The value of those we coach

As we build relationships that will impact the Kingdom of God, it is important to move from a name into recognition of value. After all, the value of each individual is a primary motivation for our coaching. God really does have a plan for every individual. Everyone has been created to complete the “works” God has appointed them for. We often hear these ideas and many of us have said them to others. But, the labor of the coach is to help someone discover what that plan is and to engage in the works by faith. If we are not motivated by love (regarding the other person above ourselves) then our coaching will fall short. A good coach is willing to encourage any player, but cannot coach every player. You are responsible to coach the players appointed to your team. The first step in discovering who is on your team is to ask God to give you a deep heart ache for the ones he sends your way. When your concern for the success of someone else surpasses the concern for your own success, you may have discovered someone to pour your life into. Look closely at those around you and listen to your heart. Try it and watch what happens.

Your name is important

If you are anything like me, you have a hard time remembering names. I like to say that I can remember faces but names are a bigger challenge. The truth is I have a hard time with faces too. I was recently impressed by a pastor that remembered the names of each of my children (6) as well as my wife as we prayed together after an hour long meeting. Well, God knows that some of us have better memories than others and I believe that he offers grace to those of us with shorter memories than others, but what we fail to see is the importance of a person’s name. God spoke specifically to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Peter and Paul and did so by calling them “by name.” When Jesus spoke to his disciples he called them by their names. Names are important for us to remember because a person’s name is important to God. As we initiate and build godly relationships with those God has placed in our lives, we need to recognize that one of the first steps is acknowledging them by name. It is impossible to build a godly relationship without remembering a person’s name. Try it and watch what happens

Yielding Your Life

19 years ago I was faced with a dilemma, a crisis of faith. I had been walking with the Lord for 6 years, studying, listening, learning and praying. I thought I was leading a victorious life for Jesus. Life circumstances changed and I found myself laying in a hospital bed near death for the first time in my life. As I took stock of my life I became profoundly aware of something that shocked me. God showed me that although I was his child and had been doing the things Christians do, I was in fact trying to “do my own thing’ and asking God to bless it rather than seeking that which He had planned for me to do. I thought that by experiencing worldly success I would then be able to afford to venture into Kingdom endeavors. Like many others, I spent most of my prayer time asking God to bless what I was doing so that I could reap the benefits. As my heart tenderized to the truth, I began to yield my life to the point that I uttered these words for the first of many times “I will go wherever you tell me and do whatever you tell me to do, I belong to you.” My life and my walk with Jesus changed forever that day. Set your plans and expectations aside…yield your life today. Try it and watch what happens.

Check our own hearts God.

Two weeks have passed since the historic election of the first African American to the office of President of the United States of America. As a kid who remembers forced integration and curfews during the infamous Detroit riots, I have to admit that I didn’t think I would witness this in my lifetime. Personally, a part of me is proud of my country. I hope that an African American President can bring healing to the American soul…a soul that still suffers from our past sins...a soul that needs to step away from the rhetoric that inflames black and white bigotry and racism. God please heal us.

As I have thought about the issue of slavery over the last week, I can’t help drawing a parallel between that great human tragedy in our nation’s history and the great human tragedy of abortion today. Sure, you’ve heard that before but the slant I want to look at today is something I haven’t heard before. Slavery is based in a concept that elevates a group of people and their philosophies above another group or groups of people to the extent that the superior group imposes its will on the subordinate group(s). To the extreme, the philosophy of superiority takes command over the lives of the subordinate group, even to the point of death.

Today, the “group” of people who believe their philosophies to be superior are those who contend that it is the right of a woman to decide whether she will terminate the life of her unborn child without regard for the right of the unborn child to live. Additionally, even the right of the father must be subordinate to the philosophy of this superior group. So, two groups of people, fathers and unborn children, are now subject to the imposed philosophies of the superior group. In other words, the unborn child is in effect the slave of the mother and subject to her will, even to the point of death.

In the past, the slave owner had ultimate control over the life and the death of his property. If that property was an inconvenience or posed and economic burden to the slave owner, he was free to get rid of his property or even have it put to death. Haven’t we learned that no one person or one group of people have the right to impose their will unto death over any other group of people. And haven’t we learned that a primary purpose of government is to make sure it never happens? If what I have just touched on is true, then aborting children with the governments blessing is morally equivalent to slave owners imposing their will on another group of people (slaves) with the government’s blessing.

How can this country ever be healed of the ravages of slavery when we continue to operate with the same heart today? Only a great move of God in the lives of his children will bring about the healing the soul of this nation needs. We must give up our selfish superiority and the thought that our philosophy can be imposed on anyone. Only a willing participant can set themselves aside and regard all others as greater than himself.

How can we change the country's direction?

We have recently experienced our national presidential election. In preparation, thousands gathered to pray for our country and for a spirit of repentance for this nation. For a number of years, we as Christians have been crying out to God to change the course that the US is on…to reverse the deterioration of the family, the increasing ungodliness and violence, the corruption in politics, the ongoing killing of the unborn. Yet these things continue in spite of our prayers. It seems as if God isn’t hearing us. Could it be that we are the problem, that we are what needs to change? It’s hard for me to understand how we can pray for the repentance of a nation or the ungodly at all. It seems a bit arrogant that we think God will make wholesale changes in a heathen society when they have no power to change; all the while allowing those who have the power to change to remain unchanged. At the times in my life that I have been overwhelmed with the Spirit of repentance, I can assure you that I couldn’t see any of the faults or shortcomings (sins) of those around me. All I could see was my desperate need to turn from my own sin and be swept up in God’s forgiveness. My own tears kept me from seeing anyone else. I can’t help thinking that one reason we find ourselves at this place in history is because God’s own children have blamed the ungodly for our circumstances; circumstances born from the compromises Christians started making generations ago. Godly repentance needs to overwhelm us, the children of God, before we can expect any significant change in the society around us. Try it and watch what happens.

Giving from our lack not our abundance

There is an interesting principle in God’s Kingdom that is 180 degrees from the way the world works. Have you noticed that whenever we are lacking something; finances, resources, energy, encouragement, friends, confidence, etc., our primary objective is to “get” whatever it is that we lack. Self help books by the millions are sold for this very reason. The world says if you are in need then get out there and get what you need. As Christians we do the same thing but we try to “holy it up” a bit by talking about our need in prayer meetings and occasionally even praying about it. We even try to sanctify our approach by using nice ‘Christian’ terminology and language. But underneath it all we are really living a “woe is me” life; the need is our obsession and we remain obsessed until the need is met. Our focus is primarily, if not entirely, on ourselves. As we turn our attention away from ourselves and trust God to be true to his word, we can then focus on others…others who are in the same desperate needy state that we are experiencing. As we give to them from the very need we are experiencing, we experience God working 2 miracles; he supplies their need through you and he supplies your need through giving from your poverty rather than your abundance. The greatest gift you can give is one given from your need. Try it and watch what happens.

Why should we be Spiritual Life Coaches?

Today we see ourselves as contributors to the success of our family, our business and our church community. We measure our worth by the demand that is placed on our abilities and capabilities. If people are asking for our help or asking us to contribute our talent, we have a sense of value and it causes us to feel that we are exceptional human beings. After all, God did give us our abilities and our gifting and he does want us to use them, doesn’t he? The gifting and talents that God has given to us were never intended to puff us up. Those abilities and capabilities were invested into us so that we can use them to build others up, not ourselves. Like transferring funds from one account to another, God’s intention is for us to transfer the deposits of him in our lives to the empty and overdrawn life accounts of those around us. Our satisfaction comes from watching that transaction take place, not in the part we have played in it. As a leader, make an account transfer today. Move some of the gifting and talent deposited into your life into the life of someone that God has placed around you for just that purpose. Try it and watch what happens.

My Election Dilemma

I celebrated my 55th birthday last week and I have voted in every election since 1972. This year’s presidential election has been the most difficult for me to cast my vote that I can recall. I put off completing my absentee ballot until last Monday but it is now on the way to our county clerk. So I have already done what many of you won't do until next Tuesday.

As I considered the four individuals that make up the Republican and Democrat tickets, I am amazed at these next few facts. Two of them clearly lack the experience necessary to serve as President, two of them are vehemently pro-abortion, one of them has called the “religious right” the problem in America today, one of them claims to be a devoted Christian but has a long time involvement with a minister who speaks remarkably like a bigot and racist, one of them has authored and supported some of the most liberal legislation ever written, and one of them is a mom with 5 children (the youngest a Down's Syndrome special-needs child and the oldest daughter a teen walking through an unmarried unplanned pregnancy). This short list of concerns has made my voting decision significantly harder than in the past.

I realize that if I haven't already stepped on your toes, I probably will somewhere in the rest of this blog. Some of you are probably thinking of the exceptions and excuses you may have for overlooking part of or all of my list of concerns. That’s really quite all right, go ahead and formulate your arguments; I’ve already cast my vote.

One of the most disturbing concerns for me to deal with is something that many of you may have not considered. I realize that Sarah Palin is the toast of the conservative Christian element within the Republican Party. I have found her to be a breath of fresh air in the whole “good ole boy” political arena. I am elated over the fact that she is staunchly pro-life and her own life reflects it. I am thankful to God that her daughter is bringing a new life into the world in a day when nearly 40% of pregnant women choose to abort their children. But there is something bigger here for me to contend with.

It seems to me there is a concerted effort by campaign officials to manipulate me as a voter. As a pro-life, pro-family, conservative, Christian voter, I recognize the power our voting block actually commands. Realistically, without our vote, no Republican candidate for President can hope to be elected. I'm sure that the campaign officials I referred to know this very well; they searched the country high (and maybe low) for a candidate that would draw us into their camp. Their plan seems to have worked. But think about this: what do we (the pro-life, pro-family, conservative, Christian voter) get if their plan succeeds? We get a "politically moderate," big spending president who doesn't have a whole lot of use for us except to get elected. Some of my friends have and some of you will say, "Well, at least we don't get the other guy." That may be true but frankly, I'm tired of casting my vote against the "other guy." I have been voting against the other guy since Ronald Reagan.

Looking at both tickets I couldn't help asking myself, have these four candidates proven themselves to be the best and brightest of the leaders our country has to offer? Or have the offices of President and Vice President become more “public relations” and “popularity” driven than substantive? Does the President really have much legislative impact and influence any more or has it all come down to judicial appointments and foreign-policy decisions. If so, then who the President and Vice President are may have little effect on how government impacts the American people.

For the last four elections I have attempted to vote my values. As Christians we have been encouraged to do so for a number of years now. We have been told that if we are pro-(biblical)family, pro-life, pro-smaller government and pro-reduced governmental spending, we should support the candidates who reflect those values. Unfortunately, neither ticket seems to be pro-smaller government and pro-lower government spending. One ticket is certainly pro-life and it also claims to be pro-family...but is it?

I happen to subscribe to a theological view that calls men to be the protectors and defenders of families. I recognize that men and women are equal in value but unique in responsibility and calling. The founding fathers of this country saw their responsibility as men to defend and protect their families, their land and this great republic. Those noble and honorable men would never have put a woman in harms way to protect or save themselves from danger. But the office of President is a position that is in harms way. The Commander and Chief is a military role that is assumed by the President. Apart from the qualification issue, where are today's noble and honorable men who are appalled that we would intentionally put a woman in harm's way? Are they afraid that the opposition will call them chauvinists or "femaphobic"? Or are we so fearful that we will be considered politically incorrect that we simply go with the flow and keep our mouths shut?

This is really politically incorrect for me to say but I'm going to say it anyway. I realize we have many fine women serving in the military and police agencies of this country. They are probably all qualified by today’s standards, but should we really have gone down that road in the first place? In a society that is overflowing with the destruction of families, where children are disposable and regularly disposed of, where two incomes are deemed essential for material survival, where women have bought into the lie that they can “bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan” and where we believe we are entitled to the best life the world has to offer, can we afford to be without women who have an unwavering heart for the home and their children? Motherhood and being a “keeper at home” are two of the noblest and most honorable functions within any society. Women who sacrifice dearly to fulfill that calling are walking examples of what it means to be Pro-Family as far as I am concerned. In my humble opinion, Sarah Palin’s greatest calling as a Christian and a woman is to be at home with her family; it’s obvious to me that she is needed there.

In Malachi 4:5-6, God warns fathers about turning their hearts to their children. That is absolutely necessary today. By doing so, we may enable mothers to truly turn their hearts back to their children as well.

As for me and my vote, I'm ready to start casting it for someone rather than against someone. I'm ready to use the power of the "pro-life, pro-family, conservative, Christian" voting block to send a clear message to the political parties to nominate individuals who line up with all of our values or risk losing my vote. And if they refuse, I'm willing to use my vote to send a message that I will vote for what is right and good even if it means the "other guy" wins. If we don't stand for something, we will find that we have stood for nothing.