Work Life Balance

         This weekend my son, Noah, was playing with some of his K’Nex (I think that is how you spell it.)        After about 30 minutes he had to show me his contraption. He had made a spoke and wheel and then put it on an axle. He then began to spin its fast as he could.  (Here is an example of the K’Nex Coaster that may help you visualize what I am saying: http://www.knex.com/Shop/media_viewer_2.php?n=Ferris%20Coaster%20Help%  202&v=ferrisCoaster2final.wmv   )        I suggested that he take one of the spokes off of the wheel to see how it would spin. It didn’t really spin, but instead …

Real Servants Pay Attention

Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now. Proverbs 3:28 (TEV)   *** *** *** ***   Real servants pay attention to needs. Servants are always on the lookout for ways to help others. When they see a need, they seize the moment to meet it, just as the Bible commands us: “Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to do what is good for everyone, especially for the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10 GWT).   When God puts someone in need right in front of you, he is giving you the opportunity to …

Servants Make Themselves Available

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 2 Timothy 2:4 (NASB)   *** *** *** ***   Real servants make themselves available to serve. Servants don’t fill up their time with other pursuits that could limit their availability. They want to be ready to jump into service when called on.   Much like a soldier, a servant must always be standing by for duty: “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may …

We Serve God by Serving Others

Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Mark 10:43 (MSG)   *** *** *** ***   We serve God by serving others.   The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.   Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you.   This is so contrary to the world’s idea of …

Daddy's Little…Warrior?

I remember when I saw wife bounce my son, Judah, on the bed for the first time. He was maybe 4 or 5 months old at the time and this was the first I had seen of being able to rough house with him. As he began squeeling with excitement while grinning from ear to ear I got very excited and shouted to Tamra, “We can play like that with him now?” “Just don’t get too carried away, but yes.” She replied. Since that moment I don’t think a day has past when I haven’t headlocked, body slammed, armbarred, or …

Movie Review: Burn After Reading

The Coen brothers never cease to amaze me, and have been two of the most prominent filmmakers this generation. Ever since their breakthrough debut, “Blood Simple”, they’ve not only made some of the most intriguing, intense and deep-thinking films in the last 25 years, but also some of the most gut-busting hilarious comedides as well. It’s hard to believe sometimes that the same guys who made something as devastating as “Miller’s Crossing” or “Fargo” could also make screwball romps like “Raising Arizona” and thoughtful cerebral knee-slapper “O Brother Where Art Thou?” and “The Big Lebowski”. Well, you can add “Burn …

Uneasy is the Man Who Wears the Crown

“Uneasy is the head of the man who wears a crown.” Shakespeare I listened to a sermon last night from Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones in which he referenced this quote when talking about how man becomes a slave to power, adoration, and the worship of other men. The idea that I will be happy when I final ‘arrive’ is a lie that I consistently trip up on. I sin when I dwell on the falsehood that contentment and happiness will come from attaining some level of respect and achievement in the eyes of others. What I forgot is that should …

Helping Each Other Through Change

“I hope you will be patient with me ….” (2 Corinthians 11:1a, NLT)     In order to manage change, you must remember four things –   Love each other The first mistake most people make during change is to focus on what they’ve lost, instead of what has been gained – and that creates fear. The antidote to fear is love: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear ….” (1 John 4:18 NKJ)   It’s impossible for love and fear to exist in the same environment – If we’ll focus on loving each other, …

How Do You Develop Self-Control?

God does not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)   *** *** *** ***   Successful people have one obvious trait in common: personal discipline. They are willing to do things that average people are unwilling to do.   It’s my observation that successful people express their self-discipline in six ways:   · Successful people master their moods. They live by their commitments, not their emotions. They do the right thing, even when they don’t feel like it. “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city …

When a Friend Betrays

All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me . . . Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. Psalm 41: 7, 9 (NIV)   *** *** *** ***   Years ago my friend Chris was betrayed by a very close friend. Chris spent over two years mentoring this man, and trusted him so much that the protégé even managed all of Chris’s finances.   Then, one night, the protégé inexplicitly left a banquet being held in Chris’s honor, and he laid a trap …