Archive for the ‘Something to think about’ Category

The Christian Marketing Plan

Posted: October 4, 2014 in Something to think about
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Marketing Plan

Has anyone ever accused you of over thinking an idea or a plan? Maybe you were looking at something at work and you analyzed it so deeply that you lost the point in the first place? I am referring to the condition of “paralysis by analysis” sound familiar?

I was recently reading in Luke’s gospel where Christ pushed the disciples out of the proverbial nest and sent them out to spread His gospel and heal the sick in order for Him to determine if they actually learned anything because of the time spent with Him. I think the most interesting portion of these few verses was the fact that God didn’t send his disciples out with the Christian Marketing Plan or lets say, a better planned journey? No, that was not His way. Instead, He sent them out with empty hands.

 

Jesus called the Twelve together. He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to heal sicknesses. Then he sent them out to preach about God’s kingdom and to heal those who were sick.

He told them, “Don’t take anything for the journey. Do not take a walking stick or a bag. Do not take any bread, money or extra clothes. When you are invited into a house, stay there until you leave town. Some people may not welcome you. If they don’t, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town. This will be a witness against the people living there.”

So the Twelve left. They went from village to village. They preached the good news and healed people everywhere. Luke 9:1-6 NIV

 

Why would Christ ask His disciples to begin ministry this way? Why would He specifically send his disciples out and tell them NOT to bring anything, or pack anything, but rather just go? He gave them advice and then told them to depart. He didn’t send them to classes or make them read and test out on the basic tenants of the gospel. He also didn’t load them up with the 5 steps to salvation books.

Does that sound like a great marketing plan for spreading the gospel to you?

Well, that’s the interesting part because to you and me, Christ’s marketing plan doesn’t look like much of anything that would ever succeed, let alone thrive for a couple thousand years. But as I have mentioned here before in this blog, God does not think like you and me. Christ had a very different idea in mind for His disciples while out on the road. He didn’t want them to over think any planning or preparation for this journey but rather fully rely upon Him for the strength. He didn’t want them to focus on the worry that comes from planning the itinerary, but rather focus entirely on Him for guidance.

If I were to analyze myself, I would say I’m a guy who is proactive and more of a planner than not…I do tend to spend certain amounts of my time in preparation for whatever challenge I’m about to take on and I would also say that in some cases, I probably do over think and over plan more than I should.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me here. Christ is NOT coming down on planning or planners like you and me, but rather he’s making a distinction between the “action” versus the “preparation”. In reality, all of us, during any planning process can over think something and then experience the aforementioned paralysis by analysis.

My point is simple, when it comes to just getting out there and doing something or saying something for Him,

Christ’s plan for us is very simple;

JUST DO IT…

Don’t hesitate

Don’t plan

Don’t worry

Just do

All He wants is your “doing”.

Our only job is to trust in Him exclusively and rely upon Him to take care of our needs by providing us the necessary words when we are required to speak. That is exactly the same advice He gave to his disciples.

He just told them to go with the clothes on their back and their empty hands.

To some of you who will read what I am saying you will think this is absolute craziness. There is NO way you would or could ever consider anything I am writing here. Without a plan, it is NOT happening…

Sounds like you may be paralyzed?

All I am asking from you is to just think about the real Christian Marketing Plan…

When the opportunities present themselves…just go…just speak…and He will take care of the rest…

 

Until next time guys…

 

Choose this day who you will serve…

Posted: September 22, 2014 in Something to think about
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When was the last time you stood your ground in a right vs. wrong argument? (And guys, I am not referring to an argument with your spouse) I am talking about when you may have faced a situation where either Gods reputation or yours was on the line and the only one present to defend this situation was you…then what? It will undoubtedly take courage on your part but isn’t strength and courage what you are about?

Stoddard Kennedy was a chaplain in WWII. He was often thrust into the front lines of the battle, ministering in places of great danger to his life. One day, as his battalion was moving through France, he wrote a letter to his son, who was about 10 years old. This is what he wrote him;

The first prayer I want my son to learn to say for me is not God, keep Daddy safe but, God, make Daddy brave. And if he has hard things to do, make him strong to do them.

Son, life and death don’t matter. But right and wrong do. Daddy dead is Daddy still, but Daddy dishonored before God is something to awful for words. I suppose you would like to put a bit in about safety too, and Mother would like that, I’m sure. We’ll put that in afterwards, for it really doesn’t matter nearly as much as doing what is right.

This man had a strong foundation about right and wrong and in very few words, conveyed these strong principles to his young son. Why would this man feel this way? “Daddy dishonored before God is something to awful for words” do you believe that for yourself? Do you, or anyone you know, believe this way? Why does it matter anyway?

Because of this simple reason:

If you are a disciple of Christ and you believe that He is the Lord of your life, then simple principles of right and wrong are the foundation your faith is built upon. Listen to the words of Joshua, the famous Jewish warrior as he addressed the children of Israel:

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day who you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

Just like Stoddard Kennedy, Joshua made a huge stand in front of the entire nation of Israel and simply said, “MAKE A CHOICE!, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” In both of these examples, the person took a stand, and followed what they knew in their heart was right…following God.

One of the greatest examples of standing strong in the face of sure death is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:16-18, who would not bow down to the idol set up by the king for every one to worship. If you remember the story, because they would not bow down to that idol, they were thrown into the fiery furnace but they were not killed. In fact, when they came out, there was no smell of flame on them.

Standing in front of certain death, these young men stood and did what was right in the eyes of God and he rewarded them with their lives and ultimately, King Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed that no one in the kingdom can speak wrongly about the God of Israel.

Guys, I want to leave you with this final verse so you can understand that if you decide NOT to take a stand in your life, God also took this into consideration as well when James said:

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. James 1:6

Do not waver. God is very clear on this. Take a stand for yourself and your family and then stick to it. Be strong and be clear who you serve…otherwise you will be like that wave of the sea…tossed back and forth…with NO SOLID GROUND…

 

Until next time Guys…

 

 

Hidden Christians

Posted: September 1, 2014 in Something to think about
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I recently watched the major motion picture “Gods Not Dead” where the plot was a bitter college professor who tried to push all of his freshman students to proclaim that God is dead before his class would begin each semester. He asked that each of them write, “God is dead” on a sheet of paper, then sign it, and turn it into him. In the story, one of his incoming freshman students could not do this because of his faith, which prompted this angry professor to challenge him to prove the existence of God.

From a Christian perspective, I thought the apologetics were very powerful in the movie and frankly refreshing to hear. Moreover, to understand that this was a movie released to the masses in secular theaters was very exciting to see in this current day. But if you know me and have read this blog, you know that something stood out above all else when I watched this film…and that was the verses quoted below from Matthew 10:32-33 in which Christ said,

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”

Guys, this one hit me like a brick in the head because I know, like you, I am surrounded by hidden Christians who never say anything to anyone about their faith. For those of you who are a light in this world, this post isn’t for you. This particular one is for the rest of us Christian guys who exist in silence before one another and before the almighty God. I am speaking to those who go about their days focused on their “busy-ness” with the light that is supposedly inside of them, is hidden deep inside where no one can see.

My point is that our God is real, no matter how you and I feel about Him, and in my mind I believe that as each day passes, is one more day we will never get back again. For Christians, God continually places opportunities in front of us to share and be an influence for Him…no matter where we are…These are chances just for us. For you and me. They can be opportunities to just say an encouraging word or something more…

Guys…God never intended for you to be undercover. You are not a spy for Christ in this world; you are one of His disciples and its time for you to be a voice for Him rather than silent. I am NOT trying to guilt you or scare you but Christ’s words are very clear in the verse above… But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Please…please think about those words. They are for you and for me…Do not find yourself in that position someday…

Until next time Guys…

Sins Destructive Purpose

Posted: August 23, 2014 in Something to think about
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All of us have had friends or even family that chose to go a different way other than Christianity and for those people in our lives, we continue to pray that they will someday soon, see the light that is waiting for them…In today’s post, I want you to focus on that choice they made and why they made it? Here is what I mean; what was so attractive about sin that made them change their course in life and move towards it, rather than Christ? Now you say, “they didn’t choose sin, they chose (insert choice here)” In reality though, if you did not choose Christ, then you did choose sin. Here is why I think that way…

I have titled today’s post Sins Destructive Purpose because I wanted you to have a better understanding through symbolism, of what sin is and what sin does…

What Sin is:

Sin is dark, Sin is thick, and Sin is dense

In my real life, I work with ink in the printing world and there we have what we call regular black ink we use all the time, but we also have something called dense black for specific applications. Dense black is filled with an overabundance of black pigment to make it ultra-black and highly opaque. You cannot see through dense black and therefore, light cannot pass through. One more point, if you get dense black on your hands, it doesn’t clean off…it takes several times of cleaning to lose the severe stain it leaves.

Please understand that sin is the same way, it’s filled with the darkness of the worst kind and it has a disgusting ability to stick to us. In fact, it’s like dense black like I mentioned above, because even when just a small amount gets on you, sin just doesn’t come off.

Sin has an Odor

Without being completely disgusting, you can think of the worst experience you have ever had that involves smell…road kill, skunk, changing a diaper…the smell of sin is far beyond our ability to imagine. It infects, permeates, and overwhelms an environment like nothing else. Sin is a “senses overwhelming” experience…that CANNOT be hidden. If sin is near, and you are tuned into its presence as a Christian, it cannot hide. However, believe this or not, the stink of sin is attractive at some point…otherwise why would so many people go that way?

What Sin does:

Sin is Alive

Sin is a disease that understands you…and you are a fool if you think otherwise…sin is driven to destroy. Sin’s only purpose is destruction. Satan is behind sin…he controls its desire to seek, hunt, and attack and YOU are in his crosshairs. When you move, it moves. When you think…it stops to wait to see what you are going to do…then it reacts. Sin is the ultimate in negative interactivity…

Guys, After reading the above, you probably feel like you need to take a shower but I felt impressed today to share the reality of what sin really is so you are prepared for defense. The bottom line is right now, you have the same sin as I described above, in you or on you and if you don’t do something about it, well, I think you know what ultimately will happen.

Let me briefly share with you an experience that Christ had and how it moved him when he encountered sin. There is a story in the New Testament about a friend of Christ that was ill and then died shortly after that. His name was Lazarus. Jesus was in another city and when he got word of his friend’s illness, he delayed another two days before leaving (you will have to read the story to understand why he did this) but when Jesus did arrive, he encountered a great deal of sadness and weeping people that leads us to the verse I want to share with you:

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. John 11:33

In this instance, why was Jesus so deeply moved in spirit and troubled? After looking into this further, I found that Jesus was grieved and angered by all the misery resulting from sin, Satan, and death.

The anguish He saw around him saddened him greatly, but it actually made Him angry even more. Jesus hates sin for all of the reasons I showed you above because of what it does to you and me…He hates sin. And guess what? He wants you to hate sin as well…Look at Hebrews 1:9;

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

I am not going to leave you hanging though…sin can be defeated through the redeeming power of what Christ did on the cross. All of the nastiness I described above can be wiped away by simply submitting to Christ’s plan for you and most importantly, asking for forgiveness…

Today’s title was Sins Destructive Purpose; which means, God has a plan for you, but so does Satan and for any of us to think otherwise is certain death. Guys, I care about you enough to be truthful to you and to share what I think is important for you in your own spiritual lives. Satan seeks to devour and God seeks to save…is sin really that attractive when you know what happens at the end of life’s story?

You get to make the choice…

I choose to eternal life…what say you?

Until next time guys.

A little dose of Responsibility…

Posted: August 16, 2014 in Something to think about
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responsibility

Responsibility. Have you ever considered where it comes from? Is it an inherited trait we get from our parents or grand parents? Is it inside of our ancestral DNA? Why do some people “feel” responsibility and others do not? Why do some kids learn it and others do not? Why do some adults learn it and other do not? Responsibility. It’s not a difficult word but it can be even more difficult to carry out. Webster defines responsibility as:

The state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one’s power, control or management.

This is my definition:

Responsibility is doing something we don’t want to do at a time when we don’t want to do it…but we do it anyway.

All I know is it seems to be lacking in this world today and I would like to know where it went? You see in my mind, without responsibility what we know and love is changing into something we don’t know and won’t love. Now I know that responsibility is not the only characteristic that is missing or fading in this world today but it’s on my mind and I wanted to write about it to kind of get it off of my chest.

Like you maybe, I wasn’t born into riches…I wasn’t poor either but yet I was taught to take care of what I had and make it last. I was taught to pick up after myself, eat everything on my plate and most importantly, make sure those daily chores were finished before I got to do anything I wanted to do…Hmmmm…I guess I was taught to be responsible.

Now I will tell you that this post isn’t a knock on parenting or those various skill sets that some of us have and some of us don’t…this is a comment on values, and what we all think is important to cultivate in our family. In my opinion, responsibility is a value that is critical for not only for family peace, but success in life.

I had someone tell me the other day that what I was asking him to do “was not his job”. I informed him that this particular task is ALL of our responsibility…everyone who works here must participate in this task for this company to be successful. He just looked at me like I was an alien.

Is that really what we’ve come to as a society where responsibility is as foreign to us as the Edsel automobile from years ago? (Seriously, Google…Edsel) Look…I am NOT a self-help guy where I will give you a 5 step program to get responsibility back into your lives…that is NOT what this post is about. All I want you to do is to think about…does this matter to you? Is responsibility important to you or your wife? Do you want it to be important to your children? If the answer is yes, I am simply suggesting you act by trying to put up some “responsibility guardrails” in your life for you and your family…right now.

I can guarantee that you will be glad you did…and so will your kids…although they probably wont tell you that…

Until next time guys…

 

 

 

Can there be Power in Weakness…?

Posted: June 9, 2014 in Something to think about
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Most of you who read this blog are guys and so I am going to give you an all guys blog today. So here we go…

Guys like strength. We like war movies. We like Captain America movies. We like old-fashioned football when a running back breaks 10 tackles and scores the game winning touchdown. Strength is something we can identify with as a man. We find ourselves measuring each other up all the time. That pick up game of basketball against the new guy or when we see some huge muscle-bound guy in the gym…we are always looking at strength…and deep down inside, we like it.

I believe that is part of the reason WHY we do this is because we have always done it. Throughout centuries, countries have fought other countries by using their strength to overcome one another. Men have always done the same thing. When you pick the starting lineup on any team you are on, for any sport, you always take the strongest, or at least the ones you think give you the best chance to win…

Strength. If you are a guy well then it is as a part of you as the air you breathe.

So here is my question to you…if strength is who we are as a human race, then why didn’t Jesus Christ use it when He came to this earth? In fact, I submit to you that rather than use Power in Strength, He used exactly the opposite…He used Power in Weakness. Think about it. He didn’t come on a horse with a broad sword, he came as a baby, in a simple stable. He wasn’t victorious in a battle while here on earth like we would identify with, instead, He went to the cross and died.

What kind of strength is that? Is that something we can all rally behind on the battlefield…Power in Weakness? Again, I submit to you…yes…

As I have said to you before, God doesn’t think like us. His plans will always be different from anything we would come up with…Moreover, the Apostle Paul wrestled with this very same question when writing to the Corinthians in chapter 1:18-31 when he said,

Jews demand signs (miracles) and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

And then Paul goes onto say:

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

 But the question is still why? Why would God choose to proliferate the gospel using Power in Weakness rather than Strength, something we can all identify with?

The answer lies with Paul and his “thorn in the flesh” issue. You see Paul pleaded with God to take away what many think was that he was partially blind on 3 separate occasions and each time he was told no. Finally Christ responded to him directly by saying:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Did you pick that up? Christ’s power is made PERFECT in our weakness…which is completely opposite of how we “humans” would have created things had we been involved. God’s plan all along was to create a relationship with us whereby we are reliant upon Him for our needs. His plan was never to use strength to overcome all odds and capture our salvation like we see in the movies. God simply says trust in me and I will take care of the rest.

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 Look guys, I get it. This blog does not have the climax that maybe you thought was coming…and honestly, I find myself identifying with strength still…but the point is, part of my journey in my walk with Him involves learning more about Him and why God uses power in weakness primarily when dealing with us.

Bottom line is this…

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 1:27-31

Brute strength will not get you to heaven…but a humble and pure heart before God is sure a great start…

Until next time guys…

 

 

In God we Trust

Posted: March 2, 2014 in Something to think about
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I found this story recently and I enjoyed it because it is a simple reminder for all of us to Trust God. I have written a great deal on IronManStrength blog about keeping our eyes focused on Him while in the midst of our storm. We have to trust in Him, no matter what we see going on around us…and as you will see from this simple story, sometimes God uses small, insignificant things to remind us to do just that…trust in Him. I don’t know who wrote this and it does appear to be a few years old, but I hope you receive its message as I did…

Several years ago, a friend of mine, and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at her husband’s employers home. My friend, Claudia, was nervous about the weekend because the boss was very wealthy with a very large home on the river as well as cars that cost more than her house.

The first day and evening went well, and Claudia was very happy to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The employer was very generous as a host and took them to only the finest restaurants. Claudia knew she would never have this opportunity to indulge in this type of extravagance again so she was enjoying herself immensely. As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Claudia and her husband when he stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Claudia wondered if she was supposed to pass him because there was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, he reached down and picked up the penny and he held it up and smiled while putting it inside his pocket as if he had found some great treasure. How crazy! What need did this wealthy man have for a single penny? What would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her and finally she could stand it no longer so she casually mentioned that her daughter had a coin collection and asked if the penny he found had some value?  A smile crept across the man’s face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before so what was the point of this?

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“Look at it,” he said, “read what it says”

She read the words aloud, “United States of America”

“No, not that read further.”

“One cent?”

“No, keep reading.”

“In God we trust?”

“YES!”

“And?”

“And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on an old coin. You see, whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it? God drops a message in front of me telling me to trust Him and who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I stop and pray to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick up the coin as a response to God; that I DO trust in Him. For a short time at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is Gods way of starting a conversation with me…Lucky for me, pennies are plentiful.”

When I was out today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up and realized that I had been worrying over things that I had no control over. I looked down and read the words, “In God we Trust” and began to smile. “Yes God, I get the message!”

I don’t know about you, but it seems like I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months…

I am very thankful that God is patient…

 

I hope you enjoyed…Until next time guys…

Christians are Just Hypocrites…

Posted: February 9, 2014 in Something to think about
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I had a great conversation with a friend of mine recently who was working very hard at making the point with me as to how Christianity can actually work when all Christians are just hypocrites? He pointed out that every time he sees a Christian, they are failing miserably at living out their stated beliefs rather than conforming to more of what Christ is all about and he can’t understand anyone would do that? If Christians are truly committed to Christ, why do they fail?

The objective of this post is to summarize the answer I gave him in order for all of you to see if you agree with me in my breakdown of his question. Any constructive feedback is welcome here.

“First of all”, I stated, “The failure of some people to live according to their stated beliefs does not invalidate Jesus’s claims to be God.” I wanted to first separate the issue…we have Christianity and the claims of Christ and then we have all of us, who are working each day to be more like Him and to his point, failing. Just because some Christians fail to live out Christianity in their personal life does not mean that Christianity and what Jesus claimed was false. Christianity is a personal choice that one makes inside their own heart and the more that person allows God to change them, the more they begin to conform into a more “Christ-like” person. In reality, everyone is different and each Christian, who has allowed God into their lives, has done so at varying degrees and therefore is experiencing God at different levels.

Secondly, the Bible is also very clear that Jesus alone is perfect, and it is honest about the failures and weaknesses of His followers. Remember these were the guys who lived and worked right next to Him. His disciples in the book of Mark were constantly making mistakes and even arguing amongst themselves as to who was the greatest among them. Each and every day, we go about our day working towards perfection but fully knowing we will never reach that goal.

Thirdly, Jesus taught that there will always be false teachers and fakes (Mark 13:6, 21-22) who pretend they are Christians but who are not and this is still true today. There are false teachers among us working to eliminate Christians from the ranks of Christ. False teachers pretend to be something that they are not, and that alone can cause anyone who does not have a strong faith in Christ to fall. Those people aren’t hypocrites, they are Christians with no roots in Christ and the allure of their former life was/is simply too strong for them to resist.

Finally, I told him, “Everyone is a hypocrite in some sense”. No matter how hard we try, we are sinners and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 2:23). That fact alone can cause some professed Christians to sometimes be hypocrites…but Jesus calls those who follow Him to change and grow more like Him; that is our responsibility as one who follows Christ. As I told my friend, don’t be discouraged if you have met some Christians who are not yet perfect. They will never be on this side of eternity.

We are all just a work in progress…

Until next time guys…

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