You wouldn't like me when I'm Angry

Everyone feels justified in their anger and offenses.

Then we allow those feelings to alter how we act and interact with others.

Some people are volatile (yelling, manipulating), others more passive aggressive (pouting, avoiding, backbiting), but the results are the same...division.

The Bible teaches us to be slow to anger, and even avoid people with anger issues so we won't catch it ourselves.

We all get agitated, but what we do with it will determine unity or division.

Don' fall prey to the divisive tricks of the enemy. Stand guard against offense and anger, and be quick to mend fences with others.

just a thought
[pc]

Think+

It's been a while, but here we go...

We can't always change what's going on in our lives, all we can control is how we respond.

Chuck Swindoll said "Life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it."

It's easy to slip into feeling overwhelmed, and stressed out. Those responses never help any situation.

When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, and let the storm affect his faith, that's when he started sinking. We have to take those negative thoughts captive, and keep our eyes on Christ.

God's promise is that He will never leave you nor forsake you, never allow stressful situations to cause you to forget God's promise!

just a thought

[pc]

everyone's a critic

So of course I'm watching American Idol, along with you and everyone else in the world, and the most entertaining aspect of the show to me is the criticism from Simon. The reason it's entertaining is the fact that I'm not the one being criticized.

Something that I'm currently working on in myself is my own critical nature. It's so easy to drift into making fun of other people for mistakes they make or their shortcomings. Most of us are critical by nature, so we probably don't even consider the fact that it's not a great habit to have.

Instead of dealing out criticism for everyone I come in contact with, I purpose to seek out great qualities that they possess. This isn't easy, but it's caused me to have a greater appreciation for the people in my life and I've become a lot less cynical and negative.

Give it a shot, and I promise you'll experience the same positive results that I have.

"Empathy is the final stage of true maturity."

take it from Mr. T

LeaderTip - 3

Leadership roles can often be a huge source of insecurity.

"Do they respect me?"
"What are they saying when I'm not around?"
"Am I living up to their expectations?"

It's a difficult place to be in, but trying to 'keep up appearances' doesn't help anyone.

At some point we're taught, we just simply assume, that leaders should never give any sign that they are "unaware" of anything. So we futilely try and act like we know everything, never admitting that we may have some areas outside of our expertise.

A more effective and less frustrating way of leading is to do less telling, and do more asking. Ask questions of the people around you. Yes, it may be admitting that you don't know something, but no one likes a know-it-all anyway.

If you aren't sure of something, ask. If you are pretty sure of something, ask. If you are absolutely, positively sure of something...still ask. Asking = including and including is good.

LeaderTip - 2

It's easy as a leader to become so interested in someone's growth and development, that we can lose sight of them as a person.

It's imperative that we care more about the person than their performance or advancement. Don't get me wrong, we should care about a person's success, but not at the cost of first caring about their well being.

The true test with this is do we write off a person if they "just don't get it" or do we refuse to give up on them? I'm glad that God has refused to give up on me!

LeaderTip - 1

A big frustration for me as a leader has been derived from my insistence to try and lead people from the place where I currently am.

We usually fall into the trap of comparing people to ourselves, and wondering why they aren't more like us. That's not a fair comparison, and it only leads to mutual frustration.

The key to successful leadership is discerning where the people who you are leading currently are, and then discovering a way to lead them where they are meant to be.

snug

I was shopping one time, and I found a t-shirt that I absolutely fell in love with. So I went searching for my size in this wonderful t-shirt, when I discovered that they did not have it. Disappointment filled the store that day, and I walked away shirtless...sort of.

I saw something that I really liked and really wanted, but it didn't fit me.

We see qualities and talents in other people on a daily bases that we would love to have, but the truth is those may fit them, but they don't necessarily fit us.

Don't worry about what someone else excels at, what are you good at? What can you do that you enjoy doing? Once you've figured that out, the real thrill comes when you can learn to blend those things together with others...Wonder Twin Powers Activate!

*by the way, if anyone's good at purchasing t-shirts, you can buy your beloved [pastopher] the one above from HERE...size M

= ]

rush

The holiday season can be hectic for a lot of us. We're rushed, hurried and often stressed trying to get everything 'done.'

This is not only a holiday mode, we tend to live in the rush gear year round. We grow accustomed to living in a blur, and having everything happen immediately, our way right away. This frame of mind is not a huge deal when it comes to making quick decisions about trivial things, but I'm very concerned about how impatient we are in making very important life decisions.

A rushed decision usually leads to regret. I can't think of a good reason to hurry anything, especially when the choice has big potential consequences.

When people are hurried to make a decision it's caused by fear, insecurity or simple impatience. Since when have you heard the words impetuous, rushed or impatient and considered those positive qualities?

Here are 3 BIG reasons why it's best to slow way down and take your time in making important decisions ::

• Love is patient - the divorce rate in America is 53% and teen pregnancy is on the rise again in large part because we have forgotten that this is an essential quality of true love.

• God is patient - a great indicator that something isn't of God is if you have to act on it immediately. He doesn't work that we, nor should we.

• Patience is a virtue - if we're going to live virtuous lives that bring honor to God, we're going to have to bring patience to the table.

We don't get do-overs in life, so take your time and make the right decisions.

alone

People are pretty self-obsessive by nature. Our thoughts, desires, focus and passion constantly drift back to ourselves. That is not only selfish, it's also a form of self-sabotage.

We are created and wired w/ purpose and destiny in mind. God's desire is for us to look beyond our own personal agenda and acquire His.

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything else will be added to you."

Obsessing about ourselves causes us to become solo artists. God's heart is that we come together and accomplish the greatest cause on the planet.

"A house divided can't stand." Which means that a house united can't fall!

In order to achieve great things, we have to become part of something greater than ourselves...the House of God. Let's never do life alone, let's dive into church head first and lend ourselves to making His name famous instead of our own.

they might be lions

I've noticed a trend in my life, God is always faithful, but for some reason He'll wait until the absolute last second to show up...fashionably late.

Sonia and I were talking about the story of Daniel, and how he probably expected God to deliver Him from his circumstance before being shoved into the den of lions. But God showed up in full glory when it counted.

When I'm in the biggest pickle, I'm wanting God to show up to relieve my stress early in the game, but He always shows up when it counts the most.

I encourage you to not give up, God is faithful. Even at your breaking point, He's not finished with you yet.

"having done all to stand...stand."

the exception

God is looking for the exception.

Not the norm, not the typical, not even the standard.

He's after people who actually stand out.
People who don't blend in.
Men and women who's passion is visible.
Young people who aren't obsessed with what everyone else is obsessed with.
A body of believers who refuse to compromise.

It's time for a generation to drop their nets, take up their cross and follow Him with all their worth!

[pc]

Shelf-Life

Should the following qualities ever expire?

• Love
• Loyalty
• Commitment
• Compassion
• Patience

98% of you said 'no' (an educated guess). If the answer is 'no', then why do these qualities tend to have the shelf-life of a banana?

It's important to ask ourselves under what circumstances are those qualities negotiable? Can anyone else sway your loyalty or commitment? Is your love for someone contingent on their current "togetherness"? Does your patience or compassion have a 3 strike rule?

I challenge everyone to consider upping the shelf-life of these qualities, maybe even upgrading it from that of a banana to something like Twinkies.

the world doesn't revolve around me

One of the most pivotal and important personal discoveries we can ever have is a simple and obvious one...the world doesn't revolve around us.

It's a lesson that we're taught from an early age, but it's one that I'm not convinced that people ever truly get.

Based on the arrogance, self-righteousness and selfishness that exudes from the vast majority of the population, it's obvious that we keep excluding ourselves from this truth.

I personally believe that a shallow life of self-interest is the worst example of Christ that I can think of. Jesus was the complete and total opposite of that, yet it's the M.O. of most Christians that I've encountered.

This is a bit of a rant, but it's also a call to action. Let's rise above this miserable standard and let's exemplify Christ's heart of unselfish concern for the people around us.

ahead of the curve

I spent my teen years procrastinating like nobody's business. Why do something now when you can put it off for later right?

That approach doesn't translate over to real-life well. But, old habits die hard.

So the last few years I've determined to work with an empty inbox, instead of a full one.

Where I used to put off a project because "it doesn't need to be done right now," I now do it now so that it doesn't need to be done later.

I find that a lot of people feel stressed, but they don't realize that they're the person causing the stress. If we would just knock everything out as quickly as possible, we would always be ahead of the curve, instead of always playing catch up.

Plan ahead + think ahead + work ahead = get ahead

relax!

forgettable

We all have weaknesses, I'm very aware of mine. One of my main weaknesses is the total absence of short-term memory. One of my main weaknesses...just kidding.

I know the theory is to not worry about weaknesses and concentrate on strengths, but forgetting meetings, losing car keys and showing up late for everything is not acceptable.

I've had to adjust, and learn to compensate for my weakness. I have to write things down, if I don't, I never retain it. Since I've started doing that, I'm rarely late for anything and I typically don't lose or forget things anymore.

If you're perpetually late for things, that's not ok. If you forget important dates, meetings or projects, you can adjust. It's worth the effort.

• write everything down in one central location

• make it a habit to arrive at everything at least 5 minutes early

• don't commit to anything until you've written it down

why is that cool?

Survey any adolescent in America about what they define as cool and you'll find that their definition will tend to lean towards negative themes. Anything that goes against the grain is deemed "counter-culture" and "cool." Even dodging actual happiness and fulfillment is now cool. To be "emo" and live depressed is currently an echelon of cool.

I don't get it!

This is the most heavily medicated generation in history. Depression, teenage pregnancy and suicide on again on the rise.

God needs healthy and positive people to carry His message and help others.

Don' fall victim to the trap of social acceptance or personal diversification over God's best for your life!

ownUP

Ephesians 4:1 "live a life worthy of the calling you have received"

No one deserves salvation, grace or mercy from God, it's a gift. We do, however, have a responsibility for what we do with that salvation, grace and mercy.

We're starting a new series this Wednesday called ownUP, which deals with the topic of how we take advantage of the advantages (and responsibilities) God has given us.

The title has duel-meaning, to own up to our own personal call and to live a life that's purposefully worthy of it. The other meaning is to own the upward movement and progression of church, Christianity and our generation.

This is going to be a dynamic and challenging series, and I'm absolutely ecstatic about what God's going to do in the next couple of weeks!

selective integrity

Part 2 in my "selective" series is selective integrity. Most of us have a hot-button moral issue. There is something that people do around you that makes you want to slap them like their momma. I don't mean to floor you, but someone probably looks at something you do the same way. WHAT???!!!

Our integrity tends to be selective. We'll master disdain for one area of immorality while overlooking the other 50 that slip by us on a daily basis. 

We need to be careful blacklisting people for their shortcomings, because we're definitely in need of some improvement ourselves. 

Let's strive to have personal integrity as opposed to imposing our selective integrity onto others.