Fencepost

There is an iconic image of a turtle sitting atop a fencepost that has served as a motivational and inspirational reminder for generations. The connected message is typically along the lines of "When you see a turtle on a fencepost, it is a reminder that he didn't get there alone." In life there is no truer statement, as self-driven as we may be, there are people along our life's journey that have supported us, advised us, and helped us reach the pinnacles we have surmounted. 

Who in your life has supported you in your challenges, struggles, and daily pursuits? Who is that person that you would call at 2:00AM when your car broke down on the side of the road? Who is it that went along with your ideas and plans even when they sounded outlandish or unachievable? Who helped you get back on your feet when you got knocked down? And finally who is that person who has shown grace to you even when there was no way you deserved it? Did any specific faces pop up in your thoughts as you mentally asked yourself these questions? Those are some of your biggest fencepost folks. Give them credit and let them know how much you appreciate them and give thanks for them being a part of your life's journey. "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:18.

If you look at one of the myriad images of that turtle on a fencepost, you might, like me, start to question, "How's that turtle ever going to get down off that fencepost?". Well that is a good next point in our giving credit where credit is due. No one reaches their perch on a fencepost by themselves and you won't move on to your next goal in life without some of those same people and potentially with the addition of new supporters to move us forward. We can get stuck on the fencepost if we aren't careful and that is a lonely place to be sitting. Give credit to those who got you there, and bring them along on your journey to what is next. "Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." Romans 13:7

Above all, today and everyday we need to give thanks to the One that made it possible for us to reach our fencepost perch in life. God our Father, through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior walked, walks, and will always be there walking alongside us. God deserves all the credit. God places the people in our paths that help pick us up when we are down, and God the Father rejoices with us when we surmount summits as well. God's Holy Spirit breathes encouragement and perseverance into our hearts, minds, and souls and celebrates our goals accomplished in our daily lives. Don't ever fail to give thanks to the One who got you there! "I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done." Psalm 9:1.

As we close today, there is one additional thought that needs to be shared to a group that may not be sitting atop a fencepost position in life. For those who feel you are in a deep, lowly position in life and a fencepost is the last thing that comes to mind in your current situation, don't allow the present to dictate your day. In the midst of our trials we must stay faithful to believe that God is working in the trenches just as much as He is sitting on the perch with us. Developing a trust that God has a plan and His plans do not always make sense to us, but that is where trust and obedience move us to what God has in store for us. Our job is to journey forward, lean in on those that God has placed in our path to support us, celebrate with us, and to share in giving God the glory and honor that are His for anything we accomplish here on this earth! God is faithful and His love endures with us and for us. "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." Lamentations 3:22-24.

Whether you are sitting on top of your life's fencepost or if you are diligently circumventing life's struggles and challenges as you continue to climb, remember you are not alone. God has placed others in your life, lean in and acknowledge them each and every day! 

Turtle on a Fencepost

Coach Carter

Tick-Tock Goes the Clock

 I love my peaceful early morning time. I rise around 4:00 to get my day going and the first item on my agenda is my quiet time with our Creator. I love the stillness of the morning, and the quiet, calming tik-tok of the clock in the room where I am sitting. On the surface that clock portrays a pretty simple mechanism. The face, two hands, and the soft tick-tock clicks coming from an unseen source. The unseen source is where this mechanical marvel gets somewhat more complex. The inner workings of a clock make for a tinker's playground. Gears, springs, the oscillator, and the escapement are all behind the scenes working in complete symphony to create the tick-tock of each second of every minute, for each hour of the twenty-four hour day each day. There's an old joke that goes something like this, "What time is it when a clock stops working?" Answer,"Time to get a new clock". The inner workings of a clock keep the hands moving in a minute by minute fashion with no delay or drop which on the surface allows us to keep up with our daily schedule. Take away one small spring or interlocking gear and suddenly the clock completely stops or at best doesn't keep time accurately any longer. It is a safe statement to make that each part of a clock has a unique purpose and it was made to fulfill that purpose in its operation. You were designed and created in the exact same manner. You have a purpose and if you don't fulfill that purpose something in this big old world is not going to happen or at best it will have to be completed with an alternate plan in place. Tick-Tock goes the clock, and beat, beat, beat goes our hearts. 

Just like the tiniest, intricate part of a clock you were uniquely made to fulfill a purpose. Without the smallest spring in the workings of a clock the clock becomes a relatively decorative paperweight. Actually, without every single part of the mechanics of a clock there is no ticking or tokking and there is no time to tell. Each and every part plays a pivotal part in making that clock work. In the same manner, when you were designed and created by God, there was a unique purpose that can only be filled by you put into the workings of this world. You may feel insignificant in the scope of the workings of the whole world, but in reality, just as that tiny spring has to be in the proper place connected to the proper next piece, life just won't happen in God's intended manner without you fulfilling God's plan for your life. 

A favorite saying of mine is "you were made on purpose for a purpose", and how true that tiny cliche is. Without you, how can your divine purpose ever be fulfilled? In simple terms it isn't possible. In Ephesians 2:10 Paul supports this concept with this nugget of truth, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." "In advance to do", or in other words for a definitive purpose. Take the spring out of the clock, no tick tock, take you out of your divine purpose, no purpose fulfilled. What that means is, "you" matter. 

In life there are times when we may feel insignificant or purposeless. A life without meaning is the basis of the more than 700,000 suicides across the world each year. Having no hope to the point of taking one's own life speaks directly to the notion of feeling that someone has no purpose in life. Based on what Paul shared with us in Ephesians 2:10 each of us was created in advance by God with a purpose that only you can fill in mind. I envision God working at a craftsman table, tiny sculpting tools lie at finger's reach, paint with paintbrush dripping, and an eye for perfection glistening as you were being crafted by God. He made no mistakes, perfection was accomplished in our imperfect, fleshly bodies. God created you on purpose. For a purpose that only you were created to fulfill. 

Have you come to the understanding that God is omnipotent? He knows all, designed everything and everyone throughout the existence of this world, and God created your DNA to accomplish His divine will for the life you are supposed to live. That truth gives me confidence on the job, in my family, and throughout the trials, afflictions, and successes of life. I will forever search to fulfill God's master plan for this life He has given me to live! "For in Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through and for Him." Colossians 1:16. You matter, you are unique, and you have a purpose. Find what makes you "tick" and then go out and make this world "tock". 

Coach Carter

Hunger and Thirst

 If I am going to hunger, may I hunger for the Word of God. If I am going to thirst, may I thirst for His righteousness in my life. When we visualize the two title words in today's message, it isn't necessarily a positive image that comes to mind. When I think about hunger, it isn't just a picture of someone that has had to push back lunch an hour or so and now they are "hungry" or "starved". What I'm envisioning is someone who is lacking the proper nutrition to function properly on a day to day basis. As I consider the image of someone who is experiencing thirst, I visualize a person with dry, parched lips desperately searching for even a drop of water. Here in America hunger and thirst should not be an issue. We, as a country, throw away more food and waste more clean water on a daily basis than some parts of the world have to consume in weeks or months. Just as I strive to not be wasteful with our natural resources, remembering how blessed we are to live in a bountiful land, it is more important to me that I do not take for granted the unending blessings made available to me through God's Word and the example of God's righteousness He gave us through the life of His Son Jesus Christ. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6. Today, we are going to view hunger and thirst from a different perspective. We need to hunger more, and thirst more for the One who created us and designed us with a purpose in mind. 

May I hunger. Research studies tell us that the worst time to go grocery shopping is when we are hungry. Walking down the aisles those high impulse items just seem to transport themselves into our buggy whether that is what we went to store for or not. When we are out to eat and the menu is shared, there are times when it is hard to pick between meals. We want it all! As a former high school wrestler who cut weight for matches there were days at a time that I would only eat a sparse amount of food, if any. I can still pull one specific memory to the forefront of my mind that exemplifies this concept of being hungry. A commercial came on the television advertising frozen broccoli with a rich, creamy cheese sauce being poured over it. I didn't even like broccoli back then, but man I would have given anything to have had that bowl of broccoli with cheese sauce dripping off each stem sitting in front of me at the dining room table. That's the hunger I want to experience daily when I think about God's Word found in His Holy Bible. I want to taste the deeper meaning of Book and chapter, and I want to have hunger pangs for the truths His word provides. In John 6:35 Jesus shared, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger ....". Coming to Christ means seeking, searching, or possibly hunting for the truths of the Bible and how we can apply the Word to our daily lives. Why does a hunter hunt? Because he or she is hungry! I want my hunger to drive my daily devotional time, my prayers, and my desire to hear from and follow God's Holy Spirit each day.

The second part of the verse above goes on to say, "... and whoever believes in me shall not thirst". I am confident that if I go to a water fountain  and compress the button, water is going to come out and I am going to refresh my body. I know that if there isn't a water fountain available all I have to do is find a store and there will be myriad options for brands and quantities of water to select from. We live in a land where thirst is a momentary thing at best. That doesn't mean we can't experience a true thirst though. I want to thirst for God's righteousness. While water is readily available to quench our momentary thirst, I want to search for God's righteousness like I am stranded in a desert with no spigot in sight. I want to have my thirst quenched by the example of righteousness that Jesus displayed as He lived a sinless life as a man here among us. Sinless, blameless, and willing to suffer the brutal torture He endured so we would have the opportunity to seek His righteousness. Just as man can only live a short period without water, I want my life to be such that I need the nourishment of His righteousness to live out each day that I have been given to live. I desire a long, cool drink of God's righteousness each morning as I rise and throughout each day that I have been given to live!

I pray that you will hunger and that you will thirst. If you happened to jump into our conversation at this point you might be asking what in the world is this about? There's not too many positive images that surface when we speak about hunger and those that are thirsty, yet the hunger and thirst we have discussed today is one that we all should experience. The scene of Jesus talking to the woman at the well in John 4 gives us a good overall view of the hunger and thirst I am describing. When the Samaritan woman inquired about the "living water" He was offering, Jesus replied, "... but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." May your hunger be met and your thirst be quenched through your relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! Amen. 

Coach Carter

What I'm Not Doing

 

I sin daily. That is scriptural, (Romans 3:23). We all live in an imperfect world full of imperfect people, from the man or woman that has chosen to live in the world, to the most pious of Popes we are all sinners. The Good News is God anticipated our sinful nature and sent His Son Jesus to be the Savior for you and for me! Praise God for His mercy and grace! But what sins are we praying for forgiveness fo? The sins we "do" or have you ever thought about the asking for forgiveness for what we do "not" do. 

In the Book of Romans, Paul appears to be working through an internal conflict. It is almost like he is battling with the two iconic images of a devil on one shoulder whispering in his ear, while on the other shoulder an angel is perched sharing positive and encouraging guidance. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if  I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."  Romans 7:15-20. For me, a key concept to point out is Paul admits that he knows what he is supposed to "not" do, but he doesn't do it. We aren't inert beings so it is only reasonable to assume that if we aren't doing the good things we know to do, it may be that we are doing the bad things that we also know we shouldn't be doing. 

When the Bible tells us that we must confess our sins to obtain righteousness, (I John 1:9) that isn't just the sins we are doing each day, it also includes the sins of what we are not doing each day. The Ten Commandments plus Jesus' command to love others in the same manner as we love ourselves is pretty inclusive, but it is reasonable to believe that many folks are convinced that as long as they aren't murdering, stealing, cheating, or denying God is our Savior then they are in pretty good salvation shape. I would counter that thought process with the question of what are we not doing for the Kingdom of Christ that we know in our hearts and souls we should be doing each day?

Giving of my time, resources, and self tops my own list of requests for forgiveness. Too often, we get caught up in our own busyness, which leads us to get things out of order when it comes to setting priorities. Forgiving others and loving our neighbor is a called out command, but how many of us want to cast the first stone or point out the splinter in our brother's eye before we self-reflect about our own sins and the proverbial plank in our own eye. The list of "things" we are not doing that we should is extensive, but the core principle remains constant, if we are not doing what we know we should be doing that in itself is sin. 

So, what do we do? Well, we need to ensure ourselves that we know what we should be doing first. How do we do that? Spending time in His Word, meditating and praying for God's will to be fulfilled in and through us, and then investing our living out our divine purpose. We know what to do, too often we find ourselves in the same predicament as Paul shared above, yet at the end of the day, our charge is clear. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7. Make the decision to "do" what needs to be done and then do it!

Coach Carter

Holding a Grudge

 Over the years I've encountered family situations where two relatives haven't spoken in years. One person betrayed the other person or one family member believes a certain way and the other family member diverges from that mindset, so suddenly "I've cut ties with that family member" is the route of least resistance. Obviously, this is not something that is unique to family squabbles, life-long friends are just as suspect to fragmented relationships that many times extend over years and years of "I'm right and they are wrong" justifications. In America, we call this phenomenon "holding a grudge". In the minds of the beholder, the wrong warrants revenge or retribution, "You did me wrong so until you get paid back for doing me wrong I'm done with you." Not only is this way of thinking detrimental to building and maintaining positive relationships, it is my opinion that this method of dealing with negative experiences can only deter our own personal growth as a leader in our homes, families, and places of work or school. Additionally, if we are going to live out a life of a true servant of our Lord and Savior, forgiveness has to be a cornerstone of our faith. 

If you have been holding a grudge for any length of time, I'm pretty sure you have justified why you are holding that grudge over and over in your mind and through conversations with others that have confirmed your stance on the issue at hand. That justification may very well be warranted, yet that merit is most certainly of the secular, worldly mindset. A mindshift towards not only forgiveness, but also towards purpose and growth create a totally different approach to addressing a wrong you have encountered. If we want to talk about someone who had a reason to hold a grudge against his family members it would have to be the Biblical figure Joseph. If you think you have a right to be holding a grudge, just look at what Joseph endured and overcame in his own life. 

You may be aptly familiar with Joseph's life, but just a quick recap to put things in their proper perspective. Joseph was, at the time of our story, the youngest of the eleven sons of Jacob. Joseph was a favorite of his father which led to some jealousy from the rest of his brothers. Joseph didn't help matters when he shared some dreams with his family which inherently suggested that one day, the brothers and even his father would bow down to him. From there things went downhill for Joseph. His brothers plotted to kill Jacob and make it look like he was attacked by a wild animal. Only through the intervention of one of his brothers, was the decision made to sell Joseph into slavery to a group traveling to Egypt. The brothers did just that, but still convinced Jacob that his youngest son had been attacked and slain by a wild beast. From there, Joseph was placed in Potipher's house only to be falsely accused of rape, imprisoned, lied to by some of his fellow inmates, but eventually vindicated earning him a high ranking position in the Egyptian hierarchy. During the many years of trials and tribulations that Joseph endured, he never gave up on his faith in God. Finally, the dreams Joseph shared with his family from his youth came to fruition. In the midst of a famine, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to ask for food and provisions. And who do you think this group of co-conspirators had to make their request to? Of course, Joseph himself. 

After all the years of reflecting and thinking through the looks on his brother's faces as they sold Joseph into slavery, you would think this is where Joseph's grudge would be avenged. If that was your thought then sorry, wrong answer. Genesis 50:20 shares that not only did Joseph show mercy and forgiveness on the very same brothers that sold him into slavery and stole his life with his family, Joseph stated the following sentiment to his brothers, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." That took a lot of humility. His grudge would have been justified by just about anyone in the world, but Joseph opted to forgive and actually embrace the journey by which he landed in one of the highest positions in the Egyptian empire. The key takeaway here is that Joseph recognized and stated that the events from his past were all part of God's eventual plan for good. Talk about grudge busters, the life of Joseph should serve as a model for each of us as we should be forgiving rather than condemning. 

Joseph's willingness to forgive his brothers reminds me of another example of forgiveness surpassing a potential grudge. After Jesus was falsely arrested, beaten and tortured, and eventually hung on the cross to die, Jesus looked down on the crowd of onlookers and Roman soldiers and whispered one last prayer to His Father. "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing ..." Luke 22:34. 

In your mind you may have a grudge that in your mind is completely justified. Someone you cared about or someone you trusted broke your heart and destroyed your relationship. Today, I ask you to look at the life of Joseph and what he endured, and then take a moment to place yourself on the cross where Jesus died. If forgiveness over retribution is what their example was, what wrong could be seen as unforgivable in your life? God is merciful to forgive us of our sins, should we not do the same for those that we believe have wronged us? Will you continue to hold a grudge, or will you reach out today and share the same grace that you have been given? Choose forgiveness. 

Coach Carter

Finish with the prayer Jesus prayed Father forgive them for they now not what they do. If Joseph followed the example of Jesus and he didn't even know Jesus, what is our excuse for hlding a grudge when we do know about the loving forgiveness of Jesus? Challenge do away with a grudge you have been holding. 

 

Preach On

 Singer-songwriter Ryan Stevenson has a new song out on the airwaves entitled "Preach". Stevenson's latest Contemporary Christian hit poignantly delivers the message that our lives should be the message about our faith. As we live out each day do we spend our time telling people that we are followers of Christ, or does the life we live each day share the message without us even saying a word? "Preach On" is today's FTM Thought, what exactly does that look like? Read on and Preach!

For those that do not necessarily have a firm relationship with our Lord and Savior hearing the word "preach" creates an image of someone condemning their lifestyle. For others "preaching" is equated to teaching or sharing the Good News of salvation and the offer of eternal life in Heaven with our Creator. For me, I fall in the camp of Stevenson's song. I want my life to live out my faith in God as our omnipotent and omniscient creator. I want my life not just my words to deliver the message that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that Jesus came to this earth to teach us how to live out a life of service to God and fulfill our commitment to be fishers of men and expand the Kingdom of Heaven. So what does that look like? I thought you'd never ask. 

Have you ever watched a movie with the sound muted? My guess is probably not, but I had a similar type experience several years ago. I watched a movie that was in a completely different language from my native English. There were no subtitles, so honestly the only means by which I could figure out what was going on and the storyline of the movie was by the actions of the people in the movie. To be quite honest, it was a highly enjoyable movie experience, with not a single word throughout the movie in a language I could interpret. The director of the movie and the actors were able to draw me in and convey the theme, plot, and sentiments of the movie via their actions. Would your life convey the love of Christ if you suddenly were unable to convey the message verbally? Would your life preach without words? 

In James 2:18, the author James makes a clear point about our faith. "But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works." For me James is challenging us to live out our faith by our actions and not by telling others about our actions to convince them that we are followers and servants of the Living God. Preach on. 

When we are down in a valley, our words won't carry us through, but our faith in God during those valley chapters of life will be our source of strength and fortitude. When we make a choice to serve rather than being served, our faith is on display and we don't have to say a word. When things get tough, and we all understand things do get tough, we rely on our faith and we stay the course while God works things out just the way that they need to work out. Our faith should be lived out not spoken out. I want people to ask me why I'm always smiling and why I seem to be happy all the time. That smile and the happiness in my heart are directly correlated to my faith that God is in control and one day I will enter His Kingdom! Yet, while I am here on this earth, I want my life to demonstrate my trusting faith in the One True Living God! Preach on! 

Coach Carter

It Takes One

It takes two people to communicate. Without a two-way channel, one lone person is just talking to himself. Any effective communication requires two people, transversely the same is true for non-productive communication. I suppose you can label an argument as a form of communication, ineffective and non-beneficial most certainly, yet arguing is in essence a form of communication. For all the things in life that it takes two people to successfully accomplish, unfortunately, arguing also fits in that category. 

You most likely have heard the old saying, "It takes two to Tango", referencing the ballroom dance form of the late 1800's and early 1900's. I'm not very well versed in ballroom dancing, but based on my experiences most styles of ballroom dancing do require two people working in a synchronized manner. I suppose you could say the same thing for two people who are cast into an argument, two people are engaged in a back and forth synchronized manner, often shifting from a conversation to often a case of heightened screaming and ultimately the potential for more intense interaction between the two folks. What I want you to do right now is imagine a scene in your mind where two folks are caught up in a verbal argument. Hopefully that wasn't too easy for you to visualize. Now in your mind I want you to remove one person from the scene you have created in your mind. When I went through this mental practice in my mind, what was left was a person babbling to himself, looking pretty silly to be completely honest. It takes two to have an argument, squabble, or even a yelling match. The Apostle Paul offers us some Biblical guidance on arguing, or better yet, not arguing. 

"Again I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth." II Timothy 2:23-25.

In other words, it only takes one to not argue. Paul admonishes his young protege Timothy to not engage in pointless arguments where people are fussing for the sake of fussing. Instead, Paul points out that by being a servant of God we "must not" quarrel and instead be patient and model empathy for the other person's point of view. The goal is to be an example of God's love and through that demonstration others  see God living in you and through you. 

A thought to consider, if we, as the hands and feet of our Lord and Savior are to serve as His ambassador to a lost world, how will we ever appear different from this world if we are partaking in fussing and fighting just like the world? It takes two to argue, it only takes one to be God's example of love in the midst of the trials and adversity that we encounter. The choice is yours, choose love and peace. 

Coach Carter