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

When the Going Gets Tough, ...

    
You may not want to be resilient, you may want to give up the fight, you may even believe that your efforts won't matter because the sea that lies in front of you is too broad for you to cross. Remember the splitting of the Red Sea back in Exodus 14?  Don't give up! Too much depends on you, your life has a purpose and if you give up on life that purpose may never be fulfilled. When the pie looks too big, take one more bite, help is on the way!
     Back to our resilient basketball example. We determined that the key to the level of bouncing back was dependent on the amount of energy "strength" that was provided as the ball was forced towards the ground. In life how resilient we are, how well we bounce back, also depends on the energy we have behind us that supports us when we are "bouncing back". Job in the Bible is an excellent example of showing resiliency and bouncing back. Job lost everything and honestly the only thing that can be attributed to Job continuing to move forward was his faith in God. Literally, Job had nothing left, his family, his home, his livestock, even his good health was gone and everyone around him said, "Wow Job, God has apparently dropped you, why don't you just go ahead and curse Him and try to figure out a way just to die." But Job believed that when the going gets tough, the tough get going! He wouldn't give up on God, Job actually placed his full faith in God and in Job 17:9 he said, "The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger." That's what we must do when it looks like the road is too long in front of us, we have to keep moving forward, keep pushing through your challenges in life.
     In closing today, I would like to share one of my favorite verses God surely provided to Paul, His servant, in II Corinthians 4:8-9 "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; We are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." Why are we not destroyed when we are cast down? Because "He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world"
I John 4:4. We bounce back because we have faith, which provides us with the ability to get going when the going gets tough. Our faith is that same strength that provides the energy to bounce back up just like the basketball each time it is forced downward to its temporary destination. If you are having a hard time in life right now, if you just don't feel like you have the energy to bounce back again, then it may be that you need some of that "keep going" energy that I just described. It is readily available and there is an endless supply waiting on you! Seek Him and be filled with His goodness, mercy, and resiliency!
Keep up the good fight!
Coach Carter

Zig, Zag, Zoom!

     
As I was sitting outside this morning, preparing my mind for some time in prayer and meditation, I paused momentarily just to take in the calm of the morning and the beauty of God's creation. I am blessed to be surrounded by a forest of trees which provides an abundance of wildlife and a vast collection of plants, wildflowers, and skyward seeking trees. Many times, I get in such a hurry that I fail to take in the beauty of this scene which is so readily available to me each and every day. Mental note: "Take more time to do nothing more than look around and say Thank You!" To extenuate this point, one of my tiny hummingbird friends buzzed onto the scene this morning wanting to get his fill of the nectar that I have provided for my zippy guests. Caught in the moment of "looking around" my mind started pondering the actions of my fine, feathered friend and his hurried actions that he displays in his hunt for nourishment.
     If you've ever had the chance to watch a hummingbird as it approaches a feeder then you know how amazing the spectacle actually is. Hummingbirds beat their wings up to 70 beats per second and over 1,000 beats in a single minute. They dash to the right, they zig to the left, back and forth never circling an object but more acting like a lazar they dart right and left, back and forth until they reach what must appear to be a safe approach. Obviously, based on the size of this tiny creature, caution and apprehension collect a great deal of this bird's thought processes each flap of his wings. When the birds first migrate back to our back porch it is apparent that the trust issue is at the forefront of their attention. The zipping, zigging, and zagging back and forth is all done in the context of assuring that this is a safe area to visit. In the early stages the hummingbirds won't rest on the perches but instead dangle suspended in air taking in the nectar with their pointy beaks. As days turn into weeks the tiny hummingbirds eventually begin to trust that we aren't going to be a threat and their buzzing around results in the tiny birds resting their wings and enjoying a more leisurely breakfast meal. It is rewarding and comforting to me to observe this band of hummers come to a place of trust to the point that they will rest and sup with us almost at arms grasp.
      Our relationship with God can be compared to this episode in nature. We rush here and we zip there giving little time to the things in life that are of real significance. We hold back and hold out on placing our trust and faith in our Creator. I'm not sure if it is fear, but I am certain it is the fear of trusting that God's love for us is actually possible. Our mind races back and forth just like the hummingbird, "How could a God love me when I have done all that I have done in life?", or "How is it possible that God knows everything and controls all of creation?" Or even "How can I trust a God that I can't see to help me in the condition my life is in right now?" I can literally see the hummingbird in your mind darting from one perspective to the other end of the spectrum attempting to reason and find a safe space to land! Proverbs 3:5-6 promises this "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths."
     In our quest for a safe place to land, safety can only be found in trust. Finding nourishment for our thirsty soul is found in trusting that the God that made you, is the same God that will be with you in all of life's struggles, dangers, pitfalls, and tragedies. He will provide nourishment for your mind, soul, and body when you make the decision to trust in Him. Will the dangers of life disappear suddenly when you make this commitment of faith? Although possible, probably not, but just as the hummingbird begins to rest on the perch of our bird feeder, you too will begin to trust in the Lord and take rest in the comforting peace that is only possible in Him.

Coach Carter

Let's Hear It for the Underdog

    
As a coach, there is nothing that energizes me more than to be listed as the underdog in a competition. The overcomer in me kicks in and it's on when it comes time to compete. At all levels of sports- competition it's the same. In the Super Bowl the team that should have no chance to win is the very team that we all want to pull through to victory. When the odds are stacked against a team, and when that same team overcomes the odds makers, that's the stuff that Hollywood blockbuster movies are made. But how does that happen? When on paper all the stats point in one direction, the records are being set by the favorite, the prognosticators and critics alike are in agreement, but yet the underdog comes out and wins the game, how does that happen?
      Well according to the Bible, it has a great deal to do with time and chance. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tells us, 

"I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
    or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
    or wealth to the brilliant
    or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all."

"So, you're telling me that the win isn't going to come to the stronger competitor, the more talented team, or the obviously front-runner on paper in the championship bout?" you may be asking. No, that's not what I'm proposing here, all I'm saying is that at the right time, with the right circumstances, under the right conditions time and chance will prevail. If this wasn't true then I guess Las Vegas would be out of business, that's why they play the game! So, am I proposing that all competitors pull back from practicing and preparing themselves to face their "Goliath"? Absolutely not. That is the essence of time and chance. It's kinda like if you aren't in the game, don't expect to win the game. 

     In all of the situations listed in Ecclesiastes 9:11 the victor is not always the one that would garner the most bets if people were looking at the odds. The fastest athlete on the track, the bigger, stronger boxer in the ring, the wisest, brightest, or most brilliant person is not guaranteed to come out on top. But why not? It just makes sense that if 9 out of 10 times I have already beaten the competition in the 400 meter run then I should be guaranteed a victory on the 10 time out as well. That's where time and chance enter the equation. That's why they run the race! The key here is that the underdog won't just win the race because he shows up either. On paper and with all past results the underdog has been beaten in our scenario. Then what makes the difference in this tenth trial? 

     I believe the apostle Paul sums the answer to that question up nicely in his motivational proclamation to the church in Corinth. Paul is using an analogy of running a race and he asks this question. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Then he directs the people that to win they have to "Run in such a way as to get the prize". He finishes the analogy by giving the secret to success away to the people and to us today. Paul explains that to be ready for the competition he beats his body into submission, he makes himself a slave to the effort, he does all of this so that if and when his time comes, he will have the chance to succeed.  See I Corinthians 9:24-27. 

     Life is a competition, so many times in life we talk about running the race, being beaten out for that job promotion, facing struggles and losing time after time and again in our marriages, our careers, with our children, and in the face of disease or even death. But, time and time again we come out as the victors! Not always, no not even 9 out of 10 times as we mentioned above, yet we must strive forward. We must always continue to train, to fight for the opportunity to try one more time! If life's odds were the determining factor than we would face a hopeless battle when cancer enters the conversation. But that isn't the case, we have hope, and it is our job to fight the good fight and never lose sight of that hope that finds itself in the idea that "there's always a chance". 

     You may be the underdog, it may be that you only have a 10% chance of overcoming that obstacle, heck you may have a 1% percent chance, but you know what? You have a chance. In that one instance, it may just be your time, this may be your one chance to be the "Rocky" in your family. But, you can't ever give up. You can't ever give in, and you certainly won't overcome that mountain in front of you if you don't give it your best each and every day! I may not ever win when I face that giant in front of me, but I can promise you one thing. I'm going to give it my best each and every day of my life, I'm going to work as hard as I can, I'm going to train and learn as much as is possible, and I am going to be prepared when the stage is set and I face off in life's biggest battle. The odds may say I will lose, but I know there is always my time and my chance to prevail! 

Train your mind, body, soul, and spirit each day! Read more, pray more, worship and praise more! Get prepared your chance may be just around the corner! 

 Coach Carter

Bread & Water

"Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them." Isaiah 30:20

     Throughout history bread and water have been recognized as the bare bone essentials for survival. Prisoners in olden days were at times placed on bread and water rations as punishment, and as we see in today's scripture, Isaiah used the analogy in comparison to life's struggles and hardships. It's hard to imagine that afflictions and adversity are essentials for life, yet if you're faith is grounded in trust, then you must certainly have an understanding of what we are talking about in today's Flat Tire Ministries Thought for the Week.
     When Isaiah wrote this passage, the Israelites had been under Babylonian captivity for years and their situation was the epitome of adversity and affliction. Yet for Isaiah the message was clear, through all of this hardship, we will gain a better understanding about life and the lessons gained through the experience would serve them well going forward. What a challenge in life to look at the adversity you are going through and to be able to believe in your heart that you will come out on the other side of the situation better and stronger, kinda the "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" attitude. 
     I firmly believe that adversity is a tool for each of us. I know in my own life when I have faced some of my greatest challenges is when I have learned to persevere and hunker down to see things through to the other side of the matter. Every mountain has two sides and I am that bear that went over the mountain to see what was on the other side! It isn't easy enduring adversity nor is it a cakewalk to overcome afflictions such as aliments, injuries, or disease, yet believing, truly, honestly believing that your suffering is part of the process makes it a little more "bearable". I believe in my heart and soul that the strength I have gained through my not so positive experiences in life has fully equipped me to be the man I am still working on becoming today! When I started looking at adversity from that perspective my attitude and my outlook changed completely. In my mind, I no longer was suffering because I was a bad person or because I had the worst luck ever, but instead, I suffered so that I can become stronger so that I can help teach others about how the struggle is part of their training. My suffering isn't about me any longer, the life lessons I can share and teach my children, students, athletes, and others which in turn equips them to teach their children makes it all worthwhile and actually beneficial. If you are struggling, if you are hurting, God doesn't just take those things away just because you are experiencing pain or discomfort. That would actually rob you of what God has planned for the eventual outcome. I know and understand this is a hard concept to accept, but just as the knot tightens as it is pulled on, so too are we strengthened by life's bread of adversity and water of affliction. 
     How can you accept this? How can this be possible that a God that loves me would allow me to go through pain and suffering? The answer to that question is found in the life of His son, Jesus. Jesus was sent to earth with one assignment, die for the sins of mankind so that mankind could have life. Hope, founded in trust, created by faith. In John 6:35 Jesus explains, "I am the bread of life, he that comes to me shall never hunger, and he that believes on me shall never thirst." God may allow us to go through adversity, but it isn't because you are not loved or cared for, instead it is because Jesus is right there with you in that adversity and in that affliction. He is with you and He will see you through whatever you face in life. If God is the bread of life, and if we trust in Him we will never thirst or do without, then I am more than willing to face the challenges I must endure. God is with me, He will never leave me nor forsake me.  Read Hebrews 13:5. I stand confident in that promise and you can too! I will be praying for each of you that read this message today. My prayer is for strength to endure, courage to overcome, and wisdom to understand that being filled on God's bread and water will only help you to see things through and will only make you stronger for those you love and care.
Go out and change your world, what are you waiting on?

Coach Carter