Wear It Well

     
     I know a guy that wears a cross tucked away under his shirt and out of sight from everyday view. I asked him why he didn't wear the cross displayed on the outside of his shirt and his answer caused a bit of self-reflection on my part. As I share his mindset with you today, maybe it will cause a little reflection on your part as well.
    When I inquired about the methodology by which my friend chose to wear his cross concealed, I was thinking to myself, "Is he ashamed or embarrassed to wear his cross on display?" I mean if you are going to wear a cross don't you want everyone to see it so that they will know you are a believer? What would the purpose of wearing a cross be if it isn't to display and provide a message to those you pass in life and to those that you live and work with each day? What about those bumper stickers on our car or truck that proudly proclaim our commitment to Christ? Don't we want to tell others that we are Christians? Well of course the answer to these questions is yes. We want others to know, we want to share what we have with others so why wouldn't we wear our cross out in plain sight each day?
     Well, back to my friend's story. "Why don't you wear that cross where everyone can see it?" As I asked this question I figured his response might be a little awkward like I had put him on the spot and now he would have to admit that he wore in under his shirt because he didn't want to offend others or that he wasn't really wanting to bring attention to this aspect of his life. But instead, I received a personal testimony that is applicable to each of us in life. "I wear my cross as a reminder to me of what Jesus did for me, more than any kind of public announcement of who I am in Christ. I live Christ in this world every day. The actions I demonstrate, the choices I make, the way I work, and the way I conduct life are all ways that I wear my cross." That being said we delved into a discussion about what wearing his cross is all about in his life. You see we want others to see Christ in us, we want others to want what we have been given, and yet we have to show them what we have that would be so desirable they would want it and work to obtain it.
     What he told me was that regardless of what your profession is you don't have to go around with a sign hanging off your neck letting people know what you do for a living. When you walk into a classroom it is pretty obvious who the teacher is, and if you go on a construction site it doesn't take a great deal of deduction to pick out who the crane operator is and who the plumber is. We can be identified by the work we do wherever that may be. "That's the way it should be with my faith", he shared.
     I got what he was saying, but that only led me to deeper inquiry.  Being able to be identified as a teacher, a construction worker, cook, welder, or a nurse is easy in their element, but where is it that I am working as a follower of Christ? "Everywhere you go, whatever you are doing, you are living your life as a servant of Christ. So, you have to wear your cross every single day, every interaction, every situation, and with every person you meet." As with the principle mentioned above, it should be obvious who the Christian is in those situations. You and I are living the life that Christ challenged us to live over 2000 years ago. Giving of ourselves for the sake of others, never placing self before God, and sharing His good news through the life we live and the way we handle life's curve balls and pit falls. Those are all crosses that we wear each and every day of our lives.
      My friend finished up his response to my question about his cross with this disclaimer. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with wearing your cross on display. It's great that we want to put stickers on our automobiles and around our office or home. My question for you though is this, how are you living that cross you're wearing?" Bam, what a question? Thus, the self-reflection began. Am I judging others when that is clearly not my job as a follower of Christ? Am I loving my fellow man in the same way that Christ loves me? Do I see the color of my fellow man's skin instead of a child of God created in the same exact way I was created? If we are wearing a cross had we better make sure we are wearing it well? Should we be sure that what we are displaying to others is the same kind of unwarranted, undeserved, and unconditional type of love that was shown to each of us on Calvary's Cross?
     Long after my friend and I had parted, my reflection hit me hard. Literally or figuratively, if I am going to display that cross which represents what Christ did for me, then I better be prepared to live it each day and to live it well for others to see Christ living in me and through me. So, wear your cross on display or as my friend chose to do by wearing it as a reminder to self of what was done for him, and for you, and for me. Just be sure you wear it well!
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

 Coach Carter 

Lessons from an Echo

      
We would like to say that standing in a valley and yelling out and then having that very yell make its way back to us via an echo is something that mainly children enjoy, but honestly, I imagine the majority of us take advantage of the echo phenomenon when we realize we're in a setting that provides a little echo action. So, the principle behind echos is that when sound waves hit a solid surface they bounce back much like throwing a rubber ball against a wall. Walking underneath a bridge through a tunnel, or standing in a deep canyon with mountains surrounding us creates the perfect environment for experiencing an echo. For most of us, we are probably pretty fortunate that the echo feature doesn't occur naturally with us as we go about our daily journey.
     Think about it, I believe it would be safe to say that if the words we spoke automatically bounced right back to our ears we might think a little bit more about what was getting ready to come out of our mouths in the first place. As it stands I believe most people stand on the premise that we all have our right to freedom of speech, trust me I fully respect the right of each person to speak his or her mind. Bu it's more about the intent of what we say and the content of our heart when we say what we say that I would be more concerned. If it is hurtful, if our words do damage to the self-worth of another, or if our words drag down, emotionally scar, or provoke hatred are those words that we really want to hear bouncing back in our ears? Imagine standing on a mountaintop basking in the beauty of the majestic view of surrounding valleys and peaks. You're standing there and you decide to yell out "Hello" to which you are welcomed back with an echo of Hello, hello, hello. Amused, you go back and forth with your new-found echo friends and then I ask you to yell out the last thing you said about someone that is different from your personal, race, religion, economic tier, or even political viewpoint. What would you hear ringing back in your ears? What would that sound like as it reverberates again and again throughout that beautiful mountaintop range? Can you hear that in your mind as you play this out in your imagination?
     Well guess what? There is an echo phenomenon in your life each and every day you live. Your words are captured by those you encounter as you live, work, play, and influence. As a parent your words are captured by tiny ears and then bounced back through their own words and actions. If we choose to use words filled with negative, hurtful implications then what we should expect to hear back will be laced in negativity and hate. If you talk to people on a daily basis, in other words pretty much everyone, then there is an echo that is going to occur. What message do you want to send out that you wouldn't mind hearing bouncing off the walls and minds of those you influence in the classroom, on the job, in your family, or around the break room?
      In the book of Proverbs, Solomon provides this reminder about our choice of words that we speak, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but hard words stir up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 If what we are saying stirs up anger, if the words we choose can bring joy or have the power to lessen the value of another person's life, the idea of choosing our words carefully really makes sense. The next time you get ready to make a comment on something that has the potential to do harm or cause discord, give a thought to our echo talk today and imagine those very words being bounced back in your ear and the ears of those you will influence along life's journey. Life is filled with choices, choose your words carefully!  
“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

Coach Carter 

 

Day One

     "This is the day that the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it" Psalm 118:24. After listening to a recent sermon on the topic of spiritual warfare, I have taken the advice of Pastor Chip Ingram and committed myself to memorizing some scriptures to heart, for the purposes of sharing with others, motivation in the face of adversity, and also for use in instances where I need my own sword or shield. This verse from Psalm 118 happened to be the first one that I have decided to put to memory. And what a great verse to place right there in the forefront of my mind.
     When we wake up each day we are faced with a choice, we can choose to live in the successes or missteps of yesterday, or we can choose to be thankful for the day that we have been given and live that day out to its fullest. That is the message I get from Psalm 118:24, TODAY is the day that we have been given I'm going to live it like the gift it is, and not allow yesterday's events hamper what today holds for this life I have been given to live.
     In that same way, I won't put off till tomorrow what God has given me the day today to do. Procrastination is a tool used to deflate the gift of today. The idea that "I'll do it tomorrow" runs counter intuitive to the mindset of rejoicing and being glad for the gift of today. I've said it before in other posts, but it's worth mentioning a thousand more times, tomorrow is not the gift. None of us has the guarantee of tomorrow. If that is the case then why would we take the day that we have been given to work, love, share, or serve and place it on the shelf?
     When you woke up this morning that signaled "Day One" of the rest of your life. How you choose to use this day may very well determine the direction that someone else chooses to go in life because of the way you are living this day. Day One signals a new beginning, your past is just that past, yesterday's mistakes are done, the impact of those mistakes will be determined by what you do today to correct them or use them to make today a better day. Day One signals an opportunity to start all over. You may have had a bad attitude yesterday, for the last year, or maybe for the biggest part of your life, but guess what? Today is Day One of a whole new chapter in your life. You make the decision on what today is going to look like, remember our scripture "I will rejoice and be glad in it!" That is 100% a choice, it would have been just as easy for the writer of the psalm to say, "This is the day that the Lord has made, "I wish I could enjoy it but ________". Some of us may be able to fill in that blank, but I can't, let me make it clear, I won't fill in that blank. I have too much to be thankful for, too much to do, and hopefully, God willing, way too many lives to impact with this day that the Lord hath made!
     Today is Day One. I believe that is an appropriate title for our Flat Tire thought for the week. Each day you wake up is a gift, it is your choice to decide what you will do on Day One of the rest of your life. My advice, live it well, live it like it is the first day of the rest of your life!
Coach Carter

Alternate Routes

     
     Let me just say I was headed a completely different way with this week's FTM Thought, but after I read an article a colleague had posted on LinkedIn, I definitely chose an "alternate route" for today's time together. If you have young children, if you work with elementary, middle, or even high school students in some capacity today's message is relevant and critically important as they grow, mature, and begin laying the groundwork for their future. 
     Typically Flat Tire Ministries Thoughts are intended to be of an uplifting positive nature on a topic of life perspective. Today's message is more of advice for all of us as we provide the canvas for our children to draw their own individual map. Our job, provide them with as many alternate routes to get there as possible and let them choose the one that they want to take! Read on, reflect, and then take action.
     The article "Students 'Dream Jobs' Out of Sync with the Emerging Economy" by Sarah Sparks in the February 8, 2020 edition of Education Week poses the hypothesis that today's children still aspire to jobs of the past as their main goal in life. That would be okay if it wasn't for the fact that today many of the jobs of yesterday are either being done by computers and robots or they are on the downhill slide as prospects for the future. I have provided a link to the article and I encourage you to read it a little later after we finish. Basically though, the research that Sparks provides suggests that "we" as the adults that help support students as they maneuver their interests and aptitudes through their experiences and exposure to create plans for what's next after high school base our "teaching" on a model that may very well be limited at best. One of the core matters of concern is that if "we" are the ones that are consulting and mentoring our children, yet we are not aware of the careers and career fields that are emerging, "we" will probably still promote and guide our students towards the fields "we" are most knowledgeable of, hence the aforementioned jobs that are founded in our past, not their future.
     Let's do a little experiment, bear with me on this one, I haven't requested you to do homework very often. You'll need a piece of scrap paper (reuse old envelopes for stuff like this, conserve), a writing utensil, and turn on the stopwatch app on your phone. Okay set your timer for :30 seconds. Now right down as many careers as you can come up with in that :30 seconds. GO! After you finish go to the article link below on the top 15 emerging career fields in the United States and scroll down through the list. How many of the careers on your list are among the top 15 emerging careers? 
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/11/linkedin-emerging-jobs-report-2020-fastest-growing-us-job-pays-136k.html
     You may be in much better shape than I was as a career counselor, but my guess is if you are above the age of 30 your list looked similar to mine. I had some broad similarities like "doctor" or "IT" (That's Informational Technology in case you don't have that one in your vocab yet.), but overall my list paled in comparison to the career fields that will be our children's to fill.  I advise you to go back and read that article and do some research on emerging career paths if you are in any of those roles I mentioned earlier.
     The problem is how can we advise our sons and daughters, our students and athletes, and those we mentor through work and life if we don't know have knowledge of those destinations and definitely the path to take to get to their potential destination? We don't want to hinder their potential, yet if we don't have the knowledge to share, how can we expect to successfully mentor and guide the leaders of tomorrow? What potential damage could we do if we only show them the route that we know without exposing them to the alternate routes that they may need to venture?
     It is our duty, no, our responsibility to provide students with the tools they will need to make informed decisions about their future. That is a fact that should not be debatable. Yet what about our children's faith future? First, as in our example above, we will only be able to advise our students with the background knowledge we possess. So, if our faith is weak or non-existent how will we ever advise or provide guidance to our children? How can they decide what they believe if they don't know what there is to believe? In much the same way as with careers, this is our responsibility. We as the adults are tasked with providing the example by which our future leaders will delve into what they see and hear and then create their own beliefs and aspirations. Do you have a faith to share? Are you a lifetime learner that reads, listens, prays, and seeks God's will for your life? If this isn't part of our life, then how can we expect our children to make an educated decision? Will we leave it up to the entertainment world to teach them what is important? Will we close our eyes and say we hope it turns out well for them? Or will we assume that they will figure it out for themselves because we don't want to pressure them into believing something? How do you think that story is going to end?
    Solomon, who we associate the word wise with, shared his thoughts on this topic in Proverbs 22:6 "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." Whether we are talking advising students about possible career fields or if you as a parent want to help your child make sound decisions about their faith in God, you have to be somewhat of a specialist yourself. Read, seek, knock, and listen to sound doctrine that will give you the tools you need to assure you don't send those you mentor and advise down an alternate route that leads to nowhere!  

Coach Carter

Here's the link to the Education Week article by Sarah Sparks. I highly suggest you read this if you have children or work with children in any capacity.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/01/22/students-dream-jobs-out-of-sync-with.html?cmp=eml-contshr-shr 

 

The Calm After the Storm

     
     Stating the obvious, storms are noisy. Thunder booms and lightning crackles across the sky, high winds howl through the windows as they toss objects around like tumbleweeds rolling across a desert floor. Heavy rain pounds on rooftops adding to the cacophony disrupting the night. I know my description probably doesn't even come close to some of the storms you have endured. I mean think about it, have you ever went to work the day after a huge storm and when you start talking about how intense the weather was at your house, someone inevitably states, "Huh, it hardly even rained at my house last night." At other times, I have been on the other end of that conversation and a friend or colleague shares about the destruction their neighborhood experienced during the previous night's storm, while our home sat peacefully overnight on that same exact evening.
     Just as the physical storms we endure are unpredictable, so too are the figurative storms we experience in our own lives each day. The downpour of emotions related to divorce, drug addiction, overwhelming debt, or possibly even the death of a loved one is easily comparable to the physical storms that hit and the ensuing damage they wreak. During these storms life is noisy as well, and the aftermath of life's storms can be just as devastating if not more devastating than the outcome of one of nature's weather disasters.
     Both the literal storms that nature evokes on our lives, and our own figurative storms of life we encounter provide the basis for today's FTM Thought. We each have storms that we must endure, yet after the storm passes we also each can experience the calm after the storm. We have to embrace the storm, survive its torrent rains, hold tight when the thunder shakes the very foundation of our shelter, and then we await the warm light of sunrise as the aftermath lies in front of us. It is our job to embrace the calm after the storm instead of focusing on the chaos created by the storm.
     The story of Jesus calming the storm during a sea journey with his disciples illustrates this point in clear and vivid form. In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus was awakened from his sleep by the disciples because they feared their boat was getting ready to be overtaken by the fierce winds and waves of the moment. Jesus' command "Peace, be still" were meant for both the storm and also for the disciple’s fearful mindset. God is with us in the storms of life, and just as His son calmed the storm on the sea for the men on that boat, He offers that same "peace" to you and to me.
     It is our job to endure the storms of life, it is God who provides the assurance of calm after the storm. That assurance is what gives us the confidence to stay strong during the storm, never letting go of our faith that God is there to provide the calm after the storm. Hold tight, keep your faith close, and embrace the chaos that will ultimately provide the peace and calm of God's promise to you. “Peace, be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10
Coach Carter