August 27, 2018 - Glory Hound vs Glory Giver (Why we should seek the spotlight)

When the game is on the line… give me the ball!!! Certain players have a mindset that loves to be in the pressure situations of meeting the team’s need… I was a guy that wanted to take the free throws with no time on the clock to try to win the game… I was not a great free throw shooter, but I was always shocked if I missed… and I never stopped wanting to be the one to take the shot!

I often find myself trying to mentor my own kids, and others, in what it means to be a difference maker… to be the one that doesn’t wait to be asked to meet a need… but instead will “see the need… fill the need!” Lately I have talked a lot about a new part of our ministry called Next Man Up; and last night I watched as two high school girls, a couple men in the 30’s (that are as different as night and day), and a guy in his 60’s took the stage together to lead in worship…

Basically, each of these individuals saw a team need and an opportunity to plug in an Make A Difference… it was a beautiful picture of what the church should be and how we should be functioning.

These are not new ideas to the weekly devotions I post, but they do set the stage for some things that jumped out at me yesterday in a major way… things I was able to share with those I am mentoring/coaching:

Back to the idea of the first point… wanting the ball. Some would say it was because I was a “glory hound” and just wanted to get attention on myself. As an old man now, I am not going to discount the pride I had as a young man, so I am sure there was a part of me seeking glory; but the reality is that during a game I never stopped to think about what the crowd wanted but instead what the team needed and I had confidence that I was the one that could fill that need.

Romans 12:6 reminds us that we each have different gifts and gives a command, “USE THEM!” I never expected someone that couldn’t shoot free throws to want the ball at the end of the game… or even a good free throw shooter that didn’t like pressure… Last night I didn’t expect a guy that couldn’t play bass to step in and play… but that 63 yr old could do it beautifully!

So, point one is to not shy away from the spotlight but always just be willing to fill the need!

Yet, there is still the issue of the “spotlight.” In our teaching on humility we always hear that we should avoid the spotlight in order to be humble… yet I understand that those we are trying to minister to are drawn to the spotlight… a spotlight is meant to gain attention…

A singer that is in the midst of the crowd without a spotlight leaves people more focused on where the sound is coming from than what the sound is about…

In Matthew 5:16 Jesus tells us to make sure our “light shines before me that they may see you.”

In 1 Peter 2:12 Peter reminds us to make sure our good works are seen…

I understand the teaching on humility and I’ll get to that; but bottom line is that we should live (and perform) in such a way that the we get in the spotlight!

And now for the humility part… WE DON’T GET IN THE SPOTLIGHT IN ORDER TO SOAK IT IN BUT INSTEAD TO DEFLECT IT TO JESUS! (When we soak it end it causes the head to swell…)

Humility will result from having great teammates and mentors that remind us why we are there… to not be a glory hound but instead a glory giver!!!

So, I am going to remind us to “want the ball at crunch time… get in every spotlight we can… and to then deflect all glory unto Jesus!!!”

August 20, 2018 - MAP2MAD Part 2

MAP2MAD: Make A Plan To Make A Difference…

Last week I shared the importance of intentionally planning to reach our audience… As a coach I always tried to go into a game with a game plan… it would be designed to take advantage of our strengths and to avoid our weaknesses… and it had to take into account the other team’s strengths and weaknesses… an awareness of who we were and who we were facing…

The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians that when it comes to “away games” we need to be aware of the other team’s strengths and weaknesses (culture.) In chapter 9 he starts with a self-awareness (game plan) for how he will conduct himself (vss. 1-18) and then discusses the way he viewed the “other team” (vss. 19-23.)

Take time to read the passage… and check out how The Message words verses 19-23…

^19-23 Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!

I love the wording at the end… “I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!” As believers we are called to “be in on it” and not just talk about it. Yes, we are good at sharing that God so loved the world, but not always so good at joining in with Him in doing so.

(Note: loving the world and loving the things of this world are two different things…)

But being “in on it” - in the game - means we have to gain wisdom and understanding of the others and be willing to do anything short of sin to reach them! I love the way our pastor in Alabama words it when talking about their community… “We want to make it hard to go to Hell on Sand Mountain!”

How about you? Do you have a heart for the “other team’? Do you want to make it hard for them to go to hell? Well understand that the Gospel needs to go forth in a culturally attractive way… anything short of sin… 

August 13, 2018 - MAP2MAD

As an athletic director I had to make a schedule for each team… that required intentionality in how many games, where they would be, who they would be against, etc. One thing that was very clear was that the schedule needed to be balanced… we couldn’t play all of our games at home… we hade to enter into the opponent’s territory or meet at some neutral sites. One thing that was clear, was that most schools would only play at our place if we were willing to also go to theirs…

The simple reason this came to mind is due to a message I preached recently from the book of 1 Peter chapter 2, and from a devotion I posted on here a couple of weeks ago. I emphasized a word in verse 12, AMONG, and reminded us that we are called to (as I put it in the previous devotion) “that we can’t make a difference from the bench… or even from the training situations… no matter how many shots you make in practice or warm-ups. They count zero in the game!”

As, I was sharing this passage again, it dawned on me that we often hear challenges to make sure we are faithfully reaching out… that the ministry of the church is outside of the walls. And I do, and have often taught, agree that we need to be more intentional in that way. Yet, that doesn’t negate the importance of what we do inside the walls either…

The bottom line is, like good athletic directors, we must create a balanced schedule in which we schedule time “home” and “away.” We should keep inviting folks to come to our place; and we should in turn be willing to go to theirs… and if that is not a good option find a neutral site…

Bottom line is that we need to make sure we are gaining an audience with those we are trying to reach! That involves planning… intentionality…

1 Corinthians 15: ⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

The word ABOUNDING has the idea in Greek of not just exceeding but also of excellence!

MAP2MAD: Make A Plan to Make A Difference

August 6, 2018 - Stick Out Your Tongue!

I remember when I was younger, I always played hoops with my tongue out… no, I wasn’t imitating Michael Jordan (this was before his time in the limelight) … I was just intense! I can remember being told many times that I was going to bite it off one day.

The reason this crazy sports memory came to me actually took place while showing some music videos to my daughter. In every video that showed a powerful performance there was a common denominator: great performers make crazy faces! Basically, we see that the more intense/passionate someone is about his craft, the more into he gets and loses any concern for how he looks to others. Bottom line is that we are not moved by seeing great skills… we are moved by seeing great passion!

This somewhat falls in line with last week’s devotion where I talked about those that are “all show, no go.” No matter how prepared someone is, it is lacking unless he is passionate about it.

Preparation - Passion = Passivity (one will be inactive when not passionate)

Preparation + Passion = Power (this one will Go MAD… Make A Difference)

The Scriptures are clear on what things we should be intensely focused on… 2 Corinthians 5:9 “Therefore we also have as our AMBITION, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”

That word AMBITION has the definition of being one’s aim, something one is striving earnestly for…

In other words, we should “stick our tongues out or make funny faces” and focus in on trying to “be pleasing to Him” by being fully engaged in “the game.” Let’s Go MAD!