Monday, September 9, 2019
September 9, 2019 - Stop Trying To Do Too Much!
I spend almost every day talking with someone (often myself) about what is the next move to make… or to make it sound theological… what is God’s leading?
As a coach, one that makes decisions on plays, one often faces games that don’t necessarily go as planned. At times this is because the other team does not do what was expected… and other times it is because the team is simply not executing the plan.
In one of the NFL games yesterday, the star rookie quarterback (Kyler Murray) was struggling and found his team (Arizona Cardinals) down by 18 points... In the 4th quarter the team made an incredible come back and ended up with a tie in overtime. The reason I write about it is because of what the offensive coordinator had to say:
"It was three quarters of the worst offense I've seen in my life and it was my fault," Kingsbury said. "Bad play calls, just trying to do too much, and we'll get that corrected."
When reading other articles, the coordinator talked of trying to do too much and getting away from what they had worked on… he took the blame for not sticking to the game plan.
As I was giving some counsel yesterday, I had to tell the person that even though at times the game (life) is rough, the first place to stop and look is one’s own choices… are they measuring up to what the Scriptures clearly lay out for how one should live? (God has much to say on how we should treat others… how we should do business… how we should handle our finances… etc.)
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Coach Burden Translation: Stop trying to get cute and do too much… stick to the game plan… do things the way He has told you to!
Monday, September 2, 2019
September 2, 2019 - No Spiritual Cupcakes
One phrase I used to hear a lot as a kid was that someone was “all talk and no action.” Often it was surrounding my sports world with someone running his mouth about what he was going to do on the court… (and to be honest, at times it was used during altercations when someone was puffing his chest out and talking smack…)
As a coach I would regularly hear my players talking about what they were going to do… how the season was going to go… etc. Yet, to be honest, much of it was just talk because there wasn’t the work/effort put in to back it up.
Today I am writing very simply to the church… it is time to move beyond being “all talk and no action.” I have heard throughout my churched years sermons/teachings on what we are supposed to be doing… I’ve even gone as far as stating that “if you know someone that doesn’t believe in God or that God is loving… it is probably your fault!” (I know, I know… making statements like that do not help get repeat “business” for an itinerant preacher/teacher…)
I have spent the last couple of days trying to keep up with the effects of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, and of course the future impact. To any of you that know us, you know that we have a lot of very close ties down the eastern seaboard of FL; yet we also have close ties in the Abaco Islands… Lisa and I were in the Abacos just last summer and met some people we dearly love…
The point is this, we often, as the church, complain about how the government does thing; but the reality is that if the church stepped up and put some action to its teachings, the needs would be taken care of.
So, for this week I am encouraging you to not only consider helping those in the Bahamas (and those that will be hit in the US); but to take inventory of your life and determine if there is a reality of your actions correlating with your beliefs…
Psalm 41:1 Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
Deuteronomy 17:7-8 If there is among you a poor man of your brethren… you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him…
Leviticus 25:35 If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him…
One of the phrases I often used about the trash talkers was that they had “alligator mouths and mosquito behinds”; or another term we used for those that didn’t back up their talk… “cupcakes.”
This week’s bottom line: No Spiritual Cupcakes!!!
GREAT OUTREACHES TO HELP THE ABACO ISLANDS
https://www.islandoutreach.com
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