C+P=E It's Simple Math

    
How fitting? Four years ago, on what would have been the same week as this in July, the FTM for that week was E+R=O, Events + Responses = Outcomes. Just looking back to assure this week's message wasn't too closely related to the E+R=O post, I happened to look at the date and realized that the two posts were linked by the same week in July only four years apart. Which leads me to believe that although different messages the same theme holds true in each. It's that whole "Grow through what you go through" mentality that we discussed a few weeks ago. The formula behind C+P=E is Circumstances + Perspective = Experience. Definitely a topic for the world we are living in today. 
      This morning I was talking with my sister, who has made the decision to be a remote, virtual teacher for the 2020-2021 school year. After 28 years in the classroom this is definitely going to be a new experience for her and her professional career.  As we talked she shared with me that another teacher she knows has also made the decision to apply for this new platform in education. Both my sister, Donna, and her colleague have taken the attitude that to just do things like you've always done in the midst of a crisis would basically be like grabbing a bucket of water instead of a fire hose to help put out the fire. Donna and I concluded that the whole idea of a growth mindset fits perfectly in this crisis that we are currently treading through. Bottom line is you have two choices, see this as a terrible situation that we have to hunker down in and try to survive, or you can take the high road and decide that yes, we are in a global pandemic that has the possibility to be a deadly force in our society, but we must move forward and work to make this year a better year for students than any previous year in their educational career!
       Circumstances are what they are, you can't see someone that is getting ready to go in for cancer surgery and say "Wow you're going to grow so much through this experience, I'm glad you have cancer." That would be somewhat ludicrous. But, another person with cancer might say, "I have cancer, but the doctors found it before it was too late, and now they are telling me that after this surgery there is a strong chance for recovery. This falls into the category of Perspective. Same circumstances completely different perspective. That's the choice. We can't choose to have cancer or not, just as we can't always determine our lot in life from a relational stance or if we are talking about finances, rights, wrongs, ups, downs, or any other life situation you may be facing currently. The only thing we can choose is the approach we choose as we enter life each day. Perspective, north or south, up or down, in or out, you make the decision. 
      I see the apostle Paul as a poster child for positive perspectives. In the first chapter of Philippians he writes to the believers from prison encouraging them and assuring them that God's plan is in full swing and the outcomes of his imprisonment are evidenced in the number of guards and prisoners being saved due to his time there in jail. In verse 13 Paul says, "it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ." Notice he didn't whine and cry and say "Oh God, I'm locked up here and I need you to set me free!" Sound familiar? I know that I'm guilty of many times asking God to remove the hardship in my life instead of thanking God for the opportunities that will be presented due to the hardship. Basically, Paul's stance is summed up in this affirming statement, "For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain" Philippians 1:21. I may be locked up (Circumstance), but while I am in here I might as well do God's work and save some of these lost souls (Perspective), which leads to Paul feeling like he has been given the fast pass at Disneyworld! (Experience). Paul finishes that conversation with this nugget of optimism, "I know that it would be great for me to go home to be with Christ, but it is better for everyone else if I stay here and continue my work for God." Philippians 1:23-26. 
        Now I want you to take this pandemic and find a way to apply a C+P=E mindset to a current circumstance you are dealing with in your world. As in my sister's case, she and her colleague are excited about the opportunity to use technology in a new way to provide an educational experience that will be both rigorous and interactive. If you are social distancing or self-quarantining could this be the time that you've been looking for to sit down and read a good book, read the Good Book, or even start writing your own book? Laid off from work, how about instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, you take this as an opportunity to become that entrepreneur that is waiting to bust out and thrive! 
      Point is you have circumstances, we all do, but how you approach those is completely different for each person. What I am telling you today is although we can't choose our circumstances in most cases, we can choose our perspective on how to approach the circumstances in our lives. That choice will have a direct impact on your experience as you work through the good, the bad, and the ugly of life. "Consider it pure joy (Perspective), my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials (Circumstances) of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." (Experience).
        Life is changing, the way we have always done things is not the way we will do things tomorrow. This is a chance of a lifetime in your lifetime. I pray earnestly that each and every one of will be safe and stay healthy during this viral outbreak, but I can't sit around hoping that you sit around hoping you don't contract COVID-19. God has a purpose for your life and that very purpose may be revealed to you during such a time as this if only you will open your eyes to the opportunities on display in front of you and take them by the horns and ride it on through to the place you were created to be! 
Praise God for whatever lies in front of me, because there is no way it is bigger than the God that lives inside of me! 
Coach Carter 

Coach Carter

Every Soot Cloud Has a Silver Lining

       

When I walked out the door I knew it was going to be a red-letter day on the calendar. It was Spring, the birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the temps were just about perfect for a morning drive to work with the windows down, sunroof open, and the radio blaring out some of my favorite songs! Life was good. As I bebooped down the road towards work I fell in behind a tow truck obviously headed to work as well. The fact that this truck was having to travel at a much slower speed didn't even phase my morning commute it actually was allowing me to take in a little bit more of the wildflowers sprouting up on the banks of the road and out along the fields and farms. It was a good day. We both eased our way up to the red light at the intersection leading onto the main roadway. Then it happened. When the light turned green and the driver of the wrecker accelerated to overtake the little peak of our road, this huge billowing cloud of black soot engulfed my little white Honda CRV. When I say engulfed my vehicle I mean literally inside and out black exhaust smoke overtook my vehicle, my visual capabilities, and even my lungs as I inhaled a big whiff of black soot. Good old diesel engines, you gotta love'em! 

       As we both proceeded through the red light the wrecker took a left hand turn, which is the normal direction of my morning commute, but after what just happened, I determined a right hand turn, which would result in a little longer drive, was absolutely in order and preferred. Soon after we had parted ways the air cleared, the clanging clatter of the values dissipated, and the sun was able to resume shining down on me and my little CRV. Life was good, again.
      Now here's some takeaways I received from that little experience. First off, life can be chiming along with everything going your way and then all of a sudden boom it's like a dark cloud just set in over your head and thunderstorms are following you wherever you go. I could have just as easily been driving along and instead of a cloud of exhaust fumes it could have been a vehicle barreling in behind me ramming into the rear end of my vehicle landing me in the hospital. Or maybe it could have been that I'm loving my career and all of a sudden zap the bottom falls out of the industry and I'm sitting down looking at a permanent lay off slip. Fill in the blank family, marriage, finances, dark clouds in your life are just that a dark cloud. They stink, they mess up your day/life, and you would just as soon roll up your windows, close the sunroof, and move on down the road away from them as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury in most of those situations, you may be able to head away from a tow truck pushing out black soot exhaust clouds, but in life it just isn't that easy.
     There's a reason for that. Some of those dark clouds are there to build us up to the person we are supposed to be. Keep that in mind the next time you are going through one of life's dark periods. Heck, your dark cloud may have been with you for a while and it sure doesn't appear to be going away on its own. Maybe, just maybe that situation you are dealing with is going to be the platform by which you impact your circle of influence. Maybe it's there so you can teach your family how to persevere through challenges so that when you are gone they will be able to advocate for themselves due to your example. Maybe, that dark cloud of soot was cannoned out of that exhaust so you would turn right instead of your normal left hand turn, resulting in you seeing a car stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire and a mother with two small children that needs a helping hand. Maybe, just maybe, that black cloud that is hanging over your head is a reminder that you have a beautiful life to live and you can't even see the sun shining when there are no clouds in sight. Trust me that wrecker wasn't in front of me for no reason. If nothing else I'm pretty sure that wrecker and the ensuing exhaust blast was given to me as an impetus for this Flat Tire Ministry Thought that I am sharing with you today because someone needed to hear this message today!
     Regardless of how bad that cloud of smoke messed up my drive at that moment, when that light changed from red to green I had a choice to make. I could have chosen to stay right behind that wrecker and continue to get blast after blast of black diesel fuel exhaust, or I could turn right extend my drive, but open myself up to a list of new opportunities that I might not of otherwise have found. It is exactly the same in your life. When you are down, when life is blowing black soot right in your face you have a choice to make. You can squander away your life, feeling sorry for yourself, and making that dark cloud your home away from home. Or you can make the decision to look beyond the situation you are in and start looking at the potential this dark cloud is offering you to serve God. The apostle Paul walked with Christ after being blinded on the Damascus road. From there he experienced persecution, threats, beatings, a constant pain in his side, and being shipwrecked at sea all while serving God. Here's what he said about his situation. "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know. I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed. But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. “Philippians 1:21-24 The things Paul endured made him desire to leave this earth and receive the peace and joy promised in Heaven, but he knew that through the pain and suffering he endured he was better equipped to help even us today. In this "me" generation we are living in, it is important that we as followers of Christ understand that your life isn't about you! Your life is about the legacy you can leave behind to make this world a better place where black soot clouds get swooshed away by the gentle exhale of our Heavenly Father as He opens up your pathway to where He has purposed you to go.
Life is good, even in a cloud of soot!
Coach Carter

There Is No Impossible with God

      
Today's title may sound a little bold to you, especially if you haven't developed a personal relationship with God. If you don't have a deep relationship rooted in faith which is coated in trust then the idea that there is no such thing as impossible with God may sound simplistic or even something from the world of fantasy and dreams. If you have no relationship and have no idea who God is or understand His promises then the title of today's FTM is overall what could be deemed, "fake news". Well I have a news flash for you today, I believe that there is no wall He can't break through, no war He can't win, no over that He can't start again, and there is no impossible with God! Wish I could take credit for those lines, but actually they are part of a song by the band I AM THEY entitled, "No Impossible With You".
     No impossible with God. So, does that mean that everything we pray for will come to fruition? Isn't that what the Gospel of Matthew shares from the mouth of Jesus? "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." That sounds pretty definitive to me right? So, if I'm facing a financial crisis, I just ask God to send me the monetary means to overcome the crisis and "BOOM" instant pot of gold appears at the end of the rainbow. Or what about a health crisis? I'm pretty certain that most of us could say that we have or have had a relative that faced a major health dilemma and the first thing we did was knock on God's door requesting a healing touch that would most logically be titled a miracle. Marital or relationship woes? Seek a resolution from God and that relationship will suddenly be situated on solid ground. The situational list of "impossible" requests is endless, and as you may be able to attest, sometimes it just didn't work out that way you prayed in the end. Crisis ends up in a financial meltdown, health matter turned worse or is at best stable but not improving, or the DIVORCE papers just came in the mail. I thought the answer was there is no impossible with God? Isn't that what I'm telling you today you're asking.
      Well, I'm not talking about a magic lamp that we just rub when we need the Genie to appear and grant us three more wishes, of which the third wish is three more wishes. No, to be able to say that there is no impossible with God is much deeper, and is certainly not based on us having a golden street paved with no bumps, road blocks, ditches, or tragic wrecks along the way. The ability to lay claim to the idea of nothing being impossible for God is found in the faith that we develop as we get closer to God and realize that God's answer to our issues may have no semblance to what we can envision as the eventual outcome. God's plan is beyond what we can see, more complex, more engulfing, and much more expansive. Like I often say, "Your life isn't about you".
     When we look at a situation and say that's impossible, it will never work, we are limiting a Limitless God. His omnipotent power can raise the dead if He so chooses, (See John 11:38-44), or heal the sick (Matt. 8:3), touch the blind (John 9:1-41), or feed the five thousand with only a few fish and loaves of bread (Matt. 14:13-21). In all of the above examples was the expected outcome what others thought would be the end result, but there again God's ways and our ways are not even in the same dimension. We must have the trusting faith that if we plant the seed, then God is going to do the rest. What comes out of the ground and what fruit it produces or fails to produce are all part of His plan not ours. Ask Paul, (I Corinthians 3:6). We just have to make sure our motives for what we are asking are aligned with God's plan whether we can see it fully or if we are living in a committed faith that trusts that God knows better and we are giving Him control of our situations and circumstances and saying I believe, I trust, and I will not go backwards! Onward into battle we go.
     So, as we close out our time together today I have a picture that I want to share with you. On the way to one of my favorite put ins for kayaking on the Nolichucky I pass this spectacle going and coming. When some people see this, they will say "How in the world?" From the perspective of science, it would be labelled highly improbable, and from the eyes of the skeptic it would be considered a sham. But from the eyes of a believer, the heart of someone that holds tight to the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, on the third day arose from the grave and ascended into Heaven, and now sits at the right hand of His father, I will say "Anything is possible with God!"

For those of you that aren't sure if what you are seeing is what you think it is, yes this is a tree, relatively large tree, growing out of a barn silo. Nothing is impossible with God!
Trust and Believe!
Coach Carter

Disposable Bags

   
     I was driving down the road one day when almost out of nowhere a gray plastic bag came fluttering down through the sky, much like a butterfly flapping its wings desperately trying to stay a flight amidst the rushing wind. As the bag whipped around propelled by semis and other vehicle drafts my mind wandered off on a tangent, is the site of pollution like this so common that we just look at it like it is as natural a part of our environment as the little butterfly flapping its wings bouncing around from flower to flower seeking out nectar? Shouldn't the site of trash just floating around in the air, bother us? I, along with all the other commuters didn't even tap our brakes, we just scooted on down the road, rushing to make our destination on time. I'm not saying I hoped to see every car on the freeway screeching to a halt as someone voluntarily gathered up the bag, but I really was wondering did that bag even catch anyone else's eye? Did the fact that trash was just freely, casually floating around the sky bother anyone at all?
      Then more recently, my sister and I were sitting out in a shallow section of one of our myriad rivers in East Tennessee when a "dad" and his two young children happened up on us there in the eddy we had plotted. Besides the fact that this individual was in more ways than not exemplifying the epitome of bad parenting skills, when he finished his can of beer, he submerged the can in the pristine water, and when he apparently thought the can was filled with enough water to sink the can he released it only for it to float downstream. His comment, "Shoot I thought I had enough water in it to sink it, oh well, it will be way on down the river soon." Donna and I both sat perplexed by the mindset of this person to sincerely think that out of mind, one way or the other, was somehow okay and therefore let’s go get another beer!
      My take away? As a society have we become so numb that as long as it doesn't directly affect our normal run of the day it's okay? It is almost like does litter really exist if we can walk by it and it doesn't impact us personally. Being a river kayaking enthusiast I see disregarded tires along the banks or in the waterway almost every time I hop in my yak and make my way down a river. Thought process of the person that disposed of said tire? If I throw it in the river, lake, creek, or stream it's not my problem anymore, out of sight out of mind. Is that the new norm? Have we become a disposable, non-participating society that can comfortably exist by either driving on by, burying the problem, or allowing it to float on downstream so someone can deal with it later?
       Problem is we haven't just become a "trashy" society when it comes to plastic bags and beer cans, I believe if we will be brutally honest we have become that same society in terms of injustice, bigotry, and humanity. If we see wrong and our comment is "Well I haven't ever acted that way so don't blame me or put me in that category." are we excused and get a free pass or golden ticket? Well, no you may not have been the one that carried out the injustice and true you may never be someone that acts that way, but does that dismiss you from being involved in seeing it end? With that mindset, we are no better than the guy that floated the can on downstream to allow someone else to deal with the problem of pollution.

     If we see homelessness and walk on by, wanting to make sure we get to where we have to be on time, is that person any different than that disposable bag floating around the sky? As long as we walk on by the person maybe he will just float on by and someone eventually will pick him or her up. Landfills bulge with waste and we cover the trash up with dirt, pack it down, and move on to the next site. Is that what we have done as a society? Pile it up, cover it up, pack it down, and keep on producing more and more until we eventually run out of places to hide it any longer. When is it time to do something? Who should be doing something? If we push it on down the river is it really gone, or is it just creating a problem that our children's children will deal with later? Jesus said this, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40. My interpretation, if we pollute or don't respond to pollution we aren't responding to God's creation which in essence is God. If we walk by indifferent to all injustice, hiding it hoping no one sees it, or even pushing it on down the line for someone else to deal with it, then we too are disregarding the commandments that we have been given by which to live. Jesus asked, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" If we know what our brother needs and he is asking for it, and we don't respond are we not guilty? If we see injustice whether we are directly a part of it or not, do we get a pass on stopping it or being a part of the solution to stop it? Or if we ignore it because we aren't to blame for it, are we not giving our grandchildren a snake when they need a fish? 

     You have to decide, I can't decide for you, but keep the words of the theologian John Wesley in mind, "What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace". Or should we keep more in mind the words of political philosopher Pete Singer as he woefully proclaimed, "What one generation finds ridiculous, the next accepts; and the third shudders when it looks back on what the first did." The questions you must ponder are which generation are you living in today and what role will you play in making things right?

Coach Carter

Flat Tire #16

      

     Here it is, flat tire number 16. Yeah that's right over the last seven years I have experienced 16 flat tires on the various vehicles I was driving at that particular time. So, if you have ever wondered where the title of this blog came from now you know. Flat Tire Ministries was berthed out of me having a bunch of literal flat tires, but the inception of FTM is oh so much more. A colleague recently asked me about the blog and how long I had been writing, which caused me to start thinking about how this all came about, and with that this week's message was created. So here we go with "Flat Tire #16".

     Just out of curiosity I'd like to see if my flat tire trajectory is an anomaly or if 16 flat tires over the past 7 years is pretty much the norm. If you don't mind just for my own sake would you post a reply on this site, or email, text, message me on social media, or if we happen to bump into one another over the next few days just share with me your experiences with flat tires. Thanks. I believe I won't be surprised, I just don't think there are too many people out there that have had an average of 2.28 flat tires per year, I'm not so sure some of you have had two flat tires since you started driving! We shall see. But, sharing flat tire fixes isn't what we are here for today, no today is more about what those flat tires represented and continue to represent in my life today. You have flat tires too, they may not be of the Goodyear brand type, but we all face flat tires in life and the important aspect of that is that we fix our flats and get back on the highway of life. 

     You see Flat Tire Ministries hasn't got a great deal to do with those literal flats we experience out on I-81, but more so, the flat tires I'm really talking about are things that I have labeled as the "Six Deadly D's" which include Disease, Divorce, Debt, Drugs, Death, and Depression. From 2010-2013 several life changing events took place in our family's life and most of those "events" are directly related to one or more of the items included in the Deadly D list. I can definitely say that period was a low water mark in my life. But nevertheless, that period of adversity ended up being the same period  I can mark on a calendar as the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Not only was I enlightened, but the life events I endured have become a driving force in my life which allowed me to write a Flat Tire Ministries blog each week for what is now going on four years. I have been blessed. God has allowed me to write a weekly blog that goes out around the world and for that I am humbled and thankful. I can attest, God uses flat tires to grow us to be the person God has purposed us to be. It's our job to make sure we get those flat tires fixed and get on with our journey to where God wants us to be. 

     Without going to deep in detail, let's just say back around 2011-2012 I was sitting on the side of life's road with four flats and no spare tire. During that time, I had started attending Freedom Fellowship Church in White Pine, Tennessee and I can honestly say that my real faith journey got underway during this period of my life. At this point I had also been the victim of about 6 or 7 literal flat tires as well, which was adding to life's frustrations stacking them up like Jenga Blocks teetering back and forth. Well one Sunday morning during Pastor David's sermon he breached the topic of arriving at an AHA moment in your life, where you realize that whatever is going on in your life, has a purpose in your life i.e. flat tires!

     As I was driving home from church that afternoon, my mind starting pondering what was my AHA moment in life? I knew life had been challenging over the past few years, but what was I supposed to do with all of that to help others? It was hard enough to see how any of the laundry list of life events would help me let alone being able to use them to help others. That's when flat tires hit me right in the face and my AHA light bulb flared up like a flood light in the darkest of nights. Flat tires put you on the side of the road, delaying you from continuing your journey, and keeping you from reaching your destination. Wouldn't you say the same is true in a divorce. A man and woman marry, have children, a home, a life together, and then "Ka-pow" flat tire. Divorce puts the plan God has for your life as a member of that family on the side of the road. Disease, traveling down the highways and bi-ways of life and all of a sudden the check up at the doctor's office turns into a battle for your life. Sound like that could be a flat tire? Well that's just a couple of examples, not mine, but examples nonetheless of what flat tires are in life. You get the picture, so what do we do when we get a flat tire? We either sit on the side of the road or we get out and change the tire, fix the flat, or call our emergency road side service for assistance. Same steps in life. 

      I could go on and on, but I won't. I won't because I wrote a book that goes into all of that, the name of the book, well of course is "How to Fix a Flat Tire" Getting back on life's highway and reaching your true destination. Let's just say, the figurative flat tires I have faced and overcome have made me the man I am today. Thanks be unto God for His omnipotent vision and plan for this life that He gave me to live. The book has not been published, maybe someday, but it was the impetus for Flat Tire Ministries and my self named title "Mr. Fix-a-Flat". 

      I tell you all of this for one reason and one reason only. I often say that you are either just coming out of a crisis in your life, in one at the current time, or are headed for one as you head down life's highway. Those crises are prime examples of figurative flat tires I have been confronted with over the past seven years. My flat tires could have sidelined me and kept me from getting back on with my life, but I chose to get out of the car, roll up my sleeves, and get a little dirty fixing my flat. Trust me when I tell you that my literal flat tires were caused by everything from a screw for number 16 to a shard of metal way back with flat tire four or five. Figurative flat tires are much the same, whatever it is that has you stuck in life sitting on the freeway waiting on AAA to reach you for some support that flat tire will hinder your progress in life if you don't address it and put some effort into fixing the root problem yourself. Triple A can't fix your life problems, but there is someone that can.

     The important thing to remember as you start to think about your life's problems as flat tires, is that God is with you through it all. He won't give you more than you can handle, and with your flat tire he will give you a helper to assist you during your times of challenge. We are given that assurance in Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." I can attest to this scripture. I have lived out a number of extremely flat tires in my life and I have also learned a great deal about fixing flat tires, both literal and figurative. Things happen in your life for a reason, you have a purpose to fulfill, and sometimes that purpose is cast among a calamity. Our job is to turn to God for His strength and then set ourselves to the task of fixing that flat tire and getting back on the journey to where God has intended you to serve! I'm thankful for my flat tires, not exactly waiting on number 17, but completely capable of facing it and fixing it with my Lord and Savior turning the lug wrench! 

Your flat tires are yours, set a plan and fix them so you can get back on the highway of life. 

Coach Carter

Here Am I

    
     "Whom shall I send, and who shall go for us?" Then I said,"Here am I; send me."  Isaiah 6:8. God was looking for someone to step up and Isaiah stepped out and said "Here am I" Each day God is looking for someone to step out and fulfill the purpose for which they were created. Many of us will say "Here I am", yet there is a vast sea of difference in the declaration of these two interchanged phrases.
      Bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs, behind three runs, and the coach is looking down the bench to see who he is going to put in to bat. As if that wouldn't be stressful enough, the chosen batter will be facing what many would call a giant in the ranks of closing pitchers. One ball, one strike, another strike, then two more balls. Full count, bottom of the ninth, two outs, down three runs, one pitch remains, a swing and a miss, game over and the team loses the World Series, swing and a home run and your team wins the World Series. Volunteers? Looking down the bench the coach would see some players sitting back hoping to be blocked by the player's head sitting beside them. Others shuffle with their cleats in the dirt looking down as if to say "please don't pick me." Others are there, in the game ready if the coach calls on them some even making eye contact as if to say "Here I am if you need me to go in to bat".  But then there is that one person, the one that if it were possible you could see his heart pounding out of his chest as he stands up and proclaims "Here am I, put me in, I can do it, I will do it, put me in coach, give me the bat, and let me go to work!" Is that you? Are you shirking what you were called to do in this life you have been given, or are you ready to go in the game, or are you the one that is going to go into the game and swing for the fences?  It may not be the bottom of the ninth, but each day we have opportunities to step up to the plate, are we denying those chances by saying the obvious "Here I am" or are we prepared to call out to God and say "Here am I" God; use me!
     You know who came to mind when I was mulling today's message? The shepherd boy David as he stepped up to the plate to face the warrior giant Goliath. The challenge had been made and King Saul needed a batter to step up to the plate. As Saul looked down the bench I'm sure he encountered those that were looking the other way or crouching down in the ranks hoping that their names would not be called. There were those in service that stood there, chest protruding ready to go if King Saul called on them, but still yet they were standing there waiting on the king to pick them. Then this ruddy kid stepped out from behind the rank and file and said "HERE AM I; send me!" David was probably the least likely in the crowd to have a chance to defeat the daunting giant in front of them, but David was exactly the one that was predestined to not only do battle with Goliath, David was the one that would hit the grand slam home run and slay Goliath with a slingshot and a stone! If you are the one that is supposed to go to bat it doesn't matter if you come with a toothpick to bat, you will send it to the bleachers!
     So, what's the big deal with saying "Here am I" as opposed to the more familiar phrase "Here I am" you may be asking? Here I am is obviously an offer to be used. It even resonates of a volunteer, much like the nickname the state of Tennessee has earned being named the "Volunteer" state. It's great to be a volunteer both figuratively and literally, but it just doesn't end with saying you are available. The whole "volunteer state" thing dates back to the 1800's when Davy Crockett and some other Tennesseans volunteered to fight along Texans as they battled the Mexican army for independence. It would have been one thing for Davy to have said I'll go down to Texas if they need me, just let them call and I'll pack up and go". It was another to see the need, feel the pain of the situation, and head that way without being asked to go.
      That is where the difference lies between the two phrases.  "Here am I" isn't necessarily common in our conversations today, nor does it have to be. Here am I is a mindset. Where "Here I am" says I'll go if you need me just let me know, "Here am I" is a total submission to God without placing self in the equation. "I'm here if you need me" places you at the center of the equation saying I've got a lot to do today, but I'll go if you need me. When Isaiah answered the call to, "Whom shall I send, and who shall go for us?", it wasn't an if you need me call me type response, it was "Here am I" totally submitted to God for His use of whatever he had to offer.
     At the beginning of today's message, I stated that each day we are presented with chances to step up to the plate and take a swing, I challenge you to say "God here am I; send me." On the job, send me, as you are walking down the street, send me, in your school, at your church, in your circles of family or friends, send me. Being willing to be used is one thing, stepping up and swinging the bat is the essence of saying "Here am I".
Swinging for the fence and facing giants every day!
Coach Carter

A Healthy Diet

     
     Have you ever made the conscious decision to "go on a diet"? Maybe it would be better to ask have you ever "said" you were going to go on a diet? That one may fit a larger percentage of our reading audience, self included! If you have or plan to go on a diet, never fear, there are a baker's dozen out there and each of them touts results of pounds shed in just a week or two. Keto, Atkins, Weight Watchers, South Beach, the Zone, we could go on and on, but there is one common denominator related to every single diet known to man that classifies them as diets. Each diet promises its results of inches off the waist and pounds off the scale if you will only cut out their particular nemesis to a better, healthier you. Eat no proteins, cut out the carbs, vegetables only, meats only, no starches, or maybe no junk food, diets are designed to help you be a better you by cutting out something that the masterminds behind that particular diet believe to be the culprit in why you or I can't lose weight. Problem is that with most of these miracle diets as soon as you go off the diet, the weight you lost just seems to slither its way back into our bellies or booties.
     I suppose I should file my credibility on speaking about this topic, I have been involved in dieting, cutting weight for wrestling, since I was in high school. Back in the day it was nothing for me to cut five or six pounds in one day. Basically not eating, limiting water intake to a drip on the tongue or a slosh in the mouth before spitting it out, and relentless sweating from running or wrestling allowed me to make weight, but nevertheless as soon as I weighed in and loaded up some carbs and downed a quart of Gatorade my weight was about back where I started. Through this trial and error method I quickly realized that a more leveled approach might be a much more effective method that might allow me to still put some nutrition in just not as much. Not only in my years as a wrestler or even through my 30+ years of coaching, I found that the most effective diet out there is one where you limit the quantity of bad stuff going in and you monitor the amount of "good" stuff you intake so that you still don't over eat regardless of the quality of the nutritional value of the food. Funny, but this same principle is applicable for pretty much everything in life. Too much of something leads to an unhealthy impact on our lives. Which brings us to our topic for today's Flat Tire thought.
      I accepted a challenge this week and I want to propose the same to you. While I was listening to a sermon from Chip Ingram on my phone, Pastor Ingram issued a ten-day challenge about cutting back on screen time in the vein of social media, news updates, and other forms of media that can overtake our daily lifestyle diet. For me, social media is mainly a means to promote our Career & Technical Education programs, but I have to admit that I am constantly tapping that home button just checking in to see what has been said or who "liked" our latest post. Then I catch myself looking through an endless scroll of daily happenings or rantings. Then that usually leads me to check in on the news to see what is going on with the COVID-19 Virus or more recently the protests after the pointless death of a man by someone in a position where he was supposed to be protecting people from danger not invoking a death sentence. (Not going there, wrong is wrong and that is all I am going to say today on that topic) Next thing you know, I have spent approximately two hours per day doing something that really does not have any "nutritional" value to my life or what I need to get done in my life. So, the point of this is I have realized that I am "over eating" on social media and that is just as unhealthy as sitting around with a bag of Doritos and a box of oatmeal cakes. If you are taking in too many social media calories it may be time to consider going on a "diet" yourself, my ten-day challenge to you!
     Small snacks and an occasional treat are not going to hurt anyone. Problem is that most of the time what starts out as a treat, slips into a habit, which can eventually fall into the category of a lifestyle. That's what happens in the world of weight and it holds true for our topic today about social media or the internet in general. Too much of a good thing certainly holds true for our topic today. The problem with foods like chips is the mentality that Lays Chips offered in their popular promotional "Lays, you can't eat just one". The evidence that this same rule of thumb holds true in our social media topic can be seen pretty much everywhere you look. Go to a restaurant (when it is safe of course) and watch the people sitting around you with their family or friends. It is not uncommon to see a family of four all sitting quietly at a table waiting on their food each deeply engaged with their phones stuck in their faces. Really? Could it be it's time for a diet to intervene?
     The idea behind a diet is you cut back on the things that are causing you to be unhealthy and the results will be visible through the weight loss you accrue. So that you don't starve, you replace the bad foods with ample servings of good foods packed with the vitamins and nutrients needed for a healthy body. Same rule applies when we are talking cutting back on our screen time. The danger of taking in too much screen time is that it becomes who we are and how we live our lives. Back to our example of the family and their phones, do you think they see that as a problem? My guess is more than likely no. Paul had something to say about this topic back in Romans 12:2 when he shared this "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Don't be overtaken by this world, don't over indulge, go on a diet. The danger in taking in too much screen time is evident, you become what you take in your body, mind, or soul.
     So, what do you do if you are interested in going on a diet from your phone's screen? Well like I discussed earlier, if you just try to starve yourself and remove the item from your diet that probably won't last long term. I don't think you need to cut yourself off from the world, but I do believe that if you would take this challenge, you'll find you may have been spending all your time on line instead of in line with those you need to be spending your time. For the next ten days give yourself a break, go lean, cut out the internet carbs that are dragging you down. Mark 7:15 says it isn't necessarily what goes in that causes us a problem it is what comes out due to what we put in our minds and bodies that that creates the need for a diet. We can become obsessed with what the internet tells us, how we should look, what we should be doing, and where everyone else is going. We have to keep up or we must not be living life the way we should. Well if that is where you are at might I suggest spending the time you have been online with time spent with the One that made you for a specific purpose which is probably not a web surfing social media junkie. Paul once again sums it up for us with this piece of advice from Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." 
     Take the challenge, you will probably find that it is much more of a challenge than you imagined. You are what you eat and screen time has become a major item on many people's menu. Ten days, you can do it, and when those ten days are over you should be able to determine if a reduced caloric intake of social media, news, or whatever eats up your day is what needs to be prescribed for you! While you are slicing off your screen time, give some time to your faith walk. Dieting without exercising is only partially effective. Read an inspirational book, read "THE" inspirational book. Spend time with those you love, spend time with those that need to see love. Give of yourself, volunteer to do something for someone else that needs help more than you do. Meditate, journal, pray. I hope you will join me in this challenge, I'm on day four and not missing a thing!

Coach Carter