Every Coin Has Two Sides

      
     There have been times when I have sat down with a friend or acquaintance for a brief opportunity to catch up on their world only to be greeted with a laundry list of all the calamities and disappointments they currently dealing with, and how all of these events are dragging them down and hindering them from moving forward. Problem is, they are exactly right. Life is full of complexities, hardships, adversities, and unfortunately afflictions. Life can be pretty tough, right? I get it, but also who among us was ever told that life was going to be filled with gum drops and every day would be sunny and bright? You know, "Momma said there would be days like this". We all received those kinds of warnings from loved ones and mentors as we were growing up and spreading our wings. That doesn't necessarily make them easier to deal with though, because our complex situations are ours and in our mind they have to be the biggest, baddest set of circumstances known to man. "In our mind" is the key to today's Flat Tire thought. Just as the title suggests every coin has two sides and in life every situation has two sides. 
     Don't know if I have ever fully explained where the name "Flat Tire Ministries" came from and I won't digress to that one today, but let's just say it all started with a span of eight flat tires on my personal vehicle over a period of less than two years. That's a bunch of fix-a-flat purchases! (Really it was more busted knuckles and grimy, oily hands) But anyway, I gained so much from my "flat tire experience", my perseverance was enhanced, more grit was garnered, and my resiliency was ramped up! This ultimately inspired me to write my book, "How to Fix a Flat Tire". Now if I hadn't had those eight flat tires I more than likely would have never written a motivational book about fixing your life's flat tires without the experience I endured during that period of nails, screws, shards of metal, glass, and other impediments to my daily travel. It's safe to say that being a writer and actually writing a book was a "someday" goal for me and without the series of flat tires I may have never written my book. Not saying that I enjoyed even one of those flats. Hot weather, rainy weather, cold weather, late for meetings, or hindered from completing a journey flat tires are not a good thing. Yet at the end of the day, all of those flat tires embedded in me valuable lessons that have made me a better man, father, husband, and hopefully positive example for others in their quest to overcome life's flats. I guess it's safe to say that your perspective on any situation or circumstance will inevitably determine if you move forward a better person because of the circumstances in your life, or are you going to allow those same circumstances to be the anchor that sinks you deeper into an abyss of blame and self-denial?
     Flip a coin, it has two sides and there is a fifty/fifty chance that it will land on heads or tails. No that doesn't qualify me as a statistician or math genius, but it does give me fodder for my thought for the week. In life, you will encounter a hardship, or coin as our analogy provides. During that hardship, you make the 50/50 option, will you look at the positive side of things or will you point fingers and curse "Why does everything bad always happen to me????" We probably have a pretty good idea about how to look on the bad side of things, but how do you turn a flat tire into a positive moment when you are running late for work already and you haven't even stopped for that double mocha latte yet? Well your perspective is the key. I had a flat tire, but how fortunate I am to own a car, and how blessed I am to have a job that provides me with the resources that allow me to pay for that car. Regardless of the flat tire right now that car provides me with transportation to my work, it normally delivers my family to their destinations, and ultimately that vehicle serves as a conduit in allowing me to provide for my family. So, the flat tire is a bump in the road, boy am I glad I have a car that could possibly end up with a flat tire to begin this discussion. "The shingles on my roof were tore off in the storm the other night, know I have to spend the money I had been saving for a vacation. Why do bad things always happen to me?" Or is it possible to change that mindset to "The shingles were tore off of my roof in the storm the other night, but how thankful I am that no one was injured and how thankful I am to have a home that provides shelter from the elements, security, warmth, and peace to my family and self." Disease, financial challenges, relationships, and even death hit us personally and in our mind, it is the worst situation possible, but in every situation, it is always going to be a matter of looking at your condition through rose-colored glasses. You have a 50/50 choice, you get to make the decisions, nobody forces you to take a positive approach to life and nobody gets the credit or blame if you choose to be the Negative Nancy at every turn life throws out your way. 
     I love the apostle Paul's perspective when it comes to adversity and the choice to be content in that adversity, "... for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:10-12. How is this possible, how can someone be content when he has nothing, literally? How can a person be thankful when he is hungry? How can we have a positive perspective on our situation when the world around us appears to be falling apart? Paul provides that answer in the next verse "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13. During life's storms being grounded in Christ allows us to withstand the storm and realize that the storms of life actually bring the nourishment that the soil requires to make plants grow. Those plants provide us with food and provide the animals we eventually benefit from with nourishment that keeps them healthy. Knowing God and placing our faith in Him assures us that whatever the circumstance we are currently experiencing will ultimately be played out for the benefit of someone, not necessarily self, but eventually it will benefit someone or a whole group of somebodies. That perspective is grounded in a faith that "all things work together for good" Romans 8:28. One thing you must come to terms with in your life is that your life is not about you. Implant the mindset that any adversity you encounter will only make you stronger so that you can share your experiences with those you will eventually mentor and influence.


     Just as easily as you toss a coin in the air to see whether it is going to land on heads or tails, you must make the choice of how you are going to respond to life's adversities and afflictions. It is certain you will face adversity, but the question today is will you dig a deeper hole of self-pity and blame-naming or will you grow from it and make sweet lemonade out of life's lemons? My comfort and strength is found in Christ, He strengthens me and gives me a purpose in the midst of the storm. My hopes and prayers are that you too will grow to trust Him and look to the positive side of the coin in life!

Seedless Watermelons

    
I may not be a master gardener, I mean really my farming resume includes growing up and working on my grandparent’s farm and then creating a yearly garden with students in a summer STEM like camp. My expertise could be summed up in the fact that I know and recognize that if you plant a seed and nurture that seed as it becomes a plant, there is a strong possibility that it will produce its fruit. I feel that is a safe presumption, one that we all pretty much hold as a basic truth, even if our green thumb is just a slight shade of sage. Okay, if it is safe to assume that everyone has a basic understanding of how the gardening process works then answer me this, if it takes a seed to grow the plant in the first place, then how is it that we have seedless watermelons? Don't laugh at me! I mean really, if you think about it plants produce seeds, which we in turn take those seeds and produce the next harvest of the same plant during the next growing season. So, what about seedless watermelons?? You know that thing Paul talked about in Galatians 6:7 "...whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." So, if we are going to reap seedless watermelons where do the seeds come from? I know "Google that and move on" you're saying, but the point of today's FTM is to get you thinking about the things we just take at face value, the fact that we just accept things with a "well that's the way it's always been" attitude and then we just keep moving on down the line.
     As an educator, I hope I have instilled in my students a desire to question and then seek out answers. Just because you read it in a book or just because someone stands before you and tells you that this is the way it is doesn't necessarily mean that it is always the "way it is", it may be that it is just the way that it has always been. One of the most annoying phrases I hear that dampens creativeness and outside of the box thinking is "well we've always done it this way." If we want our kids to grow up with a mindset that anything is possible then we have to teach them that just because things have always been a certain way, doesn't always mean that that is the best way. Just because we have done something one particular way, or just because we have been taught to believe that some things are just the way they are, doesn't necessarily mean that it's true.
     Down through history men and women have asked questions and then went out to find answers. They didn't ask questions and then say "Oh well I guess it's just that way" or "well that's the way we've always done it so that must be the right way to do it." No what has gotten us to this point in civilization that we can communicate with one another around the world on a wireless, cordless rectangular box made of plastic and metal is that very mindset of asking why and how.
     We must instill the drive to ask questions and foster that inquisitive spirit in our children, but more importantly we must assure that we ourselves never lose that innate desire to question and then seek out answers in our own lives. For us as adults it's not necessarily asking where do seedless watermelons get seeds so that they can be grown, but instead it is more about asking "Why is it that we have to do things a certain way?" or "How come it has to be this way or that way?" When we just accept things as "the way they have always been" we are moving on a conveyor belt and our destination is being determined for us. When you are faced with a problem at work, at home, at school, or even during your daily commute don't sit there stuck in the trap of well that's just the way it is. You have the power to change "the way things are", you have the ability to solve problems, create new pathways, or to formulate new answers to tired, old solutions that were tabulated before you came along. One of the worst things you can ever say is "I've tried everything and nothing worked". To be honest with you that is giving up. Throw that phrase out, get with some positive, like-minded people, and soon you will find that you really have just reached the tip of the iceberg in the solution bank.
      Today's Flat Tire is about asking questions and not accepting the status quo. We too often accept things and move on to the next thing leaving behind opportunity and potential solutions that could possibly change lives for one or for hundreds. I'll end today's message with a story coming from research done decades ago involving some chimps and some bananas. Researchers placed a small group of chimps in a room that included a climbing rope with a dangling bunch of bananas at the top. As the chimps realized that the fruit was just a short climb away they began to climb up the rope. As each monkey neared the treasure grove of bananas a jet of water blasted the chimp forcing him to scamper back down the rope. Time after time the monkeys were greeted with the same water bath when they would climb the rope. Eventually none of the monkeys would attempt to climb the rope. Then the researchers took one of the chimps out of the room and replaced him with another primate that had not been in this situation. When this new chimp noticed the bananas he quickly made the move towards the rope. His fellow chimps wanting to spare him the anguish of getting doused with the jet of water pulled him down and would not let him climb the rope. One by one the researchers exchanged the chimps in the room and each time they continued pulling down the new member to their group in an effort to save them from a cold-water bath. At the end of the experiment, the room was filled with a group of chimpanzees that would not allow any in their group to make an attempt on the rope to obtain the desired fruit. The sad part is that no chimp in the room at that time had ever been squirted by the water, they were just going along with the crowd. Ask questions, seek answers, don't accept things as that's just the way they are, and for heaven's sake somebody tell me where do seedless watermelons get their seeds!!
Have a wonderful week and for those in the profession of educating our children, enjoy your summer break! You deserve it!
Coach Carter

Running on Empty

      
I have a bad tendency to run my vehicle down to way past what would be good sense practice. Most later model vehicles have low fuel warning sensors and several vehicles come equipped with a digital read out displaying estimated miles remaining in your tank. Not the case back in 1990, my little Ford Ranger doesn't even have a low fuel warning light! My best warning signal is when the fuel display needle meets the white line where the "E" is situated. I haven't run out of fuel to date, but I'm pretty sure if I keep pushing my luck and continue allowing the needle and white "Empty" line to blur, pretty soon that is bound to happen. Fortunately, there exists a quick fix for this situation which involves me taking the time to pull in to a gas station and fueling up L'il Red. We're lucky to have fuel for our vehicles so readily available and easily accessible, but what about your mental gas tank? Where do you go when you need a fill up?
      It's not as easy for us to refuel our tank as it is to fill up our car's tank. I mean you have to first find what truly energizes you, and then you have to find a source of that energy to tap. Too often, we are guilty of attempting to refuel on things of this world that actually end up dragging us down instead of providing us with energy to move forward. If you think sitting down on the couch and watching multiple hours of television will reboot your life, I sadly want to inform you that more than likely you won't come away from that experience with any additional positive energy. The majority of things promoted on television only serve to make us feel like we are missing out on what "everyone" else is experiencing, or the news or lack of news barrages us with the sad state of things in this world ranging from drug addiction, murder, hatred and even war. It just doesn't seem to be anything that could serve to energize us, no my friend television just doesn't seem to be the answer.
     How about social media and the wide array of options to check in, keep up, and check out what's going on around the world with our "friends"? The more I see on social media the less I want to be on it! I use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to share Flat Tire Ministries, and Twitter as a resource for the successes of our students, but outside of that I rarely spend any measurable amount of time on social media. From what I gather it appears to be a platform for people to compare their lives to the lives of others and in many cases, create a false sense of reality for others to envy or duplicate. The "social" aspect of social media is in reality anti-social!
      What about money, material possessions, drugs, alcohol, or whatever it looks like as you attempt to keep up with the Jones'? Nope, nope, nope, nope, and a double nope! You might find temporary fixes in each of these, but it's like pulling up to the gas station and putting two dollar’s worth of gas in an empty tank. It will get you a little further down the road, but sooner than later you are going to need another pit stop to keep you going. If none of the things listed above will provide you with sustaining motivation and energy to reach your life's goals then the question begs, "Where should my strength come from?"
      Isaiah 58:11 provides us with the answer to that very question. When you are feeling run down, when you have hit a brick wall, when you can't see anything but a tunnel with no light at the end in sight, or even when you have fallen and you don't think you can get back up, we have this promise; "The Lord will always lead you. He will meet the needs of your soul in the dry times and give strength to your body. You will be like a garden that has enough water, like a well of water that never dries up." NLV.  This is where I find the strength to carry on and go forward in all situations and under any circumstances. You can knock me down, but you can't keep me down! I may fall 100 times, but I will get up 101 times or as many times as it takes to reach my destination. Just think about what Isaiah is promising here, if we will call on Him he will always lead us, when we feel like we are out of fuel in our tank He will give us the strength we need if we will only trust and believe, and the source of this inner strength will never run dry! If you possess this inner strength then you know what I am talking about. If you know where this strength comes from, but you have made the decision to fuel up at a different station then you can make a U-turn anytime you like and pull back in to the true filling station. If you are lost and trying to find a source of energy that will sustain your life, and never leave you wanting then our Lord and Savior is the one that can put a "tiger in your tank!" Don't wait for your tank to register empty before you seek a refill, look to the mountains from whence my strength comes from, my strength comes from the Lord the Maker of Heaven and earth! He is there waiting on you, is it time for a fill up?

Beauty in the Weeds

      
     This weekend I participated in the Panther Prowl 5K sponsored by one of our local high schools to support our Special Olympic athletes for their upcoming state competition. Great event and an amazing group of educators lifting up our student athletes. Go Olympians!! The course for this particular race was more of a cross country run set at Panther Creek State Park, hence the name Panther Prowl. For those of you that run on a regular basis this may be an understatement, but road running and trail running are two different beasts. Obviously, you have to be alert to traffic and potential potholes or breaks in concrete, but on a trail run the obstacles are all part of the run. Roots, rocks, washed out areas, and uphill/downhill jaunts make cross country runs so much more challenging.
     Another distinction between these two different types of running events is the scenery surrounding you. In most cases road races are marked with cityscapes of buildings, cars, and the road. Not that there aren't things to admire, but trail running provides a constant deluge of nature's beauty at its finest. That brings me to today's Flat Tire Ministries thought for the week. As I was running a stretch of the trail that was straight enough and flat enough to allow me to look around for a minute, my eyes caught a glimpse of a plant that had the deepest red purple stem. Nothing else remarkably beautiful about the plant, but that stem stood out in the midst of all of the wildflowers and ferns growing under the canopy of trees the woods provided. That made me start looking around even more to see what else I might be missing. What I found was that many times on nature walks, or runs in this case, we are looking for that magnificent wildflower that sets off the area with bright and vibrant colors. Many times, we see the weeds that are growing around the same area as a nuisance, a hindrance to the beauty of the wildflowers, but on this run I was able to see the beauty of the whole creation. The "weeds" partnered with the wildflowers to make the scene complete. If that same weed popped up in our manicured lawns we would pluck it out of the ground so quick because we wouldn't want it to mess up our beautiful green carpet. Yet, on the other hand, in nature that same weed compliments the flowers, plants, and other foliage. Without each part nature would not be as beautiful or complete. Sadly, we do the same with those that we might label "weeds" in our own lives.
      In education the portrayed, perfect vision is one of walking into a classroom and just like our lawns everyone is in their place, neat rows, books open, and hands crossed with eyes locked on the teacher. That is the image of a perfect lawn in the classroom. In reality, most classrooms I have ever been a part of are more like the forested area I ran at Panther Creek Park. Students come into our classrooms with complex and myriad issues each day. Special needs, economic challenges, disrupted family settings, and other learning challenges, in the manicured classroom would be called the weeds by some. Pluck anyone out of the room that doesn't fit perfectly into what is viewed as the "normal" child and I could do so much with my class is the view of the jaded educator. We have to remember just as the weed, everyone has a role to play, everyone is beautiful in their own way, and in the right setting everyone has a contribution to make to the classroom and also in society.
     Success, beauty, is a varied plant. It will look differently to each of us, and it’s true beauty can only be found in an area where it is appreciated and fulfills its purpose. In life, we must find that role for each person. There are no weeds in this life, there are only plants that need to find their purpose and then be appreciated for what beauty they provide. Too many times we make those that don't fit into the perfect mold of what society says is acceptable feel like they don't fit in, they don't belong and we want them plucked out of our flowerbed. In nature, the flowerbed is dependent on all of the plants to produce the beauty of the forest. It is our responsibility to assure everyone finds the place they fit instead of forcing them to fit into confines of our lawns.
       I Peter 3:3-4 tells us that, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." Keep this in mind as we go about our day walking about and doing life. We should all be looking beyond the outward appearance of someone and spend more time finding out about what is inside a person's heart. The flowers are beautiful to look at, but in nature the "weeds" are what make the scene complete! 
 Coach Carter