What A Team!

Has anyone who has kids not put them in some kind of team activity? Be it sports, music, or a play of some sort? Also most adults work in team environments, even if they don’t see it that way on a day to day basis. So, you can see that teams are a very important part of our lives, even from a young age.

I mention this as I had the opportunity to watch both of my boys play basketball this past week. Noah is the team player of his 3-4^th grade team. He’s not the most athletic player, but he knows where he’s supposed to be and will help make sure the other players get to the right spots as well. Andrew is on a K-1^st grade team and completely different from Noah. Sure, he’ll work with his teammates but he frustrates easily when they don’t catch a pass or get him the ball when he’s open. So, Andrew often will not worry about the team as much and instead try to do it all himself. Both are perfectly acceptable ways to play at their age.

No, I’m not trying to brag on my kids here, although I am proud of both of them. What I am trying to do is show you that it takes all kinds of people to do the job. In team sports you need role players and stars. Lebron James wouldn’t be nearly as successful without a Z or Wild Thing. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees don’t get to this year’s Super Bowl without the Offensive Line who gets in the rushers way, and the receivers who catch all of their passes. And don’t forget the defenses each team has that get them the ball back time and time again.

The same is to be said of the work that we do in His kingdom. It takes a preacher, a prayer warrior, a worshiper, etc. for the kingdom to move in other’s lives. We say quite often that it’s often not the first person who contacts a non-believer to get them to a relationship with Christ, and that is extremely true. It may take 2, 18, or even 50 of us before that person’s heart is changed. The question I have for you is do you think it’s worth it? Will you accept your role knowing full well that it make take more than just your contact to help that person God has laid on your heart? I know that when you feel it’s worth the effort you’ll truly be a part of His team. Sign up yourself and your friends to this great team opportunity today!

What Are You Looking At?

Why is it that we all have such a problem looking away from a car accident? What is it that draws our attention? Do you really want to know if the people are ok, or are you really interested in how badly the cars are mangled?

We can be like this quite often in our day-to-day lives. For example, let’s say you see a drunk person take another drink, and continue watching while he stumbles while walking to see if he will fall. We don’t help him get to where he’s going safely, we watch him fail. We do that more often than you we probably even realize. On the news and in the paper every day is story after story of failure. The positive stories get pushed mostly to the end of both because they aren’t what draw our attention.

What would your life be like if you made God the focus and gave Him all of your attention instead of the above? It’s time to get an eye exam and get your life back into focus. Get focused on what really matters….God!

Silence!

That’s right, it’s time to be quiet now! You spend way too much time talking. You know that right? In fact, you spend too much time thinking too! You spend a lot of time planning on top of that. It’s now time for you to just sit down and shut up, as the saying goes.

You see, I’m convinced that we don’t spend enough time listening to God. We pray all the time for all kinds of things, and barely ever spend the time to listen for the answers! We don’t give Him time to work in our lives because we’re too busy voicing what we think He will say.

I challenge all of you this week to be quiet for once. Spend time with him doing nothing else at all. It’s not a time for us to take action in the normal ways that we do. Instead, come to Him without an agenda of your own, instead listening for His agenda for your life.

Snow

Just seeing that word probably makes many of you cringe like it does me. It usually brings negative feelings due to the cold and extra work that usually come along with snow. Yet, since I’ve always lived in Ohio I’ve grown accustomed to being here every year.

I remember when I was a kid and I looked forward to the snow coming. I always enjoyed the way it looked as it fell. I enjoyed making snow forts and participating in snow ball fights. Those were the days weren’t they? My dad usually did all the shoveling and I just got to enjoy the spoils, so to say.

Turn the page to the present. The snow now means that I have to go outside and shovel, and that the roads probably won’t be too much fun to be on. Sure, I want snow for Christmas, but only a little to make it look nice.

Yet, the other day I started to look at snow a different way, more like the thoughts of the past. You see, the other day during the snow I had two different people help me with getting the snow off my sidewalks. I started to think about how the snow can actually bring out a sense of community in all of us. Let me explain that further:

At our last house I had a big driveway to shovel. (No, I did not, nor do I currently own a snow blower) I would always take at least 45 min to an hour to shovel that entire thing even on a light snow. I’d then take the time to at least do the sidewalks of the neighbors on either side. I didn’t do it to get praised for it or anything, but instead to help those who lived next to us. At our current location on Welton I have a lot less to shovel. I still try to do some of the sidewalks on both sides, but a lot of the time my neighbors have already done it, or someone has done it for them already and myself as well.

What an idea, people helping other people! You don’t get those acts of service as easily the rest of the year. I don’t have neighbors coming over to my house to mow the lawn or rake the leaves. Yet, those same people will be happy to use their snow blower (which use gas at over $2 a gallon) or shovel to help out others that they barely know. I actually finally met a neighbor the other day in the freezing cold as he told me to take a break as he’d do the sidewalk for me.

So, I have a new appreciation for snow. I’m starting to see it as I did a long time ago as a child. It’s a positive kind of thing. It brings neighborhoods together by giving us a common adversary. Now the question is how can we use snow to advance His kingdom? The simple act of service can lead to many an open door in the future. That neighbor you never talk to or see may be search you out in the spring to thank you for the help this winter. That could possibly lead to other subjects which can lead to you witnessing to them and helping them to find a relationship with Christ. Have you ever thought that something as simple as snow could be a witnessing tool? Think about that the next time you are clearing your driveway, as maybe that dreaded next snowfall could just be that open door you’ve been looking to get!