go to town. No. Still nothing.  So today I get the pleasure of trying to figure out how to get that vehicle out of my garage and to a garage where it can someone who actually understands how those things work can take my wallet out of my pocket, examine it and charge me accordingly!  It’s this stuff in life that can lead you to frustration.

However, I choose to take a different take this morning.  First , I am blessed enough to have 2 vehicles, and I am blessed enough to have a job where I can work from home. And if I am honest with myself, I am blessed to have the means to be able to fix that vehicle.  Sometimes, we just need to stop and count the blessings, and ignore the little issues, that we want to turn into huge issues.

So the car sits in the garage, I am working from home and Amy probably ended up just a few minutes late for school.  Really no so bad.

Take a look at the frustrations of your day and evaluate them in an honest manner. See if you can find some blessing in them.

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5 (New International Version)

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Droopy, Wade, Words and Wisdom

Have you ever had a dude who just get up in your crawl?  I mean, you just want to take their head off, and sometimes you would feel justified about it.  There’s this nameless dude, (don’t ask Mr. Jones!) who just is Mr Negativity.  Let’s call him Droopy. However, I think that might doing his attitude a favor! I have been struggling with how to deal with this concern, because it just does not help my day, or my co workers day.

I had a course of action set in place, up the management chain I was heading, I had had enough!  Then I started to think about two things.  First, there’s this other dude at work who we will call Wade. (not his real name).  Wade, is like super nice – always ready to serve, and I mean always.  As I matter of fact, his Labor Day was ruined(my word, not his) by a mistake of another person and he was like “as long as its working, I am OK”.  Man, what a fantastic attitude. ( esp versus mine, I mean really, I think I am upset so much by Droopy, because sometimes dealing with him is like looking in a mirror for me.)

Then last night, I was meeting with a group of men, and we were talking about Proverbs and some of the Proverbs about your words, and how to deal with people.  The conversation wandered, and some directions that just can never be explained, but eventually got around to co workers and our speech and words with them.  One of the dudes(that’s my word of the day) mentioned this verse:

If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend.  Matthew 18:15 (MSG)

So that brought me back to Droopy and Wade.  Maybe the right thing, based on this principle is a direct attack.   But not really an attack.  Could I mix the encouragement from Wade’s attitude, and the teachings of our Christ, and the words of wisdom from Proverbs together and gain the direction and strength to turn what could be a real issue into a positive and productive situation?

I guess we will see how that goes, but I think it will be heading in a better direction if I take a better position on this situation.  How about you, do you have similar issues where you attitude can greatly impact the outcome and the lives of others?

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18 ESV

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Proverbs 25:11 ESV

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:27 ESV

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.Proverbs 15:1 ESV

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Boys of Fall

Forrest GreggI am sure most of you have heard Kenny Chesney’s new song Boys of Fall.  Last night, we watched the ESPN documentary that aired Sunday by the same name.  Maybe some of you watched the program as well.  If you have every played football, or been a fan of football, I am sure you will want to try to catch that show. Although I tried my hand at the gridiron in junior high, I was too skinny and slow to be effective as a football player and moved on to other endeavors.

But that is not today’s point.  This documentary is filled with interviews with great names from football’s past and present – from Joe Namath to Peyton Manning.  The part, however, that I found very interesting was when a few of the coaches talked about the impact of tradition and history.  Phil Fulmer even said, that when you are out there and its fourth and one and you think of all of the other guys that have worn the orange and white before you that it makes you get that extra yard, that it makes you dig deeper and find a way.  Sound familiar?

So that and the whole concept that was being discussed that football was a microcosm of life led me to think about our lives of faith.  We understand in football why the tradition has an impact on the current players.  We understand the team aspects, the ‘no holds bared’ way of fighting on the gridiron.  So can we take that same approach to our spiritual lives?  Maybe Paul, or whoever wrote Hebrews, was a football coach on the side?  He delivers a pretty good locker room speech in Hebrews 12 that sounds a lot like some of the talk on Chesney’s show:

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”  Hebrews 12:1-6 (New International Version)

Think about all of those who have followed Christ before you, those who have led the way, and take encouragement from them today.  You can hang in there, even when its fourth and one.

Hm, maybe life is a big football game?