A few weeks ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of spending the weekend together in Washington DC. Other than dropping by to go to a concert at Constitution Hall or a play at the Warner Theatre, I really had experienced DC since the days of elementary school field trips to DC. Being born and raised in B-More we were taught at very young age to despise DC (just kidding).
During our recent trip, we were able to truly “meet” DC. We traveled on foot, on the Metro and by cab, [since a friend of the family volunteered to both drop us off at our hotel (that Friday) and to pick us up (on that Sunday) so that we could relax and avoid some of the outrageous parking fees]. Throughout the weekend, we visited some of the museums that we remembered exploring as kids, walked through the Mall, ‘refueled” (one of us did literally…and it wasn’t the writer of this piece) at Ben’s Chili Bowl and experienced some fine dining along with the nightlife that is DC,
As a gesture of appreciation, we invited the friend of the family that took us to DC to join us for dinner on Friday. As we dined, at the Utopia Bar and Grill we conversed about many different subjects. One topic that we discussed was my wife’s desire to replace our black leather furniture that is in our basement “family room” (which we hardly use). While the furniture does not show its age, it is over 12 years old and my wife said that when we replace it she wanted to go with something a little more comfortable and “cushy” like the furniture in our family room on the main floor. I agreed. I want some nice comfortable furniture just like what I already have upstairs.
After listening, the friend, who is gifted in the area of interior design, chimed in. She said something that I found intriguing. She asked about what the “function” of the downstairs family room will be. She suggested something that had a “lounge” feel or a place of totally relaxation which would address a need that is not being met by any other room in the house. She said that if we are not currently using the family-room in the basement, just replacing the furniture is not going to draw us to use that room any more than we do now. In essence she said that every room needs a function and has to meet a need or else it is essentially useless and will become an afterthought.
This conversation made me look at myself in a new light. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul talks about believers being like the Body of Christ…each one working together with a different function, but with a single purpose, which is to carry out the will of the “Head of the Body” (which is Christ). Our primary goals are to bring glory to God and to expand the kingdom.
Similarly, we are also like rooms in a house. We each have a function and when we operate outside of what we are called to do we either create chaos or we become useless because we are trying to merely duplicate the “need meeting” function that is being carried out by someone else (just like my basement “family room” which was a mere copy of my main floor family room”). What would you think if you visited someone’s house and they had a washer machine in the kitchen where an oven and range was supposed to be and a bedroom set in the dining room instead of a table and chairs?
I believe that people who have not yet decided to follow Christ are like homebuyers who in the market to buy the “house”. They are checking out the “house”, inspecting the “rooms” (the believers) and making sure that the house is going to enhance their life experience. Some buyers are sold immediately by just checking out one room…for some it’s the kitchen…other it is the master bedroom. Some people have to be “sold” on every room before they are “sold” on the “house” as a whole. Most if not all people would be completely turned off if at the “Open House” the whole house was in disarray or if what was advertised as a 25 room house was a house with 24 bathrooms and one kitchen.
The point is this. What room are you? What is your function and are you carrying it out or have you diminished your value and your “selling” points because you are trying to be a “room” that you were not designed to be? God is the ultimate interior designer. He designed you for a purpose and you play a vital role in attracting those who are in the market for a “home”. What will you do differently today to be a part of the process of making sure that the buyer “closes the deal”?
It’s Open House.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Bluetooth
One feature that I optioned for in my latest vehicle is a Bluetooth integrated radio that would allow me to receive and to make call in a safe “handsfree” manner. It is a very convenient function as it has built in caller ID and is voice activated. Whenever my vehicle is on and my phone is in range, the car automatically connects to the phone as indicated by a symbol (which resembles a phone) that appears on the central display of the dashboard. This “icon” is a reminder to me that 1… I have my phone and 2…the system is working properly. I have come to trust and rely on my “Bluetooth Radio”.
My reliance on this technology, came in handy last week as I was leaving for work. Like most people, my phone (smartphone/”celly”/lifeline/”text machine”..etc) is an essential part of my wardrobe. It is a way for me to stay connected to family, friends, co-workers and the rest of the world in general, so you can imagine the “mini-panic attack” I had when as I was sitting in my car going through my mental checklist of tasks that I needed to do or items that I needed to take with me for the day, and I could not locate my phone. All I had on my hip was an empty phone case.
I began to backtrack…mentally and physically. The bedroom, the kitchen, the family room….my “Text-Machine” was nowhere to be found. As I was giving up hope, a still voice told me to go back to the car and just go to work. I listened and to my delight, as I started the car, the Bluetooth phone connection icon appeared in my dash. “What a relief!!!” I thought, “Now I know that my phone is in the car.” Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of the saga. I spent the next 10 minutes looking in the car for the phone, but I came up empty. I decided that I had to move on with my day and that I had to rest assure that the phone was somewhere in the car and that I would eventually find it.
This experience seemed to be linked to a recent Bible study that I was a part of. The study focused on how we should not let the unexplainable get in the way of our acceptance of the undeniable. In other words, there are things that we can’t explain (and may never be able to explain), but there are also undeniable truths that we must accept and live our lives by.
This is sooooo true as it relates to our relationship with God and His will for our lives. I can not explain all the mysteries of God. Why He does what He does. What He is going to do down to the smallest of decisions. I can’t explain it (if I could then I would be God). I can however rest on the undeniable power that I have personally experienced through my undeniable relationship with Him. I can attest to His delivering power and His unconditional Love. I can’t explain all the “why’s” but their reality is undeniable.
I fight each day to not let what I don’t know, hinder my faith. For if I knew it all, there would be no need for Faith. Just as in my experience with my “lost” phone, while I could not explain exactly where my phone was, I had an “undeniable” indicator that my phone was there, so I didn’t allow my life to come to a complete and permanent standstill as a result of the “unexplainable” (not knowing exactly where the phone was).
I have a new appreciation for Hebrews 11:1:
1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
What unexplainable truth or reality is preventing you from accepting the undeniable truths of God and His will for you? What detail are you so focused on that it has caused you to lose sight of the “big picture”? What will it take to move you from dwelling in the realm of the unexplainable into living a life confident in the undeniable?
Is your spiritual “Bluthtooth” connected or are you out of range?
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
My reliance on this technology, came in handy last week as I was leaving for work. Like most people, my phone (smartphone/”celly”/lifeline/”text machine”..etc) is an essential part of my wardrobe. It is a way for me to stay connected to family, friends, co-workers and the rest of the world in general, so you can imagine the “mini-panic attack” I had when as I was sitting in my car going through my mental checklist of tasks that I needed to do or items that I needed to take with me for the day, and I could not locate my phone. All I had on my hip was an empty phone case.
I began to backtrack…mentally and physically. The bedroom, the kitchen, the family room….my “Text-Machine” was nowhere to be found. As I was giving up hope, a still voice told me to go back to the car and just go to work. I listened and to my delight, as I started the car, the Bluetooth phone connection icon appeared in my dash. “What a relief!!!” I thought, “Now I know that my phone is in the car.” Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of the saga. I spent the next 10 minutes looking in the car for the phone, but I came up empty. I decided that I had to move on with my day and that I had to rest assure that the phone was somewhere in the car and that I would eventually find it.
This experience seemed to be linked to a recent Bible study that I was a part of. The study focused on how we should not let the unexplainable get in the way of our acceptance of the undeniable. In other words, there are things that we can’t explain (and may never be able to explain), but there are also undeniable truths that we must accept and live our lives by.
This is sooooo true as it relates to our relationship with God and His will for our lives. I can not explain all the mysteries of God. Why He does what He does. What He is going to do down to the smallest of decisions. I can’t explain it (if I could then I would be God). I can however rest on the undeniable power that I have personally experienced through my undeniable relationship with Him. I can attest to His delivering power and His unconditional Love. I can’t explain all the “why’s” but their reality is undeniable.
I fight each day to not let what I don’t know, hinder my faith. For if I knew it all, there would be no need for Faith. Just as in my experience with my “lost” phone, while I could not explain exactly where my phone was, I had an “undeniable” indicator that my phone was there, so I didn’t allow my life to come to a complete and permanent standstill as a result of the “unexplainable” (not knowing exactly where the phone was).
I have a new appreciation for Hebrews 11:1:
1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
What unexplainable truth or reality is preventing you from accepting the undeniable truths of God and His will for you? What detail are you so focused on that it has caused you to lose sight of the “big picture”? What will it take to move you from dwelling in the realm of the unexplainable into living a life confident in the undeniable?
Is your spiritual “Bluthtooth” connected or are you out of range?
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Graduation Preparation
It is that season once again….Graduation season. Many of the Class of 2009 have walked across the stage already. Those who have not are preparing to walk across the stage, preparing their kids to walk across the stage or probably know someone who is participating in a graduation ceremony. Graduations are glorious times. They signify achievement and serve as landmarks in life as the graduate and the people who supported the graduate through the educational process celebrate and recognize the sacrifices that went into making the achievement possible.
Graduations are culminating events that mark the achievement of a goal that in most cases was set in years prior. Graduations are a time to reflect on a journey to pursue excellence that began as a dream. The dream began to take shape and to materialize as the graduate carefully navigated the road to reach a destination called “goal” or “success”.
In order to pursue excellence or to obtain a goal, sacrifices must be made. Clear goals and plans are the filters in which we must run our thoughts, actions, opportunities and priorities through in order to make sense of things and to “purify” or align our decisions with our pursuit of excellence. This filtering process makes the right decisions easier to make because if we are faced with two alternatives our “filtration system” will assist us in eliminating or delaying the alternative that is least aligned with our goals.
There is a potential downside to graduations. Complacency is often the sister of achievement. Too often, we achieve our goals and we stop dreaming. We stop planning for the next goal. We get arrogant and start reading and believing our own press and begin to deceive ourselves into thinking that we have “made it” and that we success is a direct result of our own “greatness”. There is something about reaching a goal that sometimes causes us to let our guard down and to sometimes forget the significance of the struggle to seek success.
In order to gain something that is important to us we must forgo something that is insignificant as compared to that “something” that we want to achieve.
In our pursuit of excellence in life, we sometimes forget about what our #1 goal should be. That goal should be a deeper relationship with God as demonstrated though our relationships with others and the selfless drive to embody the very essence of Love.
Paul summed it up so beautifully:
Philippians 3:7-8 (Amplified Bible)
7But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [[a]one combined] loss for Christ's sake.
8Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),
If our desire is to know God, we must be willing to discount the value of everything else when comparing it to becoming more intimate with Him. All that we accomplished on “our own”, all the material things that we have worked so hard to pursue and all the relationships that we have put 1st are all mere “rubbish” as we measure them against the knowledge of God through Christ.
We must be willing to lose and “loose” things in order to “gain” a deeper understanding of God. Just as a student who is on the journey toward graduation, sacrifices must be made in order to achieve the dream or goal. The challenge is found in letting go in order to gain.
What in your life is preventing you from obtaining a deeper understanding of God? What or who are you afraid to lose or “loose”? Has your personal success diminished your perceived need for ultimate reliance on God? What spiritual goals do you need to set in your life?
One day your name will be called…are you preparing to walk across the stage?
Be Blessed,
B
Graduations are culminating events that mark the achievement of a goal that in most cases was set in years prior. Graduations are a time to reflect on a journey to pursue excellence that began as a dream. The dream began to take shape and to materialize as the graduate carefully navigated the road to reach a destination called “goal” or “success”.
In order to pursue excellence or to obtain a goal, sacrifices must be made. Clear goals and plans are the filters in which we must run our thoughts, actions, opportunities and priorities through in order to make sense of things and to “purify” or align our decisions with our pursuit of excellence. This filtering process makes the right decisions easier to make because if we are faced with two alternatives our “filtration system” will assist us in eliminating or delaying the alternative that is least aligned with our goals.
There is a potential downside to graduations. Complacency is often the sister of achievement. Too often, we achieve our goals and we stop dreaming. We stop planning for the next goal. We get arrogant and start reading and believing our own press and begin to deceive ourselves into thinking that we have “made it” and that we success is a direct result of our own “greatness”. There is something about reaching a goal that sometimes causes us to let our guard down and to sometimes forget the significance of the struggle to seek success.
In order to gain something that is important to us we must forgo something that is insignificant as compared to that “something” that we want to achieve.
In our pursuit of excellence in life, we sometimes forget about what our #1 goal should be. That goal should be a deeper relationship with God as demonstrated though our relationships with others and the selfless drive to embody the very essence of Love.
Paul summed it up so beautifully:
Philippians 3:7-8 (Amplified Bible)
7But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [[a]one combined] loss for Christ's sake.
8Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),
If our desire is to know God, we must be willing to discount the value of everything else when comparing it to becoming more intimate with Him. All that we accomplished on “our own”, all the material things that we have worked so hard to pursue and all the relationships that we have put 1st are all mere “rubbish” as we measure them against the knowledge of God through Christ.
We must be willing to lose and “loose” things in order to “gain” a deeper understanding of God. Just as a student who is on the journey toward graduation, sacrifices must be made in order to achieve the dream or goal. The challenge is found in letting go in order to gain.
What in your life is preventing you from obtaining a deeper understanding of God? What or who are you afraid to lose or “loose”? Has your personal success diminished your perceived need for ultimate reliance on God? What spiritual goals do you need to set in your life?
One day your name will be called…are you preparing to walk across the stage?
Be Blessed,
B
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Why to What
Since I was blessed to marry such an amazingly beautiful wife, it is no surprise that I am blessed to have two beautiful children. My kids like my wife are beautiful from the inside out. Recently as I entered church after dropping the wife and kids off at the front door (being the gentleman that my parents raised me to be), I was stopped by one of the members of my church. With a warm smile on her face she said, "Bryant you are blessed with such a beautiful family and that young lady of yours is the total package. She is gorgeous, has a loving heart, is smart and very talented. She is really growing up."
Truthfully though I don’t always want to admit it, my daughter is growing up right before my eyes. She is beginning to develop patterns that will help her to have a strong relationship with God and to be able to demonstrate that relationship by the way she treats and interacts with other people.
My little girl is definitely becoming a young lady. According to my wife, the other day some young men were drawn in by her attractiveness only to be snubbed when my wife announced to the “would be predators” that my daughter is only 11 years old. I guess the Lord saw fit to keep me from going to jail, since this event took place when I was not around J.
My daughter’s physical appearance is years beyond her actual age. It scares me to think that physically she has the ability at the age of 11 to conceive a child. I often think…GOD WHY ME?!?!?!? I have a long road ahead of me as it pertains to protecting her from people that will look at her from the outside 1st and not realize that her physical appearance is not a true reflection of where she is mentally and emotionally.
As children of God, we sometimes “look” older than we really are. We appear to have our lives together, to not be moved by the storms of uncertainty and to be able to conquer any adversaries that dare to cross our paths. We know how to talk the talk. From the outside it appears that we are “pros” at life. We are unshakeable and unbreakable…but…if people only knew (many times we don’t have a clue).
True maturity is being able to be transparent…transparent with God, with ourselves and with other people. True maturity is demonstrated through a “walk” that matches our”talk”.
I have found in my walk with God, the key to my maturation has revolved around a simple concept. The practice of moving from “Why to What”. In my early walk with the Lord I got so caught-up in the Why’s. Why is this happening God? Why did you allow this pain or hurt? Why didn’t you bless me in this area or that area? Why? Why? Why? I used my Why’s as an excuse to fail and I allowed the “Why’s” to impede my growth.
As I have matured, I have began to shift my focus to the “What’s”. What do you want me to learn from this God? What do you want me to do? What would you do in this circumstance? What decision would bring you glory? What is your perspective?
I don’t believe that God is too concerned with revealing the answers to our “Why’s”. I believe He wants to see “What” we are going to do. What are we going to do when we think we can get away with it? What are we going to do when we are in a position to help someone? What are we going to do when our money is tight, but there is a Kingdom need? What are we going to do when pain and hurt knock us off of our feet? What are we going to do when God doesn’t answer the “Why’s”? What are we going to do when our backs are against the wall and we can’t see our way through?
Wherever you find yourself on this journey called life, I challenge you to press toward the next level in your relationship with God by changing your “why’s” to “what’s” so that the image of maturity that you project to the world will match the level of spiritual maturity that you actually possess.
Let’s move from “Why” to What”.
Be Blessed,
B
Truthfully though I don’t always want to admit it, my daughter is growing up right before my eyes. She is beginning to develop patterns that will help her to have a strong relationship with God and to be able to demonstrate that relationship by the way she treats and interacts with other people.
My little girl is definitely becoming a young lady. According to my wife, the other day some young men were drawn in by her attractiveness only to be snubbed when my wife announced to the “would be predators” that my daughter is only 11 years old. I guess the Lord saw fit to keep me from going to jail, since this event took place when I was not around J.
My daughter’s physical appearance is years beyond her actual age. It scares me to think that physically she has the ability at the age of 11 to conceive a child. I often think…GOD WHY ME?!?!?!? I have a long road ahead of me as it pertains to protecting her from people that will look at her from the outside 1st and not realize that her physical appearance is not a true reflection of where she is mentally and emotionally.
As children of God, we sometimes “look” older than we really are. We appear to have our lives together, to not be moved by the storms of uncertainty and to be able to conquer any adversaries that dare to cross our paths. We know how to talk the talk. From the outside it appears that we are “pros” at life. We are unshakeable and unbreakable…but…if people only knew (many times we don’t have a clue).
True maturity is being able to be transparent…transparent with God, with ourselves and with other people. True maturity is demonstrated through a “walk” that matches our”talk”.
I have found in my walk with God, the key to my maturation has revolved around a simple concept. The practice of moving from “Why to What”. In my early walk with the Lord I got so caught-up in the Why’s. Why is this happening God? Why did you allow this pain or hurt? Why didn’t you bless me in this area or that area? Why? Why? Why? I used my Why’s as an excuse to fail and I allowed the “Why’s” to impede my growth.
As I have matured, I have began to shift my focus to the “What’s”. What do you want me to learn from this God? What do you want me to do? What would you do in this circumstance? What decision would bring you glory? What is your perspective?
I don’t believe that God is too concerned with revealing the answers to our “Why’s”. I believe He wants to see “What” we are going to do. What are we going to do when we think we can get away with it? What are we going to do when we are in a position to help someone? What are we going to do when our money is tight, but there is a Kingdom need? What are we going to do when pain and hurt knock us off of our feet? What are we going to do when God doesn’t answer the “Why’s”? What are we going to do when our backs are against the wall and we can’t see our way through?
Wherever you find yourself on this journey called life, I challenge you to press toward the next level in your relationship with God by changing your “why’s” to “what’s” so that the image of maturity that you project to the world will match the level of spiritual maturity that you actually possess.
Let’s move from “Why” to What”.
Be Blessed,
B
Thursday, April 30, 2009
What will be your legacy?
My wife and I recently endured the movie,” The Day the Earth Stood Still” (shout out to Redbox and “free rentals on Monday nights). To be brutally honest, I think the movie deserved each and every one of the “C” ratings that it received from most of the critics and movie fans that reviewed it. The movie told the story of how alien civilizations came to rid the Earth of Humanity due to the fact that we were not taking care of one the most precious resources in the cosmos…the planet Earth. The aliens took human form and lived among us, observing our behavior and after being provoked by our destructive behavior, they decided that it was time to pull the trigger and wipe us out.
One of the aliens had lived on Earth for roughly 70 years. After living “among us”, he gave a report to Keanu Reeves, who too was also an alien and who had set the plan in motion to kill us. In his report he talked about the destructive nature of mankind and how mankind knows the end result of its destructive behavior, but chooses to pursue this destructive behavior. Choosing to live in a false “reality” and ignoring the truth concerning the consequences of their actions. It was noted that these behavior patterns are passed down from generation to generation and bear the seeds of hatred, anger and death. In contrast, he was burdened by the fact that he had grown to love the humans for inside of them was the capacity to love and to unite in the face of annihilation. As a result of his human experience, the old man “alien” was willing to die with humanity as they were exterminated.
This movie, while I give it two thumbs down, was connected to some of my recent experiences. One was last Friday when I hooked up with my best friend growing up who is now a Pastor (Shout out to Clay). He invited me to join him at a Basketball outreach where young men are invited to play ball at a school gym and in a drama-free, “free from profanity” environment and are also prayed for, ministered to and encouraged to become the men that God intends for them to be. As the night came to an end, Clay issued a challenge to the young men. Simply put, he asked them, “What will your legacy be?”
Far too many people leave the Earth and leave no legacy behind…They walk but leave no imprint on the sands of time. I am convinced that people who don’t leave a legacy are people who don’t maximize the opportunities presented by the Defining Moments of life.
In a recent Bible Study, the discussion leader defined Defining Moments as moments that require a decision on our part and after that decision is made (right or wrong) our lives are never the same. More importantly, a Defining Moment is a moment when you are confronted with a truth about life and you are invited to change the way you live as a result of that truth.
As with the challenges that faced both Humanity (in “The Day the Earth Stood Still”) and the young men (that I met last week at the Basketball Outreach), we are “met-head-on” with Defining Moments. I believe that life is lived between Defining Moments. Many times we don’t want to face the truth about ourselves, the truth about our relationships, the truth about our finances, the truth about God etc., but rest assure that denial and avoidance of the truth doesn’t make the truth less real.
What truth are you faced with today? What reality have you been in denial about? I urge you today to ask God to give you the wisdom to know how to deal with your Defining Moments and the strength to endure until He has made His Truth known to you.
In the face of your defining moment…what will be your legacy?
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
One of the aliens had lived on Earth for roughly 70 years. After living “among us”, he gave a report to Keanu Reeves, who too was also an alien and who had set the plan in motion to kill us. In his report he talked about the destructive nature of mankind and how mankind knows the end result of its destructive behavior, but chooses to pursue this destructive behavior. Choosing to live in a false “reality” and ignoring the truth concerning the consequences of their actions. It was noted that these behavior patterns are passed down from generation to generation and bear the seeds of hatred, anger and death. In contrast, he was burdened by the fact that he had grown to love the humans for inside of them was the capacity to love and to unite in the face of annihilation. As a result of his human experience, the old man “alien” was willing to die with humanity as they were exterminated.
This movie, while I give it two thumbs down, was connected to some of my recent experiences. One was last Friday when I hooked up with my best friend growing up who is now a Pastor (Shout out to Clay). He invited me to join him at a Basketball outreach where young men are invited to play ball at a school gym and in a drama-free, “free from profanity” environment and are also prayed for, ministered to and encouraged to become the men that God intends for them to be. As the night came to an end, Clay issued a challenge to the young men. Simply put, he asked them, “What will your legacy be?”
Far too many people leave the Earth and leave no legacy behind…They walk but leave no imprint on the sands of time. I am convinced that people who don’t leave a legacy are people who don’t maximize the opportunities presented by the Defining Moments of life.
In a recent Bible Study, the discussion leader defined Defining Moments as moments that require a decision on our part and after that decision is made (right or wrong) our lives are never the same. More importantly, a Defining Moment is a moment when you are confronted with a truth about life and you are invited to change the way you live as a result of that truth.
As with the challenges that faced both Humanity (in “The Day the Earth Stood Still”) and the young men (that I met last week at the Basketball Outreach), we are “met-head-on” with Defining Moments. I believe that life is lived between Defining Moments. Many times we don’t want to face the truth about ourselves, the truth about our relationships, the truth about our finances, the truth about God etc., but rest assure that denial and avoidance of the truth doesn’t make the truth less real.
What truth are you faced with today? What reality have you been in denial about? I urge you today to ask God to give you the wisdom to know how to deal with your Defining Moments and the strength to endure until He has made His Truth known to you.
In the face of your defining moment…what will be your legacy?
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
B
Friday, April 17, 2009
Traders VS Investors
While preparing for work today, I was watching Squawk Box on CNBC. I believe that Squawk Box is one if not the longest running morning business news program and its claim to fame is bringing Wall Street to Main Street, through various commentators and analysts. This morning while talking about the Market moves yesterday, reviewing the earnings releases from the post-market close on yesterday and discussing pre-market news and earnings releases, they had a segment where they interviewed a seasoned market analyst.
During the interview with the analyst, they discussed various topics including the projected length of the recession, the current market rally, historical implications...etc. I was listening, but I was not totally focused on the discussion until the Senior Market Analyst made this statement, “The problem with the market today is that there are too many traders and not enough investors. The traders are driving this market while the Big Money is on the sideline.” He pointed out that the market will stabilize once the Big Money (The Investors) re-enter the market. He later explained that Investors are in it for the long-term. They see the long-term value of the investments, while traders are here today and gone tomorrow. He further detailed that Investors know the true value of the investment vehicles and are more influential in determining the true value of the market asset.
This dialogue led me to take a look at my life. I began to think of my life as a stock and the people that I have met to be either “Investors” or “Traders”. The traders have sought to benefit from me in the short-term. They saw me as an opportunity to further their own objectives and use me to get what they wanted. They were here one day and gone the next….never really taking time to appreciate my value. On the flip side I have had “Investors”. “Investors” are those who saw my potential and invested their resources (time, money, love, etc.) to help me to reach my long-term goals. Investors believe that their success in the long-term is connected to my success long-term. They partner with me. Investors “hold” on to me when I’m up and when I’m down in the short-term, knowing that in the long run, their investment in me will pay off and my “market value” will be much more than it was when they first “invested” in me.
My “Investors” are my true, through thick and thin, up and down, good or bad, rich or poor, sho-nuff friends.
Proverbs 17:17 says: A friend loves at all times, and is born, as is a brother, for adversity.
Too often as it is in the business world today, we focus our attention on what the “traders” are doing. We waste time trying to please those who will in reality just stay around for the short-term. If that is your focus, make today the day that you shift your focus to the long-term. A true friend (investor) is going to love us at all times, while traders will flee at just the suggestion of adversity.
With each relationship in your life ask yourself is the person on the other end of this relationship an “Investor” in my success or a “trader” looking to make a quick “profit”? I believe that this mindset is essential to making good life decisions and in setting priorities.
God is your #1 investor (friend) and has a vested interest in your success. He is always there and will continue to “hold you when others have “sold” you and moved on.
We should also be determined to be “Investors” in the lives of others. There are great “stocks” out there that are “undervalued” and “oversold” but have great potential and value. It is time for the “Investors” to get off of the sidelines and to turn this “market” around.
Now is the time to invest.
Be Blessed,
B
During the interview with the analyst, they discussed various topics including the projected length of the recession, the current market rally, historical implications...etc. I was listening, but I was not totally focused on the discussion until the Senior Market Analyst made this statement, “The problem with the market today is that there are too many traders and not enough investors. The traders are driving this market while the Big Money is on the sideline.” He pointed out that the market will stabilize once the Big Money (The Investors) re-enter the market. He later explained that Investors are in it for the long-term. They see the long-term value of the investments, while traders are here today and gone tomorrow. He further detailed that Investors know the true value of the investment vehicles and are more influential in determining the true value of the market asset.
This dialogue led me to take a look at my life. I began to think of my life as a stock and the people that I have met to be either “Investors” or “Traders”. The traders have sought to benefit from me in the short-term. They saw me as an opportunity to further their own objectives and use me to get what they wanted. They were here one day and gone the next….never really taking time to appreciate my value. On the flip side I have had “Investors”. “Investors” are those who saw my potential and invested their resources (time, money, love, etc.) to help me to reach my long-term goals. Investors believe that their success in the long-term is connected to my success long-term. They partner with me. Investors “hold” on to me when I’m up and when I’m down in the short-term, knowing that in the long run, their investment in me will pay off and my “market value” will be much more than it was when they first “invested” in me.
My “Investors” are my true, through thick and thin, up and down, good or bad, rich or poor, sho-nuff friends.
Proverbs 17:17 says: A friend loves at all times, and is born, as is a brother, for adversity.
Too often as it is in the business world today, we focus our attention on what the “traders” are doing. We waste time trying to please those who will in reality just stay around for the short-term. If that is your focus, make today the day that you shift your focus to the long-term. A true friend (investor) is going to love us at all times, while traders will flee at just the suggestion of adversity.
With each relationship in your life ask yourself is the person on the other end of this relationship an “Investor” in my success or a “trader” looking to make a quick “profit”? I believe that this mindset is essential to making good life decisions and in setting priorities.
God is your #1 investor (friend) and has a vested interest in your success. He is always there and will continue to “hold you when others have “sold” you and moved on.
We should also be determined to be “Investors” in the lives of others. There are great “stocks” out there that are “undervalued” and “oversold” but have great potential and value. It is time for the “Investors” to get off of the sidelines and to turn this “market” around.
Now is the time to invest.
Be Blessed,
B
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Helping Hand
Anyone who knows my Father, Zachary C. Jeffers, knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is one word that describes him….that one word is Warrior. A warrior is a person that demonstrates great vigor, courage and skillfulness in the face of battle. My Dad is a pugilist, a fighter a soldier in the army of God. He has stepped up and volunteered for many battles and has witnessed first hand the power, love and delivering power of God. He trusts God with an unwavering faith. I have never doubted for one minute that He has ultimately placed his destiny and his life in the care of God. He has seen victories on mountain tops and he has experienced tests/trials through valleys, but no matter whether the situation has called for Him to be up or down, he has allowed the joy of the Lord, the recognition of His Mercy and the acknowledgement of God’s grace to be his strength and sustaining power.
He is an awesome man, father, friend and brother in the Lord.
My father was diagnosed with cancer in December 2006. As part of the treatment for the disease, he has had to undergo surgery and chemotherapy. This past Monday, I had the honor to once again be by his side through the infusion therapy. I say honor because while I could never repay him for all that he has done for me over the years or the priceless lessons that I have learned from Him, I do consider it an honor to provide support, encouragement and love to him as we battle this thing together.
The chemotherapy on Monday lasted about 5 hours. When I’m with him, I can sense his discomfort at times during the treatment and I often spend time praying for his healing. Upon completion of the chemo this week, we gathered our things and began to start to head out. After trying to stand up, my dad had to immediately sit back down because the therapy had caused his equilibrium to be off. I saw the disappointment and frustration on his face (in my mind I don’t think that he really wanted me to see him struggle in that manner). I assured him that we were in no rush and asked him to take a few minutes to gather himself before we attempted to head out. He rested for all of 10 seconds…”I have to do this…I’m going to give it a shot” he declared. He struggled out of the treatment room. Reaching out and stabilizing himself on every secure object that he could find, he intently made his way to the lobby where he sat down while I retrieved the car.
As I walked with my dad from the treatment room, I tried to help him, but he politely let me know that He wanted to do it by himself. Even though he resisted my help, I still walked with Him every step of the way and I positioned myself so that I could catch him in the event that he fell. As people passed by and gazed at us, I imagined that they were thinking one of two things. “Doesn’t that young man see his father struggling? Why doesn’t He help him?” or “Why won’t that older man let the younger man help him? He definitely looks capable?”
This experience led me to reflect on my relationship with God. There have been many times in my life when I have tried to do things in my own strength. The challenges of life have held me down, but I have tried to carry life’s load on my own. God has been there every step of the way…His hand outstretched…desiring to help me…but prepared to catch me in case I fall. I have often refused His help or discounted the extent of His Love or His ability or willingness to help me. I’m sure that there have been people who have watch me and thought the same thoughts that I imagined that they were thinking at the hospital “Why is God allowing him to go through this? Or Why won’t he allow God to help him get through the situation?”
Well…I am learning more and more each day especially when I’m faced with adversities, challenges and fears to totally depend on God. He has said:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)
Are you struggling to try to make it on your own? Are you feeling the weight of life bearing down on you? OR Are you so “successful” that you feel like you got it all together and are making it just fine? In either case, I pray that you realize today that God is just a step away. He is willing to help whether or not you want to allow Him too, and even if you choose not to take Him up on His offer and you fall…He is still standing with His hand outstretched to pick you up when you fall.
Help is not on the way…help is here today.
Be Blessed,
B
He is an awesome man, father, friend and brother in the Lord.
My father was diagnosed with cancer in December 2006. As part of the treatment for the disease, he has had to undergo surgery and chemotherapy. This past Monday, I had the honor to once again be by his side through the infusion therapy. I say honor because while I could never repay him for all that he has done for me over the years or the priceless lessons that I have learned from Him, I do consider it an honor to provide support, encouragement and love to him as we battle this thing together.
The chemotherapy on Monday lasted about 5 hours. When I’m with him, I can sense his discomfort at times during the treatment and I often spend time praying for his healing. Upon completion of the chemo this week, we gathered our things and began to start to head out. After trying to stand up, my dad had to immediately sit back down because the therapy had caused his equilibrium to be off. I saw the disappointment and frustration on his face (in my mind I don’t think that he really wanted me to see him struggle in that manner). I assured him that we were in no rush and asked him to take a few minutes to gather himself before we attempted to head out. He rested for all of 10 seconds…”I have to do this…I’m going to give it a shot” he declared. He struggled out of the treatment room. Reaching out and stabilizing himself on every secure object that he could find, he intently made his way to the lobby where he sat down while I retrieved the car.
As I walked with my dad from the treatment room, I tried to help him, but he politely let me know that He wanted to do it by himself. Even though he resisted my help, I still walked with Him every step of the way and I positioned myself so that I could catch him in the event that he fell. As people passed by and gazed at us, I imagined that they were thinking one of two things. “Doesn’t that young man see his father struggling? Why doesn’t He help him?” or “Why won’t that older man let the younger man help him? He definitely looks capable?”
This experience led me to reflect on my relationship with God. There have been many times in my life when I have tried to do things in my own strength. The challenges of life have held me down, but I have tried to carry life’s load on my own. God has been there every step of the way…His hand outstretched…desiring to help me…but prepared to catch me in case I fall. I have often refused His help or discounted the extent of His Love or His ability or willingness to help me. I’m sure that there have been people who have watch me and thought the same thoughts that I imagined that they were thinking at the hospital “Why is God allowing him to go through this? Or Why won’t he allow God to help him get through the situation?”
Well…I am learning more and more each day especially when I’m faced with adversities, challenges and fears to totally depend on God. He has said:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)
Are you struggling to try to make it on your own? Are you feeling the weight of life bearing down on you? OR Are you so “successful” that you feel like you got it all together and are making it just fine? In either case, I pray that you realize today that God is just a step away. He is willing to help whether or not you want to allow Him too, and even if you choose not to take Him up on His offer and you fall…He is still standing with His hand outstretched to pick you up when you fall.
Help is not on the way…help is here today.
Be Blessed,
B
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