Who Is Your Neighbor?

 

Who is your neighbor? Is that title relegated to the people that meet the corner boundaries of your home? What if you live on a farm and there isn't anyone beside you for miles in any one direction, does that mean you don't have any neighbors? Or is it that if you live in a subdivision everyone in that "neighbor" hood is your neighbor? How about those of us that might live in an apartment complex or a set of condos, are your neighbors just the unit to your left and right and across the hall? Or are your neighbors in a housing complex every unit in your building or are they the sum total of all the buildings in an apartment complex or a high-rise tower setting? My guess is that we each would have our own preconceived notion of who our neighbors are, which leads me to the question once again, who is your neighbor?

Well our handy, dandy Webster's dictionary defines a neighbor as someone living or located near another. Merriam Webster also provides a second meaning of the word neighbor which simply put is "your fellow man". So, if your neighbor is defined as your fellow man, I suppose a similar question aptly applies, who is your fellow man? Is your fellow man the people living or located near your house? Is your fellow man the folks down the street, in your neighborhood, in your complex or tower? Does it matter where you live when it comes to defining your neighbor?

I believe it matters and I also believe we have lost the relative importance of knowing who our neighbor is and how we should be treating them. Why is it so important for us to identify who our neighbor is? Well that question was asked of Jesus back in the gospel of Luke chapter 10 and although I would assume everyone is familiar with that passage, I definitely would like to look at it for a moment. 

It is recorded that a lawyer was attempting to trip Jesus up and asked him what he would have to do to gain eternal life, Jesus answered the man with a question, "What does the law say to do?" To which the lawyer responded, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27. Jesus retorted that the esquire had answered correctly and if he would do those two things he would gain life eternal. The lawyer, frustrated but unwilling to concede, came back with a clarifying question, he said, "Who is my neighbor?" The parable Jesus uses poignantly answers the lawyer's inquiry and our Flat Tire Ministries introductory question.  "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have." Luke 10:30-35. After sharing the parable, Jesus asked the man to tell him which of the three was the victim's neighbor, and the lawyer answered the man who showed mercy on the injured man. Jesus laid it all out there by directing the lawyer to go do the same thing as the true neighbor of the man did, thus gaining eternal life. Which brings us back to our original question, "Who is your neighbor?" By reading Jesus' parable, I would lean more towards the "fellow man" meaning more than just the person that lives in close proximity to your own home. Now, if that is the case, and if our directions from the Creator of mankind is to love our neighbor just like we love Him, then who are we to be picking and choosing who we want to claim as our neighbor.

We do not choose our neighbors, even the ones that live next door to us. The above passage makes that clear. If we are not at liberty to classify neighbor versus non-neighbor then why do we have such a hard time with loving our neighbor regardless of the hue of his skin, or any other defining characteristic for that matter? I went back and reread the words of Jesus and I didn't read anything that says to love your neighbor as long as he or she looks like, sounds like, or thinks like you do. That being said, if you believe the Bible is the true, undeniable, infallible word of God, then our neighbor is our fellow man and any judging of our fellow man should be left up to one that will judge us all (Matthew 7:1-2). Maybe it's time for a little self-reflection, maybe you and I need to look at our daily walk and analyze whether we are acting on behalf of the judge and jury on people, when in reality our only job is to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. May mercy, grace, and love flow through all we do this week, month, year, and may we love our "neighbors" all of them! 

Coach Carter

 

Baking a Cake

 

My four-year-old granddaughter and I enjoy baking together. Biscuits, cookies, and especially cakes are all likely candidates for a Saturday morning bake off in our kitchen. Gathering the ingredients, measuring out the flour, milk, eggs, and other essentials makes for some memorable moments plus a good place to start learning about fractions for Ella. It takes some time and a good measure of patience, but after the timer dings, and the cake cools, oh how it was worth the wait. 

Our walk in faith is much like baking a cake. And if that statement is true, then the Apostle Paul must have been a tax collector and a chef extraordinaire! The book of Ephesians is like a recipe book for us as we focus less on self and more on living a life that resembles the life Christ lived on this earth. Growing in Christ is a process just like baking a cake. You have to have the correct ingredients and then you have to be patient and committed to your relationship before you will actually mature and take on a resemblance to our God. 

In baking you have to be careful to follow the recipe ever so close, and we have the Betty Crocker recipe book of life in Ephesians 4 to follow as we make the transition from infancy to maturity in Christ. Gathering the ingredients and then following the step by step directions helps assure the cake is going to come out light, fluffy, and tasty! In our walk with Christ, Paul exhorts us to put off the old self and to be made new. The ingredients for this new self include being humble, gentle, patient, peaceful, and full of love. Just as baking a cake is a process that requires patience, the same is true in our faith. 

Accepting God as our Creator and Savior is the starting point in our walk of faith, from there we learn to be more like Christ by reading His word, spending time in prayer and devotion, and then choosing to live out our relationship each day that we are given to live. We walk by faith not by sight, which basically means our maturity becomes an internal growth that is lived out externally through our thoughts, words, and actions. 

Have you baked a cake lately? If not, I'd suggest it is time to get out the cake pans and mixing bowls and stir up the batter. Are you constantly working on your relationship with our Lord and Savior? In not, there is nothing that you could do today that would be more important. "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8.

Coach Carter

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

 

Throughout my life I have heard this simple riddle asked over and over again in so many settings, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" As a child it was a challenge to come up with the correct reason, it was easy to come up with many optional answers like, she saw some worms on the other side, her coop was on the other side, she saw her friends on the other side, on, and on, and on we went. All of that guess work, but in the end the answer to this riddle was so simple and direct, "she wanted to get to the other side of the street." Later in life, this simple direct child's riddle became an inquisition about life itself, why did the chicken cross the street? Why did the man just decide to do what he did? What drives you or I as we make decisions about the direction we are going in life. What is our motive behind our actions? Why do we choose to help in some instances, and walk right by in other settings where the needs are obviously the same? The question begs to be asked, "Why did you, or even better why didn't you cross the road?"

Motivation is a driver in all situations and choices that we make. Answering the "why" behind our decisions is a good place to start when evaluating what we do and the time that we invest in doing those things we do. The simple answer to our original riddle is to get to the other side of the road, but the complexity of that answer can be found in the "why" did she want to cross the road. In much the same way, asking yourself "why you do what you do?", or "why do you spend the time you spend doing the things that you do?" If we can stop and take an inventory of all the "things" we give our time and attention to, we might just realize that there is more to why the chicken crossed the road. The true complexity of the "why" in that decision may lead us to do an analysis of our "why" in the things we spend so much of our lives doing. 

Why do you work? "To pay my bills." Really? If that is your answer to that question, my friend you need to do some self-analyzing. Work does pay the bills, and paying the bills is pretty high up on the list of things that have to be done, but your answer should be so much deeper than the "getting to the other side" type of response. You represent God in your work, you make a difference in your work, and you should make sure that the difference you make in your work is a positive impact on those you work with, those you are working for, and for those that benefit from the work you do. Your work matters. Why have I spent over 35 years coaching youth sports? "I love what I do." Yeah, but, why I coach is so much deeper than that. I coach because I believe God gave me the ability to motivate and inspire others to be all they can be, sports is the vehicle that allows me to convey that message. "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 You should ask yourself the "Why" question in all aspects of your life and in your walk with God. Why did you cross the road? It is more complex and more intentional than just to get to the other side of the road. 

I Corinthians 10:31 tells us, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." Whatever we do, wherever we find ourselves, whatever circumstance we find ourselves, "do everything for the glory of God." How we handle ourselves in our cars when the driver of the car in front of us sits a little too long when the light turns green should glorify God with our actions or reactions. How we behave when we are given a seemingly impossible goal to reach at work, is a direct reflection of how much we trust that God has a plan and His plans are so much bigger than our own. "My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my plans than your plans." Isaiah 55:8-9. Why do we have a family and what are you investing in the lives of those that you call your own? Is it simply because that is what a man and woman are supposed to do? Or is it because the call on your life is to impact the lives of your family so that they can go out and impact the lives of their future family and all those that they come in contact with along the way? Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ^and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age. “Matthew 28:18-20. What you do and why you do it matter, trust me, you are not just crossing the street to get to the other side!

Find your why, dig deep to uncover your motivation for why you do what you do. Evaluate your intentions and assure they are not just self-serving reasons that make you feel better about you. God has a plan for each of our lives, he has a purpose for you to fulfill, it is your job to find out what your purpose is today and then go fulfill it for the glory of our Risen King! 

Coach Carter

Bullseye

 

In my coaching analogies I often have relied on the image of archers and their goal of hitting the bullseye of their target. So many applicable references for hitting the bullseye, none more important than in life we are all working towards a goal, a purpose, the bullseye of our life. Specifically, in volleyball I talk about hitting the ball to a specific spot or person on the court rather than just stepping back to the service line and hitting the ball. We can all swing and hit the ball, the destination of the ball will vary dramatically, so having a laser focus on where we are hitting the ball makes for a purposeful action rather than a random motion that results in expending energy with no credible results. Hence the archer/bullseye analogy. But for today's purpose I'm not going to share as much about hitting the target, no today I'm more interested in the tension the archer has to exert on the bowstring to allow the arrow to accurately hit that elusive bullseye.

My background in archery is sparse at best, so I won't try to beguile you into thinking otherwise. Archery is a sport that combines athleticism, patience, a keen eye, and a commitment to perfection. Strong and steady are two descriptive words that come to mind when I think of an archer. The tension on the bowstring as the archer pulls back on the string requires the archer to keep the bow steady with no room for wiggles or wavering. Professional archers work with amounts of tension up to 70 lbs. of pressure as they fully engage the bowstring before it is released. That's seventy pounds of pressure being held back by one arm while steadying the bow with no shaking so that the target or bullseye can be hit with pinpoint accuracy regardless of the distance from the archer's location. The pressure on the bowstring is what allows the archer to hit his or her target. Could it be possible that the pressure we feel in our life from all the conflict, circumstances, and affliction is preparation for us so that we can hit our "bullseye" in the life we have each been given to live? 

I'm not saying that God creates the adversity in our life intentionally, but life is filled with adverse situations and it is our job to take that adversity and use it to make a better you and I out of the bad hand we feel we have been dealt. How much tension you can handle impacts how far back you can pull the bowstring of your impact on the world you live in. The old adage, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” aptly applies here. Just as the tension of the draw on the bow equals the distance and accuracy of the arrow, the more adverse situations you encounter and endure the better equipped you are to hit your purpose in God’s calling on your life. At times it most certainly feels like the string is about to snap, but an archer must stay the course and stay focused on the task at hand, the bullseye must be reached! 

God may not have you where He wants you to be, so He continues to stretch us to the point we may at times think we are about to snap. We are assured that He is with us, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 . In other words, been there, done that! Your circumstances are different from mine, my adversity is in areas that have no comparison to yours. Things may be going smoothly right now, or your life may be in an upside down turned around mess. Regardless, it is safe to say that you have been through, are currently in, or are about to enter a time of stretching your life’s bowstring. Never forget that you are not alone. When you rely on His strength, when you conceptually realize that whatever it is you are going through is not as big as our God is, then you have just increased your durability and can then be stretched just a little bit more. Your bullseye is in your sights! “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Romans 15:13 

Coach Carter