You and I

Have you ever thought about you? What is it that makes you special? Well, you are human and that, in itself, makes you a little special. Whether you believe in evolution or not, as a human, you are pretty special.

You have a thumb that no other animal has. That allows you to do things no other animal can do like... peel a banana, write a thank you letter, paint a picture and an assortment of other really neat things.

You also can think and respond to a thought. That is really special. The rest of the animal kingdom reacts, but we, humans, are thinkers, at least we should be thinkers, which brings me to my current subject... you, or better said, us.

Why do we not think that much anymore? We react, and do so poorly. Whether it be via email or phone calls, we fly off the handle and react before thinking. I have seen it too many times to count, and that is just in reflection of my own poor reactions. Why do we not slow down and respond after careful consideration?

Too many of us do not know who we are, or what our strengths are. We are our own biggest fans and promoters, and do not slow down to listen to our older and more mature brothers and sisters in Christ and their advice. We hurry down our self-prescribed paths assuming we are this only to find out that we are that, and then, end up bitterly disappointed. We wonder how the Lord could lead us down this path so far only to close the door at the last minute. After proper reflection, what we find is that it was our thoughts and ideas that put us on this path and not the Lord's after all.

I have found this to be one of the main reasons for my poor decisions and failures over the years. I have not listened or heeded the Lord's words. I have decided that I am a better judge of who I am, and what my gifts are. As I encounter others like me, I see my issues reflected back at me. We still present ourselves as something we are not, and then become disappointed when all does not work out our way. I have learned the hard way that it is not my decision as to who I am, but the Lord's. What is my responsibility though, is to understand who I am, and what my gifts are and to work hard to use them for His glory.

You and I are special! We were created by a Holy God in His image. Is there anything that can compete with that? I didn't think so! Blessings!

Sportsmanship

What is sportsmanship? One definition defines it this way: "expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors."

Have we lost our way when it comes to sportsmanship? Slogans like "Just do it" and "Whatever it takes" do not convey the idea of sportsmanship; instead, each conveys this idea of win at all costs regardless of the expense. I believe if sportsmanship disappears from sports all together then the idea of sports will disappear as well.

Athletic events are games; we play games for the sake of fellowship and entertainment. We pay to see others play games in order to see that game played at a higher level, a higher level than we are capable of playing. We pay for the excellence, the teamwork and to see that game at its highest level.

I would suggest that when sportsmanship disappears in a sport so too does its excellence, its teamwork and its high level. When the goal is only to win then standards drop because the goal is to win, at all costs. This attitude erodes away rules, standards, excellence and sportsmanship until the game we have paid to see is no longer worthy of our attention. Why? That game that we thought was played at such a high level may still be played at that high level or an even higher level, but our perceptions have changed because we see it played without rules, without standards and without sportsmanship.

I love athletics, but my prayer is that this idea of sportsmanship would make a strong come back in the professional ranks. We must recognize its importance in the development of our children before its too late because sportsmanship lies at the heart of competition. If it is lost then all athletic competition will be lost. Sportsmanship is what brings athletes back to reality; it is what screams loud and clear that this game we just played... it is only a game. It is not a battle and it does not go on for days. It ends at the whistle or the horn. Sportsmanship declares that someone won and someone lost... for today, but we will play again one day soon. We will play for the love of the game and the sheer joy of playing a game, but we will not let this "game" detract from who we are.

My prayer is that all coaches would understand that in the end it is not who won or who lost that really counts, but how each played the game. Some cliches have not been used enough. Maybe it is time to dust this one off. Blessings!

School Spirit

How does one define school spirit? This past week was Homecoming Week at Westminster Christian Academy, and I have to say, one of the best weeks I have ever been a part of when it comes to school spirit. Our students were awesome! They came dressed out every day in respectful but fun fashion.

On Friday, we had an unbelievable Pep Rally with our entire school in order to prepare for our Homecoming game that night. Back to this idea of school spirit, you can find examples of it everywhere, but you would be hard pressed to find a better example then the pictures above. Two of our seniors - Robert Sexton and Kendall Bane - took this idea of school spirit to a new level. The flags they hold were made from scratch. They started with two poles and some fabric and a few weeks later took their finished flags into our pep rally to lead the cheers. Well done gentlemen! Thanks for providing a wonderful example of school spirit! Blessings!

Decisions and Priorities

The decisions we make daily reflect our priorities. While this is a simple enough thought, most of us do not stop and think on it in the busyness of our day. Have you ever thought about what is truly important to you? How would you measure such a thing?

Someone once told me that to measure what is truly important to you requires your checkbook or, in today's world, your credit card balance statement. What you must do is take a tally of your expenditures for the month and totally them up. Once you get your total you merely look at what or who you are spending your money on most, and that is what is most important to you. Speaking from own experience, it works pretty well, and was pretty humbling for yours truly.

As Christians, it is a great way to take stock of where our priorities lie; do we spend more money on the things of our Lord or on the things of this world? Do we spend more money on the eternal things that will contribute to His Kingdom, or do we spend more money on accumulating things in this life for our little kingdoms? Money has a way of revealing who we really are, at least it does in my life. It took a while for me to discover that wonderful truth in scripture, "it is truly better to give than to receive."

There is a bumper sticker that states, "the one with the most toys at the end wins." Sadly, that is how many of us live. I remember being in college and being focused on the red BMW. I wanted to graduate college so I could buy one. How vain was I? I did not care about what I learned or even what job I would land... I just wanted that red BMW. Now, I am not saying that everyone who owns a red BMW is spiritually off-centered, but I am saying that that red BMW was my idol and made me spiritually off-center.

Each day we make decisions, and like it or not, they reveal our priorities. The biggest most important decisions we make in our lives have to do with money. It is just the way life is, at the moment. As you live out each day, I implore you to take stock of your priorities. Are you contributing to His kingdom or building your own? Blessings!

Thinking Out Loud About Life

Life is not a straight road or even one road; instead, it is a series of decisions. Have you ever thought about what influences those decisions?

You and I have presuppositions that influence each decision we make. Whether we are Christian, atheist, liberal or conservative, it is always the same - what we believe affects each and every decision we make.

I have to chuckle listening to pundits from all sides talk as if they are the only enlightened ones capable of making the right decisions. The only problem with that mentality is this: that is inconsistent with what is currently taught and promoted today. For example...

If there is no such thing as a God then there is no such thing as absolute truth, right? Most today would agree with this statement and the next one. If there is no absolute truth then there is no such thing as right or wrong. Here is where it gets confusing... if each of these statements is correct then how can there be a right answer to any question? If there is no such thing as a right answer then all answers are just forms of manipulation designed to get me and others to go along with some one's selfish ideas, right? So, Sam Harris and his ideas of atheism are just forms of manipulation that he is imposing on me to get me to agree with his ideas and buy his books.

I see no other option. There can be no altruism or service for the greater good because there is no good with no God. Good is the opposite of evil and evil is that which is not good, but if there is no ultimate standard for what is good, which is the way we measure evil, then is there really evil? Yet, we know evil when we see it, why? I would posit that we know evil when we see it because we also know good when we see it, and if that is the case then there must be a standard for what is good. That standard can not be us, nor can we be the standard for evil because humans are examples of both. When one variable is an example for both extremes then that variable can not be a standard for either extreme. So, we are left with this question: from where did the standard for good come? Or, if you prefer the other question, from where did the standard for evil come?

How did we come up with this idea of good vs. evil if there was no ultimate standard for either good or evil? Did we make it up? There is only one real answer here - there is a standard. That standard is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God's son is the ultimate answer to every question you have, if you ask in sincerity and truth. He is the presupposition that will answer every question and put you on the right path. Life is a series of decisions, and as we get older, each decision becomes more important. What is the presupposition influencing your decisions? What should be the presupposition influencing your decisions? Sometimes, thinking out loud... hurts!