Ships Weren't Built to Sit in the Dock

    
     I think it would be a pretty safe bet to assume most of us have heard the popular song "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding. Matter of fact it would be a fair presumption that most of us would jump right in and sing along with Otis if the tune was to pop up on your music list right now. It has that melodious rhythm that just seems to pull us in, "I'm just a sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tides roll away, I'm sitting on the dock of the bay wasting time....", wait a second, sitting on the dock of the bay doing what?? Wasting time? Okay, I'm all good with taking a little time to sit down and reflect or to just sit down and take a little break, but I'm not too sure about sitting around just wasting my time. Time is a commodity and if you haven't figured it out it has a limited supply label on the package, the fact is we don't know exactly how much time we have in our supply chain. That being said, I don't believe we have a great deal of time to be sitting around wasting our reservoir of time here on this old rock.
     I heard a quote a long time ago and it has always resonated deep into my mind that is aptly in tune with today's thought, "Ships weren't built to sit in the dock". Now this was a quote that was being used in the context of a conversation on leadership, but like I always say, we are all leaders of someone. What were ships built for? The obvious is to set sail, but there is so much more, to carry us to our destinations, to allow us to explore where we could not explore before, or even to give us a new perspective on life as we know it. Ships can't do that sitting in the dock of the bay! And neither can you.
     It would definitely be sad to buy a boat and then allow it to just sit there tied up at the dock. Sitting there wasting time, I mean come on Otis what could you be doing with all that time you are sitting there wasting? Ships were built to explore and discover, we were made to explore and discover. If we just sit there at our dock of the bay we certainly can't have the impact on our world we live in, it just won't happen. We have to go out and explore, trust me you won't have to travel very far to find a cause or your purpose in life if you just get out and start looking around.
       It is a sad sight to see a boat sitting there all tied down protecting it from the waves and the storms that are bound to happen, yet for us to sit there tied down because either you just don't want to see what is out there due to being so self-centered, or we get lulled into a passive state of just sitting around wasting time. Yuck! I don't have time to sit around wasting it! I have lives to impact, I have encouragement to share, and I have a hope that is grounded in faith in God that gives me the energy I need to go full speed ahead!
      If you take a few minutes to read the lyrics of the song "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" can almost be depressing. Sad to think that a boat let alone a person would be stuck just sitting there watching the tide roll in and away, all day every day just sitting around wasting time. Don't get caught in that trap, sitting around is a symbolic representation of not getting anything accomplished. Not volunteering to help others, not stepping up and stepping out to lend a hand, or just being so self- absorbed that you sit around thinking you don't have anything that needs to be done in the world you live! A scripture I live by fits appropriately here today "Whatever you do, work heartily (GO EXTREME!!), as for the Lord and not for men" Colossians 3:23 Ships weren't built to sit in the dock and neither were you!
Set sail what are you waiting on?
Coach Carter

Two Eyes, Two Ears, Two Hands, and Two Feet

     When man was created God put a great deal of thought into the makeup and design of what we would look like and how our bodies would function. It is a fair assessment to say that every aspect of our creation has a purpose and a job to do. The apostle Paul talks about our body composition in I Corinthians 12 as he poses the question of what if the whole body were an eye, or a hand, or even just a head would we get as much accomplished? The answer to that question goes without stating, yet in the bigger scope of life and our purpose in life, I do believe God put a little extra thought into some aspects of our body composition that make all the difference and also provides us with a topic for today's Flat Tire Ministries Thought.
     I believe God gave us a pair of several body parts specifically to aid Him as we serve God here on Earth. God gave us two eyes, two ears, two hands, and two feet. In comparison, God only gave us one mouth. Many of you have probably heard that the reason for God only giving us one mouth is to persuade us to use those other appendages and parts twice as much as we do our mouths, but I have an additional thought to share on that topic.
    God gave us two eyes to see both the joy and the injustice of this world. He gave us two ears to hear the cries of those hurting and the call to action that we must heed. I believe we were given two hands so we can lift up those we are called to assist, and two feet so we can move swiftly to their aid. So, what about the mouth? If two eyes are better than one and two hands or feet allow us to carry more and move about more quickly why would not two mouths be of greater service in our daily lives? Well, the mouth is just a little different. Throughout the Bible we are warned to be careful about our mouth or tongue as it is referred to often. Not only will our mouth get us into trouble, but I would suggest that our mouths can actually hinder our efforts to help others in this world.
      If we only use our one mouth we will find a way to justify the wrong we see, we will talk about the hurting, and say "somebody should do something about that." When we only use our mouths we will sit on our hands and cross our feet waiting for someone else to step up or out of self-pity and indecisiveness we allow apathy to reign in our hearts and minds. If we are going to move to action it most definitely will not be through the words we speak, but instead, as a direct result of the steps we take and the hands we offer in aid to the hurt that our eyes see and pleas that our ears hear. 
"Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds." James 2:8
There's an old saying that two heads are better than one, well I would add to that and end today with a challenge. The two eyes, ears, feet, and hands that God gave you are better than and more capable than the one mouth that He also gave you!
Go out and make a difference today!
Coach Carter

Trust Fall

     Have you ever taken part in a "Trust Fall" exercise? It's a fun team building activity where the goal is to build confidence and trust in those you work or spend time a major portion of your time. The whole idea is that as you are standing facing away from your teammates you just go dead weight and literally fall backwards into their locked arms where they catch you and keep you from hitting the ground. If you haven't ever participated in a trust fall activity it may sound like it would be an easy thing to do, but it is much more of a challenge to just fall backwards when you can't see the sturdy arms locked together by those that have "got your back" so to speak.
     Why is trusting in those with work and spend time with anyway? Why would businesses and organizations take part in "team building" activities such as a trust fall in the first place? The most obvious reason is that we thrive in an environment where we feel safe and protected. Having the confidence that our ideas and our efforts won't be laughed at or disregarded without proper consideration helps us to go out on a limb a little bit further when it comes to creativity and vulnerability. Having a sense of trust is critical for the kindergartner as she makes that first attempt to read in front of her teacher, trust is essential for the athlete who wants to master a new move or technique from their coach, and trust is a determining factor in whether a business will succeed or fail. Maybe a trust fall isn't a bad idea at all?
     In our relationship with God faith is at the core, and to truly experience faith we must be willing to trust. In much the same way as a trust fall exercise, trusting completely in God may be a little easier to say than it is to do. For me I trust that God is there and I trust that his plans are not mine and that His thoughts are much bigger than mine, so I don't fall backwards in my "trust fall" with God. If I'm going to fall into the arms of Jesus I'm going to fall forward! I'm not going to back up, I'm not going to back down! I trust that God is God and I am not and I will not turn around and go back just because I am afraid of what might happen. If I fall I am falling forward, are you coming with me? As an old friend of mine Terry Easton used to always say, "If you're waiting on me, you're backing up!"
Press on!  
"I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 
Philippians 3:10-14.
Coach Carter

 

Confidence in the Seed

As I begin today's FTM thought I want to make sure I clarify a point I often have made in the past. By calling I am an educator or what most would call a teacher. Over the years many of my Flat Tire thoughts have had suggestions or themes towards "teachers". This blog is not exclusive to those that garner a paycheck for their services in the field of education. My thought is we are all teachers, young children are teachers to babies, those that are parents are teachers to their children, you in the business office or on the manufacturing floor are teaching those you work with each day. You are a teacher to the complete stranger you pass on the street each day as they watch your actions, listen to your words, and gain an understanding of what you stand for and what motivates your choices in life. So if I ever speak of teachers in this blog understand I am talking to YOU. Just wanted to clarify that point! On with the show!
    Before the advent of modern farming techniques and equipment the method of spreading seeds did not have quite the same level of ingenuity involved during planting season. In the Middle East during the life of Jesus the common practice of those planting the seeds was more of a scatter and spread method that really wouldn't have qualified as a scientific approach compared to the clean, crisp rows that fill our fields and farms today. Yet, the scatter and spread method provided Jesus with the parable of the sower and the seed found in Matthew 13:3-8 and the topic for today's FTM thought.
     We know the context of the parable Jesus shared, when the farmer went out to scatter (plant) his seed some landed on the surface rocks and was snatched up by the birds, some fell on rocky soil and couldn't get rooted, some amongst the thrones where they were choked out, and then some of the seed fell onto the good soil and produced an abundant harvest. Later in the same chapter Jesus goes on to explain the parable and how it correlates to man and how we receive the Word of God and how we apply it to our lives and the lives of others. Wonderful application there, but I'm more interested in the method of the sower today for our purposes. The sower's job was to sow the seed, the actual outcome of that seed was not necessarily due to the sower, the real job to be done lands on the back of the seed that was planted. Sure the sower could have chosen to only spread the seed in one small corner of the field where he knew the land would be receptive to the seed, but that wasn't his job. His job was to scatter the seed in all areas of the field and then allow the seed to do its job and produce a harvest where it was planted.
     We as teachers are tasked with much the same responsibility. We have been given the opportunity to sow seeds of confidence, passion, knowledge, and perseverance among a long list of other skills and attributes, and we are not supposed to be selective or exclusive in who we impart those skills to along the way. As we teach, we sow those seeds in much the same way as the farmers of old, we scatter the seeds of knowledge to all that we have the opportunity to share. We may get discouraged when we do not see an immediate impact or the instant light bulb going off in every field we are planting those seeds, but that isn't necessarily the immediate outcome we should be expecting. Our job is to plant the seed, nurture the seed, and cultivate that seed, then at that point the seed has to do its job. You can't do the job for your students, athletes, co-workers, friends, or family. They have to do that deed themselves. Let's not delineate the impact of those that sow the seed, but instead let's ramp up the importance of sowing those seeds into the lives of all those that we teach and then supporting and nurturing that seed so that each seed we sow has the opportunity to produce "a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matt. 13:23
Coach Carter 

The Last Resort

     "When all else fails ...." we turn to our last resort. Imagine you are on a sinking ship. As you're standing there inching lower and lower into the sea you spot a life jacket floating by right in front of you. Would you look at the life jacket and say, "Well I believe I'm going to swim around for a little bit first and just see if I happen upon a passing ship or maybe I'll even swim up on a inhabited island". It could happen. If you were standing on that same sinking ship and you had a choice between the anchor which was sitting in place going down right along with the ship or that same aforementioned life preserver which would you grasp onto and embrace? Who among us would stand on that sinking vessel and watch as a life boat paddles by and make the choice to stay with the boat just in case it really doesn't sink? Hopefully not you. Unfortunately, many people do that very thing, they choose to go down with the ship. Some people know the ship is going to sink before it leaves the dock and they still hop on board fully knowing that the destination of this trip will be at the bottom of the deep, dark blue. I believe it is safe to assume that pretty much anyone who is reading today's message would surely say that they would not make a life jacket, life boat, or any other flotation device their last resort in a sinking ship situation. Yet, in life we do it all the time.
     We face life's storms out on the ocean and we choose to go it alone. We know there is a life jacket readily available, but we are reluctant to embrace it. Many times we have already bobbed up and down so many times that we feel like we will drown if another affliction hits us, but we still look for alternative ways to tread the water instead of swimming to our life "Savior". Why should our faith be our last resort? Why do we try to go it alone? Why is it that we hold on to the anchor instead of reaching out and trusting in God?
     Time out. Let's clarify one critically important part of this conversation. If we hold on to our life's preserver we do not get a "get out of jail free card" to use in times of tribulation. Our life jacket is there to hold us up, not rise us out of the stormy sea. God's promise holds true, "He will never leave you nor forsake you" Deuteronomy 31:6. God, our life's preserver is there for you my friend. Why wait until you are down to your last resort. Don't just tread the water, keep your life jacket near at hand and live your life knowing that you have a life jacket that will always be there for you!
Swim on!
Coach Carter

Overload

     For those of us in the education world schedules are about to get turned upside down! Summer vacation is winding down, a thought that brings with it a mixed set of emotions. For the educators, sleeping in late, loose schedules, poolside afternoons, and staying up late watching movies and eating popcorn is about to come to a screeching halt. Students would tell you they aren't excited about starting back, but reconnecting with friends and the beginning of a new school year offers new classmates and new classes which puts a tingle in their minds as they prepare for their first day back. For parents, on the other hand, the party is just about to begin, the kids are finally going back to school! All kidding aside, as we transition back into a new school year, life will change dramatically for all involved in this business we call education pretty darn quick. Early morning showers, last minute papers to be signed or submitted, time lines, deadlines, and "I need this yesterday"requests will welcome our teachers back to the "real world".
      If you aren't in the education profession, you are probably reading this thinking, "Well suck it up buttercup we don't get summer vacation", because you still have the same deadlines and time lines to deal with in your own profession. It isn't just at work where we can feel like its all on us, at home as a parent, a spouse, a sibling, or even as a neighbor you may be the one that everybody depends on to get things done. Maybe you are that person that doesn't have the word "No" in your vocabulary, or maybe you are just the person that everyone looks to because they know that you know how to get things done. Whatever the case may be, I believe it is safe to assume that we all feel a little overwhelmed at one time or another. Normal? Well if you are living life it is highly likely that you will reach overload status at some point. The real question isn't whether you are or will experience an overload at some point in your life, but instead it is more about how do you handle the mental and physical overloads when they rear their heads in our lives?
      For an answer to the above question, I would point you to the plight of the disciples and a situation they found themselves back in Matthew 14:13-21. You may be familiar with the story of Jesus, the crowd of five thousand, and the five loaves of bread and the two fish, but what I want to draw to your attention is how the disciples first reacted and then how the situation turned out during their own overloaded circumstance. When Jesus spoke people listened, in this case more than 5,000 people had gathered in a remote area to listen to their teacher and they had stayed until way late in the day. The disciples knew that the crowd had to be hungry and went to Jesus to have Him send the crowd away to go get food in the nearby towns. They were at overload status, here's this huge crowd, they have been with Jesus all day with no breaks, and now their stomachs were starting to rumble and so were their voices. So when they asked Jesus to send them away they did so because they knew they couldn't take care of the crowd. Guess what? They were right, on their own they couldn't feed a crowd this size, especially after they did an inventory check and could only come up with five loaves of stale bread and two little bittie fishys! They couldn't take care of their overloaded situation just like you can't take care of your overloaded circumstance by yourself. Unbeknownst to the disciples the very person they went to in hopes of dismissing the crowd actually gave them the solution to their dilemma and it wasn't to send the crowd away. As Matthew shares the rest of the story we know Jesus blessed the loaves and fish and then told the disciples to feed the crowd. By the time everyone had eaten as much as they could there was still enough leftover to fill twelve baskets with food.
     What man cannot do, God can. What we see as impossible, God makes all things possible (Matthew 19:26). When our schedule is at maximum overload and we feel like we can't carry on, God says give me your load, I'll be with you and I'll actually carry that load for you! (Matthew 11:30) As we conclude today's FTM let's make sure we are clear on one thing. When the disciples asked Jesus to remove their situation overload, He didn't. Instead when they came to Jesus asking for His help, He gave them the tools they needed to take care of their situation. He is there to do the same thing for each of us. No promises that all of a sudden your problems are going to disappear this year just because you pray for help. I think it is clear that that isn't necessarily how it all works. When you come seeking help rest assured you will receive the help you need, it just may not be a miracle, but instead it might just be some tartar sauce and cheese for your fish sandwich!
For those going back to school, remember you are not in this alone! For anyone else reading this message today, the same holds true for you as well!
Coach Carter

Would You Rather Sleep on a Pillow or a Rock?

    
Today's title for our FTM is a question that sounds pretty much like a simple one to answer, when given the choice the answer would be a pillow of course! Seems like one of those no-brainer type questions huh? You would think so, matter of fact I don't believe I know one person that has a rock lying on their bed just waiting on them for tonight's restful sleep. I mean that would be ludicrous, wouldn't it? Who in their right mind would ever choose a rock over a nice goose down pillow? Well if my question seems a little simplistic to answer then let me change things up a little and let's see how simple the choices are. What if I changed my question to would you rather breathe like your lungs will never fill enough with clean, fresh oxygen, or would you prefer to gasp for a breath to the point that you feel like you are going to suffocate? Easy question again? Yes but if so, why do men and women around the world pay over $5.00 for a pack of cigarettes? It's pretty safe to assume that people who choose to smoke don't want to end up gasping for each breath, but it is also a common understanding that smoking leads to emphysema, lung cancer, and at best shortness of breath due to damage to your lungs. How about heart attacks? How many of us would choose to have a major heart attack over a healthy heart that beats strong and pumps blood easily through our veins and arteries? I'm guessing there again that not too many would choose major heart surgery for blocked arteries. So if that's the case why do so many of us spend our mornings, days, and evenings piling on excessive calories that end up blocking our arteries and making us prime candidates for heart attacks. Why are not only our food choices bad, but we complicate our situation by choosing to come home from work and plopping down on the couch instead of making efforts to be active and stay physically fit, helping ensure that our hearts are getting the exercise it needs to remain healthy and fit? Well like I said if life's decisions were as easy to maintain as choosing between a rock or a pillow to sleep on I don't think we would have quite the number of people suffering from health matters which to a great extent are the product of our own personal choices.
     In life the very choices that appear to be the easiest to make are often the very same choices that send us spiraling down into a hole that we many times can't seem to crawl out of regardless of our want or desire. Hard to believe, but many people are asked each day pillow or rock, and they consciously choose the rock. Not just any rock, I'm talking craggily, pointed, hard as a rock, rocks. We're not talking nice, smooth river rocks here my friend. Why? Why would anyone choose a rock over a pillow? Why would anyone choose to smoke and increase their chances of cancer over being smoke-free and maintaining a quality standard of health? Why would anyone choose to do drugs, steal something that doesn't belong to them, or make the decision to end a relationship just because it is getting a little tough and the bumps in the road are getting a little bumpier? This list could go on and on, but it all boils down to this. We make our choices based on what we believe is going to be the best for us at the present moment in time.
     Nobody would choose a rock over a pillow because more than likely they wouldn't sleep at all tonight. In that same mindset, if you knew that the decision to smoke a cigarette would cause you to get cancer tonight, then not too many of us would make that decision at all. If we knew that the recyclables we are throwing in the trash today would lead to water and land that we would be unable to use tomorrow, I would imagine the number of people recycling would pick up tremendously. And if we knew that the life we are living today could wind up costing us our lives for eternity then.... Oh wait we do have an insight here! Jesus shared this forewarning with His disciples in Matthew 24:43 "If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." The answer is we don't know when our time here on earth will expire, so we have to be ready every day. We have to choose the pillow over the rock today, tomorrow, and each and every day of our lives. We have to choose to serve, give, lead, submit, sacrifice, and then give, serve, lead, submit, and sacrifice again each day. You make the choices in your life, do you choose the pillow of everlasting love or the rock of strife and contradiction?
Coach Carter