You Ain't All That!

As I've been working on some ideas to use in future speaking engagements, I've developed this notion of how "fooled" we become about who we are. Now, this "foolishness" falls into 2 categories:

1) We become convinced that we are way BETTER than we really are.
2) We become convinced that we are way WORSE than we really are.

I'm here to say to you that, "You ain't all that." Hang with me on this one for a just another minute...

Why Men Hate Going To Church by David Murrow

In this book, an updated and edited version of David Murrow’s 2005 original, the author addresses the issue of why men are missing in our churches, especially the Evangelical church. He contrasts the “tone” of churches and how they take on more feminine traits than male traits. While men use terms like “boring”, and “irrelevant” when describing their distaste for church, Murrow offers more detailed examples of how churches, and even Christ Himself, are depicted with mostly feminine traits, and that this leads men to find other outlets for their more natural tendencies toward competition, strength, and even conflict.

I find Murrow’s views very enlightening. Moreover, they align with much of my personal discoveries about men (including me!) that indicate men are in pursuit of many “masculine” things because of their fear of being labeled as too effeminate, or not “manly” enough. In fact, Murrow’s views are another example of how the “absence” of men from many of our most important institutions (church, school, and the home, for instance) is actually promoting an increase in the “feminizing” of our culture.

I also found the book an easy read overall. For those who like proof, Murrow provides significant data to back up his assertions concerning men and the church. For those who are concerned with adequate Biblical grounding, Murrow cites the Bible multiple times as he describes the conflict we’ve created in the church between Jesus the “Lamb” and Jesus the “Lion”.

I recommend this book to anyone researching the issue of men and the church, or who are pursuing further understanding of how to reach more men in this generation for the Kingdom.

Disclosure Note: I obtained “Why Men Hate Going To Church” from Thomas Nelson publishing via their “Booksneeze” program which offers bloggers and other reviewers books for free in exchange for a published review. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for the book, and the views expressed in this review are my own.

Need A Mirror?

I'm growing weary of "men" who use their Social Media platform to SCREAM about the idiocy of others. Such efforts to proclaim your political, spiritual, intellectual, or idealistic superiority accomplishes little. Instead, your actions give evidence of a man running...running as fast as he can from the mirror, and from God!

You see, I heard a man I respect say that when God shows up, He begins by revealing things. Things about ourself become evident to...OURSELF! And, that is a terrifying proposition to many a man.

My friend, I urge you to MAN-UP, GROW A PAIR, and face your greatest fear by letting God show you who you are. Because, I believe that only when we face who we are will He be able to then show us who He wants us to be. I'm now on that journey toward who He wants me to be, and every day brings new illumination. Won't you join me?

Hey! Need a mirror?

Do I REALLY Want to Spend Time with Him?

To my dear friends,
I read this in a devotional some time ago. A simple question asked by a grandson, to his grandfather only a couple of days before he passed away. What a profound answer this was for me today. Hope it helps inspire and encourage you.

"Daddy Ray," I asked him, "every time I spent the night at your house, I saw you read your Bible; you must have read everything in there a dozen times over the years. What keeps you desiring to read your Bible everyday at this point in your life?"

I was waiting for a profound answer, but in his gentle and sincere voice he responded, "I guess I just wanted to spend more time with Jesus."

Sorry, friends, but that IS a profound answer for me. If God gave me His Word to communicate with me, and I don’t invest in reading it (and, sadly, I do not very much), do I really want to spend time with him?

May we all seek Him and His presence (and His WORD) more today!

I love you, friends,

Robby

A Very Rambling Blog on FEAR

FEAR - It cripples. It confuses. It delays. It destroys.

So many people live their lives in fear. Worse, so many CHRISTIANS live their lives in fear!

Fear causes us to not do things that we KNOW are best for us, our family, our organization. Fear us used by Satan to hold us back in so many ways. Fear blinds us to the truth. Fear rules our lives!

But, what defeats fear? What overcomes fear? What wins over fear?

LOVE

Perfect love casts out all fear.

Love sees right, does right.

Love commits to TRUTH and does not let FEAR hide the truth. Love insures that others needs, wants, desires are put ahead of our own.

One final thought: IT'S ALL A CHOICE!

What are you choosing today? Will you let fear win? Or, will you choose love? The kind of love that risks, trusts, and - most of all - puts others first? Our Heavenly Father put us first with His love when He sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross so that we could overcome fear, and spend eternity with Him. Should we not put others first so we can live in love (instead of fear) for this short time we have here on earth?

Face your fears, and choose to LOVE today!

Is There A Change Coming?

A quote on Twitter today caught my eye. It comes from Shannon Self, High School Pastor at Longhollow Baptist Church in the Nashville area (@Self24):

"Everything will change when your desire to move on exceeds your desire to hold on."

What a truth! My only add is that even when we sense change could be coming, we MUST keep our desires (either of the above types) held captive to God's empowering guidance. It is HE that truly loves us, truly knows us, and truly has our best interest in mind after all!

How about you? Contemplating change today? Have you really laid it before the Throne? Really?

Do that, and I believe peace in the midst of the storm of change will be yours, my friend!

Is Leadership Dead?

I just received Jeremie Kubicek's new book "Leadership Is Dead - How Influence Is Reviving It".  Having watched this book come together, and after reading many blogs and other notes from Jeremie, I can't wait to devour this book! The first 2 chapters were consumed upon opening this morning, and that only took about 10 minutes or so! This is going to be an awesome journey.

More importantly, Jeremie is teaching the concept of Leadership being about others. I continue to try to apply this theory in my own sphere of influence, and hope that those of you who lead others (which more of you do than you realize, by the way), will get this book and let Jeremie "prop up your arms" in the battle to make this life about more than ourselves.

Thank you, Jeremie, for the challenge, and the encouragement!

Peace...

Managing vs. Leading: Does It Matter?

Many Leadership writers have tackled the topic of Management vs. Leadership. Most, though certainly not all, see them as two distinct disciplines. A CEO I sat with recently told me that while they are different, he believes that successful executives develop strong capabilities in both areas.  I suppose he's right to a certain extent, but it seems to me that I see a far greater void in skilled LEADERS than I do in functional MANAGERS.  Let me explain.

Who Are You Telling Your Troubles To?

I wanted to share something that I read this morning. It comes from a golf-oriented daily devotional called Links Daily Devotional by Links Players International. The author, Jeff Hopper, and their website information are provided below. Now to the point...

Jeff discusses how critical we can become of the Psalms writers, and their seemingly obsessive way of moaning, complaining, and even asking for their enemies to be destroyed via their psalms.  He cites the fact that we could easily see the Psalms as self-centered, and self-serving. But, then, Jeff brilliantly reminds of a truth about all Spririt-inspired writing. Read on...

"The writers of Psalms laid open their minds and hearts before God. They knew that He already knew what this life was all about. And what it was and is all about without Him is temptation and injustice and weariness and decay. That's the truth about life. So they called spades spades and fools fools and evil evil. But most important of all is that they did this before God. They figured that while He already knew all this ugly stuff about the lives they were living, He was also the only way out. Who else were they supposed to talk to about their misery?

"Which leads us back to golf. When golf has you-know-whatted today, and I'm a danger to the children in my neighborhood because of the way I'm driving home, I don't really know whether God wants to hear it. It's golf, after all. But I do know this: He wants to hear about anything and everything that brings agony to my bones and anguish to my soul. He wants to hear it because in our saying it, we are calling on the only One who can actually do something about it. By this we do Him honor."

Now, friends, it may not be golf that is creating your angst, frustration, depression, or dejection today. It may be far more life-urgent and/or life-altering issues. But, how much MORE should you and I take those things to "the only One who can actually do something about it?"

May we all turn all the more TO Him, and not lean on our own understanding. Want to please God today? Take Him your burdens in a spirit of belief that He knows about them, cares about them, and can DO SOMETHING about them!
--
Above quote authored by Jeff Hopper and Copyright 2011 Links Players International
February 24, 2011

The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.

I Believe! Do you? Really?

Many of us worshipped with songs, and prayer, and fellowship yesterday. Moreover, we sat and nodded, said "Amen" and even clapped as the truths of the Bible were laid before us.

But, now it's a new day. It's Monday, and we're on our way through another week. Some are traveling while others move through the routine that is their week.

What about you, friend? Will it be another ROUTINE week? Will you "survive" or THRIVE? With all the reasons the enemy tries to use to make me treat this week as mundane, routine, or even depressing, I'm ready to say, "No more! I won't let you dampen or tarnish what God has made for His purpose!"

Try this with me today...Let's praise and thank God for His indescribable gift BETWEEN the Sundays this week! Let's claim the victory and freedom that is ours in Christ.

Remember, circumstances are just that...CIRCUMSTANCES! God's love for us, however, is ETERNAL! Claim that today, Believer! Then, go out and live like it!

Are You Frustrated, Leader?

I was reminded today that leading is all about having the right frame of mind (or is it heart?) about others. Trying to DO things to lead others instead of first BEING SOMEONE who leads others will usually lead to frustration.

Are you a frustrated leader? Does leading feel hard? Perhaps the first place to look for help is inward. Ask yourself some of these questions:

Do I really value others? Do I convey that?

Is leading well important to me for what it does for others, or for what I will receive from it?

Can I REALLY be happy watching someone else succeed? Even if I get NO credit for whatever role I may have had in that success?

I hope these questions help you serve and/or lead well. Let me know what you think!

What Is God Up To?

Do you ever wonder what God is up to? I mean, don't you? You see, when God is up to something in a place (a family, a church, a town) it's not always overtly apparent. And yet, don't we know and see when God is up to something?

God is moving in my church these days in some unmistakable, and remarkable ways. From our worship, to the teaching of our pastor, to the life change I am observing right before my eyes, He is clearly at work! I'm not just talking about new converts - though we are baptizing multiples every week - Praise the Lord! I'm talking about solid, long-time, and mature Christians that I am seeing make steps to address things, or showing evidence of transformations of the heart and attitude. And, I have to say, it is really a WAY COOL thing to see God work!

How about you? Are you seeing God work? Perhaps, like me, you are seeing Him work around you? But, are you paying attention to what He is (or is not) accomplishing IN you? For our sincerest praise to ring off the walls of Heaven, shouldn't it come from a heart that is being molded and shaped by Him? I'm experiencing that in my life, and it is an amazing ride!

Again, I'll ask...How about you? Come join me by looking for what God is up to IN YOU, then praise Him for all He is doing... IN and AROUND you!

Blessings!

God's greatest truths are too enormous to be grasped...but they can be EXPERIENCED! - Gloria Gaither

What's a "Funk"? Feeling "Wasted"?

Ever been in a "funk"? I know I have...even today. But, what's that supposed to mean, anyway? Is it not feeling well? Is it not doing well? Is it wasted time? Is it not caring about anything (or many things) for a season?

I searched the word "waste" in the Bible. I found John 6:12 where, after feeding 5 thousand men (plus any women and children with them), Jesus had the disciples gather the leftovers. He told them to "Let nothing be wasted." Do you think that is an appropriate charge for us? Hey, you...you there that He created..."LET NOTHING BE WASTED!"

You see, just as Jesus created the miracle of feeding 5 thousand men and those with them, and even did the same another time for 4 thousand men plus, he has also created you! You, yes YOU are His creation! Have you contemplated the meaning of that today? Do you realize how precious you are?

If Jesus didn't want 12 baskets of leftover food to be wasted, how much more does He desire for our lives to not be wasted? Perhaps you will join me even yet today in renewing your strength, mounting up as on the wings of an eagle, and go...go forth...go on...go out...just go...

AND BE NOT WASTED!