Tomorrow @ The Gathering: You Reap What You Risk

IG_IconEverything we think, in everything we do, with everyone we meet,  and for every hope we have, there is risk involved.

Our country was built on the backs of those who conquered their fears and took risks worth taking.  And yet in our current climate with the very things we seem to be abandoning is our ability to understand how to take the right risk.

This weekend at The Gathering we’re going to be talking about the principles in the Scriptures, which teach us about risk and why it is always true that if you risk nothing, you reap nothing.

Maybe you know someone who has been burnt by the risk they took to get married and it didn’t work, or a friend who has lost a job, or maybe some family members who are gripped by fear.  This weekend we are going to learn straight from sacred Scripture how to take only the right risks and what the results are.

Go beyond just inviting a friend.  Tell them you will pick them up or meet at the theatre and go with them to either the 9:00 or 10:30 service.  And then do this: plan on having brunch or coffee afterward to talk about information you’ve just received and see what amazing things can come out of these faith-based, inspiring conversations.

In Praise of Paula

One of the most powerful things we can do is to build other people up.  It’s amazing how much power we have over people with the words we use or refuse to use.  This power is never more evident than in marriage.

So today I want to send out praise to Paula, my wife of 37-plus years, my friend, and my partner.

  1. I want to praise Paula for the strong, smart woman that she is; that she refuses to put up with any of my crap, or allow me to get away with anything.
  2. I want to praise her for the fact that she truly loves people, and how careful she is, particularly in dealing with potential conflict.
  3. I want to praise Paula because of her generosity that flows out of her naturally, never forced or coerced.
  4. I want to praise Paula for helping me understand, as a teenager, that a relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing that I could ever establish for myself.
  5. I want to praise Paula for believing in so many of the hair-brained ideas that I’ve had, sharing the vision, and working equally as hard to make them come true.
  6. I want to praise Paula for the three amazing girls that she has had and raised to adulthood, all of whom inspire me in the way they live their lives.
  7. I want to praise Paula because our love is stronger now than it ever has been.
  8. I want to praise Paula for not giving up on me when so many others would and did.
  9. Paula, you are an inspiration of joy, and our marriage is the greatest achievement of my life.

I’ll stop there because you’re probably tired of reading.  But trust me, I could go on and on and on.  The real point of this blog is not how much praise I have and am willing to extend to my wife Paula, but to inspire you to do the same for your wife or husband.

When is the last time you praised your spouse out loud?  When is the last time you wrote about it, put it out for the world to see?  Do they just assume that you love them, that you appreciate them, and that you need them?  Or do you find the words to tell them?

It’s in the power of praise that relationships grow stronger.  It’s in the power of praise that disappointment and discouragement doesn’t overwhelm you.  It’s in the power of praise that we believe life is worth living.  It’s in the power of praise that new beginnings and greater possibilities become realities.

Praise costs you nothing and can be worth more than you’ll ever know.

David’s Tweets for 2010-01-20

  • Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. #
  • At the end of every good thing is a better thing waiting to be born, if you’re open to receive it. #
  • I think I am safe to say that if you are retired or are thinking of retiring from work, you are out of God’s will. #
  • If you curse your wife, you are suffering from stupid man syndrome. #
  • The idea is to do fewer things with greater energy and boldness. The new more is less. #
  • At the core of every great marriage you need 3 things; beliefs, behaviors, and contingencies. #

What Christians Could Learn from Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien

By now you probably know the controversy surrounding Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien.  What you may not be aware of is, how they are dealing with it.

Here is the bottom line.  Jay Leno has been on the Tonight Show forever, number one in his time-slot.  So Conan O’Brien has followed him, and grown a strong following of his own.

The executives at NBC decided that before Jay Leno’s show started to slump, they’d take it away from him and give it to Conan, and send Jay away.  Then at the last minute they decided they would give him another show, just like the show he had, only in prime time.  Bottom line is, the decision sucks.  It doesn’t work.  And now all of a sudden, and in panic mode of course, they are going to move things back like they were.  This brings controversy between two very visible entertainers.

What’s been interesting, as I’ve watched this unfold, is what class both of these men have as they are dealing with this embarrassing situation.  The steps are being taken because neither one of their shows are being successful given the conditions of the current format.  And yet they are making fun of themselves and being honorable at the same time.  Here are some things that Christians could learn from this:

  1. Be honest about what’s going on. It’s embarrassing to fail, and as Jay Leno says, humbling.  Don’t hide, don’t lie, and don’t spin it; just tell the truth.
  2. Don’t attack the other person. This is something Christians can learn because even though we are supposed to live by a higher standard, it seems as though Christians on a mission from God can be as mean and merciless as almost anyone in the world.  Take an example from these two highly paid, high profile entertainers.  Respect the other person.
  3. Always stay on task. That means you’re trying to find a workable solution for both sides.
  4. If you can’t find a solution, go your separate ways and embrace a new beginning.

Here is why this is so important for those of us who call ourselves Christians.  We suck at conflict.  We devour each other because we adopt a weird mindset that says, “As long as my cause is righteous, I can use any means available to accomplish it.”  In other words, the end justifies any means necessary.

I’ve seen Christian leaders lie, cheat, steal, and do things I never dreamed would be possible, all in the effort to do the right thing.  This should never be.

Let’s take a lesson from a current controversy and be men and women of integrity when we’re involved in conflict.

David’s Tweets for 2010-01-18

  • A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.
    ~Dwight D Eisenhower~ #
  • “Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.”
    (Edison) #
  • The best way to embrace the suffering in Haitai is to embrace the suffering around you! #
  • To risk nothing is to risk everything. #
  • Responsibility is the price of greatness. #
  • “Think like a person of action and act like a person who thinks.” #
  • Life is too short to spend it talking about what we're going to do one day! #

Throwing Money at Haiti Won’t Solve the Problem

All of us are overwhelmed and stunned at the images we see on TV about the devastation in Haiti.  It is a nation into which billions and billions of aid have been poured and yet the money doesn’t seem to have made the kind of dent we would expect.

So what is our response when we see tragedies like this?  Either earthquakes, tsunamis, war – we send money.  And we should.  Money is a powerful tool. It can be used to buy medicine, water and food.  It can stave off starvation and disease.  It can rebuild infrastructure.  It can lift people out of a cycle of poverty.  But that is never, ever enough.

Here is a novel idea for those of us who will never go to Haiti, who aren’t missionaries, who live in the real world of commerce, of Wall Street, of profit and loss. The very best way for us to engage the suffering there in Haiti is to engage the suffering here, all around us.

Maybe instead of texting our ten dollars to the Red Cross , which is a good thing and should be done, or sending money to Samaritan’s Purse, or even a great ministry like Convoy of Hope, we should, in addition, look around at what’s gone wrong in the families and communities in which we live.  Maybe we should be peacemakers right here.

I have a peace plan that goes along the same lines of what Jesus promised when he said that those who followed and loved him would be peacemakers.  It takes the word “peace” and uses it as an acrostic for action.  Here is my peace plan:

P – Practice being good news.  This is what we need; hope, real hope, tangible, sustainable hope; the hope that is based on the foundation of what God has committed Himself to do in a world of sorrow and pain.  There is always hope for those who turn form their ways and embrace the love and grace of God.  Let’s be the people who know what it’s like to be loved.

E – Extinguish prejudice wherever we find it. As many of you know, Pat Robertson made a declaration that the earthquake is a judgment of God.  Whether it is or isn’t, this statement as it stands, is a great example of prejudice; the prejudice that comes from someone or some source that has an overinflated estimation of their own understanding of God’s ways. So instead of deciding who’s to blame and who deserves God’s judgment and God’s grace, let’s strike out prejudice wherever we find it.  God loves people as they are, not as they ought to be.

A – Advance the good. What is your career?  Does your career advance the good, or just give you a paycheck?

C- Compassion that leads to action. What are the actionable steps you can take where you are that would relieve the pain and suffering, to help be a force of redemption, restoration, and reconciliation?

E – Embrace the suffering. This is what Jesus did, and this is what we should do.

David’s Tweets for 2010-01-17

  • Here's what we're doing at the Gathering today http://ow.ly/XkvN #
  • Don't wast another Sunday sitting at home or in a restaurant, mad at God and the world. Find a church, and take a chance! #
  • RT @jasonpanks: @RedCross Text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate. 100% of ur $10 donation pass thru 2 @RedCross 4 Haiti relief #
  • Watch the live webcast from the Gathering Nashville NOW
    http://ow.ly/Xkxu #
  • The best way to respond to the pain and suffering in Haitia is to embrace the pain and suffering here. #
  • Watch the live webcast from the Gathering Nashville NOW
    http://ow.ly/XkxP #
  • You marriage changes for the better the moment you think the way you should think then act the way you should act! #

Today @ The Gathering: You Only Chase Rabbits You Can’t Catch

IG_IconIn Florida they race dogs.  What I’ve discovered about how they get these dogs to run so consistently and so fast is that they starve them and then put out in front of them, a rabbit.  And they chase the rabbit around the track.  The amazing thing is that if any dog ever catches the rabbit in the pursuit of it he’ll never race again. They’ll have to retire him, sell him or put him down.

I see an awful lot of people around me who are chasing rabbits that they can catch; like the rabbits of status, or trophies, or toys that cost a lot of money and come with payments; maybe power and control, the status rabbit of choice.  So the question is this: is life simply the art of chasing rabbits we can catch, buying things, consuming things, making life all about me?  Or is there something bigger, better, and bolder about the way life should be lived?

Take the tragedy in Haiti.  It is human suffering beyond estimation and imagination.  We see it on TV.  Most of us will never go there or engage it face to face.  So what do we do?  We do about this what we do about almost everything else in our life.  We throw money at it.  We think that money, organizations and strategies are the key to everything.  And while these are important, it falls way short.

You are put on this planet to care about more than yourself, to serve a higher, more noble purpose.  The very best way to respond to Haiti is to embrace the suffering.  To respond to Haiti and embrace the suffering there is to embrace the suffering around you here.

But what does that look like, to embrace the suffering around you here?  It looks like what happens when people see things the way they shouldn’t be and decide to make them as they ought to be.  We start businesses, companies, and services.  Some people call it Capitalism.  Other people call it serving others.

The day you wake up and realize that it’s not all about you and start serving a higher, more noble purpose is the day you break free from all the petty, little grievances and worries that have kept you from being fully human, fully engaged, and fully alive.

What are the rabbits in life that you are chasing?  They were here before you got here, and will be here after you’re gone, but you’re making a difference.  What are the goals, what are the problems, what are the issues you’re willing to make your own and then pour your heart, mind and soul into, to make a difference?

David’s Tweets for 2010-01-16

  • And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. #
  • If you pout when you don't get your way, you are suffering from stupid man syndrome. #
  • "But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

    Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you m… http://read.ly/Jas2.18.NIV #

  • If you send your family to church while you stay home, you are suffering from stupid man syndrome. #

Tomorrow @ The Gathering: Chasing Rabbits You Can’t Catch; or It Ain’t All About You

IG_IconTomorrow @ The Gathering we’re going to be continuing our series, Inspire Greatness. I hope you’re taking this seriously because the world needs men and women who live in a world bigger than a little, bitty world of me, myself, and my stuff.

If you are a person who’s looking for purpose in life, for meaning; if your passion for life and joy for life has moved to the back burner or has left the building, The Gathering will be for you.  We will tell you how to create excitement, joy, and momentum; how to get up every single day and live your life for something bigger than just the next paycheck or payment; to have a marriage stronger and relationships more enduring than just the kind you’ve experienced in the past based on take care of me, love me, and help me.

With the earthquakes in Haiti, with the divorce rate, with taxes and jobs, with industries in turmoil, this is the day for bigger, bolder thinking.  And this may be the very moment that the change you’re looking for will come.

Join us @ The Gathering, 9:00 & 10:30. It could change your life for the rest of your life, and the lives of everyone who needs what you’ve got.