Be the Bridge...

 Last year my friend and colleague Sarah Akard attended the National Youth Homelessness Conference. In the United States of America, homelessness for a child or family should not be a reality, yet close to 2 million children face some form of homelessness each day in this land of abundance. That in itself is a national, state, and local issue that screams "HELP!" The tagline for the conference "Be the Bridge Between Now and Next" stuck with me, as the concept of now and next sent my mind darting in multiple directions. Our children need bridges to opportunity and to hope and our society is in desperate need of a view of where we are now and where we should be striving to be next. 

Just as homelessness should not be a thing for children or their families in our nation, the harsh reality is that it does exist. It is also a reality that drug addiction impacts nearly 49 million people today in the United States. Another alarming statistic here in America is that close to 24% or 61.5 million adults were identified as experiencing mental illness issues in 2024. Crime rates, divorce rates, and the rate of families living below the poverty line are rampant and seem to be on the rise each day we live. For a guy who's mission is to inspire and uplift his fellow man, the stats I'm sharing aren't very inspirational. Yet, as I often say, "we have to take the lemons life hands us, and make some sweet lemonade to share with others". Where problems exist, whether they be societal such as the homelessness crisis in our country or if it is a personal issue with some type of substance abuse or addiction, we each have a job to do. It is our responsibility to be a bridge, the bridge from what is the current status of a person or our society, to the place of what this world can and should be next. 

Here is where our inspiration exists. We each have the responsibility to become the bridge of hope for the hopeless, and the connector of inspiration for the lost and downtrodden. In Jeremiah 29:11 God spoke this message into the heart and mind of His prophet Jeremiah. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Bridges aren't constructed without first developing the architectural design and ultimately creating a set of blueprints that guide the builder's plans and actions. God designed the plan for how we are to become that bridge for someone in need, and then He gave us the blueprint for us to become that bridge through the life of His Son Jesus. God's Word became a living blueprint for our lives and the hope of all mankind. It is our responsibility to build that bridge from where someone is stranded now to where they can be next. 

The Apostle Paul wrote this message of guidance to his younger protege Timothy, "The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right." II Timothy 3:14. As I referenced above, when Jesus came to this earth He became the living embodiment of the Word and thus became that living blueprint for us to become the bridge from now to next. (John 1:1) Just as Jesus became the Golden Gate bridge example for mankind, His teachings provide us with the floor plans of His blueprint for service to others before self. That principle is core to our responsibility of being the bridge for others to cross from disparity to an undying faith grounded in hope and trust. 

So, if Jesus is our blueprint, and the Bible serves as our master copy of God's blueprint then the lessons taught and the truths shared in the Bible become the nuts and bolts of what holds the bridge between now and what is next together. The Spirit of God provides us with not only the nuts and bolts of bridge building, He also provides us with the trusses and beams that ultimately are used to construct that bridge. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23. As God's bridge building workforce, we must utilize the tools listed above to share, serve, build, and even reconstruct the hope of those that we come in contact with each day. Homelessness and hopelessness go hand in hand, we have the tools to bridge the gap between hopelessness to hopefulness!

It is our job to be the inspiration for someone else, the message I want to convey today is for us to not be waiting to be ministered to, but instead to provide us the opportunity to minister to someone else in need. Bridges aren't built for the bridge's benefit, bridges are built for the sole purpose of allowing others to cross on the back of their bridge. We must become the bridge from what is now to the bridge of what is next!

Coach Carter

Here and There

 God is here. God is ever present, omnipotent, and omniscient. God created time and then stepped into time. There is not a day or night that God is not in, from the rising sun in our east to the setting of the same each evening in our western skyline. The Bible tells us that God is an ever present help in our time of need (Psalm 46:1), but God is also with us wherever we happen to find ourselves, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:7-10. The evidence is clear to me, even His name Emmanuel signifies this fact, "God with us". That truth was part of my morning prayers today. We can't go anywhere that God isn't already there, but the question I sought an answer to in my prayers today was, "God is here, but am I there?"

How is it possible to not be with God if He is always "here" with us? How can God be with each and every person at the same exact time regardless of where you are and where everyone else is? I may not be able to scientifically explain that, but I will share with you that our God is not like us, we can't place God in any context where we are comparing God to our human existence. God is with us (Isaiah 41:10), each of us (Matthew 28:20), and that is just the way it is (Hebrews 13:5). God's existence with us in our day to day walk is not connected directly to a time of need, although David wrote "I will fear no evil, for You are with me, Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" Psalm 23:4. We find comfort and peace knowing that God is with us when we face challenges. God is near to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18) and God's love for us endures forever, (Psalm 136). My advice is to not attempt to compartmentalize God. Calling on God in our times of need is expected, yet if we truly develop and nurture a relationship with God, we will come to an understanding that God is with us, all of us. The problem isn't that God is distant from us, but more that we are not "there" with God. 

If God is "here", then how can it be that we could possibly not be "there" with God? If God is omnipresent in our lives, wouldn't that mean that it is not possible to not be "there" with God, right? Therein lies our dilemma. God gives us free will, thus we choose whether we will be "there" with God. A story about two devout followers of Jesus serves this idea well. Sisters, Mary and Martha, were super excited that Jesus was coming to their home to teach, preach, and eventually dine with those gathered. I'm sure they spent much of the day preparing their home, sweeping the floors, straightening up the furnishings, and most likely cooking right up to His arrival. After Jesus arrived, Martha continued to clean and cook, while Mary stopped what she was doing and sat intently at the feet of Jesus eager to hear what He would say. Martha became irritated that Mary wasn't helping her and vented her frustration to Jesus. What Jesus replied provides merit to the idea of being "there" when He is "here". "Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:31-42. Both Mary and Martha believed that Jesus was the Son of God, both were excited that Jesus was coming to their home, both wanted to be near Him, but only Mary made the decision to stop what she wanted to do, and to do what was the right thing to do. Martha was in the room, but due to her choice to be too busy to sit down and listen to Jesus, she in essence wasn't really "there" with Jesus even though He was sitting in their home. Martha could have said "Jesus is here, so that is where I want to be, right there with Him." Instead Martha chose to be too busy and missed out on the one thing that Mary received, guidance and teaching from the Son of God. 

We started our time together today with a verse from Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Taken in context with our story about Mary and Martha this psalm could have served as a guidebook for the two sisters. Martha needed to pick up on what Mary already knew, God is ever-present, basically saying why do we need to worry ourselves so much with cleaning and cooking to prepare for Jesus to arrive. God, His Son Jesus, and God's Holy Spirit our triennial Creator is with us always, He is "here" we must make the decision to be "there" with Him. Later in the same psalm, God tells David to "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10. What I hear God saying is plain and clear, "I am ever-present, be still and be with Me". 

"Be still and know that I am God", when we stop trying to handle life on our own and we allow God to "direct our steps" Proverbs 16:9, then we can say that we are "there"with God, because God is always "here" with us and for us. When you need to hear from God, He is there, tuck in close to Him and allow His word to fill your heart, mind, and soul. I want to leave you with this one truth. God is with you, God is here. You must decide will you be there with Him? I choose God.

Coach Carter

                            

Giants are Big

"Giants are Big". Redundant statement? Possibly, but I contest that many of us face giants everyday, yet we are either sidestepping them, avoiding the inevitable face-off, or we are allowing ourselves to exist in the shadow of a giant that is blocking out our sunshine. The good news is giants are not invincible, and the better news is you don't have to face a giant alone! 

When we think of giants our minds race back to our childhood with visions of magic beans and a beanstalk that leads to a giant's castle beyond the clouds. It may also be possible that the image you envision is one of a young man slinging a smooth river rock into the forehead of the Philistine giant Goliath. You could say our heroes of each story faced their giant and came out victorious. That would be the summarized version of the stories, but as in any summary, the details often get left behind for the sake of time and space. If you will allow me, I'd like to go just a tad bit deeper. 

First, we need to define what a giant is beyond the 8 ft. tall image that circles around in our heads. Being 5'7" pretty much anyone standing taller than six feet tall is a giant in my line of sight! But, giants are not always flesh and bone, as a matter of fact, the majority of giants that we face would be more figurative in stature rather than Mt. Everest resting directly in front of us. Relationship giants, substance abuse giants, financial giants, health, job, or loss of a loved one giants are real and they can block out the Son's light if we aren't careful. Ignoring or denying a giant won't dismiss its power over us. When the Israelites were being challenged daily to send out a warrior to battle Goliath they pretty much tried to ignore the challenge. It was like, not me, you go! There wasn't a soldier in the ranks that was willing to step up and face this giant of a man. Thus, the giant stood tall right there in their face. Nothing changed until a shepherd boy made the decision to trust in the Lord and step out on the battlefield armed with a slingshot and three river rocks. Or so it would seem. Actually, David was not the underdog that he has been labeled down through history, David did not face Goliath alone, David confidently walked out to face this giant with the power and strength of God flowing through his youthful body! "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." I Samuel 17:45. Giants are big, our God is bigger! 

Whatever your giant looks like doesn't really matter. What matters is it is standing in front of you and holding you back from fulfilling God's purpose for this life He gave you to live. Facing a giant is a challenge, facing a giant all on your own is neither advisable nor strategic. As mentioned above, you do not have to face your giant on your own. The prophet Isaiah shared these words of encouragement from God "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. After David later became King of Israel he continued to place his trust in God as he faced physical, spiritual, and other figurative giants. The one thing that David remained steadfast in was his trust in God to walk with him as he faced any giant that stood in his way. "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise - in God I trust and am not afraid." Psalm 56:3-4.  

You are not alone. The giant is big, because giants are big, but our God is bigger, because God is bigger than any giant, mountain, or trial you are facing. Whatever valley you are walking through, or whatever giant it is that is attempting to steal your joy, I pray you will rely on a few things from our time together today. Giants are real and they can beat you up and toss you around if you allow them to, but you do not have to face your giant all alone. God is near, He walks with us and He makes a way when it appears that there is no way to surmount that mountain in front of you. Giants are big, but our God is bigger! Seek Him, trust Him, and walk with Him each day!

Coach Carter

The Fallacy of Standing Still

 Having worked for ten years as an elementary school principal I distinctly remember hearing phrases such as, "Go over there and stand still for just one minute" countless times. In my own life as a grandfather to seven little girls, I have heard their parents direct their girls to "stand still" and to quit squirming around. I'm not so sure we were asking for something that is even possible. Not that young children can't stay in one place, but I'm thinking more along the lines of asking anyone to "stand still". I believe that term is a misnomer and for us, holding to the mindset of standing still or staying put isn't really possible. You see I don't believe anything actually stands still. We have all heard that at specific times in our history, "time stood still", but did it? I'm pretty sure the clock continued to click and seconds still became minutes and minutes became hours, and hours became days. For our purpose today, I would go as far to say that nothing living stands still. 

Attempting to stand still and maintain the status quo of our lives actually initiates a motion. For me that motion would be moving backwards. What do I mean here? It is my opinion that by attempting to stay put and not move forward then we are in essence making a choice to move backwards. Progress only happens when we move forward, and again progress is not achieved without moving forward. For the human race, the moment we feel that we have learned everything, then we have set our life's GPS to fall backwards as new methodologies and technologies are created and employed. That is why the mindset of being a "lifelong learner" is so important. 

I've stated a couple of times today that the concept of standing still actually serves as fuel for moving  backwards. This isn't just Chuck's opinion. Listen to the words of the wisest man in the annals of history. "Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance..." Proverbs 1:5. If Solomon said to "add to their learning" and to go "get guidance" he was basically saying go, grow, and then go some more! Knowledge and growth don't come to us through osmosis. To "add" and to "get" are action verbs not passive and definitely not innate. Gaining knowledge is advice that is planted over and over throughout the Book of Proverbs and also in the Book of Ecclesiastes both penned by King Solomon. Why would the wisest and arguably the smartest man in history over and over again direct people to find knowledge and gain wisdom? (Proverbs 3:13, Proverbs 4:7, Proverbs 16:16, and Proverbs 18:15 just to name a few examples). Solomon knew that to settle in on the knowledge base where you are is the recipe for mediocrity and ultimately a declining mind, decreased initiative, and the beginning of the end of progress. Thus if you ain't moving forward, you sure aren't standing still, you are effectively moving backwards. 

Why is being complacent with the knowledge base so detrimental to ourselves and to society? Things change, we can't assume that the knowledge we gained as a youth will be sufficient for us as adults. As a leader I can't assume the skill and knowledge I have today will ever be sufficient for me as a change agent for the betterment of the people I serve in my leadership role. As soon as I assume I have all the answers and I do not need to continue learning and growing, I have placed myself and those I work alongside into reverse gear. This world does not stand still nor should it. Just look at the example of the personal computer. If mankind had settled when a personal computer had to be operated at a desk with space for a monitor, keypad, and the computer tower, we wouldn't have our very own personal computer readily available anywhere we go right there in our pocket. Horse and buggy or automobile, campfire or microwave, the list goes on and on. We advance in society because we go forward in our thinking and our perspective on life. 

In my own life, I live by the motto of "You gotta go if you want to grow", to which the alternative is just as true, "If you don't go, do not expect to grow". And standing still attempting to assume you have all the knowledge in life you will ever need is not advisable nor productive. The Apostle Paul summed it up like this, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will." Romans 12:2. A dear friend of mine who has passed would often say, "If you're waiting on me, you are backing up!" Do not allow your life to be parked in the parking lot, go, grow, and improve the world in which you live each day, every day! 

Coach Carter

Fruitful or Fruitless

 

Missy and I have lived in a loft apartment for the past three years after moving to Sullivan County for my job. The complex is full of trees, shrubs, and flowering paths which gives this downtown property an earthy appeal that we have certainly enjoyed. I say that, yet recently my enjoyment of the beauty of the landscape came into question which serves as the impetus for today's Flat Tire message. I am a creature of habit and as such I tend to park in pretty much the same spot, enter the same door, and make my way up the steps to our loft in the same manner each day. At the doorway I normally enter a river birch tree is situated adjacent to the doorway which has served as a welcoming steward for me each afternoon when I return from work. Days turned into months, months have turned into three years, and I have entered that same doorway for the majority of those three years. At some point, I must have started taking the welcoming leafy branches of the birch for granted. I'm not sure how long ago it happened, but recently I realized the tree is dead. Honestly, I was shocked. I literally walk by that tree everyday seven days a week for the most part. At what point did that tree die? How did I not notice that it was dead? And, did I miss signs that the tree was in danger and that it needed a tree doctor? I guess I'll never know how long ago the river birch tree died, but now each day I walk by a dead, meaningless collection of dried up twigs and branches. No leaves swaying in the wind, no birds nesting in its branches, and no potential to provide shade from the hot summer sun. Lifeless. 

My river birch encounter brought to mind the living parable Jesus shared with His disciples regarding a fig tree he passed that was not bearing fruit. My takeaway from Jesus' encounter with the fig tree resonated well with my own river birch experience. "Early in the morning, as Jesus was on His way back to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then He said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. Matthew 21:18-19. The lesson learned by Jesus' disciples here was that if you aren't bearing fruit, then you really aren't living out your life's purpose. If the tree isn't bearing fruit, which was one of its main purposes in life, then outside of draining the ground of valuable nutrients and moisture, that particular tree was not worthy to be used. So what did Jesus do? He cursed the tree and it died. 

The intersection of these two separate but similar encounters created my thought for today. With the river birch, I walked by that tree for days, months, and most likely at least a year and never noticed that the tree was dead. I suppose I could say I just took the tree's purpose for granted and assumed that it was doing its job. Now that I have realized that the tree is dead, I am certain that the maintenance team will eventually dig up or cut down the dead tree and hopefully replace it with a live sapling. The lesson isn't completely about the tree not doing its job, but more about me not realizing it wasn't doing its job, and walking by it everyday taking it for granted that the tree was doing it's job. Coupled with my river birch, Jesus condemning the fig tree for not producing fruit, which is it's purpose in life, made for a pretty fair and consistent assessment on the life we are living for our audience today. 

Are we that river birch? Is it possible that we are moving through life assuming that we are doing exactly what we were purposed for, when in actuality we are dead and lifeless, not fulfilling the plans God created you to fulfill? Do we walk right by our purpose each day without realizing that we much like the fig tree are not producing the fruit that will ultimately expand God's Kingdom? Personally, I don't want to walk through my life and never realize that I am not living God's purpose and plans for the life He gave me to live. I don't want to unintentionally not bear fruit that will sustain the lives of those I live, love, and work with each day. I don't want life to pass by me and me not realize that I was dead to Christ. I want to live with His purpose in mind and I want that for each of you reading this post today. I want His living water to run through my veins each day and I want to witness His purpose being played out in the work I do, the relationships I nurture, and the outcomes that I have an opportunity to impact. And I want that for you. 

Live your life to its fullest each day. Live with purpose, His purpose, and live your life bearing His fruit. Not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of those we share life with each day! 

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

Coach Carter

Counter Culture

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." James 1:19 

In my own life's experiences, when I think about the above verse from the Book of James, I readily invite others to treat me in the manner listed above when I mess up and need to make amends. I want the afflicted person to "hear me out" first, then sparsely provide their feedback or reprimand, and lastly I want the injured party to forgive me with no restrictions and in a brotherly manner. Does that sound similar to your own way of thinking? Or maybe I'm in that small minority of individuals that mess up way too often and the majority of our reading audience seldom need forgiveness or mercy and grace because you rarely mess up? That may sound a bit sarcastic, yet taking a survey of the current culture we are living in, I'd wager a bet that there are many more folks out there that intentionally or unknowingly live a little more in line with this way of thinking: "Be slow to hear what others have to say. Be quick to voice your own opinions. Be quick to accuse, argue, and fight." I can't provide a source for this one, but I can guarantee you I didn't find it in the Bible. As a matter of fact this line of thinking is so counterintuitive to the life and teachings of our model example, Jesus. Where did things go sideways? I'm not sure I could do that question justice, but the harsh reality is that society today has gone counter to the culture of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the evidence can be seen without a magnifying glass.  

It isn't hard to find evidence to support my appraisal of society today. Turn your TV on, scroll through your social media posts, or go attend any youth or adult sporting event. The whole quick to listen and slow to anger mindset takes the back seat to more of a me first ideation of I don't need to hear what you are saying because you are wrong, and if you disagree with what I have to say then you are obviously a bad person that I don't want to engage in conversation. Additionally, our society has become increasingly self-focused, leading many people to believe that if others would simply adopt their perspective, they would finally feel validated and vindicated. That my friends is not in line with the life that Jesus modeled for us. I'd go as far to say that the life that Jesus lived would be counterculture to what is prevalent in society today. 

Example in point, reflect on the story where Jesus was asked by an angry mob about whether they should stone a woman to death or not due to her adulterous sins. For me, the scene and the response of Jesus is one of those cinema graphic moments that would rival Dirty Harry's "Go ahead, make my day" or the Outlaw Josey Wales, "Dying ain't much of a living" lines from Hollywood. The angry mob was quickly silenced when instead of blurting out a condemnation Jesus paused and knelt down to the ground. Not saying a word, Jesus picked up a stick and started stirring around in the dirt. I'm sure the crowd was still thinking that any moment Jesus was going to say "rock on" or something like that, yet he continued to stir the sandy surface. My thought, Jesus had surely heard the evidence of the woman's sin through the shouts and condemnations of the crowd, so instead of joining the crowd, Jesus was being slow to speak and slow to join in the anger of the mob. After thinking through His response, Jesus stood up and addressed the question to which he had been refuted "Alright then, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone." John 8:7. And how did the angry mob respond? They stopped, reflected, and then one by one they dropped their stones and left the woman standing there alone with only Jesus in the space. Jesus asked her where all her accusers went and she replied that they had left. Jesus then told the woman that neither did He condemn her and then prompted her to go and sin no more. Wow, in the world we live today the angry mob would have turned to anarchy if "justice" had not been carried out immediately in the exact way that they would feel was the "right" thing to do. Their right thing to do. Yet that does not make it the right thing to do. Actually, the culture that Jesus was modeling was one of self-reflection before self-proclamation. 

So, if my synopsis on society today is accurate and if today's rallying cries are "guilty until proven innocent" or "act now and we will get answers that support our stance later" what offer to revive more of the culture of the lifestyle of Jesus could be offered. Well, in Galatians 5:22-23 we are encouraged to partake in the fruit of the Spirit which includes: love, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If you poured that list of virtues in a blender, I believe the outcome would be a combination of restraint, empathy, and compassion for our fellow man. Unfortunately, at current this is really counter to the accepted culture of the day. But to not be fatalistic, we have the recipe on how to return to a society that listens twice as much as we speak, (two ears, one mouth mindset), and a people that are slower to anger and quicker to consider. Today's culture may be counter to the life Jesus lived, yet we have the ability to counter today's culture to one that more closely aligns with the life of Jesus Christ. 

Coach Carter

The Bounce Back Factor Revisited

As I was preparing for this week's message, I did a little search of all of the previous posts with the goal in mind of not repeating myself in sharing an encouraging message of hope. I found two previous FTMs with the idea of "bouncing back" from adversity and affliction as the base topic, yet I believe today's "bounce" message compliments the two previous posts and the idea of getting back up when you get knocked down can't be stressed too much! Adversity comes to us all, that's not being pessimistic, just being real. How each of us handles that adversity is where the "rubber" hits the road ... and then bounces back up! I hope you enjoy today's scriptures  and the song lyrics I've linked to today's bouncing back message of hope as much as I have, all I can say is "Thank you Lord!" Enjoy the read. 

The Apostle Paul serves as an excellent example of a "bounce back" kinda guy or gal in the Bible. Not that there isn't a plethora of other candidates, Joseph, Moses, David, Esther, Ruth, Peter, and most certainly Jesus just to name a few, but what motivates me from the life of Paul is how he was transformed through adversity to move from persecutor of Christians to the man credited with writing the majority of the New Testament. That transformation is what I want to focus on today. I want to suggest that the through the adversity Paul endured, he was being formulated and solidified into an amazing advocate for Christianity. In other words, without the negative Paul may have never learned to bounce back to where he was supposed to be in God's kingdom. 

I think we all would agree, rubber is one of the most bounciest substances we have at our disposal. The elasticity and durability of rubber is accomplished through a multi-step process in which the raw substance is transformed to the rubber bouncy ball I've mentioned. Let's just say there's quite a bit of stretching and enduring heat involved in the drawn out process. That provides us with our comparison of the process by which we ourselves become more elastic and more capable of bouncing back and bouncing higher depending on how well we embrace the process of us becoming more of what God intended us to be. Key concept to remember here: without the multi-step process of creating rubber, rubber just remains a sticky tree sap. We too won't become a person who can "bounce back" from the adversities of life unless we have developed the necessary growth mindset through those downward trajectory events in our lives that allow us to go through the process of learning how to bounce back from the adversity or afflictions we must endure and eventually overcome. 

Paul's transformation is a prime example of how God uses this process of taking the sticky tree sap of our souls and converting it to a bounce back type of man or woman. Paul's life teaches us that we must take adversity and not only embrace it as an opportunity to grow, but also realize that without that adversity we really don't have a life to transform. In II Corinthians 6:1-10 Paul describes how the hard times are what allowed him to appreciate the better times and how through adverse conditions he was then enabled to see the positive outcomes from his life's situations. In verses 1-7 Paul sets the stage for his statement of faith by sharing an overview of what endurance and perseverance look like in the face of adversity: "As God's co-workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "in the time of my favor I heard you and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;" II Corinthians 6:1-7. From there the rest of today's scripture provides a rhythmic visual of how life's challenges may become the impetus by which transformation begins. "Through glory and dishonor (bounce), bad report and good report, (bounce), genuine, yet regarded as imposters, (bounce), known, yet regarded as unknown; (bounce) dying, and yet we live on; (bounce) beaten, and yet not killed; (bounce) sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, (bounce), yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. (bounce). Can we all come to an agreement and admit that without the hard and challenging times in this world that we endure, the more challenging it will be for us to overcome the obstacles we face in our life's journey. It is essential that we learn to bounce and recover to move forward and succeed.   

To bring today's message to a close I want to share a song with the lyrics that I feel captures the essence of the positive benefits of not just enduring but growing through the adversities in our lives. Musical artists Ben Fuller and Carrie Underwood have a duet that shares the message that although we would all like to think that an easy road with no potholes or detours would be best, without us learning how to grow through adversity we lose the opportunity to experience God's grace and His love. His love for us holds us up and illuminates our path so that we can see that the light is not at the end of the tunnel, but instead His light is there with us in the tunnels of life. Embrace the struggle, persevere to prosper, and endure to achieve everlasting! Enjoy the ride. 

"If It Was Up to Me"

Coach Carter