Out of the Dark and Into the Light

 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

 

This was the most shared Bible app verse of 2022. Reasonable given the state of things around the world today. A global pandemic that lingers in our memory and still poses as an international health crisis. The war between Ukraine and Russia, civil duress in our own nation, and the persistent threat of violence our educators and schools face each day. Not to mention the personal attacks each of us face whether it be a health-related issue, financial matter, or other attack on self or family. Yet, just as Isaiah reassured the nation of Israel in the verse above, we are not dismayed because God is with us throughout whatever comes our way. When we feel like darkness rules our circumstances and situations, we must commit to understanding that the darkness and fear of the unknown, pale in comparison to the light of God that will always prevail. 

 

The literal and figurative darkness of our life's struggles can create a certain level of uncertainty and even fear. When we don't feel like we are in control of our day, the anxiety of the unknown can turn our lives into one filled with doubt and fear. Picture a tunnel through a mountain that provides a passage that would otherwise halt our travel's progress. The tunnel alone creates uncertainty, but take away the lights that man has installed and suddenly we are traveling through a dark and dismal hole. Depending on the length of the tunnel, the only light we can see appears to be distant, small, and insignificant. That is all perception. Regardless of how dark the tunnel is, there exists a light at the end of the tunnel and just as man has installed lights throughout our nation's tunnels, God illuminates our path and journeys alongside us, reassuring us each step along the way. 

 

The last three years have been unlike any the majority of people around the world have ever endured. The darkness you are dealing with, whether it is something that is going on in your day today, or one that has persisted through weeks, months, or even years may create feelings of loneliness and doubt, be assured you are not alone. Fear is not of God (II Timothy 1:7), but we must trust that the light is at the end of our tunnel, and as we are traveling through the darkness we are not alone. As we learn to trust, as we move ourselves closer to God, and as we choose to rely on God for our strength, God's power becomes the strength that we garner to face each day. Regardless of the degree of darkness we are enduring, we find the strength to journey forward, seeking the light that awaits us at the end of our tunnel. 

 

No wonder Isaiah 41:10 was the most shared Bible app verse of the year, I believe this is a verse that will energize us to move forward into the unknown of the new year 2023! It not only instills courage, it sheds light on our life, and displaces the dark. Fear not, you are not alone, God will give you the strength to carry on, and He will help you when you feel like you can't take another step. Faith is the key. Faith that walks, faith that endures, a faith that assures us that regardless of the dark of the night, we trust that the light of the new day awaits. Move faithfully forward, you are not alone!

 

Coach Carter

Mind Your Manners

 As a child, I can almost hear my mom telling us to always "mind your manners", especially when we would be visiting family friends or out in public where we would interact with the public in a variety of ways. Then, as an adult, I shared that same expectation with my own children. I can recall warning our kids, "When we are out to eat, you better mind your manners!" Always say please and thank you, no elbows on the table, keep your mouth closed when you are chewing, and sit up straight were just a few of the etiquette expectations mom ingrained in us as children, which in turn resulted in the given expectations for our own children. It is safe to say that manners are not automatic, our human nature would be to chomp away on those chips or crisp vegetables, and doesn't it really make it easier to eat a hamburger with both elbows serving as a stand to hold our Big Mac in place? If manners aren't taught then pretty much anything goes, so over the years the expectations of what is deemed as acceptable behaviors were formed and now we consider those to be culturally standard ways for us to behave. 

That same principle holds true in the realm of being a follower of Christ. The Apostle Paul shared a standard set of expectations for new Christians in one of his letters to the church in Ephesus. Paul knew that the primary goal was for people to accept Christ as their personal savior, and to follow His commands, but after the initial "newness" of becoming a Christian had worn off, it would be necessary to have expectations for day to day behavior in place. Paul understood that "babes" in Christ are much the same as any other child, they have to be taught what is expected. 

 

In Ephesians 4:20-32 Paul shares the "Manners 101" for anyone that has made the decision to serve Christ through the life they live. I can almost envision my mother laying down the law right before entering a fancy restaurant for a meal with some new friends. First, verses 22-24 tell us to "... put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Don't act like you used to act, when we share that we are a reborn child of God our behaviors should start changing. Put off the old and put on the new self which should favor the life Christ lived. What did the life Jesus live look like you ask? Well verses 25-32 provide the foundation for that lifestyle. Verse 25, tell the truth, don't lie. Verses 26 & 27, warns to not let your anger get the best of you, the devil has a chance to notch out a space in our hearts through our anger. Verse 28 directs us to not steal, but instead we should be working and earning to get what we need. Also, in verse 28, we are directed to give to those in need. Verse 29 tells us to not be busy bodies and spread gossip or information that has no benefit to it to be sharing. Verse 30 says "don't grieve the Holy Spirit", or in manners lingo, if it will make mommy mad don't do it! Finally, verses 31 & 32 put down the guardrails with this final admonishment, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Get rid of the negative and fill yourself with kindness, empathy, and the same level of forgiveness that God has shown you. 

 

I fondly remember being rewarded with a dessert or toy when we properly minded our manners out in public with mom. How much more will our God justly reward us for living out the "Godly Manners" Paul shared? Myself, I pray that when I stand before my Maker I will hear these words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matthew 25:21

 

Keep those elbows off the table and a watchful eye on how we live out the life God has given us to live each day!

Coach Carter 

The Interview

Monday, November 28, 2022, I interviewed for a dream job in Sullivan County, Tennessee. I’ve dedicated my adult life to public education, always with the goal of impacting lives in a positive manner as my primary driving force. When I began this journey back in 1986, I had no idea that one day I would be a candidate for a Director of Schools position. Yet, throughout my journey I have unintentionally been building a resume, a resume stemmed in humbling opportunities and servant leadership. So, there I was sitting in the hot seat fielding a wide array of questions about who I am, what I believe in, and how I would lead through myriad situations and settings. How someone answers questions during an interview most certainly can change the trajectory of a life, or more aptly, the lives of countless others through indirect and or direct contact with that person. For me, this interview has the potential of impacting the lives of students for years to come and in essence the community where they will live and work. So, how important is the interview process? Critically important.

What exactly is the goal of an interview? That question has several tentacles and weighs heavily on the role of the person involved in the interview process. For the Interviewer, the interview serves as an introduction and a chance to get better acquainted with the interviewee. In many cases, an interview may be the first in person encounter with the potential candidate for employment so the person or committee conducting the interview is trying to put a resume, with a face, with some semblance of just who this person is they are interviewing.

For the interviewee, interviews serve as that first impression which you hope endures to the point of being able to present yourself in a more conversational setting. In this interview, I had approximately two hours to introduce myself to the school board committee, attempt to transparently present who I am as a person, and then make a convincingly strong case as to why this school board and the broader community should consider partnering with me as the person to lead their school system. No problem, right? We shall see.

Most individuals who happen upon this week’s Flat Tire Ministries blog will have been thru a number of interviews themselves. If you’ve ever had a job, I’m going to guess that you had to go through some type of interview before being hired. I am even more convinced that we will all go through one last interview when we stand before the judgement throne of our Lord and Savior. The Book of Life will be turned to the page that contains our life’s story and we will be asked what we did on this earth that would predicate our being welcomed into the Kingdom of God to live eternally with those who have gone on before us. How will you answer? What evidence will you cite from your life’s interview? “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?^" And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" Matthew 7:21-23. The question here is how will your interview go? Will this be an introduction, or will it be a review of your service and sacrifice to the God who created you and offers each of us life eternal in Heaven?

Paul tells us that we will be known by our faith and the way that we display that faith is through our works (James 2:18-19). Are you building up your resume? Will the work you accomplish here on this earth be worthy of adding to your life’s resume? If not, it isn’t too late to start building that resume and preparing for the interview of your life. Fill your days, filling the lives of others with hope and love of God.

Coach Carter

 

What about that job interview you completed last week you may be asking? Short answer, to be continued. I’ll conclude this week’s post with a scripture from my Tuesday, November 29, 2022 devotion. “A man's heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 My prayer is that I follow God’s path and not my own. If I do that then my resume and ultimate interview will be guided by a theme that was set more than 2,000 years ago, “... nevertheless not My will, but Thine be done.” Luke 22:42.

 

Water is Essential

Water is essential. Our bodies are made up of more than 70% water, and we can only live a limited number of days without H2O hydration. Man has used water as a mode of transportation for centuries, and creating energy from water has flowed from paddle wheels to hydroelectric transformers in our nation's young history. Water is essential. 

 

Probably one of the best things I ever did was learn how to swim as a young child. My respect of water and appreciation of the recreational aspects of water have made me a water dog of sorts. Get me near water and I want to jump in. Just one reason why I would continue to assert that water is essential. The trouble with water is when we don't know how to swim. The result of that predicament is we run the risk of drowning. More than likely you have used the phrase "They are in over their head" meaning what's going on is too big for them to handle alone, or possibly you may have said, "I'm going to dive into the deep end of the pool" proclaiming that you are ready to face the bigger challenge that is standing in front of you. "We may stick our toe in the water", or you might just be "treading water", as the references to liquid life flow like a flowering fountain. My analogy is this, water is as essential to life as the problems, hardships, trials, and afflictions we face throughout our day to day existence. We either have to learn to swim or we run the risk of drowning in our own life's pool of water.

 

Today's thought "Water is Essential" goes without saying, I suggest that life's uncomfortable circumstances are likewise "essential". The earlier we learn to swim literally, the more comfortable we are in a pool, lake, or even in the expansive ocean with its waves tossing us back and forth. In life, the sooner we understand the value of adversity and affliction (Isaiah 30:20), the better equipped we are to swim through the circumstances of life we have been handed. At times it may even feel like we are just treading water as nothing seems to improve, and at times we may actually feel like the waves of life are too insurmountable to carry on, but that is when knowing how to swim carries us through. 

 

Swimming lessons are a must. Some of us may be self-taught swimmers, but to really be effective in water, lessons provided by a well-trained lifeguard raise our efficiency in the water, and thus gives us the confidence to take one more stroke moving us forward. In my life I have learned to swim by the One True Lifeguard. His Word gives me strength to face the waves and storms of life. When I feel like I can't even tread the circumstances that I find myself in, His example allows me to swim on through, always seeking a safe shore on which to reach. I know when I get tired, He is there to throw me a life preserver if I need it! In Galatians 6:9 Paul challenges us with, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." When you feel like the water is too deep, don't give up, swim on! When the current is pulling you the wrong way, don't grow weary, swim on! When you have gone under two times, keep your head up and swim on! God is there with you and He will never let you sink to the bottom of the pool. 

 

Just as we started our time together today I want to finish with the statement, water is essential. We will either use it to learn how to swim, or we will allow it to drown us in the same pool of water. Our job is to use water to teach us how to swim and then call on our soul's lifeguard to assure we are swimming in the right direction, headed for the right shore!

Coach Carter

Thank-Full

Here we are again, curbing right up beside the Thanksgiving holiday, ready to gather together with family and loved ones all for the sake of giving thanks. Well, let's just say that's what it is supposed to be all about. Yet, if you've traveled to your local Walmart, Target, or Costco lately, you may have surmised that Thanksgiving is that meal we all get together to eat before the big ballgames come on later in the day, and the signal that Christmas shopping starts on the blackest of Fridays the very next day. Thursday will be the recognized, official day for Thanksgiving and giving thanks for all we have been given needs to be our focus, yet I would suggest that it isn't as easy as it sounds if your "Thank-full" tank is running on empty. 

 

To earnestly give thanks we have to demonstrate thankfulness throughout every aspect of our lives. Just as it is critically important that we don't allow our car's gas tank to run empty, we must also keep an eye on our "Thank-full" tank and assure we don't allow it to be running on fumes as we journey in and out of each day God gives us to live. If we aren't careful, when we reach a tough spot along our journey, we may not be able to objectively look at our circumstances and still be able to give thanks. Instead, we may turn more towards a subjective inspection and base our "Thank-full" gauge more on what we don't have and "need" rather than thinking about all we do have and gratefully acknowledging those gifts in our thoughts and prayers each day. 

 

The Apostle Paul's tank tapped out the "Thank-full" side of the spectrum. Beaten, cast out into the sea for a day, imprisoned, beaten some more, and then tortured and imprisoned with the potential of being put to death, Paul could have received a pass if he were sitting around the turkey table with us today. But, Paul’s letters to the church in Thessalonica instructed them in this manner, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  I Thessalonians 5:16-18. What do you have going on in your life right now that is making it hard to give thanks in all circumstances? If you compare your life to that of your neighbor or a colleague at work or even worse if you spend your time comparing your life to the one on that "reality" show you are watching, then you are looking in the wrong direction. Social media, television, celebrities, and sports figures are not, for the most part, the norm of which we should be basing our "Thank-full" tanks. Our thankfulness needs to be completely based on what we have to be thankful for as we go through the day to day walk of life. 

 

The key to running on a "Thank-full" tank can be found in doing a daily inventory of all you have to be thankful for and then giving thanks for that tankful each and every day. Let's consider the following "Thank-full" perspectives. "I have to get up in the morning and go to work every single day, it feels like I never get a break and I hate this job!" Or "This isn't my dream job, but you know what? I am so thankful that I have a job and it is allowing me to learn more about how things work and may lead me to different pathways as I journey along life's highway." How about this introspection example, "My life is so complicated right now, my calendar is full, I have multiple deadlines to meet, and to top things off my daughter is sick, and I really don't have time to keep the wheels turning on all the buses I’m driving!" Or could it possibly sound more like this, "God you have given me a full plate at work and at home, yet I am thankful that you have given me this job which allows me to support my family and stretch my mind. I am grateful that I have family members that can help out with my sick child and encourage me along the way." Just as we have to take the time and effort to refuel our gas tanks before they go empty, we must also refuel our "Thank-full" tanks with intentional time and effort given to gratitude and being thankful. 

 

Ryan Fehr, a renowned gratitude guru, offers the following steps to take as you keep your "Thank-full" tank on the full side every day regardless of our circumstances at any one particular moment. 

 

Step 1: Put your gratitude on paper
Write down the names of three people or things in your life you are grateful for, and why.

Step 2: Have a gratitude conversation
Have a conversation with a friend, family member or coworker to share what you’re most grateful for.

Step 3: Tell someone you appreciate them
Identify a specific person in your life and tell them why you are grateful for them over phone or video chat.

Step 4: Pay it forward
Find a way to show your gratitude to someone in your life by helping them in some small way.

Step 5: Reflect and repeat
Take a few moments to reflect on how your gratitude exercises went and commit to at least one act of gratitude every week.

 

It takes work to choose to be thankful, but it also takes work to be ungrateful. The fortunate thing about being "Thank-full" is you get to make the choice on what you will focus your attention on each day. We can choose to be "Thank-full" throughout the year or we can get together on the day before Black Friday and focus on the mindset that the dinner mess is over and the dirty dishes still have to be cleaned. I choose "Thank-fullness" today and every day! Thank you, God, for all you have given me and all I have!  

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!" 

I Chronicles 16:34

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Coach Carter

 

Bounce

 

Over the past few weeks I've been listening to a new song by Melissa Helser titled "I Can't Get Away". If you haven't heard this uplifting song yet I highly recommend it. Throughout the song we are reminded that God is with us wherever we go and whatever we do. "When I'm up and when I'm down, when I'm lost, until I'm found, in the morning and in the dead of night, and the one that really rang clear to me, I've been to the bottom and I've been to the top." I love the message that Helser's song delivers, but what I really like is the rhythm of the different paradoxes up and down, lost and found, morning and night, bottom and top, each one brings an image of a little rubber ball dropping to the ground only to bounce right back up to its original starting position. The message of the song "I Can't Get Away" is a reminder, you may fall down, you may get lost, but you can't get away, God's love is always going to be right there waiting on us, helping us to get back up when we fall. In other words, BOUNCE!

If we compare ourselves with that little rubber ball, we will see that the ability to bounce back from adversity is a tremendous gift from God. It is our job to be resilient when adversity hits and BOUNCE back up and try it again. What I continuously hear in the aforementioned song is "I've been to the bottom, I've been to the top, BOUNCE, I've been to the bottom, I've been to the top, BOUNCE, with me in the morning, in the dead of night BOUNCE, God is with us and He always will be. So, what does it take to be able to bounce back from the adversities and afflictions we face? Well in the case of the rubber ball it is what is inside that makes it all possible. Rubber bounces.

The composition of a rubber ball is what gives it that bounce back capability. If the same ball was made out of cement it obviously wouldn't bounce, it would crash and smash. Plastic may bounce a bit, but it really isn't pliable enough to carry the same bounce factor of rubber. But the rubber makeup of that small ball gives it the full capability to bounce back from the adversity of being dropped to the floor, hitting the ground, and then bouncing back.

What does your core composition consist of? Are you capable of bouncing back when your health takes a drop? How about when a relationship is damaged, or your finances take a major setback? What gives you the ability to bounce back? Having a trusting relationship with the Father is the composition of being able to bounce back up and getting your life back on track. The next time you feel yourself being dropped literally or figuratively remember that you have God in you and he doesn't allow us to crash the first time we hit the bottom. Instead God allows us to bounce back from our weaknesses and makes us strong (II Corinthians 12:9-10), BOUNCE. Our total existence hinges on where we place our attention. Colossians 3:2 tells us to "Set your mind on things above, not on things of this earth, in other words" BOUNCE!  

Coach Carter

Trust Factor

Trust. The Word of God tells us to trust Him. Trust God regardless of the circumstances, trust Him. The word trust is a fickle little five letter word. Let’s look at the trust factor in an analogy of taking a trip in our automobile. Trusting God when we are driving down the road and the guardrails are in place on both sides of the road, protecting us from a steep and dangerous fall is easy. We trust God when our car has had a check-up at the station, oil has been changed, and our tires have been certified ready to roll. We find God trustworthy when we are able to stop along your trip and fill our bellies, fuel our tank, and purchase snacks for the remaining leg of our journey. When our GPS is signaling our right hand turns and our "exit two miles ahead" alert, we confidently trust that God is in control of technology, our finances, and our unfamiliar journeys. But, are these actually examples of trust? Is trust even an issue when our route is clear and our resources are plentiful? 

 

We are grateful, or at least we should be grateful, when our journey is smooth. Yet, the true test of faith comes when the conditions are not so favorable. What happens when we lose connectivity and suddenly our life's GPS is out of working condition? We make a few wrong turns and suddenly we are lost. How quickly do we change our tune and yell out, "God, how or why would you let me get lost? Why did you forsake me? I thought you cared about me and promised to always take care of me and watch over me?" When our car breaks down or we have a flat tire, do we ever go as far as to blame God for what is happening to us? Do we cry out in our suffering and ask God for an explanation? "Why God? why is this happening to me/my family?" I take care of my car, I do the required maintenance, so why would You allow me to experience such a breakdown as this?"

 

How do we fair on the trust factor when our resources are thin or inadequate? What about when we are hungry, cold, or lost, and we just don't believe we can move forward? Do we feel abandoned? Has God forsaken us? The answer to that question should be obvious, but often times this is where our trust factor tends to fall to the weak end of the spectrum. If we truly have placed our trust in God, and our faith holds tight to that trust even in times when it would be easy to lose our faith, we come to realize that God is faithful and He is with us regardless of whether our life's automobile is sitting on the curb. 

If we trust God, then we realize that when we are weak then that is when He is made strong in us. “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” II Corinthians 12:10. Our faith guides us as we trust that God's ways are not our ways, and that we can't think in the width or depth of the plans that God has for each of our lives. It is inconceivable for we are not capable, that is why God is God of all things, our thoughts, our circumstances, our bodies, minds, and yes, our souls. "...the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." I John 4:4. 

 

When trials and tribulations come and they will, we must trust that God has a plan and, in most cases, His plan isn't about us, but instead what we can do to serve others for God through our life's trials and tribulations. His promise is that He will be with us and support us to carry out His will if only we trust and believe! "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. Take heart, God is faithful and we can trust that He will never leave us nor will He ever forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

 

My prayer for you today is that you will deepen your trust factor and place your faith in God, because He is worthy to be trusted! What can you do through your trials and tribulations that will allow you to focus more on how you can help someone else and thus take the attention off yourself. Once you find that place of service, you will find the strength that only God can provide and through that strength you will fortify your faith and grow your trust!

Coach Carter