Who's Back Do You Have?

     Who can you count on when the going gets tough? Do you have someone that you can think of that would be there for you no matter the time of day or the magnitude of the task that you needed their help? My brother Bob is one of those people that has gotten me out of some sticky situations and has always been there to support me during some of my toughest spots. I remember one time in my youth when I was in Cub Scouts there was a rocket derby that I was supposed to have prepared a rocket to participate in the annual race. Well I had procrastinated and spent most of my time playing in the creek and around the barn. The day of the race slipped up on me and as you can probably guess, my rocket was not ready. Mom told me I had to go to support my troop and as I cried and pleaded to not go as to avoid the embarrassment of being the only Scout with no rocket, Bob volunteered to ride along in the car and help me finish the rocket on the way to the park. I not only was able to participate in the derby, but I won first place! The trophy sits on a shelf in my office today as a reminder that we can't always do life on our own. That is one story among a myriad list of times Bob has been there for me in life. It's pretty safe to say that my brother Bob has "got my back". The bigger question in this week's Flat Tire Ministries (FTM) Thought for the Week would be, who out there would answer that YOU are the person that they would call on no matter what the situation? In our families hopefully you are someone that your spouse and children can count on to pull them through the tough times in life. Outside of your immediate family though, how many people would answer that you are the person that they would "dial a friend" if they needed someone that they could count on to be there?
     I'm reminded of a story I read in one of John Maxwell's books about two soldiers that were foxhole partners during WWII. Separated while under attack one of the soldiers was injured and trapped in a foxhole. Moaning, and lamenting the injuries he had received during the attack, the wounded soldier pleaded for help while the bullets were zinging around and over the heads of the entire platoon. Against the orders of his commanding officer, the wounded soldier's partner took out across the battle line, to retrieve his friend. Upon returning to his platoon the injured soldier had died and his rescuer was also mortally wounded.  The platoon leader angered at the loss of not one, but two of his men said "what a waste, he's dead and now you are going to die as well." The dying soldier looked at his sergeant and shared this valiant rescue story.  "You're wrong Sarge, when I got to the foxhole he was still alive and he looked me in the eyes and said,  Jim I knew you would come!"
     As my eyes well up with tears with the thought that this young man in his heart knew his friend would be there no matter what, I have to ask myself "to whom would I be there?" Who is there out there that believes in their heart that I would be there for them?  In my job as principal of an elementary school, what kind of leader am I? Do my students trust me to come to their aid if needed? Do my coworkers trust that I have their back no matter what? Have I or do I make all efforts to give them that peace of mind about my support of them? In my friendships would my friends feel comfortable calling me at 2:00AM to help them with their broke down car, or would they instead call for emergency roadside assistance? Am I a friend in need or a friend when I have needs?
     Look deep inside and be honest with yourself, ask yourself some tough questions and provide some real answers. If you aren't that person for somebody in your job, your social circle, or in your circle of influence then it's time you put the focus on someone other than yourself! Go about the business of becoming a person that others can count on during the small stuff in life and also in the tough spots of their life.  John 15:13 guarantees us that "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Be that person in school, at work, to your neighbor, friends, a complete stranger (remember the good Samaritan??), and always, always with your family!
I got your back! Have a fantastic week!

E + R = O

"E+R=O" I heard this one the other day and I just have to share it. Apparently this is a pretty well known concept/equation shared by Jack Canfield, co-creator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series, that is getting a great deal of attention in the world of sports and as a life application for the rest of us. The equation is "E + R = O".  If you know it great, I hope it is impacting your life. If you haven't been introduced to it here we go! "E" life is full of EVENTS ups, downs, wins, losses, happy times, sad times, good memories, and all the way down to tragedies. That's just a fact of life, you are constantly going to experience EVENTS each day that you live. It's safe to say you have either just been through a major EVENT in your life, you are right in the middle of an EVENT in your life, or you will be headed into a major EVENT in your life at some time in the near future. Victories, defeats, joy, disappointment, triumph, or despair, all sit on the spectrum of the range of events that each of us encounter during our journey through life. All of these EVENTS will impact the course of your life and the lives of countless others, the determining factor in how the EVENT changes lives will be how we choose to "R" RESPOND. Will your response be to curl up in a ball and wait for things to get better? Do you automatically look for someone or something to place the blame for your "EVENT"? Or, do you accept the EVENT as yours and go about the business of taking care of it? How you choose to RESPOND is a building block. The wonderful side of this is when you RESPOND with a growth type mentality, one that believes you can learn from, grow from, and become stronger from any EVENT that occurs in your life. When that happens the result will be positive. On the flip side if we choose to RESPOND in a negative manner, unfortunately destructive, negativity develops in your life. You will tend to blame more, ignore more, push back more, and become more resentful. That's the "O" of this message. When life's EVENTS occur, how you RESPOND will determine the OUTCOME in your life and the lives you have contact with on a daily basis. The great thing about OUTCOMES is that you are in charge of what happens inside. You have a choice to make each time you are faced with a life changing EVENT. Personally I have made the choice to take things that have happened to me and use them as an opportunity to learn and grow. I know you may think that sounds simplistic and easy to say, but believe me when I tell you, "it's a choice!" The important piece of this is to remember that how you RESPOND will directly effect those around you. Your response may be the EVENT that changes the course of another person's life. I encourage you to look deeply, trust earnestly, and fight relentlessly to assure that when your E's happen and happen they will, your "R's" create positive and character building "O's" in you and your circle of influence!  Whatever you have been through, whatever you are currently stuck in, or as you prepare for the next major event in your life I challenge you to develop faith and trust that you are not alone during your hardship. I find comfort and strength to persevere in 1 Kings 19:11-12 which tells me that God isn't the storm in our lives, He is the still small voice that guides us through life's storms. If you have a personal relationship with our Maker then lean on him in times of challenge. If not my heart tells me that you need someone to go through the difficult challenges you have, are, or will face.
 Psalm 46:10 proclaims "Be still and know that I am God". You are not in this alone. Have a fantastic week and don't forget to share! 
Coach Carter 

Make a Plan and then DO IT!

Flat Tire Ministries Thought for the Week: Make a Plan and then DO IT!

In the journey of my life over the last five or six years I have come to the conclusion that my life is not about "me", but rather it is about how I can make a difference in the world that I live. It's easy to get caught up in our own little world and placing ourselves at the top of our list of people to take care of, yet I want more for those that I have the opportunity to come in contact with albeit this blog or whatever other avenue of contact that occurs during this life I have been given. My biggest fear is that "you" don't have a plan and that is unfortunate, not only for you, but also for the individuals or groups of people that would be impacted by your plan in life.

 William Borden, heir to the Borden Dairy fortune, is definitely one to look to when talking about making a plan and sticking to it. In the early 1900's Borden would be recognized as one of the wealthiest millionaires in the United States, yet his desires in life were to serve God and serve others. He made a plan to become a missionary at home and abroad, even though his friends and family questioned his decision. In response to their doubting questions William wrote two words in his Bible, "NO RESERVES". After graduating Yale William Borden was offered some very high paying jobs and in response to the temptation to accept them he wrote two more words in his Bible, "NO RETREATS". Borden's plans were to travel to China and work as a missionary spreading the gospel and serving others. En route to China William Borden contracted meningitis and died before reaching his destination and undertaking his plan. To many that would register as a failure and a waste of a potentially powerful man that could have impacted massive numbers of people. Yet in William Borden's Bible the ailing Borden wrote two last words before his death, "NO REGRETS". In my life I have a plan and it doesn't have to do with my retirement, or my dream vacation, or what I want to do in five or ten years. No my plans are about how I want to impact my world, how I want to make a difference in others lives, and how I want to help as many people as possible to reach their potential in life . To fulfill that plan the attitude of NO RESERVES, NO RETREATS, and NO REGRETS is critical to reaching this goal in my life. 

Do you have a plan? What are you willing to sacrifice to see your plan come to realization? To me William Borden's story doesn't end the exact way I would want it to end, yet there is a worse scenario. What would life be like to not have a plan and then die? How sad and unfortunate to go through life with nothing more on our minds or in our hearts than to just live and then die. Make your plan today if you don't have one, get one! Make it a plan that will change the lives of others. Create a plan that will make a difference to not only people you know, but also for those you don't even know and may never know. Make a difference in your world, your efforts will change the course of lives, you may never see the change, yet it is certain change will occur. Once you have a plan go out and DO IT! As stated earlier, this blog is part of my plan to reach out and help others. Your plan may be physical in nature, you may have a story that needs to be shared, a family member or friend that needs your help, or for right now your plan may be to share this blog message with someone else that you feel needs encouragement. Keep in mind the blog I will be posting each week may not resonate exactly with you or your needs at the moment, but share the message, share it with someone you know that it could benefit. We have been given much, let us go about the business of sharing what we receive! Don't delay in creating your plan, start today, no, start now. As you finish this first installment of Flat Tire Ministries with me, get out a piece of paper and brainstorm some ideas of what you want to do to change the world in which you live. In  Philippians 4:13 Paul provides this statement of encouragement for me and for you,

                  "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." 
As the Nike ad campaign featuring athlete Michael Jordan challenged us "Just Do It!!"
Have a fantastic week and I can't wait to hear about your plans.