What's for Lunch???

Like a lot of people over 30 these days, I’ve been trying to take better care of my physical body by exercising and eating more healthy foods. In doing so, I’ve been preparing my lunches at home and completing them while at work. This week, one of the things that I had for lunch each day is a nice Organic (Triple washed) Spring Mix accompanied by fresh cucumbers and strawberries. It always amazes me that whenever I’m cutting up my fresh fruit or vegetables, the aroma that is generated typically “commands” a response from those walking past the kitchenette. The typical response is “Hmmmm those strawberries smell SO good or Yummy…Those cucumbers smell so fresh!!!”

Today however as I was preparing my lunch I received a response that I have never received before. As I was in the midst of preparing my salad, one of my co-workers stopped in the hallway near the kitchenette and said with a dispirited sounding voice, “That looks really good and that would be good for me. Why can’t I do that? Why can’t I eat healthy?” I just smiled as she walked away, but in my mind I immediately thought, “You can…It’s just a choice and not a difficult one at that.”

I was immediately convicted. Life is full of choices and what occurs in the spiritual realm is mirrored in the natural realm. There are many choices that I have made in life that I knew were not good for me. I have wasted my time, my abilities and my financial resources. I knew the better or the best choice, yet I chose the wrong alternative and have often had a “pity-party” (in honor of myself), when I have seen others doing the things that I know I should be doing or making the same right choices that were available to me.

The “I can’t” mentality will always become a “self-fulfilling prophecy”, if not overcome with “I am” or the “I will” mentality that comes with knowing who God has empowered us to be through His purpose for our lives. It is a simple truth, but if you feed yourself a steady diet of “I can’t” three times a day, for snack and for dessert…guess what….YOU WON’T. You won’t be successful. You won’t have joy. You won’t love others. You won’t leave a legacy worth talking about.

There is an old country saying…’the farmer who wants more chickens, but eats all of his eggs will eventually run out of chickens and when he does he shouldn’t complain, for he has himself to blame” (this is not really a saying…I just made it up, but it is true J). If we know what we want and we know what is right, but we choose what is unrighteous and unwise, we have no right to blame God or others for our “sorry state”.

Your life will be remembered by those after you based on the choices that you make today. The seeds you plant (your choices) will result in the harvest you reap (your success or lack thereof). Galatians 6:7-8 says: “Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life”

Your present state is based on your past and your current decisions in life, but there is hope. You can begin to make Godly choices at any moment. It’s on you. Stop saying “I can’t” and believe what God says in His Word that you are and what you are capable of doing and becoming.

What you choose to eat for lunch is up to you. Whether you exercise or not is up to you too, but don’t pull everyone around you into your “pity party” because you are upset with the way you “look” as a result of your choices. Take charge of your future with choices you make today.

What’s for “lunch”?

Be Blessed,

B

Seed…Time…Harvest....It's Spring Again!!!

It’s Spring Again…Everybody knows…It’s Spring Again.

Early Spring and Early Fall are my favorite times of the year, especially when it comes to weather. These are times, where the Beauty and Splendor of Creation are undoubtedly evident in Nature. In the Spring, you can see the grass, the flowers and the trees bring forth life and grow at a subtle but rapid pace. Many people plant seeds in hopes to fill their gardens and their flower patches with dazzling arrays of colors. While others, who “winterized and aerated” at the close of previous growing season, sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor as their lavish lawns become the envy of their neighbors.

Almost everyone has at one time or another planted a seed and went through the process of nurturing that seed until a mature plant was able to spring forth. Whether or not we planted our seed in a dirt filled Styrofoam cup, a jar or in a yard, the principles of Seed… Time…and Harvest were at work and could not be ignored. We had to plant the Seed. We had to care for the seedling over Time and then at the appropriate time we could enjoy the satisfaction of the Harvest.

I was recently talking to my Mother, and I sensed that she was a bit down. After talking to her for a bit, she said that she felt as if she was not “harvesting” as much as she wanted to. She was living off of her reserves and not adding to them. I had to quickly stop her and tell her that she was in the “Seed” phase in life.

Before my Dad passed last year, he was able to make sure that my mother was provided for so that if she wanted to pursue some of her dreams, she was afforded the luxury to do so. My mother has taken advantage of Dad’s planning in several ways. She began to take college level business courses, birthed a foundation, laid the ground work for her own insurance and financial services venture, sold a house, renovated two homes…just to name a few things, but still she was a little discouraged because she wasn’t bringing in the money that she wanted to at this point in time.

I shared with her that this is her Seed time. Seeds are like dreams. God gives us dreams and desires for a “better” life. A “better” Life that is connected to the fulfillment of our purpose on this Earth and with it a burning desire within us to “complete the mission”.

Dreams are a blessing and can be a “curse”. A Dream inspires and gives you hope. During the “Seed” time you can envision the “Harvest”. You can see, smell and taste it. Dreams can provide fuel for your soul, but a Dream can also be a “curse” because if you don’t act on your dreams and “plant your seeds” they will rot and you will be “plagued” by the “heaviness of heart, soul and mind” that accompanies deferring, delaying and denying your dreams.

I explained to my Mom that she should not be discouraged by her lack of “harvest”, because she just planted her seeds. She must now cultivate them, care for them and keep watch over them, so that the “weeds” of competing priorities, naysayers and discouragement won’t have the opportunity to “choke the life” out of her Dreams. She must allow some time before the Harvest, but she must always keep in mind that the Harvest is on its way and it will exceed her wildest dreams.

Psalms 27:14 (Amplified Bible) “Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord. “

Isaiah 40:31 (Amplified Bible) 31 But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

Whether you are in the Seedtime (having your Dream and beginning to position yourself to make it happen), the Time (protecting and nourishing your Dream) or the Harvest (fulfilling your Dream and reaping the rewards) phase of life, learn to appreciate and to identify where you are. Don’t allow the reality of where you are prevent you from becoming what you need to be.

Timing is everything, so make sure you are listening to the True Gardener, who knows what to plant, when to plant it and when to harvest it.

Aren’t you glad that it’s SPRING AGAIN!!!!

Be Blessed,

B

"Direction, not intention, determines destination". Andy Stanley from "Principle of the Path"

"Direction, not intention, determines destination". Andy Stanley from "Principle of the Path".

Every path has an expected or predictable destination.Our destination is determined by our direction. The only way to change our destination is to change "paths". The person with the "purest" of intentions, can end up in the wrong destination if they are headed in the wrong direction. Examine where you are...Determine where you want to be and through the power of God, put yourself on the path that leads to that destination.

What Path are you on?

Be Blessed,
B

Why Settle?

What is “safe” and “familiar” is sometimes inferior and detrimental. I know that I’m not the only person that has been burned, by this idea. Whether it's that old pair of socks, slightly tattered pair of shoes, the old clunker that you drive that drains your wallet dry and eats away at your time due to the constant need for repairs, etc. More importantly it could be a relationship, a job, a hobby or a ministry/service that you are involved in, we all have “settled” in some area, or at some point in our lives.

We settled by sticking with “what we know” or what we were comfortable with, simply because it was what we were accustomed to. We defended our stance to anyone who would challenge us to try “the more up to date” or superior version of the product that we were using and sadly some if not all us have rationalized staying at a dead-end job, being in a relationship with a “loser” or remaining in a life situation and doing nothing to change it when our talents aren’t being recognized, utilized or appreciated.

Going with what is “safe” and “familiar” in some cases leads to complacency and “settling”. It can be crippling and can stunt personal growth. It can blind us even to the point where if God placed something 1,000,000 times better for us, in the long run, right in front of our faces, we would ignore it, because it was not “familiar” or “safe”

This was the case with the disciples of John the Baptist. John 3:23-30 reads:

²³ At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism. ²⁴ (This was before John was thrown into prison.) ²⁵ A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew^[a] over ceremonial cleansing. ²⁶ So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.”

²⁷ John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ ²⁹It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. ³⁰ He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

John’s disciples were so caught up in “what was safe” (we are following John) that they could not appreciate the might work that was taking place in the life of Jesus, nor that John himself was clear about who Jesus was and that John was only “preparing the way”. The “followers of John” were more concerned about what was “safe”, (we are followers of the “great baptistizer”) that they missed out on an opportunity to receive something much greater (to be a follower of the Messiah). I sense that they were disturbed that people were now beginning to follow “Someone” else and not the person that they used to. The world as they knew it was changing.

John was very clear. He was just the “opening act”, but the “Main Event” was beginning and it was time for the world to open their eyes and recognize what was taking place. The Messiah had come. It was time to stop “settling” for less and to move on to the BEST (pardon the Jesse Jackson type phrasing). John was a “good” leader and person to follow, but he made it clear that someone far greater then he was “in the house”, so no one should “settle for” being a follower of John, since the Messiah was at hand.

What are you settling for? God has great plans for your life, for your marriage, for your relationships, for your ministry, for your service and for your career. I urge you to seek God’s will for you in these areas. Ask Him to help you to remove the “blinders” and to open your eyes to the greatness that He has planned for you. What you have right now maybe a “good” life, but God has the “Best” in store for you if you are bold enough to step outside of what is “safe” and “comfortable” to explore (under God’s direction) what God’s plans are for your life. Exercise your faith by stepping out on it.

Don’t continue to let your state of “Good” prevent you from becoming “GREAT”.

Be Blessed,

B

WHERE IS THE PHONE???

Like most people, I have a few “pet peeves”. One of my pet peeves involves people in my household NOT returning things to their rightful place after they are done using them. Advances in technology are partially to blame for this annoyance.

Like most pre-80’s babies, I grew up in a home that had corded phones. When you were done using a corded phone, there really wasn’t too much that you could do with it besides hang it up in its place. BUT in steps the mass production of cordless phones in the 80’s (FYI-the 1st cordless phone was actually created in 1959 by an Afro-American, “Brother” or Black Man…which ever you prefer  named Dr. Raymond P. Phillips Sr.). Today, I have approximately 8 cordless phones in use at my house and a couple “leftovers” hanging around in boxes or storage bags (…Don’t ask)

It seems that without fail, when I really need to use a phone, it is never on a charger where it is supposed to be, so when I eventually find the phone, the battery is dead. Apart from the charger, the phone can operate on residual power for several days, but eventually it will lose its power.

This morning, I went to use the phone near the sink in my bathroom, only to find that the battery was dead. I was a little surprised to see this, because the phone was in the “right place” (on the charger), but then I realized that I stopped plugging the phone directly into to the wall outlet and began to plug into to my powered “shaving” mirror. Last week, I had to unplug the shaving mirror from the wall as the outlet was needed for another purpose, and I failed to plug the mirror back in. As a result the phone couldn’t recharge.

This observation forced me to stop in my tracks for a minute and to reflect on the question “Where I am “plugged in?”. I can say that without a doubt, that every point of “weakness” in my life was the result of me not being directly connected to God (who is my power source). I have at times connected to other “chargers” (my own strength, my own wisdom, the power of other people, my relationships, my marriage, my family, my “religiousness/spirituality” etc), only to find that they can only provide a “temporary spark” and not a sustaining current of power. I have also deceived myself and tried to make it in my own strength only to find that my “residual strength” could not keep me going or allow me to live a victorious life. Without power, I become inefficient, irritable and incapable of fulfilling my purpose.

John 5:15 says “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

In order to have power, to produce and to fulfill our purpose in life, we must have a direct connection to “The Vine”. Apart from a direct connection with God, we can do nothing of eternal value. We fool ourselves if we believe that we are the source of our strength.

On the way in to work, I noticed that, due to the severe storms this winter, most of the trees had branches that had broken off, but appeared to be connect to the tree, since they had not fallen to the ground. To the casual eye, they appeared to be intact, but in time those branches will wither and die, because they are no longer connected to the source of their strength and life.

What will time reveal about your connection to the Source of Life?

Maybe it’s time to “PUT THE PHONE BACK ON THE CHARGER”.

Be Blessed,
B

Two Drivers and Two cars

Two Drivers and Two cars

Last night, as my family and I were walking from our car to a restaurant to dine for the evening, my 9 year old son asked, “Dad, what is the lowest amount of money that you can pay for a car?” My mind went back to when I was about 13 or 14 years old and I remember that one of the local dealers advertised that on the coming Saturday they would be selling several cars for $25 and that the cars that were selling for $25 would be scattered around their lot and would be made available on a 1st come/1st served basis. I remember my dad and I reading and laughing at the fine print that most people overlooked. There were NO guarantees with the cars and the latest car was well over 15 years old…the cars weren’t even guaranteed to run long enough get you home, yet as the news cameras showed up to the scene on the Friday night before the “sale”, hundreds of people were camped out over night to get the “deal of a lifetime”.


I guess the image of those beat up cars was on my mind as I slept because after I had my devotions this morning, CARS WERE ON MY MIND. Two distinct images came to mind. One was of an eager, young, excited driver who was very animated, and focused. One hand on the wheel and the “metal was to the pedal”…He was flooring it; however, all was not well. He was driving one of those $25 “hoopties or buckets”…oil leaking, engine smoking, windshield foggy and cracked and the worst thing was that he was plowing through a busy expressway going the WRONG WAY. Even though he was going the wrong way, he was excited and committed to his journey. He put all those around him in danger as he selfishly traveled recklessly though traffic.


The other image in contrast was that of an older man, also on the expressway. This driver was a nervous wreck. Both hands on the wheel, constantly checking both side mirrors, his rear view mirror and his “blindspots”. His hands were shaking as he literally inched forward, barely giving the car enough gas to move forward. He was behind the wheel of a Saleen S7 Twin Turbo (which costs about $585k and is one of the fastest “street legal” cars. It is capable of going from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, top speed of about 225mph and totes 750 horsepower). He was going the right way but he too was a danger to those around him in traffic, as he chose not to use his “whip” to go the legal speed limit. With what he had, he could have easily left everyone in the dust, but he chose to take up the rear.


As I thought about these two different images, I began to reflect on my life. Sometimes in my relationship with God, my dedication to His plans and purpose for me, my relationship with my wife, my relationship with my children and in my dealing with others, I have been guilty of being like the man going “too slow” in my fast car. I have allowed my fears and selfishness to cause me to “inch” toward my dreams, to “inch” toward my purpose, to “inch” toward a deeper relationship with my wife and kids and to sadly “inch” toward a deeper understanding of and relationship with God.


He has given me more than I need to be abundantly successful in every aspect of my life as He put me on the right path. I’m convicted by the thought that at times I had more “gusto”, more determination, more focus when I was going the “wrong way” like the young eager man in the $25 car. Sadly that is the case for too many of the followers of Christ. When it comes to the things of God as compared to things of the world, we are less eager, have less focus and less determination. We carefully measure each step, and pursue God’s plans at a “snails pace”.


We ignore the God’s power that works though us and the Greatness that He has called us to. Ephesians 3:19-20 (Amplified Bible) reads:

19[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—


God has given us a GREAT DESTINATION to press toward, a GREAT ROAD of life to travel upon to get there and a GREAT VEHICLE to ride in along the way. His plans for us are far superior to our most extreme dreams. All we need to do is to trust Him and to stop driving around like we are in a “hooptie” that is about to breakdown, and realize that we are behind the wheel of a custom made and finely tuned “sports car” that is road ready.


ZOOOOOOOOOM!!!! ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM


Be Blessed,
B

Enough of the cupidity!!!

A formerly rich but currently wise and lonely man declared “Beware the Ides of February”. It took him a lifetime to discover the truth that there is no amount money that you can spend on one day to prove that you love someone. Love is best demonstrated by priceless expressions each day. When all his money was spent, he found himself alone because he didn’t cultivate his relationships with intimacy. He was preoccupied with external exhibitions of “love”.

As the world gears up for Valentine’s Day…Love is in the air and, for most of the East Coast, SNOW and Ice are on the ground. People are hectic as they search for Chocolates and Candies of all sorts. Many gardens are bare as florists have plucked every flower that they had to meet the demand of men young and old to give the “ladies in their lives” bouquets. Cards in all shades of pink and red flood the department stores, the grocery stores, the pharmacies and even the gas stations (each card is hoping to be selected so that it won’t be humiliated on 2/15 by having its value reduced by 50-75%).Yes…Love is in the air…Or is it???

When I woke up this morning, I did two things. Spent some quite time with the Lord and checked the word of the day. The word of the day today…no shocker is cupidity. I thought to myself, what the heck is “cupidity”. I thought maybe it had something to do with people being crazy over love, “love drunk”, deeply in love with someone etc. To my surprise cupidity actually means “Eager or excessive desire, especially for wealth; greed”. It has nothing to do with any characteristic that I would associate with real love.

Reflecting on the definition of cupidity did however lead me to think about the way “love” is put in action in the world today. Many people who say that they are looking for love are really motivated by cupidity. They are looking for someone to meet some material need or they are looking to add to their arsenal of attributes (I got a man or I got a woman etc). They are not looking to share their lives in an unconditional way with another person in an effort to usher that person into the arms of God, by allowing them to get a glimpse of the way He feels about them. If we are honest, we have done many selfish things in the name of “love”. We have all done something “good” thinking we would get something in return.

This kind of “love” always leads to a state of discontent. Love is not “reaching out” to “take in” and to hoard (as it is with cupidity). True love is about reaching within and pouring out and giving of yourself to God and to others. Once you come to a point of accepting God’s Love and demonstrating His Love in your life, you can begin to truly experience what it means to be content.

In my devotions this morning, two scriptures that I reflected on are:

Hebrews 13:5 “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

Philippians 4:11 “Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be [a] content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.

I have learned that I can not find true contentment in my wife, my job, my material possessions or in any “human expression” of love that I may experience here on Earth. My true contentment is found in the assurance that God loves me and that He will never fail me or abandon me. I can only be fully satisfied in Him alone and I no longer have to search for the next “love high”, which will just leave me empty and searching like a fiend chasing the next fix.

As the world tries to express in one day what can only truly be conveyed over a lifetime, choose to find your contentment not in the truffles, the flowers, the edible arrangements, the jewelry, the romantic dinners, the cards etc. for those things are temporary. Find your contentment in the true and eternal Love that God has for you and allow His Love to be The Motivating Factor in all you do.

Make this 2/14 less about Cupid and more about real Love. Enough of the cupidity!!!

Be Blessed,

B