Archive - June, 2009

I Have the Most Amazing Wife!

June 30, 2009 in A Springboard for Your Family Life, Do Small Things, Marriage, My Family, Relationships with 0 Comments

mommy and trina 300x268 I Have the Most Amazing Wife!Yesterday, my cousin rebuked me for my blog posts asking, “How come your blog posts are never titled, ‘I have the most amazing wife…’”? She added later, “…and cousin.”

I Have the Most Amazing Wife

The fact is, I do have the most amazing wife. She has put up with me for over 14 years. She works day in and day out raising my children (don’t worry all you women’s libbers, I do my part of that too. She just spends all day with them). That includes schooling them, training them, mediating fights for them, feeding them, disciplining them, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. She cooks. She cleans. She manages. She shows hospitality. Did I mention she puts up with me? She is patient with me (most of the time). She forgives me. She moderates me. She humbles me. 

The list could go on and on.

The thing is, I don’t tell her these things enough. Sure, they make their way into a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas card. Maybe a Valentine’s and Mother’s day card. But those don’t have the same impact. I’m supposed to say that stuff on those days. I need to let her know that is how I feel about her all the time. 

The Springboard for Your Family

Today’s springboard is not for you to know that I have a wonderful wife. Rather, you need to look at the folks in your family and let them know how amazing you think they are. Whether wife, husband, children, parents, or extended family, don’t just wait for special days to let them know you think they are amazing. Tell them today.

Do so without expectations. Don’t do it fishing for a compliment. Don’t do it hoping you’ll get “benefits.” Don’t do it because you want something. Just tell them because you really love them and want them to know. And then don’t wait very long before you tell them again.

Have a great week with your family.

P.S.

I guess I have a pretty decent cousin too.

Believing in the God of the Psalmists, Part 8: God is My Shepherd

June 29, 2009 in A Springboard for Your Spiritual Life, Prayer, praying like the psalmists, psalms with 1 Comment

 

shepherd Believing in the God of the Psalmists, Part 8: God is My Shepherd

(If you are stumbling across this for the first time, you may want to start at the beginning of the series and work your way through the links at the end of each post.  Or check out the index for this entire series of posts. We’ve learned so much about the psalmists and their relationship with God. I hope today’s is no exception.)

 

God is My Shepherd

Psalm 28:9 says: “Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.”

Psalm 80:1 says: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock!”

However, the psalm we think of the most when it comes to shepherding is Psalm 23.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

But what does it mean to be a shepherd. I love Phillip Keller’s book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 Believing in the God of the Psalmists, Part 8: God is My Shepherd. (Yes, that is an affiliate link. Help a guy out, click the link and buy the book.) I encourage you to get this book for a deep study of this relationship.

However, for our brief purposes, we see a shepherd as a leader, a provider, a protector and a restorer.

1. God is My Leader

As my shepherd, I follow God’s lead. As Americans, we don’t like this much. We like to strike out on our own. We like to go it on our own. We want to blaze a trail. We want to lead the way. We want to find and discover new things for ourselves. Sadly, when we sheep try to do this, we get ourselves in trouble. We burrow into brambles from which we cannot escape. We discover fields with poisonous weeds and diseased grounds. We actually don’t really go anywhere, we just trample our own little circle until it is useless. 

As long as we see ourselves as our own leaders, we are going to be in trouble. We have to see God as our leader, our shepherd. When we, like the psalmists, become excited about God as our shepherd, we change. We don’t strike out on our own. We follow the leader. We know we can trust Him. His leadership is beside quiet, still waters, not trampled, disturbed, diseased waters. He makes us lie down in green pastures. He leads us in paths of righteousness. We know that He will lead us on to the higher ground, the greener pastures.

How could we not pray like the psalmists when we understand the only leader we can trust is God?

2. God is My Provider

He prepares a table. Some suggest this sections changes the metaphor from shepherd to host at a banquet. Perhaps that is the case. However, I am not completely convinced. But in either case we learn about our God. He provides for us. He feeds us. 

He sets the table for my spiritual feast. He anoints my head with oil. My cup overflows. I’ll never thirst while under His care. Therefore, I can expect goodness and mercy to follow me all the days of my life.

Oh, I know that I can’t sit on my hands and just expect God to drop food down from heaven. But, in the end, I understand that every good gift I have comes from the Father above. How could we not pray like the psalmists when we understand that the only true source of all good gifts is God our Shepherd.

3. God is My Protector

Our enemies roam about us. The path we walk is the valley of the shadow of death. Predators and dangers loom large on all sides. We are but sheep. We have no defenses. If we did try to defend ourselves, the most we could accomplish is to run in circles, bleating helplessly until we collapse from exhaustion only making ourselves easier targets. While we rely on ourselves from protection, our only hope is death.

However, our God is the good shepherd. He protects us from the enemy. We need fear no evil. God, with His rod and staff, will protect us. Yes, we can’t help but see discipline in that rod. But we know our God’s discipline is for our good. We can trust Him, even if we don’t always understand it at the time. The enemies may look on, but they cannot overpower us. No matter what we face, we know our Shepherd will carry us through and bring us out on the other side.

That doesn’t mean we will never face hard times. That doesn’t mean we’ll never face flash floods, rock slides, predatory attacks on our journey to the table top grazing lands. It simply means our Shepherd will lead us through. If we will only follow Him.

How can we not pray like the psalmists when we know our only hope against the enemy that attacks is our Shepherd?

4. God is My Restorer

Perhaps this is the most important. We are sheep. Even when we love our Shepherd, we go astray at times. That is just what we do. We wander on to a ledge to get a little scrub of grass and then can’t find our way back. We get caught in a thicket from which we cannot escape. We wander out of the prepared field into dangerous regions. Sometimes we just get lazy, lay down, roll over, and can’t get up. 

We thrash about. We bleat and holler. We kick and scream. We run in circles. Eventually, we stop, exhausted, downcast, distressed. There is nothing we can do. All seems lost. Our only hope is a quick and painless death, but we know it will be a slow and painful process.

However, we do not have to fear, our ever watchful Shepherd is there. Instead of disinheriting us for acting like sheep. He restores us. He refreshes us. He provides for us. He comforts us. He sets us back on the path of righteousness and leads us onward.

What a great shepherd we have.

How can we not pray like the psalmists when we know our Shepherd wants to restore us, lifting us up on His shoulders, carrying us back to the clear streams and green pastures, comforting us?

If we want to pray like the psalmists, we must be as sheep and let God be our Shepherd. He is the great God who loves, leads, provides, protects, and restores.

(Come back next week as we learn that the Psalmists saw God as near.)

Getting to Did, Part 12: Getting the Weight of the World Off Your SHOULD-ers

June 25, 2009 in A Springboard for Your Professional Life, Getting to DID, Our big BUT, Personal Responsibility with 2 Comments

hercules under the world Getting to Did, Part 12: Getting the Weight of the World Off Your SHOULD ers(If you have stumbled across this post, you have found me blogging my upcoming book “Getting to Did: How To Lose Your Big But and Live a Life Without Regret.” In the last installment, Sam met the PROFESSOR. If you need to catch up on the whole book, you can start with “Sam’s Crumbling World” to find an index of all the posts in this book or just start there and follow the successive links.)

Getting the Weight of the World Off Your SHOULD-ers

Sam followed the PROFESSOR into an extremely wooden office. The dark leather furniture even seemed to blend into the wood-grained walls. Instead of sitting behind her desk, the PROFESSOR picked up her phone and said, “Helen, I’m in a PRIORITY meeting.” After a brief pause, “Thank you.” Then, after putting the phone down, she sat in a wing-backed recliner, crossed her legs and offered Sam a seat on the divan on the other side of the coffee table.

“A PRIORITY meeting?” Sam questioned.

“That’s a code word between my staff and me. PRIORITY meeting means two things.”

“And what are those?” Sam asked, certain he was about to learn some amazing secret about conducting meetings.

“First, I only want emergency calls and calls from my husband, kids or grandkids sent through. And second…,” she paused seeing Sam’s expectant look, “keep the coffee coming. I don’t want to be distracted by getting it myself.” The PROFESSOR chuckled at Sam’s bewilderment.

As if on cue, Helen walked in with two mugs and a thermal carafe of coffee. “Tammy and Melinda roasted these beans yesterday,” Helen noted with a smile before leaving.

“Great,” the PROFESSOR said and then turned to Sam. “Alright, let’s get down to business. The TRAINER’S job was to get you from COULDA to CAN. My job is to get you from SHOULDA to SHALL.”

“What on earth does that mean?” Sam interjected.

“Be patient, Sam. By the time I’m done, you’ll understand. Have you noticed the picture behind my desk?”

Sam looked at the portrait as he took a sip of coffee. It showed two men. Both reminded him somewhat of the TRAINER, though both were clearly dressed in some sort of ancient toga type garb. One of the men was laughing, holding a basket full of golden apples and walking away from the other who looked as though he were yelling angry epithets. This second one was stooped, every muscle was bulging under the weight of the entire earth on his shoulders.

“That’s how I feel sometimes,” Sam muttered. “What’s it all about?”

“For me,” the PROFESSOR responded, “it represents a lot of things. However, it is an artist’s depiction of Atlas and Hercules. Have you heard the story?”

Sam shook his head; so the PROFESSOR continued, “According to myth, Hercules was given 12 mammoth tasks by the king of Mycenae. The eleventh was to retrieve golden apples from the Hesperides. I could spend all day talking about this, but if you want to know more about the Hesperides, their apples and why this was such a big task, look it up on the Internet. Hercules knew only one person who could get the Hesperides to give up any of their golden apples—their father, Atlas.

“Hercules hit a snag here—Atlas was busy. Having been punished by Zeus, he was condemned to carry the weight of the heavens on his shoulder. Hercules visited Atlas and offered to give him a break from holding up the heavens, if he would get some of his daughters’ apples. Atlas agreed and got the apples. However, when he returned he told Hercules he was not going to take back the weight of the heavens.

“There stood Hercules bearing the crushing weight of the heavens. Instead of getting mad at Atlas, he had planned for just such an event. He shrugged and in essence said, ‘I can’t blame you. I guess you got the better of me on this one, Atlas. Well, if I’m going to have to carry this weight, I might as well get comfortable. Could you help me adjust the padding on my shoulder?’ When Atlas lifted the heavens to help Hercules adjust his toga, Hercules stepped out from under the heavens and let them fall squarely on Atlas’ shoulders. He then picked up the basket of apples and took them back to the king of Mycenae.”

“That’s a great story,” Sam said without much conviction in his voice, “but what’s your point? Don’t be stupid like Atlas?”

“Actually, yes. A lot of us today are, as you put it, ‘stupid like Atlas.’ When you first saw the picture, you said it was how you feel sometimes. What did you mean?”

Sam didn’t have to think about his reply this time, “Right now I feel like I have the weight of the whole world on my shoulders. I think about all that my dad told me I SHOULD do to provide for my family. I think about what Susan, my wife, keeps telling me I SHOULD do. I think about what Dave tells me I SHOULD do. I think about what the TRAINER said I SHOULD do. Now I’m going to have to think about what you say I SHOULD do. Not to mention everything that is expected from what our society and my church says I SHOULD do. It gets to be a bit overwhelming, almost paralyzing.

“I’m like that guy in the picture, Atlas. I’m being crushed by the weight of the world. I can’t figure out which way I SHOULD go and I just want to scream at the people who seem to be only carrying apples.”

“That, Sam, is exactly how I felt several years ago, back when I still lived next door to Dave.”

“You lived next door to Dave? That’s where I live.”

“I know, I hope you don’t think we asked too much for that house,” the PROFESSOR said laughing.

Sam looked again at the name plate on the huge cherry desk and suddenly realized why the PROFESSOR’S name had seemed so familiar. He had signed what seemed like a thousand papers with her and her husband’s signatures already on them. He chuckled.

“No. We thought the price was great. We just hope we get to keep living there by the time I get through all this.”

The PROFESSOR smiled and said, “Me too. Back to Atlas and Hercules; and you and me. As I said a few minutes ago, many of us are stupid like Atlas and let the rest of the world put their weight on our shoulders. Too many of us are carrying the weight of the world on our SHOULD-ers.

“We keep hearing what we SHOULD do from everyone in our families, churches, neighborhoods, companies, schools and so on. Not to mention all the SHOULDAS we tell ourselves every day. Then after years of living in the world of SHOULDA, we look around and see we are not where we want to be. Or worse, we follow all the SHOULDAS and our world falls apart anyway, like when you lose the job from which you thought you would retire. Then we spend our time telling everyone who will listen how our lives COULDA been better because we SHOULDA done this or that, BUT one thing or another got in the way. After years of that, we develop a phenomenally big BUT. I want to help you get rid of that big BUT by helping you get that weight off your SHOULD-ers. We need to remove all the useless SHOULDAS and turn the profitable ones into SHALLS.”

“How do you do that?” Sam asked sitting up a little taller, expecting to get to some real wisdom.

“In the big picture, there are really only three profitable SHOULDAS.”

The PROFESSOR got up and retrieved a business card from her desk. As she sat back down, she handed the card to Sam. He examined it closely:

 

you shalls Getting to Did, Part 12: Getting the Weight of the World Off Your SHOULD ers

“I SHALL?” Sam inquired nonplussed.

“You SHALL,” the PROFESSOR responded with confidence. “Remember, my job is to help you turn your SHOULDAS into SHALLS. These are the three things you SHOULDA do. If you are wise, they are the three things you SHALL do.”

“Well, this ought to be easier than what the TRAINER taught me. He had nine things. But what do they mean?” objected Sam.

(Come back next Thursday when the PROFESSOR teaches Sam how You SHALL be the best You.)

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This post does contain affiliate links.

Something Worth Doing, Part 9: Eat Something Worth Tasting

June 24, 2009 in An Extra Springboard for You, Kelsey Harris, Something Worth Doing with 2 Comments

life is interesting Something Worth Doing, Part 9: Eat Something Worth TastingBefore I get to today’s post, I want to share with you the newly established Kelsey Wynne Harris Foundation. The website is still under construction and the foundation is just getting under way so keep your eyes on that site to learn more about the foundation and what it will accomplish. However, at the site as it is, you can already find Kelsey’s story and read some of her writings. 

Kelsey’s number one key while she fought her cancer was to maintain happiness. When asked how she could always be so happy, she said with maturity beyond her years, “Life’s more interesting when your happy.” That has become a mantra for many who knew or were touched by Kelsey. The goal of the foundation is to help promote happiness in other cancer patients. They will be giving free gifts prompted by this quote to cancer patients, plus providing scholarships for others to attend Kelsey’s favorite summer camp. Who knows where else this will go to give encouragement, comfort, and happiness to others afflicted with this most depressing and debilitating disease.

If you would like to help the foundation, you can do so by purchasing t-shirts and other memorabilia emblazoned with Kelsey’s quote, “Life’s more interesting when your happy.” I think the quote can help no matter what you’re dealing with. Not to mention when you purchase this reminder you are helping spread happiness to others who are suffering.

By the way, none of the links on this page have any kind of affiliate program going on. None of the money from your purchases will be wasted on greasing my pockets. It will all go to help Kelsey’s foundation. So, feel free to use the links on this post with impunity.

Eating Something Worth Tasting

(If you need to know what this is all about, start with the first post in the series and click through the succeeding links. Also, as posts are added links will be placed in that first post to each one.)

Today, I want to…

Eat Something Worth Tasting.

dessert Something Worth Doing, Part 9: Eat Something Worth TastingDoes this sound familiar?

“Where do you want to eat tonight?”

“I don’t know; where do you want to eat?”

“I don’t know; what sounds good to you?”

“I don’t know.”

The conversation goes back and forth, you begin to list all the restaurants in the area. Despite the delicious offerings each restaurant represents you just can’t seem to decide what your taste buds want. This is choice overload. This past Sunday was Fathers Day. My family and I drove around trying to decide what to eat. The really sad part about it was the number of restaurants we checked off our list because that would be just like going out when we normally go out. We wanted something special, something different from the norm.

There are folks in huge sections of the world who just can’t fathom this massive amount of choice that we Americans have when it comes to eating. There are some folks whose goal today is hopefully just to get to eat something. But we have a greater blessing. We get to choose what tastes good to us.

I know why this made the cut on Kelsey’s resolution list. Kelsey, following in the footsteps of her dad, loved to check out local flavor. She was an amateur restaurant critic. She loved to try the new. After all, she never knew exactly when she was going to eat something really worth tasting. In fact, Kelsey and her dad had a rule on vacation—never eat anywhere they could eat while at home.

I’m actually kind of envious. I’m more of a creature of habit. I look around and see restaurants I don’t recognize and think, “Oh no, what if I don’t like that.” They stepped up to the challenge as a way of life. When I go out to eat later tonight, I’ll probably order the exact same thing I ordered the last few times. Why? Because I know that is worth tasting.

Interestingly, what I get from this is we both want to eat something worth tasting today, but we come at it from different angles. I’m sure on all the points of this resolution list, I see things a little differently than Kelsey did, but on this one, we are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Perhaps we can get Simon, Kelsey’s dad, to do a guest post some time to help us see Kelsey’s desire to eat something worth tasting.

For me, this statement just makes me think about the amazing blessings in our lives. Of course, the amazing thing about the internet is that people from all over the world can read this. Perhaps you don’t enjoy these blessings, but my American readers do.

I get to have a handful of favorites because we have the same restaurants all over the place. Kelsey and her dad could continually try something new because there are seemingly endless choices.

Amazingly, for all of this, we still try to act like we are so poor. We gripe because we don’t have so many different things. We act like God has withheld so many blessings from us. But think about it. We can have “I want to eat something worth tasting” on our list of goals for the day.

Here’s the challenge for today. Make today a whine free day. Make it a day where you do nothing but count your blessings. Make a list of the many ways in which you are blessed. Can you see? (You are reading a blog.) Can you hear? Can you talk? Can you breathe? Have you eaten? Do you have clothes on? Are your clothes clean? Were they cleaned in a washing machine? Do you have extra clothes in your closet? Are you reading this on a computer? Did you drive your car today? Can you walk?

Do you see the point? How blessed are you?

Don’t take the simple things for granted. God doesn’t owe them to you. He could take them away at any moment. Count your blessings today and give thanks. In fact, make that a daily exercise. Write out a gratitude list each day of 5, 10, 20 things you are thankful for. See how that doesn’t change your view of your life. Somewhere on the list, you may want to include that you got to eat something worth tasting.

(Come back next week for a guest post by Simon Harris, Kelsey’s dad, about this same topic, eating something worth tasting.)

5 Keys for Pursuing the Actions of Love

June 23, 2009 in A Springboard for Your Family Life, Love, Personal Responsibility with 0 Comments

loving your wife 225x300 5 Keys for Pursuing the Actions of LoveWe’ve been learning about the importance of cleaning up our side of the street and four keys to accomplishing that goal. However, we can only keep our side of the street clean by pursuing actions of love in all our relationships. In fact, that was step 4 of keeping our side of the street clean.

The burning question is how? How do we pursue the actions of love in all our relationships. Let me share 5 keys that will help you pursue the actions of love in all your relationships.

Key #1: Give, don’t take.

Sadly, the number one way we junk up our side of the street is by taking from others. Perhaps we cheat someone in a business deal. Perhaps we lie to them to get our way. Perhaps we lust after them and store their image in our minds for our own purposes. Perhaps we manipulate them to get what we want. When we are bound by self we take and take and take. We may never actually steal something physically from them, but we are taking from others all the time.

All the stuff we take goes somewhere. It goes right on our side of the street. How do we get rid of all that? Change the very nature of our relationships. Instead of viewing others for what we can get from them, we need to see what we can give to them. We need to give and not take. 

Give time. Give support. Give love. Give prayers. Give money. Give material things. Give honesty. Give honor. Give credit. Give whatever you can, to whoever you can, whenever you can.

Key #2: Serve, don’t rule

Too many of us walk around like despots of our own little kingdom, acting as if everyone in our family, on our job, at our school, in our neighborhood is here to support and serve us. When we do, relationships run amok. Our street is junked up by all the wounded people we have tread on in our attempts to be the king of the hill.

Taking the actions of love means serving instead of ruling. Taking the actions of love means going out of our way to help others. When someone asks for help, don’t roll your eyes, exhale your frustration, or passive aggressively rebel. Just do it. Do it because you love them. View it as an excellent opportunity to show them you care.

But don’t always wait until they ask for help. Find ways you can serve. If you look around the house and see a mess, don’t get upset at everyone else who hasn’t cleaned up. Just clean up and show love. Is something broken? Don’t start a witch hunt to find the culprit, just fix it. Yes, yes, I do understand that while dealing with children there is a time to teach them about cleaning up and not breaking things. But even then, make sure your attitude is not one of getting vengeance on them, but rather one of serving them by helping them grow to maturity.

Key #3: Sacrifice

We take giving to a new level here. This means giving even when it hurts. This means taking of our own and giving to others. 

Maybe we don’t want to watch the game, go to the store, eat at that restaurant, watch the kids, etc. That is when we are really put to the test about pursuing the actions of love. When we go to the opposite of our selfish nature, we are going to be sacrificing a lot. We may not get everything we want. We may give up some of our precious time. We may not achieve all our desires. 

Jesus said the greatest love is to lay down our lives for a friend. That is the ultimate sacrifice. Many of us claim we would lay down our lives for our friends and family. Yet, we won’t even take the trash out for them. We won’t give up our favorite tv show to help them. We won’t take the time to drive across town to give them a lift. If we won’t give up a few minutes of our life for them, what makes us think we would give up our entire lives for them. 

Key #4: Acts as if

The hardest part is there are times when we just don’t feel the love for all these other people. Perhaps they have hurt us. Or perhaps our selfishness is just kicking in and instead of demonstrating love we’d rather lick our wounds, defend ourselves, pursue our rage. This is time for one of those great pieces of advice that helps in numerous ways. Act as if. 

Act as if you loved them. In other words, don’t act the way you feel. Stop and ask, “If I actually loved this person, what would I do next?” Then do that, whether you feel it or not.

Good strong feelings of love will grow if you pursue the actions of love. If you are going to wait around for the right feeling, you are probably going to be in big trouble.

Key #5: Do all of this without expectations

Here is the real clincher that makes any and all of this a true action of love. Do it without expectations. If you are only doing these things because you expect something in return, you are pursuing actions of manipulation, not love.

Fix the leaky faucet without expecting a thank you. Cook supper and clean up the kitchen without expecting accolades of praise. Offer praise and honor to others without expecting them to return the favor. Guys, clean up after the kids without expecting your wife to pay you back in the bedroom later. Pursue the actions of love without expecting everyone else to pursue actions of love with you.

I have no doubt that in most cases, when you pursue actions of love, you relationships will improve. You will be noticed. You will be praised. But if that is the only reason you are doing these things, it will be short lived. It will be especially short lived because you won’t likely make it out of the phase in which everyone else is saying, “What on earth do you want?” At first, everyone will assume you are manipulating them. But if you keep it up because you weren’t expecting anything, some of your relationships will really change for the better.

A friend once told me that expectations are just premeditated resentment. The fact is, expectations are actually us working on someone else’s side of the street. We expect them to have a clean street. When they don’t we get bitter. Don’t go down that side of the road. Stay on your side.

Of course, I need to offer the caveat to those who are on the receiving end. Even though the one pursuing actions of love is not doing this to receive a thank you, be noticed, or get rewarded. You really should at least say thank you. If you don’t, then you aren’t pursuing actions of love, are you?

If you want great relationships, quit trying to fix everyone else. Clean up your side of the street. Pursue actions of love no matter what anyone else is doing. I can’t promise every relationship will be stellar. However, you will have the serenity of knowing that you are working on and growing in what is right.

Believing in the God of the Psalmists, Part 7: God Is My Rock

June 23, 2009 in A Springboard for Your Spiritual Life, God's Love, Prayer, praying like the psalmists, psalms with 0 Comments

rock 199x300 Believing in the God of the Psalmists, Part 7: God Is My Rock(For those keeping track of the days, I know Monday is supposed to be our Springboard for Your Spiritual Life. I spent half of yesterday at the tire store getting tires and alignment on the Suburban. Despite being told I was on the network, I couldn’t access the internet. Then, just when I was going to get to make it to the office and put up my posts, Ryan, my seven-year-old, had a bike accident and I had to get him to the ER for stitches. He’s fine, just scraped up, thanks for asking. So, I’m putting up yesterday’s post now and will add in today’s Springboard for Your Family Life later today.)

Praying Like the Psalmists

If you are stumbling across this for the first time, you may want to start at the beginning of the series and work your way through the links at the end of each post.  Or check out the index for this entire series of posts. We’ve learned so much about the psalmists and their relationship with God. I hope today’s is no exception.

Believing in the God of the Psalmists: God Is My Rock

Psalm 18:1-3 portrays it perfectly:

I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

This is, perhaps, the most important aspect of the Psalmists’ belief in God. God was not simply an ethereal being out in the obscure heavens. He was a very real presence.

They viewed life as a battle. They were at war. The enemy pressed around on all sides. But they had a refuge, a place where they could find comfort, protection, strength. That place was God. They did not rely on their own strength. They did not rely on the strength of men. They relied on God.

The heading of Psalm 18 claims it was written on the day when David was delivered from his enemies, including Saul. What a great story that was. David refused to lift a finger against Saul because he was God’s anointed. Yet, God brought David the victory. David may have fled to other kingdoms. He may have hidden in caves. He may have gathered soldiers. But he knew none of this was his real strength and protection, God was. Without God, the kings, caves, and soldiers would have done him on good.

Letting God be Our Rock

If God is our rock, we trust Him. We do what He says just because He said it, even when we don’t understand why. If He is our protection, we just rely on Him. 

If we will ever pray as the psalmists did, we must surrender ourselves to God as they did. When David refused to strike Saul, he did so against what seemed wise. He did so against the advice of his friends and supporters. They even tried to get David to see it was a sign from God to strike down Saul. But David surrendered to God’s word. He would not strike God’s anointed. That meant his enemy would live and hunt him longer. What great faith David demonstrated there.

Who is your enemy? What is your oppression? Take your eyes off of those things and focus them on God. What is God’s will for you today? What has He said in His word about your life? Do that. Just do that. Trust God to protect you. He is the your rock, your redeemer, your deliverer, your strong and mighty tower. 

Certainly, to the world you will look foolish. Certainly, they will mock you and claim what you are doing is useless. In the end, God’s way works, even if it doesn’t work the way we expected. Let God be your protector. Quit relying on your own strength and start relying on God’s. Let go in faith and put your hand in His. He will take care of you.

Our Rock and Our Prayer

Whoever we rely on is who we’ll pray to. If we simply rely on ourselves, prayer will always be a struggle. It will never be anything more than a checklist to-do item that we intend to get to but keep putting off. If we rely on parents, we will constantly be appealing to them. If we rely on government, they will receive our constant requests. If we rely on friends, we will latch ourselves on to them and not let go. However, when we see God as the source of our protection, comfort, and victory, prayer will just happen.

How can we not pray when we believe God is the only way we’ll make it through the day victorious? As long as we think we’ve got our lives under control or could if we just tried harder, we’ll struggle with prayer. The days we see God as our only hope, we’ll pray like the psalmists.

Maybe you’re struggling with that. Then let me give you the one piece of advice that has really helped me–”Act as if.” If you can’t quite say it is completely true that you can only truly survive if you rely on God today, then act as if you believed that. How would you pray then? How would you act? How would you treat others? Do that and see if the real faith doesn’t start growing.

If we want to pray like the psalmists, we have to believe in their God. Their God was their rock. He must be ours as well.

(Don’t forget to come back next week when we talk about the psalmists view of God as the shepherd.)

A Video that Explains Life and Growing Up by Ron Pearson

June 19, 2009 in Good Clean Fun, Ron Pearson, Videos with 0 Comments

I’m not sure when Ron Pearson met me or when he got permission to turn my life story into his performance act. But, I guess I’ll let it pass. Perhaps his show explains why we are looking for a springboard to help us be better in every aspect of our life. 

I’m sure you’ll enjoy this.

Getting to Did, Part 11: Meet the PROFESSOR

June 18, 2009 in A Springboard for Your Professional Life, Getting to DID, Success with 4 Comments

professor Getting to Did, Part 11: Meet the PROFESSOR

(If you have stumbled across this post, you have found me blogging my upcoming book “Getting to Did: How To Lose Your Big But and Live a Life Without Regret.” In the last installment, Sam wrapped up with the TRAINER, learning to turn his COULDAS into CANS. If you need to catch up on the whole book, you can start with “Sam’s Crumbling World” and follow the successive links.)

Meet the PROFESSOR

Sam had little trouble getting up this time. He still wasn’t sure about all this GETTING TO DID business. However, he was intrigued enough by his meeting with the TRAINER that he really didn’t want to miss meeting the PROFESSOR.

At 5:44 he walked up Dave’s driveway, slid into the car and said, “Are we going to The Early Bird again?”

“Oh yeah,” Dave replied. “I don’t drink coffee anyplace else, especially if I’m paying.”

After a few moments, Dave continued, “So, did you learn anything from the TRAINER?”

“I don’t know,” Sam said after a brief hesitation. “The ANYTHINGG stuff was neat and I think it CAN work. BUT, like I told the TRAINER, everything is so iffy. Susan thinks I SHOULD get a job first and then talk with you more about this stuff. She’s afraid I’m going to follow some hare-brained scheme and try going into business for myself, BUT then I won’t have any benefits, no retirement package. You know the story.”

Dave smiled indulgently.

“I’m just not sure what I SHOULD do at this point. I mean, my dad always said I SHOULD think about my family first. Having a good, steady job seems to be what is best for them. I gotta tell you though,” Sam continued, this time with a slight gleam of excitement, “the idea of going out on my own really gets my blood pumping. Especially after getting slapped by my good, steady job. One thing is for certain, if I’m working for me, I’ll never get fired again.”

Dave laughed along with Sam at this as they pulled into the coffee shop parking lot. When they walked in, the aroma of espresso mingled with that of frying eggs and bacon; Sam began to lick his lips. Tammy said, “Hey Dave.” Melinda looked up and, seeing Sam, said, “Another panini?”

Sam looked around to make sure he didn’t see the TRAINER anywhere and said, “Bring it on.”

Sam and Dave walked to the same table in the back of the café. This time a sharply dressed woman, who looked as though she could have only just recently become a grandmother, greeted them with a smile and a handshake.

Dave said, “Sam, I would like you to meet my PROFESSOR. PROFESSOR, this is Sam.”

“Alright,” blurted Sam, “I imagine Dave wants to shoot the breeze for a few minutes and then leave me stranded here with you. He probably doesn’t want me asking a bunch of questions yet. But I have to know why you’re called the PROFESSOR. I mean, it sounds a little too ‘Gilligan’s Island’ for me.”

“I’m called the PROFESSOR,” she responded looking as though she didn’t quite appreciate Sam’s humor, “because that is what I am, or that is what I was. I am now the President of our nearby university. But I still teach. Would you prefer that I were the MOVIE STAR?”

Sam tried to smile but was slightly abashed, then both Dave and the PROFESSOR burst out laughing. Sam didn’t know quite what to make of this. Despite the humor, to Sam, the PROFESSOR at least looked the part. She was impeccably dressed. She sat up like she had a board up the back of her shirt. Every hair was in place. She looked like she had never dangled a participle a day in her life, whatever that means, Sam thought.

“Well,” said Dave, “that’s the first time anyone ever brought up ‘Gilligan’s Island.’ Maybe I should try to add a movie star into our retinue. I always liked Maryann better though. Either way, like Sam said, I am going to strand you two together. I’m taking a three-hour tour of a couple of my restaurants today, plus I’m checking out a possible buy on a small apartment complex. What do you think I SHOULD do about that, PROFESSOR?”

Before the PROFESSOR could respond with more than a reproving look, Dave said, “I’m only joking. You can talk to Sam about the SHOULDAS today. I’ll catch up with both of you later this week.”

Then draining his coffee and ordering a blueberry muffin to go, Dave walked out whistling.

“As soon as you’re done with your sandwich,” the PROFESSOR said, “we’ll head to the school. I’m keeping office hours today and prefer to be on campus.”

Sam finished up and once again asked for more coffee in a to-go cup. Melinda said, “Keep hanging out with Dave and his friends and you’ll be a regular too.”

“I certainly understand why Dave is,” Sam said. “Does he own this café?”

“Oh no,” Melinda replied, “I own this. Dave encouraged me with his GETTING TO DID business, but this puppy is all mine.”

Sam was impressed as he walked out sipping his delicious coffee. Maybe Dave and his friends could help. As he left, Tammy mumbled something to Melinda. “What was that?” Sam said expectantly.

“Oh nothing,” Tammy replied with a mischievous grin. “We’ll see you next week, if not sooner.”

The PROFESSOR chuckled as they walked out and got in her car.

 (Come back next week as the PROFESSOR begins to teach Sam about getting the world off his SHOULDer.)

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Something Worth Doing, Part 8: Go Somewhere Worth Seeing

June 17, 2009 in An Extra Springboard for You, Kelsey Harris, Something Worth Doing, Travel with 5 Comments

world map Something Worth Doing, Part 8: Go Somewhere Worth Seeing(If you need to know what this is all about, start with the first post in the series and click through the succeeding links. Also, as posts are added links will be placed in that first post to each one.) 

Today, I want to…

Go Somewhere Worth Seeing

Oh, the Places You’ll Go

“Oh, the places you’ll go,” Dr. Seuss told me when I graduated high school (my parents gave me the book as a graduation present). There are lots of places to go. Sadly, I’ve been some places that weren’t worth seeing. I don’t want to dwell on those. But there are so many places worth seeing.

God’s world is filled with places to see. Some places are worth seeing because of the beauty of God’s creation—the Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, the Pacific Ocean. Some places are worth seeing because of what has happened in those places—Independence Hall, Gettysburg, Jerusalem. Some places are worth seeing because of how they relate to our world today—the White House, Buckingham Palace, Ground Zero. Some places are worth seeing because of what we can learn from them—the Smithsonian, the Louvre, the British Museum. Some places are worth seeing because they show us the amazing accomplishments and abilities of man—the Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, Mount Rushmore. Some places are worth seeing because of what they stand for—the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, the Vietnam Memorial.  Some places are worth seeing because they remind us how blessed we are—Zimbabwe, Nigeria, the Philippines. Some places are worth seeing because of the people we meet there—our friend’s house, our church’s meeting place, our school.  Some places are worth seeing because of how they relate to us personally—our home, our parents’ birthplaces, our great-grandparents’ graves. There are many, many places worth seeing.

Oh, the Places You Already Go

At first, I was tempted to make some point about how this may not be something we do every day. That temptation demonstrates our number one problem with going somewhere worth seeing. We rarely open our eyes to recognize the places worth seeing we already visit regularly. Don’t close your eyes to the people and places right where you are.

Surely you’ve heard the story about the acres of diamonds. A South African farmer had heard all the stories of wealth from African diamond mines and decided to sell his farm in order to raise money to go looking for diamonds, wealth, and a life of ease. He searched for years and died in poverty. The man who bought his farm however, began to wonder about the peculiar rocks he kept finding as he plowed his new fields. He had a geologist check them out only to find he was sitting on one of the biggest pockets of diamonds on the entire African continent.

That story is too often us. We think so much about going somewhere that we never realize we might be someplace worth seeing right now. That place you live is somewhere worth seeing. It is more than an edifice, a structure of brick and mortar, timber and trusses. It is a home. Love, care, compassion, togetherness all happens there. At least it will if you open your eyes to how worth seeing it is. That place you work is somewhere worth seeing. It is more than a collection of offices, more than an assembly plant, more than a construction site. Things happen there. Livelihood is accomplished there. Things are made there. Blessings are generated there to go out into our world and provide for us and others. That place you go to school is somewhere worth seeing. Learning happens there. Information is exchanged there. People who know more than you are there (even when you don’t like to admit it).

I look out my office window as I write this and see asphalt, white paint, an ugly street light. I’m tempted tosomething worth doing poem Something Worth Doing, Part 8: Go Somewhere Worth Seeing just see a parking lot. However, some days I’m able to see the bushes, the hydrangeas, the Bradford pears. On occasion a flash of movement has captured my eye; I look up to see a dear run in and out of the small woods on the other side of the parking lot. Wild turkeys roam across the field at the back of this building and sometimes walk right up to the door, attacking their own reflection. How beautiful. How amazing.

My kids and I explored the wooded area at the back of the property here one day. My son nearly stepped on a snake that was demonstrating its God-given ability to camouflage. After my heart started beating again, we were able to appreciate how really beautiful that was. In the woods we found a nearly dried up spring around which someone had built a structure to make it easier to wash clothes in years ago. There was a little bit of history in our backyard. It wasn’t major history, but my kids learned something about their great-grandparents that day. 

If you want to go somewhere worth seeing, start by opening your eyes to the places you already go and how worth seeing they really are.

Oh, the Places Nearby

When I think about going somewhere worth seeing, I think about long vacation trips. I want to travel in Europe. I want to hit the historical sights for the birth of my great nation the United States of America. I want to visit Williamsburg, Virginia; Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I want to travel to the Grand Canyon; see the Painted Desert; swim in the clear blue waters of Hawaii.

Going somewhere worth seeing always seems like such a trip. What has amazed me since I’ve lived in Franklin, Tennessee is the number of people who thought of going somewhere worth seeing and so they traveled right here to Middle Tennessee. Would you believe that as I was typing this, someone knocked on my office door because they were looking for a church to worship with while they visited from California? They made that huge trip just to come to this area. They did that while I’m dreaming of getting out to California to visit Disneyland and see the Pacific Ocean.

My wife and I have decided to learn about places worth seeing that are a little closer to home. We have Civil War sites—the Carter House, the Carnton Plantation, the Spring Hill Battlefield. Just two and a half hours away in Chattanooga, where many in my extended family live, is the Chickamauga battlefield and an awesome aquarium. A few weeks ago my family and I took a short getaway trip to Crab Orchard Tennessee. We didn’t expect much. We only wanted a little time to ourselves away from the daily grind. But not five minutes away we found Ozone Falls. We stood atop the falls and watched the water cascade over the edge. We hiked down to what was called the plunge pool and swam at the base of the falls. I told my wife that with the possible exception of Disney World, that was the most fun I’ve ever had on a vacation. Was it worth seeing? You had better believe it. I think everyone should make the trip to Ozone Falls. Just last year, some of the men and boys from my home congregation took a camping trip. I was all excited about this trip and the canoeing we were going to do. I was shocked when I found out the campground was only 15 minutes from my house. We had a great time and I learned about a great place to take my family to get out in God’s nature.

I’m sure Middle Tennessee is not the only place in the world that is like this. If you want to go someplace worth seeing, consult a local map to see what is nearby, call your state parks and recreation department to learn of natural wonders, visit your local chamber of commerce to find out about nearby historical sites. Hey, if nothing else, go to your local library. They always have great stuff to learn about and do. You might be surprised at the groups who meet regularly at your library who can tell you all about local stuff. If all else fails you can pick up a good book that will take you someplace worth seeing.

Oh, the Places Worth Seeing All Over the World

Don’t misunderstand me. I hope you take advantage of all that you already see and all that is near you. But I don’t want to take away from all the great somewheres worth seeing the world over. I’ve been challenged by Chris Guillebeau, author of “The Art of Nonconformity,” to not be satisfied with seeing a place or two. He decided to visit every country in the world over five years. I think he’s going to make it. I’m not saying you’re only really going someplace worth seeing if you take up that great of a challenge. However, I have learned that maybe there are places worth seeing that are off the beaten trail. Maybe going in to some countries where I don’t know the language, the customs, or even the food might be a good thing for me.

Whether you want to be that much of a nonconformist or just want to see the standard places worth seeing, it is going to take some financial planning and some time management. It might take a complete change of pace for your life. Don’t just dream about going to those places, plan for it. Start saving today. Figure out the cheapest way for you to go. Don’t demand luxury all the way (unless you can afford it). Check out Chris’s travel and life tips if you really want to make a habit of going somewhere worth seeing.

Oh, the Place You’ll End Up

Of course, for me, the ultimate place worth seeing is not in this world. It is not even in this lifetime. The ultimate place worth seeing is the throne room of God in heaven. That goal reminds me that if I let myself get too caught up in going places down here on earth, I might lose track of the truly important somewhere worth seeing.

Paul said the suffering we face down here is not worth the glory that will be revealed in us and to us there (Romans 8:18). Peter said it is an inheritance that is undefiled, unfading, and imperishable (I Peter 1:4). The Bible really doesn’t say much about heaven. How can it? Our finite words cannot express the beauty, awesomeness, and grandeur of the infinite heaven. Sadly, our images of heaven are nothing more than caricatures of the real thing because they are limited by what we’ve seen on earth. But I am convinced heaven is better than earth. I want to see it. I want to experience it. I want to roll around in its fields, run through its streets, fly on its clouds. Even in those images I’m limited by own experiences or imagination based on this life.

Don’t worry, I’m not selling tickets for a bus ride to the pearly gates today. However, I have to admit I’m a little jealous of my “co-author.” Kelsey Harris, the young lady who wrote the poem that has inspired these posts, is already enjoying paradise. I look forward to seeing her again someday along with so many others. That will be somewhere worth seeing.

Remember this, you’ll be the same person in five years that you are today except for the books you read, the people you meet, and the places you go. Make sure you go somewhere worth seeing.

 

(Come back next Wednesday when we talk about Eating Something Worth Tasting.)

Believing in the God of the Psalmists, Part 6: God is King

June 15, 2009 in A Springboard for Your Spiritual Life, Prayer, praying like the psalmists, psalms with 0 Comments

prayer 200x300 Believing in the God of the Psalmists, Part 6: God is KingMondays have just been tough for the past two months. One thing and another have kept the Spiritual Springboard from being published, but I’m back in the saddle with our look at Praying Like the Psalmists. 

 Or check out the index for this entire series of posts.

As we examine the psalms with prayer in mind, we’ll analyze, categorize, and subdivide the psalms. We’ll look at words and phrases. We’ll examine figures, pictures, and illustrations. We’ll learn a great deal. However, the first step to praying like the psalmists has little to do with their forms and figures. It has to do with their relationship with God. If we want to pray as they did, we need to believe in the God they did.

We have already seen that they believed God is, God is the creator, God is my creator, God is the source, and God is the judge. In addition to all this, God was the king of the psalmists. 

This is especially impressive considering one of the main psalmists was King David. While the psalmists recognized their earthly king and even wrote psalms about him and his place before God (e.g. Psalm 18:50; Psalm 20:9 et al), they still understood that the true and ultimate King was God. 

Psalm 2 demonstrates this. The king of Israel was on the throne only because God on His throne in the heavens placed him there. Go set the king on the holy hill of Zion.

However, God was not simply king of Israel. He is the king of the universe and everything in it. Psalm 95:3 demonstrates this absolute superiority and sovereignty, saying, “For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” Why pray to Jehovah when their neighbors prayed to their pantheon of gods? Because Jehovah is the king. Even if those other gods actually existed, Jehovah is the absolute ruler of all things. Why settle for minions. Go straight to the source, the ruler, the king.

Don’t misunderstand. The psalmists were absolutely anchored in their belief that those other gods didn’t actually exist. Psalm 86:10 addresses the Lord, “For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.” There are no others. 

Finally, God was not simply the king out there in the heavens with some kind of ethereal rule over the universe. God was king of the psalmists. 

“Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.” – Psalm 5:2

“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.” – Psalm 84:3

“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.” – Psalm 145:1

As King, God had the right to tell the psalmists what to do. He was an integral part of their lives. At the same time, as King, He was their protector, their deliverer, their guide. God was not just out their in the heavens; He was part of their life. He was their King.

If we want to pray like the psalmists, we must let God be King in our lives.

(Come back next Monday to learn more about the psalmists’ relationships with God. Learn to pray to God the rock, fortress, and mighty tower.)

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