MARCH 31, 2019

“Find your authentic voice, become vulnerable, and then put yourself out there.” 
― Meredith Brooks

JUDGES 3-5

Upon Israel's rebellion God raises up Judges who continually rescue Israel from the Kings who would enslave them...

   31“Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD;
            But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.”
            And the land was undisturbed for forty years.

LUKE 7:31-50

Jesus answer's the Pharisees criticism...

31Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:

“ ‘We played the pipe for you,

and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge,

and you did not cry.’

33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

JOURNAL

Being faithful does not mean just modifying behavior.  Because being faithful has nothing to do with pleasing people.  People cannot be pleased, playing to the crowd and trying to receive affirmation from the world will only lead someone to being a twisted, double-minded, narcissistic mess.  I think this is what Jesus was saying in these verses.  Man cannot receive the power and love for his life through the applause, approval and affirmation of others.  

The reason is that performing for affirmation is rooted in selfishness, not love.  It is a twisted way of getting love.  Yet it is at the heart of our culture.  Performance can never merit love. Love is given freely without chains or mandates.  Love gives sacrificially to those who do not deserve it.  Love also gives without a need for reciprocity.  This goes counter to the capitalistic core.  Good business says you do a job and you get a just reward.  God says you fail miserably and I give you the keys to heaven.  Good business says you must earn your way.  God says you must only accept my love. 

How can this be? Because God demands that we come to terms and face our own fallibility, our fears, our insecurities, our double-mindedness. It is the only way that we can be humbled into the acceptance of grace, which is the only way for us to in turn give real love. Once the masks fall and we are loved just as we are, then we no longer HAVE to perform. Performance becomes an expression of our gratitude and love, rather than a desperate pursuit of love. 

This is precisely why the ways of the world can never be confused with the way of the cross.  Which is why Jesus calls us to follow him, to do so requires that I acknowledge my need and also accept his love for me...it is then that I discover my own unique voice. I get to stop pretending and can actually settle into my own skin, free to be me, free to go into to the world with my scars, flaws and limitations. No longer do I wish for my life to be different  but rather I embrace all of what makes me...me. It is in this moment that all the things I doubted and feared become my strength, my sins become my proof of grace and I become a force and an expression of the heart of God.  This is the good news and this is the heart of the gospel. 

5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really know me, you will know^b my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 

JOHN 14:5-7

MARCH 30, 2019

“Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions.”  

~ T.S. Eliot

JUDGES 1-2

20Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

LUKE 7:1-30

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

JOURNAL

I recently was confronted with the idea that people are all doing the best they know how...at first I bristled at this...thinking that so many times I have heard this and said this...when reality was that I knew better and to my estimation I was not.  I continually operated under this idea that I could get control of my actions and be perfect.  Reality is...that has never happened.  In fact what I have continually discovered is that changing behavior is a grueling and difficult process, most often leaving me falling far short of the ideal.  

The reason is because there are so many subtle and sub-conscious things that influence the decisions I make everyday.  My past, my emotions...all derived from ingrained patterns of behavior that I do not fully and consciously understand.  Therefore to think that I can just be convicted and understand right from wrong and then simply choose to do better is a pipe dream. It is far more difficult than that. Because at the end of the day...I can always look back and see where I could have done better, where I failed, where I mailed it in, where I lost focus, where I was selfish, etc. etc......there is always more that could and can be done, always more that could have been given...it never ends. 

So where does that leave me and where does that leave the world. For me...it leaves me at the uncomfortable and vulnerable position of surrendering to God my best behavior and self-righteousness. It humbles me in a way that lets me know all of my righteousness is never enough.  That's why I trust God and cling to a savior...because all my efforts still fall short in the end. The only thing that makes them worthy is Christ himself, the one who takes my feeble offerings and efforts and makes them righteous.   It leaves me in the very simple position of focusing on today, this moment rather than tomorrow. It finally leaves me in the position of gratitude for grace and forgiveness and a God who takes my rags and crumbs and makes them enough.

Soo...thinking back through the idea that people are doing the best they can...I guess I agree and the reality is...that is why people need God and need a savior...because the best we can do is far, far from righteous.

8When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9“This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.11The poor you will always have with you,^a but you will not always have me. 12When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

MATTHEW 26:8-13

MARCH 29, 2019

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” 
― Martin Luther King Jr.

JOSHUA 23-24

14“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 

LUKE 6:27-49

27“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

JOURNAL

This passage is one of those that draws a line in the sand as to what will define the believer and Jesus leads it off in his teaching on love.  This fly's in the face of everything that we are taught and that we teach our children in regard to living in our culture. This sort of love and this sort of devotion seems like self-sabotage, not love. Although I have read this passage multiple times it still is like cold water in the face...

It is impossible to live this way without Christ.  In our culture...following and loving this way seems as if it would lead to sure destruction.  Yet Jesus tells us clearly in no uncertain terms that this is how we are to love and this is how we are to live.  

How do we do this?  How do I give to those who hate me?  How do I lend and not expect repayment? How do I allow things to be taken and not ask for them? How do I allow someone to hurt me and continually love them in the face of that hurt?  It is impossible without Christ. I think this is where we truly have to live life one day at a time and trust Christ one moment and one circumstance at a time. 

If this is to be my guide then I need to consult God every day, every moment. I don't have time to worry about the future or the past. I truly believe this is the point...getting us to fully surrender. Getting us to abandon any agenda that does not line up with God's direction for our lives. 

7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 

GALATIANS 6:7-10

MARCH 28, 2019

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

― Theodore Roosevelt

JOSHUA 21-22

43So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. 45Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. 

LUKE 6:1-26

 20Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

21Blessed are you who hunger now,

for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

22Blessed are you when people hate you,

when they exclude you and insult you

and reject your name as evil,

because of the Son of Man.

23“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

JOURNAL

Who in their right mind would ever see suffering as being blessed.  Jesus completely turns the whole thing around and puts suffering and persecution as the place of greatest blessing.  It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when George makes a commitment to do the complete opposite of every decision he normally would make...his reasoning is that if all his decisions in the past have been wrong, then the opposite of those decisions would be right.

It is obviously not that simple...or is it?  If all selfishness ultimately leads to misery...then the opposite would logically seem to be the answer.  Seek to be a servant, to give more than I receive, to embrace suffering instead of running from it.  To seek to love rather than to be loved.  What does a life dedicated to the opposite of having it all look like...I think it looks a lot like Jesus.

I think there is a false pride in people "suffering" through self induced failure. That's not what Jesus is speaking about. This  is not passive suffering, it is an active choice to push the boundaries, not for selfishness but for service and love. It is being a servant leader, a great teammate...it is being  willing to do all the little things rather than sitting on success and hoping for an easy path.

27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

 LUKE 14:27

MARCH 27, 2019

“I hope you have not been leading a double life, 

pretending to be wicked and being good all the time.

 That would be hypocrisy.” 

~ Oscar Wilde

JOSHUA 19-20

7So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh. 9Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

LUKE 5:17-39

 27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.29Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”31Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

JOURNAL

God is in the business of redemption.  "Perfect people" equal  arrogant, dishonest messes. It is only in the admitting of needing refuge, help and salvation that we ever get the joy found in Christ.  I love that Jesus never mixes words here, in fact he confronts the bearers of shame head on. Jesus sees that one of the greatest enemies to the joy of salvation is the shame heaped upon the people by the Pharisees. Jesus doesn't need their approval or to be in their ring of acceptance.  He goes to where the deepest need is...the rejects and sinners. This is where he hangs out...this is where he spends his time.

Last night I watched the documentary, Leaving Neverland. It was truly so sad to see all the hurt and chaos caused by secrets and the power Michael Jackson had over the boys he abused. But it also was amazing to see the healing that is occurring when those secrets are brought into the light of truth. It also shows that someone can do good things, bring joy and happiness yet still have darkness in their heart.  

Jesus shows time and time again that we don't need to pretend or hide. He knows us, knows our deepest secrets, our worst thoughts, our hidden agendas and that's where he wants to spend his time, that's where he wants to connect first. That is so amazing and so freeing.  This is the beauty and brilliance of Jesus' words...they are far deeper than the initial surface. They go to the heart of every human who reads them. They go to the heart but not just to expose but rather to heal.


27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 

MATTHEW 23:27-28

SELF-PITY

Wow...boy this hit me right between the eyes...hate to say it but I've done way too much of this in my life. 

“Certainly the most destructive vice if you like, that a person can have. More than pride, which is supposedly the number one of the cardinal sins - is self pity. Self pity is the worst possible emotion anyone can have. And the most destructive. It is, to slightly paraphrase what Wilde said about hatred, and I think actually hatred's a subset of self pity and not the other way around - ' It destroys everything around it, except itself '. 

Self pity will destroy relationships, it'll destroy anything that's good, it will fulfill all the prophecies it makes and leave only itself. And it's so simple to imagine that one is hard done by, and that things are unfair, and that one is underappreciated, and that if only one had had a chance at this, only one had had a chance at that, things would have gone better, you would be happier if only this, that one is unlucky. All those things. And some of them may well even be true. But, to pity oneself as a result of them is to do oneself an enormous disservice.

I think it's one of things we find unattractive about the american culture, a culture which I find mostly, extremely attractive, and I like americans and I love being in america. But, just occasionally there will be some example of the absolutely ravening self pity that they are capable of, and you see it in their talk shows. It's an appalling spectacle, and it's so self destructive. I almost once wanted to publish a self help book saying 'How To Be Happy by Stephen Fry : Guaranteed success'. And people buy this huge book and it's all blank pages, and the first page would just say - ' Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself - And you will be happy '. Use the rest of the book to write down your interesting thoughts and drawings, and that's what the book would be, and it would be true. And it sounds like 'Oh that's so simple', because it's not simple to stop feeling sorry for yourself, it's bloody hard. Because we do feel sorry for ourselves, it's what Genesis is all about.” 
― Stephen Fry

MARCH 26, 2019

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” 

~ Elinor Roosevelt

JOSHUA 16-18

3So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?

LUKE 5:1-16

8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

JOURNAL

God's command is to go and do, from the Israelites taking possession of the land to Peter dropping his nets and catching fish.  God is first about faith but then about action.  Peter shirks back initially out of shame and fear.  Jesus rebukes this in telling him not to be afraid.  For fear and shame tend to keep us from following God fully with joy and confidence.

I have found in life that those two demons (fear and shame) haunt me more than any other.  From what I understand about our brains and psychology. These two have a way of haunting us because they are rooted in our primitive brain and can be traced back to some of our earliest memories. They typically put us into fight, flight  or freeze mode. When that happens we don't think rationally because our brain is telling us that we are in danger and must do something to fix the situation NOW...however the more we are able to stay in these "scary" moments and face them, the more we are able to allow these moments to pass and we can actually begin to conquer them.

The command to "not fear" is used over 100 times in the Bible. I don't think this means that we are to avoid the feeling or to suppress it...it means that we are not to allow it to control us. We are to wade through it, face it and ultimately conquer it..

I comparing this to my 3 rules...it could not be more relevant. Being a part of a team and working to help that team win is a critical component in conquering fear. Secondly it is a moment by moment challenge and thirdly, you have to let go of the grip it has on the past and the future. In order to turn on my full effort, I have to let go, and turn it loose.

4Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,^a

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me. 

Psalm 23:4

MARCH 25, 2019

“Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.” 

 ~ Gustave Flaubert

JOSHUA 14, 15

10“Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.

LUKE 4:33-44

42At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

JOURNAL

This is such a beautiful picture into the life of Christ. He was the Son of God, the Messiah and yet he never rested in that title, he was disciplined and never content to sit and be worshiped. He had important work to do and he diligently saw to do it.

Work is one of the great blessings of life.  Yet there are so many things in culture that play up the allure of retirement. As if one day when you are no longer "working" life will then be full of joy.  The here and now is where God has me and it is where the opportunity for love, generosity, kindness and passion exist. The reality is that I am where I am. I can either consider it a blessing from God and look at every moment as an opportunity to learn, to serve, to give or to teach.  Or I can long for something I may never get all the while wasting the gift of today.

I believe the key is balance...there should be times of rest. There are also going to be moments of sadness, frustration and heartache. But that is just part of the beauty of life. We can't avoid it and if we extend extreme effort to do so...then we risk numbing our lives in ways that can harm us and those around us. I am where I am this moment today.

That goes back to the Turn it Loose principle, win the moment and be a great teammate. For when I go into wish mode, especially when I start replaying scenes from the past or possible scenes in the future, I am trying to control things that aren't controllable. I am trying to prepare and arrange for things that I don't have permission to change. That takes me away from this moment in time, I therefore get in my head and start missing the moment I'm in. When that happens I lose perspective and am not the best that I can be in this moment.

I love the quote by Flaubert...because it speaks to the discipline of doing the small things that we can control, which for me are a morning routine, devotion, meditation and planning the day. Because then I can have freedom to adjust, shift and use my talents in the moments for the rest of the day. But when I don't, I'm left scrambling, wishing, accommodating and trying to control things that I can't control or change. I can honestly say that what I'm usually wishing for is for things to be easier and not as hard. Those wishes take me away from the amazing opportunity to glorify God in being my best. Bottom line is that I am where I am this moment today. Embrace it and live it...in doing so I glorify the creator who gave it to me in the first place.

 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 

COLOSSIANS 3:23-24

MARCH 24, 2019

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” 

― Jalaluddin Rumi

JOSHUA 11-13

23So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.(11:23)

LUKE 4:1-32

14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”^f

20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

JOURNAL 

Jesus is well on his way...he is making a good name for his family and people are amazed at his intellect and teaching. Well it's all about to turn...in a few verses they are ready to push him off a cliff.  What a clear picture of our lives...one day all is well and the next it seems on the brink of disaster. What can I learn from this? That the only truly safe place is in obedience to God. As far as the world goes it may mean good favor from the world or it may mean scorn, ridicule and death. What I receive from the world should not be my motivation. My circumstance can never be my measure. 

I've been thinking recently about the foundation of my coaching and teaching philosophy, what do I want it to be about, what are the key principles that I want to communicate and motivate my students and players to embrace? They really all boil down to  3 things...

1) Be a great Teammate: This means that my big why is my service and love of others. The core of this goes back to Jesus' command of love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind and then to love your neighbor as yourself. We are always part of a team and our willingness to put that team above ourselves is the first measure of success. 

2) Win the Moment: Every second that I am alive is an opportunity for success, yet that success is only really success when I have surrendered to giving my best, regardless of the circumstance. My test can always be whether or not the circumstance and moment dictated my effort, focus or attitude...true success exists when those remain no matter the circumstance or result. 

3) Turn it Loose: This last one is the hardest because it requires that I let go of the shame, and guilt of the past, it requires that I let go of the fear and worry of the future.  It requires that I let all that go and live in the confidence and joy of who God made me to be, right here right now. In doing so I fully embrace the joy of life. I bring "the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven."

Obviously this is tough. Yet Jesus gives comfort that the fruit of a life lived this way will be good. If I am being obedient and not succumbing to fear, shame and worry. Then my life will produce good fruit. We are specifically told what that fruit looks like. 

Father, thank you for your word, thank you for giving me the keys and true measure of success. I am so grateful that true success can never be measured by a trophy, a statistic or a headline. 

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,kindness,goodness,faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

GALATIANS 5:22-26