What's Your Life's GPS

     
GPS, Global Positioning System, is an amazing thing. Its surreal to be able to ask "Siri" to find directions to the closest pizzeria and instantly have directions that include every turn, red light, exit, and even detours to avoid accidents or long traffic waits. This technological advance has made us all a little more adventurous armed with the assurance that if we get lost, we are only a single voice command away from step by step directions to find our destination. In our day to day lives it is definitely a reassurance to know that we can find where we are in this world just with the click of a button or even one simple voice command, but how about your life's GPS? How do you know where you are headed? Are you following the right directions? Whose directions are you following? Knowing where you are headed is important, but more important is knowing how to get there.
      When I was thinking about this topic as a FTM Thought, the message that really came to mind was, "I don't know where I would be without You God, but I do know exactly where I am with You in my life!" How do I know where I am? What gives me the confidence to state that I know where I am? God's GPS is available to anyone that calls upon it. Just as we can ask our mobile device for directions to anywhere we want to go and we can locate the pinpoint coordinates for where we are, God's word provides that same pinpoint accuracy. As independent humans, we are prone to want to figure things out for ourselves, we like to think we did it on our own, but in reality, without His road map for our life's journey in hand, we are just aimlessly moving through the days, weeks, and years of our lives.
     On our own, we try to convince ourselves that we have the answers, we want to define ourselves as self-sufficient. If that's you, how's that working for you? Whether you are living in a five-bedroom luxury home, or if you are scrapping by renting a place that you really don't feel safe in, my guess is there are issues of uncertainty, insecurity, and even hopelessness that swerve in and out of your mind. Life without a defined purpose only sets us up for a life of aimless journeys. If you are going it alone and you feel like you don't need anyone or anything to help you, then what will you do when you fall down and life keeps pushing you in that downward spiral? Who can you turn to? Where is your comfort, guidance, and security? That's what I am talking about, my life's GPS knows where to go, and I center my life on that one location.
     For those that have found their GPS in life, we know that life's difficulties, challenges, and even tragedies still confront us every day. As a person that believes and lives life through a faith that is much bigger than anything that this world can offer, you understand that we aren't immune to life's adversities, but what you do know is that you are not facing those adversities alone. That level of assurance makes life's struggles bearable. Having the knowledge of where you are and who is there with you is so much more of an assurance than the satellite system that leads us to our physical destinations.
      I know where I am. I know where I was before I gave my heart to Him. I could not tell you where I would be today without Him, but because I found Him and gave my heart to Him, I know exactly where I am today and where it is that I need to go for Him! If you know where you are with God as your GPS then you know this peace that I have. If you are out there driving around aimlessly, uncertain of where you are headed, don't know where you need to be headed, or just utterly lost with no idea of where to go, turn to God, read His word, talk with Him daily, and listen for His guidance. He is there, He always has been, and always will be, it is up to you to turn to him.
                     "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Psalm 119:105 
Coach Carter 

Living in the Dark

   As we enter the holiday season the vibrant colors of Poinsettias and Christmas Cacti are beginning to fill spaces around offices, business displays, and possibly even in your home. At our office, a beautiful white Christmas Cactus greets visitors in the foyer area. A few weeks ago, I overheard Ms. Parker explaining to someone that for the Cactus to reach its full potential it is recommended that it be placed in a dark area for long periods of time, which in turn prepares it to soak up the sun light when it is finally exposed to the light of the day. Upon researching the Poinsettia, it too follows a similar plan of action for blooming into season. For these two Christmas adornments, the lack of light prepares the plant to "soak up" the light when it is finally exposed to daylight.
      Many people are just like the Christmas Cactus. They walk around in the dark, they can't grow, and they do not provide any positive type of hope to the people they live and work with each day. Actually, the darkness becomes their home. Negative attitudes, poor self-esteem, hopeless or helpless outlooks on life, and an overall doom and gloom forecast for tomorrow become who they are. In the case of humans, it isn't beneficial to live in darkness, where the Poinsettia and the cacti actually get prepared for their showy season in the dark, people can get stuck in a rut or even worse it becomes who they are and how others perceive them when they dwell in the gloom and dark of their day. Fortunately, we do not have to live in the dark, there is a light that is readily available and always shining brightly for us. It is our job to move towards that light and build our world there.
      In the book of John 8:12 Jesus proclaimed to the crowd of people gathered, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” We are blessed to have His light available to us so we do not have to live in the darkness of gloom and hopelessness. You can exist in darkness in much the same way as the Christmas Cactus, you can live in the dark as long as you receive the nourishment of food and water, but you were not created to just exist. You were created to shine God's light through your life and to live your life in the bright shining light that He has provided to you and to me. As is the case with the cacti, you can exist in the darkness, but to grow and blossom you need the light. To fully share what God has placed inside of each of us we need the light that will illuminate His light through the life we live for Him. In 
I Corinthians 3:6-7 Paul explains, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." Paul understood that on our own we can accomplish nothing, but with the light of God pouring into us we can do all things. (Philippians 4:13)
       If you have been living in the dark, if you find that your days are actually filled with dark thoughts or you outlook is dreary at best, then it is time for you to move into the light. We are fortunate that we don't have to wait on someone to bring us out of the dark closet so we can take in the light, God's light is always on and it is always there for you even in what may appear to be a time of pitch black darkness in your life. Walk, no run to Him and then follow Him and you will receive His light. 
Coach Carter

You are Not Alone

    
Today's message may not resonate with you. You may be someone that is surrounded by family and dear friends that support you and provide you with a wealth of comfort and security each day. Or, you may be someone that has a loving family and a support system that is readily available, but yet you still feel all alone. Or, you may not have a support cast, you are disconnected from family due to some type of life circumstance. Your network of friends appears superficial, or it might be the case that you feel like you do not have a friend at all. Regardless of where you are on this spectrum, regardless of how much support you have or don't have, how much you feel loved or unloved today, I have one assurance that you need to know, "You are not alone!"
     As a society, we are around people more today than ever before in the history of mankind. Beyond physical social interactions which are almost unavoidable, we also are interconnected with "friends" all over the world by the simple clicking a button on the smart device of choice. Why in our homes we even have Siri and Alexia that are available to us providing facts, trivia, and even a joke when we need a laugh. So why is it that in a society where we can garner almost immediate support for our need of the moment that severe depression and feelings of hopelessness effect approximately 40 million adults over 18 in America alone. That's like almost 20% of our population! In a world that touts being so "connected", how is this possible? Could it be that in a world that has so many ways to connect with others, that we have lost our connection with the One that is and always has been and always will be right there for us and with us?
     One day last week my co-worker and friend Pam shared a picture of a breathtaking sunset that she had captured on her cell phone. The color scheme of that photo made the sky appear to almost be on fire. It looked like a deep red blanket had cloaked what normally is a blue sky. In another picture, she caught the morning sunrise with all of its warm orange, red, pink, blues, and purples signaling the beginning of a new day. As I skimmed through the collection of pictures on Pam's phone, I couldn't help but think about who the painter of these pictures was, and I couldn't stop being amazed at the omnipotence of God the creator of all and the one that is always with us. Later that evening as I sat down in prayer, I wrote this prayer of thanks for the constant reminder that God has given us to know we are never alone. 
"Lord God Almighty, my morning sunrise and my evening comfort and peace. Each day we are surrounded by your love. I am thankful for the assurance that you will never leave me nor forsake me. That assurance is renewed each morning. Lord help me to stop and take in the rising sun, the colors on display are vibrant and so full of life. As the day moves forward and your sun begins to peak over the tallest mountains it is evident and obvious that you are there, inviting us to rise ourselves and greet this gift of a new day. Throughout the day, you provide us with the light we need to see where we are going and what we need to do. Where darkness exists, you bring light, where injustice is berthed you weaken it with Your light. Then as the day comes to a close you glorify the day with the waning sunset, once again declaring Your mighty, awesome omnipotence through the brilliant colors of the evening sky. Father even when we can't see You, we know You are there because Your light reflects off the moon guaranteeing us that you are still there even in our darkest moments of despair. When we experience grief, it may appear that in our time of a "new moon" we are alone, but just as that thought enters our minds, Your light begins to wax the moon once again assuring us that you are ever present. At the darkest point of the night, when Your light seems to be gone, we have the stars in the sky as examples of how we are to live our lives spreading the light that You have placed in each of us. No Lord, we are never alone, and we are never forsaken, You give us that assurance with each day that your sun rises and sets. Thank you Father God for never leaving us alone. Amen"
Take a moment, a real moment to embrace a sunrise this week. Get up early, go to a window, go outside, or get in your car and drive to a place where you can take in the full omnipotent power that is evidenced by the sun rising for the new day. As you rush about your evening list of things to do before you reach home, stop and grasp the awesomeness of the sun as it sets on the horizon. You are not alone. 
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Coach Carter

Hope for the Pessimist - The Grass May Be Greener on the Other Side

     
Glass half empty, I get it. Four hours in, but four more hours till quitting time, I understand where you're coming from. I can even grasp the concept of "It's a warm day outside", "Yeah, but that warm air is probably going bring rain with it." I am not a pessimist, maybe a realist, which helps me to see where those who land on the "Debbie Downer" side of things, but I can't live in that world, I see too much potential in the adversities of life. I'm pretty sure no one is outside hoping they will get caught in a torrential downpour, and if we all had our druthers we would rather have a full glass of water over the one that only has four ounces remaining, but for every negative thought that comes across our frontal lobe, I entertain a dozen positive twists on how to look at the other side of the fence. You know in this case the grass may be greener on the other side.
      The original meaning behind the old adage "The grass isn't always greener on the other side" was created to get people to realize that their condition in life may not be as bad as they think it is in comparison to someone else. But when you put things in the context of a pessimistic person's mindset they can only see that although things look bad, they will probably only get worse on their side of their fence. I have to force myself to look through the lens of this type of thinking, it just doesn't come naturally to me. For the pessimist out there I feel for you, like I said I am a realist, but the adjective I would attach to realist would be an "optimistic" realist. That's where the grass does get greener on the other side of things for me.
     When someone comments that it is such a beautiful, sunny day the pessimist declares "Yeah but it sure is hot out here." Do you know that person? Is that person you? Well when I hear that same dialogue, the optimistic realist in me replies, "Yes, it is an amazing day, and yes, it is hot enough to fry an egg on a rock, but won't we miss this when it's 7 degrees below zero here in a few months?" The realist recognizes it's hot, uncomfortably hot, but the positive optimist in me knows that in just a short period of weeks we will be wishing it was a little warmer and wishing our toes and fingers didn't feel like they were about to completely freeze! When the pessimist talks about how bad his or her condition in life is right now with a comment like "I'm stuck in this dead-end job and I'll probably be working here when I die." I would reply; "This may feel like a job that isn't going anywhere right now, but I'm capable of changing jobs if I want to put the effort into finding a new job, and while I am working here I have to be thankful that I have a job and that I am healthy enough to work at that job, which provides me with the basic necessities that I and my family need to survive." I guess what I'm trying to say is, you can be a pessimist if you want to be that is your choice in life, but at the end of the day you have to be able to look on the other side of your own personal "fence" in life and realize you do have it better than a whole bunch of someones on the other side of life.
      One of my favorite verses that the Apostle Paul gave us in his writings comes from Philippians 4:12 and it goes like this, "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." Paul found the answer to the pessimist, his reply would be, "I may be hungry, but I have been hungrier at times and I know there are others out there that haven't eaten as much in a month as I have thrown away in the last two days." "My glass is only half full, it may even be bone dry, but you know what, I've got a glass to fill when I finally run up on some cool, clear water to drink." I believe it comes down to believing that things are going to eventually get better, and more importantly to understand that if things don't change for the "better" it may very well be that this is where you are and where you are supposed to make the impact on others in this life you are living. At the end of the day, be a pessimist if you like, but by golly be a positive pessimist. Your life matters to someone and you can change their world from wherever your station in life is right now. You just have to realize that you do have two sides of the fence in your head, on the one side you may see that pessimistic side of things and that blurs your vision. My suggestion is get a new pair of shades and look at things from the other side of your own fence. I may have it bad, but being in this place right now will allow me to meet the needs of someone else that needs me more than I need myself! You and I both have a promise that will see us through, Paul stated it in the next verse when he proclaims that he can do ALL things through Christ which gives him his strength (Philippians 4:13). And that confidence is founded on the knowledge that God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us no matter what our condition in life may be at any given time (Hebrews 13:5). With that assurance, you have no option if you believe that God's Word is true. You may be a pessimist when it comes to your mindset in life, but when that little negative thought starts to cross your mind, stop and be thankful for whatever it is and wherever you are because that is exactly where you are supposed to be!
Coach Carter