Serving Others Instead of Self

     
     Over the summer, I usually try to get caught up on my reading list and in doing so this year I had the opportunity to read "Up from Slavery" an autobiography by Booker T. Washington. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery before the war between the states, but after slavery was abolished at the end of the Civil War in 1865, Mr. Washington, through dedicated, hard work became a prominent leader not only inside the African American population, but also around the world. His area of expertise was his advocacy for what we today call Career Technical Education (CTE), which I am blessed to be involved. Notably, one of the top accomplishments in his life would have to be the founding and then expanding of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to a level of national and international notoriety. Literally, Booker T. Washington gave the majority of his life to the pursuit of helping others obtain an education and a "technical" skill which would permit the individual to have a trade which would in turn provide the person with the ability to specialize in that skilled trade and thus be successful in providing a living for his or her family. This in turn improved not only the person and their family, but also the geographic area in which the person lived, and ultimately society in general. I've centered today's FTM Thought around a quote of Mr. Washington's that sums up his observation on man's purpose in life, Washington said "Those who are happiest are those that do the most for others."
      In my opinion, Booker T. Washington found the secret not only to success, but also to happiness. In reading his autobiography, it was so crystal clear that Booker T. Washington had a servant leader's mindset and heart. In this short blog, I could not even begin to describe the self- sacrifices he made and endured all with the intent purpose of improving the quality of life for others. It may be possible that he didn't even realize that the above quote was actually an epitaph for his own life. Washington was always elaborating and testifying about the efforts of others on his own success and the success of his endeavors at Tuskegee, to the point that he left little room for his own contributions to be celebrated or even recognized. Honestly though, I don't think he wanted the recognition, I don't think he ever gave a thought to the sacrifices he made, or to the successes he recorded throughout his life. I want to believe that as the end of his life neared, his mind was pondering the question, how can I continue to make a difference in the lives of others after I am gone from the face of this earth?
      If you want to be happy in life, which I believe most of us want in life, then you can vastly improve that likelihood by increasing your level of service to others. In life, you have an opportunity to be the first one in the line, or you can be the one that serves the line. You can sit down and watch or you can get up, roll up your sleeves, and make a difference. Life is about choices and I am in the camp of those that believe, just as Washington, that I choose to be happy or I choose to be unhappy, and the bulk of that happiness occurs when I place the needs of others in front of my own wants and desires.
     The Bible is filled with example after example of others serving instead of being served. In Galatians 5:13 Paul, a true servant of Christ proclaimed, "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love." It's almost as if Paul were writing directly to Booker T. Washington. After gaining the freedom he rightfully deserved Washington didn't spend the rest of his life making up for what he had missed in slavery. Instead, he spent the rest of his life serving others making their lives better with the cost being his own time and life. I've said it before and I'll say it again, YOUR life is not about YOU! 
      In closing I want to share the rest of Booker T. Washington's quote from above. The remaining portion of the quote is as follows; "Those who are happiest are those that do the most for others, and those that are the most miserable in life are those that do the least for others." How sad, yet how true it is that those that place the highest emphasis on making themselves satisfied and fulfilling their own self-directed needs end up being the ones that are ultimately the least fulfilled and thus disenchanted with their lives. Evaluate your life, are you happy? I mean truly happy? Or are you constantly trying to fill a void that your self- directed plans just can't seem to fill? My suggestion is to ramp up your service meter. Find ways to help others more, I mean not just helping others to show others that you are helping others, that is still focusing on self. I'm talking about sacrificial service to others, you know Jesus style. Christ’s statement from the book of Matthew sums up today's thought, "The greatest among you will be your servant" 23:11. Serve because it is the right thing to do, and you will be rewarded with the fulfillment that only comes in knowing that your life made a difference in those that you served!
Coach Carter

Run for Cover

    
Over the weekend our area has experienced some pretty intense storms filled with intermittent downpours and showers. Coupled with the rain we have also encountered significant thunderstorms which brought lightning, intense winds, and even some small hail storms. It's always interesting to watch how everyone runs for cover when it starts to storm. Lightning strikes, objects being hurled around in the wind, and the potential of getting hit in the head by ice balls creates a fast scramble to find a safe, dry refuge from the storm. It's a normal, human instinct to find shelter in a storm, and  when we reach cover most people breathe a sigh of relief and our fears tend to lessen as well as they probably should. We may run for refuge when the storm clouds grow black and the winds begin to blow, but what about the storms of life that we experience along our life's journeys?
      If what I stated is true about it being a natural instinct to find safety and shelter in a storm, then why is it that so many of us stand right out in the middle of life's storms never moving even an inch closer to the safest refuge available? It seems that a great many of us think we have to survive those storms on our own, like it is some sign of strength to endure life's storms by standing right in the middle of them alone. Disease, divorce, debt, drugs, depression, and even death quantify what I have labeled as the "Six Deadly D's" and in life when these types of storms hit you or your family you need a refuge in the midst of your storm. Where is that refuge? Where can you find comfort and shelter when it feels like the world around you is spinning out of control F5 tornado style? 
      I have found my safe place. I know where to turn when life's storms hit. I have found a strong fortress that provides me with a refuge in any situation regardless of the severity or intensity of the storm. The Deadly D's are not all encompassing, yet in life most of our storms are connected to one or a combination of a number of the "D's". You were not made to withstand these storms alone. Too many people feel abandoned and exposed in the midst of their storms. But it doesn't have to be that way. The refuge I have found is available to each of us, always available and always present. In Psalm 46:1 the writer enlightens us that "God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help in trouble." The author goes on to say that regardless of whether the earth is shaking, the waves are raging, or the mountains are falling into the sea, we will not be afraid! How is that possible? Is it possible that knowing that God is there will protect us from the damaging winds of drug addiction or a debilitating depression? Yes, it is not only possible, but it is 100% true. 
       To experience this type of help in life's storms it takes more than just running to Him when the storm clouds start to form. It's more of a trust that is founded in a relationship that is based on a faith that God is in control and regardless of the intensity of the storm, God is there with you and "He will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6. We can run to Him at any point in our life's storms, but when we turn to Him daily, when we don't have to run to Him because we are right there with Him, that is when He truly becomes our refuge in life's storms. We realize that we don't have to run for cover, because He is right there with us providing protection even when it feels like the storm may sweep us right off our feet! God is ever present, it is us that move away from Him or that have never placed our full trust and faith in Him. Later in the same Psalm as earlier referenced the writer sums it up best by saying "Be still and know that I am God" 46:10. Unless we fully trust and believe we will constantly attempt to find our own shelter in life's storms. Many times, one of the "D's" listed above lead us to turn to another one in our efforts to fix things on our own. Stop, be still, pray, and then listen. Your help is there, ever present, and always available.  
"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." I Kings 19:11-12.
     It is my prayer today that each of you find your "cover" for life's storms. We were not created to live life on our own, we have a comforter and a protector that we can depend on in life's storms. If you do have that relationship I only pray that it will grow deeper, if not my prayer is that you will run to Him and stay beside Him from this day forward, He is refuge from the storm!

Coach Carter

Pluck a Weed, Plant a Seed

    
Here in northeast Tennessee farming season is in full swing. Tomatoes, sweet corn, fresh green beans, and watermelons fill rows of cultivated garden spaces found across our region. Regardless of the type area in which these fruits and vegetables are growing, it all started with a seed being planted into the soil and then mother nature kicking in to do her part before we receive the opportunity to reap the fruit of her labor. Along the way though, the farmer is responsible for cultivating the garden, and nurturing the tender plants to maturity. One of the most important parts of gardening is pulling the weeds out that would steal the plant's nutrients and ultimately deprive the plant of reaching its full potential. In our lives, it's pretty much the same way. We should be continuously growing physically, mentally, and spiritually and that growth can either be supported or hindered by what we are planting in our own human garden. 
     Bitterness, prejudice, anger, and hatred are all weeds that if allowed to grow inside our hearts and minds will stunt our potential and limit our impact on the world. If at first, we hold on to hurt feelings and disappointments, then those feelings quickly sprout in our lives and from there they start producing roots of bitterness and anger towards life in general. In some cases, this happens instantly, we get mistreated, wronged, or even a mistake made by someone we may or may not really know. In other instances, our bitterness and anger stem from childhood experiences, a loved one's wrong, or an incident that we feel created a hardship in our life. In either setting the end result is the same, if we allow those seeds of discontent to take up root they will quickly choke out the good in our life and replace it with anger and discord. You were not created to be angry!
     Man, according to Genesis 1:27 was created "in the image of God". If that is the case then we must be willing and able to root out the anger and bitterness with forgiveness and empathy. God forgives us willingly and graciously, we must only ask for His forgiveness and it is done. If we are created in His image then it only stands to reason that we should be more like Him in regards to forgiveness. I mean God even sent us an example to show us how to forgive, His only Son, Jesus. Jesus was falsely convicted, beaten and tortured, and then made to carry His own cross on which He would be hung. After cruelly being hung on that cross, Jesus showed us what forgiveness truly looks like. Jesus prayed to His father and asked that He be spared, but if that was not in the plans then Jesus exclaimed "Thy will be done" and then asked His father to forgive those that had caused Him so much pain and suffering. That forgiveness is our model for soul saving class 101!
     You may be asking, "How do I forgive that person that has hurt me so badly?", that answer is found in Jesus' example. When we "de-weed" our gardens of the anger and bitterness that we are harboring in our life, and we replace it with forgiveness then our fruits will begin to flourish and we will produce a bountiful harvest. We cannot forgive until we first ask for forgiveness. We must ask God to forgive us for our bitterness and anger which in essence cultivates our own garden and begins the process of planting the right seeds of thankfulness and commitment to our true purpose in life. 
     If you want to see your garden grow and be productive, it is essential that you plant the right types of seeds and then you cultivate and nourish the right plants as they begin to grow and produce the fruits you were intended to produce!

Coach Carter

Light Your Fuse!

      
     As we in the United States celebrated our Independence Day this past week, firecrackers, bottle rockets, and a wide assortment of pyrotechnic offerings scattered across the night sky for several nights before and even a few nights after the actual July 4th event. Loud bangs, zooming whistles, and colorful displays of sparkling lights filled each night as nearby spectators oohed and awed almost breaking their necks as they gazed upward for the pyro performance that was taking place. Our family descended on my sister and brother-in-law’s home where an outstanding show took place. As the evening sun began to drop down below the horizon the 4th of July celebration crew started moving their cache of explosives into place. Roman candles, sparklers, firecrackers, and snap and pops precluded the assorted square boxes, rectangular sheets, and tubular devices which housed the main attraction for the evening's show. While my attention was fixed strictly on the show, my thoughts did wander away momentarily, just long enough for me to come up with this week's Flat Tire Thought.
     When we look at any type of firework packaging it becomes obvious very quickly that what lies inside the box has the potential to get our attention. Warnings on the outside labels alert us to the fact that what lies inside is explosive and in most cases directions are given about how to proceed with safely igniting the device. Colorful labels showing the floral displays, or pictures of soldiers, eagles, and myriad other images cover the boxes in hopes of prompting us to purchase that particular piece for our own personal celebration. All of that is great, but what lies inside the box or device is limited in what it can offer until someone lights the fuse.
     The definition of a fuse is the part of the device that initiates the function of burning or lighting. In other words, without the lighting of the fuse the device just sits there. The most beautiful display is basically trapped inside the cylinder of its casing until someone lights the fuse. Without the spark the fuse doesn't get lit, and the show doesn't take place. In other words, the potential of the energy force inside the box, the beauty of what the device was created for, will not be realized unless someone or something lights the fuse. 
     My friends, you and I are just like that box of gunpowder and other explosive components. Each of us was created with a tremendous amount of potential energy. After you were born, life experiences, educational endeavors, and life lessons learned along the way have been poured into your body and mind. You have trained, worked, played, studied, and experienced things in your lifetime that have become a part of your preparation for your purpose in life. You have laughed, cried, been scared to death, and experienced joy to the point that you actually did think you would explode! Some of us have endured excruciating pain mentally, physically, and in some instances, both. What you have to realize and embrace is that all of those experiences have been poured into your life much in the same way as the gunpowder and explosives were into the fireworks package sitting on the shelf of the vendor's store. You have to realize that all of those events in your life, all of those emotions you have endured, conquered, or embraced have created your potential to make an impact on the world you live today. The only problem is that many of us are sitting on that potential, each of us has something explosively beautiful and impactful on the inside of our very being just waiting to burst out! 
     Point blank, you have potential energy that you have not tapped. "You were created on purpose, with a purpose" is a quote I heard Pastor Ray Sweet from First Christian Church proclaim. What has been poured into your life may not have all been happy and positive experiences, possibly you may have experienced so many bad and terrible things in your life that all you can think is that you don't want to see anyone go through what you have experienced in your life. But maybe, just maybe those experiences were training you to help a multitude of young people who have been dealt a similar hand and need someone to encourage them to fight the fight and continue moving forward. What if the potential you have on the inside could change the lives of women or men around the world, but as long as you keep it boxed up inside nothing is going to happen. You have to light the fuse, you have to set the beauty and power of what you have free, but nothing will happen if you never light that fuse and set the stage for your own explosion of giving and sharing. 
     Paul, in writing to the church at Phillipe encouraged the followers there with this statement: 
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life." Philippians 2:12-16. If you embrace what has been poured into you, if you take all of the experiences and events both good and not so good that have occurred in your life and use them to benefit the well-being of others for Christ's sake, according to Paul, you will shine in the night just like the stars, sounds like fireworks to me how about you? Ignite your potential to help others, share, give, teach, coach, comfort, exhort, or just be there for someone that needs you! God doesn't make mistakes and God can use you to make something beautiful for all to see and enjoy! What are you waiting for? Light your fuse today!


Coach Carter

 
     

Making Sense of the "What" and the "Why"

   
I recently read something that at first almost sounded like some sort of riddle, yet after reading it over and breaking it apart it made so much sense to me and caused me to write it down to share.  "But, as in all of your Christian life, the key is not to understand the Bible based on your experience, but to understand your experience in light of the Bible." Now you may read that and it just makes perfect sense to you, but for my thick head, I had to take it apart to fully grasp the beauty of the directive. At the end of the day, I guess my best translation of this message would be that you can't fully grasp what is happening in your life or what has happened in your life without understanding first the principles of why things happen in your life. That explanation is laid out in the Bible which provides guidance, instruction, and comfort to us if we earnestly strive to understand the "why" before we begin to question the "what" in life.
     Hardship, disappointment, afflictions, and yes tragedies bombard us sometimes in short episodic events, and at other times it may feel like you are living in a pit of despair that offers no hope for resolution. We look at these events and think "Why me Lord? What have I done to deserve this?" In those instances, we are really looking at "what" is happening, and from that perspective we then apply the "why" it must be happening. Our thoughts move towards the idea that what is happening must be punishment for something we have done in the past or are currently involved. Let me assure you that is not what is happening.
    Although God hurts and is disappointed when we fall short or when we turn our back on Him, He doesn't intentionally punish us for our disconnected state. He wouldn't have sent His only son to die for our sins if that were the case. Instead everything that occurs in our life has a purpose connected to it. It is our responsibility to develop a personal relationship with God which will enable us to embrace "what" is happening in our life, because we first have understood "why" things like this have to happen in our life. The apostle James summed it up like this in James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." For the author of this passage, he has reached a place where he understands that whatever trials he faces, the end result will be exactly what God has planned, and although we may never see the final outcome of what God's plans are in relation to a tragedy in our lives, the end result will produce outstanding results for someone or even a multitude of someones if we only trust and stay faithful to our Creator. Believe me this kind of thinking just doesn't happen by chance. You have to be rooted in faith which develops that perseverance that is mentioned in the scripture above. 
      A dear and wise friend shared a thought with me last night that proves to be very appropriate for the conclusion of today's FTM thought. Doris Lawrimore and I were discussing how many times in life what man labels as devastating or destructive events are actually the very lessons we must endure so that we can be better able to handle the real adversity in life when it happens later in life. Doris in her wisdom, said "That's why roads are built going back and forth up a mountain. If the roads were built straight up and down the mountain we would never reach the top. The grade would be too steep, and we could never gain enough traction to make it to the top." How true that is, the back and forth design of roads is exactly what happens in our own journey in life. We can't shoot straight up the hill and never experience any setbacks or challenges. Those events are critical to our development and that development only transpires when we rely on the word of God to enlighten us, comfort us, and guide us as we make our way up the mountain! Don't ever lose faith and always remember that "what" happens to you is never as important as "why" it is happening to you. My prayer is that you and those you come in contact with will gain a better understanding of this concept by relying on the God of the valleys and the same God of the mountain tops! 

Coach Carter