If you don’t invest in yourself- who will? What we value we invest in. Time…Relationships… what matters most to us. We invest energy in the projects and hobbies that we value. We invest our money. We invest our opinions in topics that interest us. Without an investment you don’t have any “skin” in the game. Investment secures our commitment to a particular outcome. Many invest in the wrong things in life and so never see any ROI (return on their investment).

Scripture says, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20 AMP). Take time-I should say-Make Time in 2010 to invest in yourself, build yourself up, make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher, by praying in the Holy Spirit…reading God’s Word…and exposing yourself to extraordinary people and places.

I read a story the other day about a man who, at the young age of 12, experienced an epiphany when an unidentified caller left a quote on his parent’s answering machine-it changed his life forever. “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” For days, the young boy couldn’t get this idea out of his mind. At only 12 years of age, he recognized that the kids he was hanging out with were not the ones he wanted influencing his future. So, he went to his mom and dad and pleaded with them to send him to a private school. Four years at Christian school set him on a path that led to a major university where he ended up as a successful business owner at the age of 23. No price is too great to expose yourself to extraordinary people and places. Make 2010 your year of INVESTMENT!

Just a thought,
Carl

All big things start small.

Jesus taught this in Matthew 13:31-32, “He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.’”

The kingdom principle to live by is: Start where you are-Start small.

The oak trees started with an acorn. David, with a single stone, defeated a giant. The grand-faith of Christianity (baby Jesus) began as an embryo in His mother’s womb. All that God gives you is in seed form. You must plant it-Water it. And God will give it the increase. No beginning, no matter how small, is insignificant. “The people should not think that small beginnings are unimportant. They will be happy when they see Zerubbabel with tools, building the Temple.” Zechariah 4:10

The changes in your life, or in your relationships, start small but can end big. Remember: What you have is enough to possess what God has promised. Take it and use it and God will bless it and grow it! This principle can work in reverse-a small misdeed left unchecked can grow into a dreadful habit or worse. King David’s demise in the Old Testament began with a single look left unchecked. Song of Solomon 2:15 “…it’s the little foxes that spoil the vine.”  
 
Just a thought,
Carl

What is your passion? A passion is a holy obsession-one that consumes your thoughts and time. History only remembers those with an obsession. Here are some famous people all remembered for their obsession.
Henry Ford – the automobile
Thomas Edison – inventions
Martin Luther King Jr. – equality
Billy Graham – evangelism
Winston Churchill – liberty
Mother Theresa – the poor
Jesus had a holy obsession, to do the will of His Father. That is why he “went about doing good healing all who were oppressed of the Devil” (Acts 10:38). St. Paul lived with passion, he was in Athens and his “spirit was stirred within him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16). A person with passion will always exceed the person with only a pastime. People who dread going to work every morning, who watch the clock for breaks and closing time need to find their passion. Passionless people will always be at the mercy of their circumstances. If you can’t be passionate about “what” you do then be passionate over “why” you do it, as our TCS teams say, “Colossians 3:23!” If the zest for life has dissipated and your earnestness to pursue your dreams is waning then recover your passion once again.

“Today a new sun rises for me;
everything lives, everything is animated,
everything seems to speak to me of my passion,
everything invites me to cherish it”
Ninon de Lenclos (French courtesan)
Just a thought,
Carl

Jesus was never in a hurry. He took adequate time to prepare for His heavenly assignment. Jesus entered public ministry at the age of thirty. His ministry lasted for three and a half years. His preparation took thirty years. “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). The kingdom principle: how well you prepare will determine how well you perform. From pianists to gymnasts, it’s all about preparation. Champions, who perform well, prepare well. Champions don’t become champions on the playing field; they are recognized on the field. Their becoming happens in their daily routine. The old saying is true “success is when preparation meets opportunity.” Preparation time is invested time in your future success; it is never a waste of time. At every moment something is happening even if it doesn’t seem so. A seed grows in the ground, and its growth is imperceptible to the naked eye – yet the wonder of growth is occurring. Every season for your life is preparing us for the next season that God has for you. Never become impatient. There is a reward in the present season you are in; look for it, more importantly acknowledge it. Seasons of preparation are not delays to future success but paths to that success.
“No man ever reached to excellence in any one art or profession without having passed through the slow and painful process of study and preparation.”
–Horace (Ancient Roman Poet. 65 BC-8 BC)

The most powerful statement ever made about vision is found in Scripture, “Without a vision the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). At the start of a New Year it is necessary to re-vision. Revision according to the dictionary is the act or process of re-examination, revising a new version, a careful reading over for improvement. My favorite definition: seeing again.
How is your vision? What do you need to see again at the beginning of 2010? As Helen Keller famously said, “The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” Vision is the ability to see in our minds God’s destination for our lives-present and future-partial and whole-individual and corporate. It is a mental blueprint from God. Vision equals power because what we set our eyes on will determine our future. Your future is the result of your focus.
See nothing – become nothing
See something – do something
See God’s plan – seize God’s plan

I don’t know who said this, but it is a fitting quote to leave you with, “The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart, this you will build your life by, and this you will become.”

Just a thought,
Carl

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Christ is our most cherished gift of immeasurable value and the immeasurable value of God’s gift speaks of the immeasurable value of you. If we need proof of God’s love (not as if God needs to prove anything to us) it would be demonstrated in Christ’s willingness to lay down His life for you. Indeed the saying is true, “You’re not loved because you are valuable you are valuable because you’re loved.” The simplest and most profound definition of God is found in 1 John 4:8, “God is love.” Knowing God loves you, receiving that love and in return sharing that love is essential to your physical, mental and spiritual well-being (not to mention we are commanded to love one another). The life of Christ is proof that love can defeat hate. May God fill your heart and home with His love this Christmas.
 
You Are God’s Best! (Ephesians 2:10)

 Just a thought

Carl

This past week I received dreadful news about two incidences related to Pastors and their families. I have deep affection for both families. As a pastor myself, I know there are a lot of people hurting these days. While praying about these matters, my heart was prompted about the BIGNESS of God. There are certain words that are not in God’s vocabulary. Take for example the word impossible – that is one word you will never hear God use because He is omnipotent.

Scripture reads, “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

Is there a seemingly impossible situation confronting your life or someone you love? God specializes in the impossible. Impossible is not part of God’s vocabulary. Jesus taught on what is possible. He said, “If you can believe, all things are possible” (Mark 9:23). What is the Lord asking you to believe about your situation? When you have a promise of God in your heart you can act in faith with a confidence that the impossible becomes possible with God. An Olympic gold medal winner once said, “Some of the world’s greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible.” – Doug Larson

This Christmas season-believe-in the impossible.

Many people are familiar with the best-selling inspirational and self-help author Og Mandino. He died in 1996 yet still has over 20 million books in circulation. What many people may not know is that he was a recovering alcoholic who openly admitted he owed his very existence to undeserved acts of grace bestowed upon him. Og wrote about his “secrets” to living a grace-filled life. How different would your life and relationships be if they were more grace-based? Far too many people today are devoid of grace, being burdened with the cares and frustrations of life. Many are being pushed beyond their limits, thus reaching the breaking point.

Mandino wrote the “17 RULES TO LIVE BY.” These are easy to live by and easy to repeat and will lead to what Og termed “guerilla grace.” Rule 10 states: “…treat everyone you meet, friend or foe, loved one or stranger, as if they were going to be dead at midnight.” Great advice! But what if we turned that tactic on its head and lived each day as though it were our last 24 hours on earth? How would this concept change your relationships? Most of the New Testament books have a closing benediction of God’s grace being multiplied to each of us. The Bible speaks of “abounding grace” (Romans 5:20), “abundant grace” (2 Corinthians 4:15) and “sufficient grace” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

May God’s grace be multiplied to you this Christmas season!

Just a thought,

People don’t get it the first time.

“And He (Jesus) took again the twelve,
and began to tell them what things should happen unto Him” (Mark 10:32).

The key word in that verse is “again.” From athletics, to academia, to music we are told by our instructors “do it again” because repetition is the mother of all learning. The more frequent you perform an activity, the more natural it becomes. All teachers know that learning is the result of repetition. It has been stated that you must hear something sixteen times before you really believe it. All advertisers market with this in mind. While in Albuquerque over the holidays, I couldn’t get away from the billboards that litter the freeways-many of which haven’t changed in 15 years. Why? Advertisers know we must continue hearing and seeing something before it sticks – before we respond to it. It takes time to assimilate a message. Do you think telling your spouse you love them once, 25 years ago is sufficient and that you’ll let them know if you change your mind? Repetition can make all the difference.

The Apostle Peter understood this, “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth” (2 Peter 1:12). There was a time when I couldn’t spell dog, or count to 10 but I had patient instructors in my life who repeated the learning process for me until I got it. Giant leaders understand the law of repetition and teach those around them – again and again. People won’t learn everything instantly.

In contemporary, every day business vernacular it is the “follow-up.” Without it, all the painstaking work which has been done will fail in its ultimate pursuit. This is the law that makes for permanence.

Just a thought,
Carl

If you could pick one word to describe what a Christian personality should be like, what word would you choose? Would you say “good?” Or “beautiful?” Or “true?” Or “joyful?” How about “thankful?”

The Bible teaches us to praise God for everything. For everything? Is God serious, “everything?” Yes, everything! We are to praise and thank God continuously, “in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), “at all times and for everything” (Ephesians 5:20), “never anxious but always asking God with a thankful heart” (Philippians 4:6).

Thanksgiving is a time when we all take inventory to recall our individual journeys acknowledging God’s intervention along each and every twist and turn of our pilgrimage. Thanksgiving remains the one holiday that has escaped the heavy hand of consumerism. Apart from turkey farmers, there is not a lot of profit involved in our Thanksgiving customs. What a relief! Essentially, it remains a day when people come together and “count their blessings.” Thanksgiving also seems to be a day when we reflect over the past, considering God’s goodness and faithfulness in the good times and not so good times of the year. This year I am thankful for my family, friends and my home church, Trinity. What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!
Carl