15 Minutes of Fame

Favor: something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act: to ask a favor. Friendly or well-disposed regard; goodwill: to win the favor of the king.

Unmerited favor

"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart'."

-1 Samuel 16:7

My wife and I love Tim Tebow. 

Let me say it again; "My wife and I love Tim Tebow." 

Tim Tebow  
go gators!

Since we got married in 2006 we have enjoyed every fall Saturday, until last year, watching #15 play at the University of Florida. I knew my wife bought into his special ability and persona when she commented last year that we should get the NFL Ticket on DirecTV so we could watch Tebow play every Sunday. 

 DirecTV & Sunday Ticket

I told her to let me think about it?

And in exactly 1.5 seconds later my reply was; "Let me call and see if they are running any early bird specials."

She, my wife, is a very special person that has too many grand qualities to try to explain in a short piece such as this. Words can't simply begin to describe my amazement at her keen intellect and her unmatched wisdom.

She is phenomenal. 

"Honey come in here and make sure I spelled everything right and I wrote it just like you told me to." 

Anyway, like I said we are big Tebow fans, and we are big fans for many different reasons. 

Pat Tebow and her son. 

The main reason we admire him as much as we do is because of his unwavering faith in Christ. His fierce and courageous determination to follow Christ at any cost and to verbally communicate his commitment to God anytime and anywhere is inspiring to me.

As my wife and I watched him lead the Broncos to a win against the New York Jets this past Thursday we were amazed by his poise before, during and after the game. Tebow knows who he is and he's not afraid to let everyone else know who he is, what he believes and what his purpose is.

I share with my kids, and whoever will listen to me, that there are three main questions we should all ask ourselves: (1) Who are you? (2) What do you believe? And (3) what is your purpose?

The book that I'm going to write is based on those three questions. 

I would humbly submit that if God is not part and parcel of each answer to those three questions that you're living a very shallow version of the life God intended you to live.
 

The key isn't necessarily to be able to answer those questions, but to begin the internal dialogue and ask; Who am I? What do I believe? And what is my purpose? 

And how does God fit into each one of those answers and areas?

The Broncos #1 pick in 2010.
 

Tim stated to The NFL Network anchormen after the win over the Jets that; "It is very exciting and we're excited about the wins that we've been able to put together. I love it and care about it."

He went on to say...

"But the greatest thing with this sport and with the NFL is we have such a platform, and we can take that platform and we can influence the next generation. That is honestly my passion. This week we got to announce that I was building a hospital in the Philippines. This game means a lot but that hospital means more to me because that's changing peoples' lives. That's giving people faith, hope and love, and that's more important. My ultimate goal with this, with playing football, is to be a great role model that a parent can look at their son and say, 'That's someone that is trying to do it the right way; he's not perfect but everyday he's trying to get better, he's trying to honor God, do the right thing, do what's right and do his best'." 

He knows who he is, he knows what he believes and he knows what his purpose is. He is a blessed man.

I truly admire who he is and what he is choosing to pursue during his time on earth. 

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

-1 Corinthians 10:31 

So as my wife and me basked in the triumph of a Tim Tebow lead Broncos team we smiled at each other with a look that stated; "we get it."

It wasn't an arrogant or smug look, it was just a look of we believe in what God can do in another person's life.

We believe in what He is doing in our lives.

And if God wants Tim Tebow to be a quarterback in the NFL then he is going to be a quarterback in the NFL.

We believe in the power of God.

Period. 

And as easy as it is to get caught up in the emotion of the game and wanting everyone one to be proved wrong, it honestly has nothing to do with the game, but it has everything to do with the post game press conference. It was the acknowledgement of his God given forum and platform, his desire to be a role model and his purpose to make a difference in generations to come with a hospital he is building in the Philippines. 

It has to do with who he is and what he stands for. 
 

It has to do with the way he has lead his life since being on the national scene at the University of Florida.

It has to do with him being committed, being consistent and him having a laser like focus and approach on what he wants to do with his life. 

In the end he wants to serve God. And I think that is pretty cool.

 #15

What else is pretty cool is the number he wears.

The number 15.

When I began to look through my Bible after the game I became intrigued with Tim's jersey number. I have always put a certain value on and attributed a specific meaning to the number I worn in high school and college, and I do the same with the numbers my kids wear since they began playing sports.

For those keeping score at home the number 2 and 3 are big in our house. There are too many reasons to go into why we love those numbers other than to say we just do.

So as I began my journey with the number 15 I found out some very interesting facts:

• 15 represents the perfect 3-dimensional expression - 3 x 5.
• It is the atomic number of phosphorus.
• Many Jewish holidays begin on the 15th of the month.
• It represents the number of days in each of the 24 cycles of the Chinese calendar.
• The number of guns in a gun salute to Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force Lieutenant Generals, and Navy and Coast Guard Vice Admirals is 15.
• Noah's Ark rose 15 cubits. It was the first time 15 was mentioned in the Bible. (Gen. 7:20)
• Fifteen years were added to the life of Hezekiah by God who was suffering from a mortal sickness. (2 Kings 20:5-6)
• The cross of Jesus had a length of fifteen feet.

Like I said, interesting.

As I journeyed along with my faithful companion, curiosity, I began to count the books of Bible in the New Testament and discovered that the fifteenth book in the New Testament was, you guessed it, 1 Timothy. 

I was blown away. 

Maybe this is why Tebow wears the number 15 I thought to myself? I have no idea, but I would be lying if I didn't admit that I was more than a little enthused with the irony of the entire matter.

In taking the number thing one step further I looked up 1 Timothy 1:5; it states:

"The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith."

-1 Timothy 1:5

Wow!

I really didn't know what to say. That verse represents who Tim Tebow is to a, dare I say, " T ".

I believe... always have, always will!

As I continued my research into the number fifteen I was made aware of its Biblical significance. As all of us are aware, fifteen is 3 x 5 mathematically, but Biblically speaking three represents divine perfection and five represents grace, therefore, fifteen is often seen in association with divine grace, or the free unmerited favor of God.

I think it is fair to say that we all have witnessed God's favor upon number 15's life.

And football is just part of the story.

Ah yea football.

When I think about Tim Tebow and football two things come to mind; the media and God's word.

I'm not going to say that every football expert or media talking head are hell bent on seeing Tebow fail, just as I won't say that everyone that wants him to succeed are right wing conservative Christians that have no athletic perspective or football intellect, and that they only have a religious point to make or some cross to bear concerning Tebow's exploit and wanted success on Sunday afternoons.

I think it's somewhere in the middle.

I believe the criticism about his natural, or unnatural, throwing motion and his inability to consistently hit wide open receivers are valid. I also believe there are more than a few Christians that understand the criticism and are interested in him because of his football skill and his faith; all the while hoping, and praying, for his success in the NFL.

I would be one of those in the ladder group that is praying, and hoping, for his on and off the field success.

Most of what we hear out of the media is pretty consistent; he can't play quarterback, but the best and most encouraging words I have heard, and read, come by way of CBS Sports anchorman Solomon Wilcots concerning his praise for the virtues that define Tim Tebow:

Solomon Wilcots

"That's the thing, Craggs. We're all too smart for God these days, and to believe in Tim Tebow is to believe in God in a world that tells us God is an impossibility, and that Tim Tebow is a bad quarterback because a bunch of guys on television said so. Well, screw that. We need some new heroes."

I couldn't agree more.

I mentioned earlier that there were two things that came to mind when thinking about Tebow and football; the media and God's word.

In God's word the scripture that comes to mind is the one that I stated at the beginning of this piece; 1 Samuel 16:7:

"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart'."

Too many pundits, players and professors of football look at all the externals. They hang their hat on that his time on the field, like his throwing motion, is ugly. They say you can't win long term with this kid; "great leader; terrible QB, you can't win a Super Bowl with him."

All that may be true.

But I believe in a God that doesn't bother with outward appearances and the opinions and views of the world. He listens very little to the arguments of why Tebow can't succeed in the NFL. If I have said it once I have said a thousand times; "If God wants that young man to be a NFL quarterback then a NFL quarterback he will be."

I believe what God looks at is this young man's heart, and his heart is centered around the belief that Jesus Christ died on the cross for his sins and if he believes in his heart, thinks in his mind and confess with his tongue his faith in God, and the truth of the cross, he too will have eternal salvation.

I believe this too.

I'm committed to the belief that Tebow will be in the NFL as a successful QB as long as God deems it necessary to accomplish all He wants to accomplish through number 15.

God's will is paramount, not winning football games.  

There is nothing wrong with winning football games , but I believe that God's will for Tebow's life is much bigger than that.

I also believe that he will have more than just cup of coffee and his allotted 15 minutes of fame in the NFL, because minutes, hours and football seasons is not what ultimately motivates this kid, its eternity that he has his attention on.

And that's all this kid is about.

It's Tim Tebow Time!

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People Get Ready . The Impressions

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Heart Condition (re-post 1.30.11)

Surgery: the art, practice, or work of treating diseases, injuries, or deformities by manual or operative procedures.

Cordis

The Latin word for heart is "cordis".  

The Latin root word for "cordis" is "cor".

From this mini Latin lesson we gain a little deeper understanding of why the core of an apple is the "heart" of the apple, and the core of an argument is essentially the "heart" of an argument.

The core is the center and this is where we often find our starting point on many issues that concern us.

As this Latin word traveled to its English resting place, it did so by way of the French. The French made a few changes, as only the French can do, and changed the spelling to "coeur". From this change we have words like "courage" (one must have a great deal of "heart" to be courageous), encourage (to give someone "heart" to carry out an act), and discourage, which means to give someone a "heart apart" about a particular situation, that is, to dissuade someone from doing something.

As I write this piece I can't help but fall in love with the fact that when we encourage one another we are literally "giving them heart" to carry out a certain act or deed.

That is powerful.

The condition of our heart is also powerful. Our heart can be an ambassador for compassion, passion and empathy, or it can be agent for selfishness, arrogance and pride.  Proverbs 4:23 states; "Above all else, guard your hearts, for it affects everything you do." 

The fact that our heart affects everything we do is a powerful, and somewhat frightful, thought.

The type of heart we have as individuals is paramount. 

In the story of the "Farmer Scattering Seed", found in Mark 4:1-9, Jesus, in the form of a parable, shows us the four different types of a heart an individual can have.

The FIRST heart is a heart that is HARDENED. 

"Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across the field, some seed feel on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it."

-Mark 4:3-4 

It is a sad reality that when a heart becomes hardened it becomes cold. It is unable to love or to accept love. When we have unconfessed sin, unresolved conflict, an unrestrained appetite and unforgiveness in our lives we produced a hardened heart. I could write extensively and exclusively about the reasons for a hardened heart (unconfessed sins, unresolved conflict, unrestrained appetite and unforgiveness for what the world has to offer and unforgiveness), but I will not. I will only say that nothing can grow or be planted in a heart that has been hardened that has any lasting value excecpt the love of Jesus Christ.

The SECOND heart is a heart that is HURRIED.

"Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plant sprang up quickly, but it soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil."

-Mark 4:5-6

A hurried heart is often a shallow heart. People that tend to have a shallow heart tend to be overly emotional. Many times their intentions are strong but their resolve is weak. They often start out fast without counting the costs when tackling a task or tackling needed change in their life. People that fit this description often fade fast when difficulties arrive on the scene and when discipline is needed to carry on and to succeed. Shallow hearts give up when the cost seems too much. Shallow hearts, like shallow people, are often displeased and are selfish people. In the end their roots are not very deep. I'm familiar with this type of heart because it describes my heart for more years than I care to remember. I have learned that for me to avoid a hurried heart I must spend time in God's word and in prayer. Roots, like tress, grow when the wind is the strongest; adversity often allows our roots to grow deeper in God's soil if we allow them to. Prayer and reading His word will aid us immensely in the process of growing deeper roots.

The THIRD heart is a heart that is HASSLED. 

"Other seed fell among thorns that shot up and chocked out the tender blades so that it produced no grain."

-Mark 4:7

A hassled heart is often a distracted heart. It is distracted by life and the many different trials and tribulations it has to offer. A hassled heart is overwhelmed by adversity and challenges, and that reality leads to a very distracted person. The three causes for a hassled heart is distraction -when we are distracted we miss God's opportunities and blessings, deceitful pursuit of riches and desires for things that have no eternal value. Life has a way of distracting us when we lack perspective and purpose, deceitful pursuits is nothing more than a ladder leaning on the wrong building with little, or no, support and desires that are lustful and are of no value prove to be empty once that desire is obtained. More times than not what we think we need we don't and want we incorrectly desire and want is never enough. When I look back at my past I realize that when I had nothing in the world's eye I was never left without having exactly what I needed. God always provides. In the end, when we have a hassled heart we have a heart that chokes the word of God in our life and the power that it He wants to delivers to us. I have also found that a hassled heart often has a poor choice of friends that it surrounds itself with. Poor friends are often the "weeds" and "thorns" in our lives. Landscape your life and rid yourself of all the weeds and thorns that are growing around your life and around your heart.

The FOURTH heart is a heart that is HOLY. 

"Still other seed fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty and even a hundred times as much as had been planted."

-Mark 4:8

A holy heart is a heart that is entrusted in God's protective hand. A holy heart hears the word, receives the word and acts upon God's word. A holy heart bears good fruit for the world to see. The testimony of a holy heart resides in the believer's actions more than in their words. It is a simple fact that there are "five" gospels in the bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and "The Christian", and that the majority of people will never read the first four; they will only observe "The Christian". "The Christian" will be watched at work, observed at the little league diamond and viewed from afar at the grocery store. "The Christian" will be observed to see if there is truly a holy heart within all who claim to have a personal relationship with God. To have a holy heart we have to accept God into our heart and live a life that is controlled by the Holy Spirit. We cannot do it alone. Galatians 5:22 shares with us; "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce the kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Here there is no conflict with the law." That verse paints a wonderful picture for me of what a "Holy Heart" looks like.

In 1888 a man by the name of Ludvig Nobel died while visiting France. A newspaper in France erroneously published his brother's obituary. His brother was still alive. The obituary exclaimed "Le marchand de la mort est mort" ("The merchant of death is dead"). The obituary went on to say "that the doctor who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday."

The brother was so disappointed with what he read and concerned with how he would be remembered that he signed his last will and set aside a majority of his estate ($250 million dollars) to establish and fund an annual international award that would recognize cultural and scientific achievements.

The award is the Nobel Prize and the man was Alfred Nobel. 

Alfred Nobel

(10.21.1833 – 12.10.1896)

Ludvig's brother, Alfred, created a fortune for his invention of dynamite. 

The reason I share this story with you is not to condemn Dr. Nobel for his invention, but to praise him for his desire to look inward and reconstruct his heart. I have no idea what his intention was when he invented dynamite or if he believed in God, but what I do know is that he didn't like the legacy he was going to leave behind because of his life's work.  

Because of this dislike he decided that he wanted to change his legacy.

And he changed it forever.

As I get older I realize that the legacy that I leave for my children, and their children someday, is vitally important. And it is because of this and the story of Dr. Nobel I now understand more clearly that we all can be a surgeon and perform surgery on our own hearts.

We, along with God's providential hand, can change what we don't like others seeing in us and through us. We can also change, along with God's guiding hand, what we don't like when we look in the mirror.

We can change our legacy.

An Indian (not Native American) proverb states; "Whatever you are overflowing with you will spill out when you're bumped."  When we are annoyed, irritated, disrespected, cut off in traffic, insulted, talked about, lied about and "bumped" by another we will spill out onto others what our heart is full of.

As you read this what fills your heart? Is it forgiveness, love and kindness or is it malice, hatred and revenge?

What do you spill onto others when you're bumped? 

What condition is your heart in?

Is it hardened, hurried or hassled? Or are you like me and your heart is known to be a little of all three?  

Or is your heart on the path of becoming more Holy? 

The Latin phrase "ex abundantia enim cordis os loquitur" translated in English is "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."

What does your mouth, and actions, say about your heart?

What is the condition of your heart?

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

-Mark 4:13-20

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What About Love?  .  Heart

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p.s. -remember we can't spell "heart" without the word "hear"... nothing says we care more than intently listening to the words that flow from another person's heart. When you truly hear another person you give them your heart.

YES

Affirmation: the act or an instance of affirming; state of being affirmed. The assertion that something exists or is true.

Yes means yes and no means no, neither are to be confused with maybe.

When I reflect on the word "yes" I realize how often I've instructed my children to learn how to say no. The conversations are numerous where instruction is given to saying no over yes. 

Parents preach it, true friends endorse it and financial advisers live by it. 

Maybe this is so because life is replete with example after example of people saying yes to things they ought not. I know personally I have said yes to many things I wish I had not. I have said yes to dishonesty and disrespect; gossip and selfishness. I've said yes to promiscuity, lying and self righteousness; arguing and arrogance.

It is safe to say that I've said yes to poor choices and poor behavior more than a few times in my life.

It has been said many times over that we are what we do. Let me rephrase that; we are what we decide to do.

Everything starts with the mind; a thought. Proverbs 23:7 states; "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."

We are what we think; what we do.

Many words and phrases have been written about our thoughts and behavior; below is my favorite:

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

In 1902 a literary essay written by James Allen entitled; As a Man Thinketh states; "A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts." 
 

The guiding principle to be reminded of from God's word and James' mouth is to focus on our thinking and realize what we think about will shape our actions, and decide what we say yes to and what we say no to.

In the end our decisions determine our destiny.

Our choices shape our future.

Remember, it pleases God, and ultimately us, when we say YES to God.

4 Points; 2 men 

Throughout God's word there are examples of men and women that said yes to God, and sadly, there are many accounts of people that chose to say no to God. If you were to read 1st & 2nd Samuel, Kings and Chronicles you will realize that all six books are made up of many things but most notably they are books filled with scripture that demonstrate in great detail the surmise of those who said no to God and the many blessings to those that said yes. 

  

Noah and David were two men that said yes to God; saying yes early and often.

In Genesis chapter 6 we as the reader are introduced to the story of Noah; verses 5 through 7 highlight God's dismay with all of his creation:

⁵ The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. ⁶ So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. ⁷ And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 

-Genesis 6:5-7

God chooses to start over and He chooses Noah. I think it's important to pause for just a moment and reflect upon the fact that God saw in His infinite wisdom the importance and the positive impact starting over can have. There isn't a figure in the bible, a seat in church that isn't occupied or any redeemed soul that doesn't have a story of "starting over".

Starting over implies promise; new beginnings provide and restore hope.

And with Noah God decided to start over.

A new beginning was to be created with Noah at the helm because as Genesis 6:9 states; "Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God's will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him." 

God's word reveals to us that Noah's core character was being formed, his outside reputation was secure and he consistently walked with God enjoying a close relationship with his savior. 

God gave Noah the plan that He was going to flood the earth and the instructions that He wanted him to build an ark. I think it's important to note that God will never have a plan for any area of our life without providing instruction to us that will be revealed through His word, and through fasting and prayer; instructions that will aid us in carrying out His plan if we are obedient to His calling.

God's plan for our lives takes an active participation on our part.

 

Point 1: Obedience

Though God gave Noah the plan and the instruction, Noah still had to be obedient and say yes to God. Noah said yes to something that had never been seen; something that had never been experienced, an ark and a flood. The only promoting of his replied yes of obedience was the spoken word of God.

Obey is a late 13th century word derived from the Latin word oboedire, which literally means for one to give ear; listen to (ob = "to" and audire = "listen, hear"). Webster defines obey as to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions of; to submit or conform in action to some guiding principle, impulse, one's conscience, etc. To be obedient.

In Hebrew the word Shama is primarily used throughout the Old Testament to describe obedience. The word has as its primary root the meaning, "to hear intelligently." In Greek the word Hupakouo is widely substituted in the New Testament for the word obedience. The word is made up of two words that have two distinct meanings: hupo meaning under or beneath, and akouo meaning to hear. Thus the meaning of the word could be stated as "to hear under." Hupakouo carries with it the idea of subordination or the recognition of authority and wisdom. 

It is an attitude of hearing.

To be truly obedient we have to first listen to the correct thing with a discerning ear. We have to listen to the correct source and then we have to act upon what we heard with full submission, and without hesitation or reservation. 

Obedience is an attitude of heart toward a higher authority.

Obedience is about hearing and acting.

It is very tough thing to do, but that's what obedience is all about.

Point 2: Pro-active & Steadfast

Not only was Noah's yes pro-active in the sense that he agreed to be committed to the task at hand before a drop a rain was seen, he was also steadfast in his resolve as he and his family waited on the ark, with all the animals, for seven days before the rain began. I don't know about you, but I can't keep my family quite for longer than two minutes in a traffic jam on I-270 let alone keep me and my families sanity, or belief, on an ark for seven days waiting for something that had never been seen and standing in something that had never before been built. As Genesis chapter seven reviews in great detail the seven day drought that Noah and his family experienced it also revealed to the reader Noah's persistence. Noah stuck it out in the midst of a dry spell and stuck with it after the promise was given and before the fulfillment was experienced.

Sometimes the yes of faith starts with a flurry, ends with a bang, but struggles to hold true in the middle and in-between times.

The good news is that God is with us in the beginning, in the middle and in the end of any journey of faith we entertain or encounter.

He will see us through. He always has and He always will.

Point 3: Faith & Action

Like obeying, faith requires action. Noah's YES required his faith to be put into action, enabling him to cooperate with God's desire in order for God's plan to be fulfilled. The key principle for all is to heed God's instructions, do the work with diligence and persistent, and then wait. 

Waiting most times is the most difficult task. Waiting is difficult because it requires faith in the midst of seeing nothing. 

In the end, what Noah's faithfulness built was more than an Ark. What Noah built was a safe refuge for his family and future generations of all of God's creations. What Noah also built was hope for generations to come.

Noah was a generation changer.

Point 4: Sacrifice 

The last point or characteristic to saying the kind of yes that pleases God is introduced by a man that was truly after God's own heart. He was a flawed man that had the deepest desire to serve God in every way he could, that man was David.

In 2 Samuel 24 David is the King, preparing to offer sacrifice to the Lord. The chapter reveals to us that a local farmer realizes that King David is on his property and insists that he take his land, his oxen to give to the lord. David replies:

"No I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing flour and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them."

-2 Samuel 24:24 

David understood what it meant to sacrifice. 

Sacrifice is defined as the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim. Sacrifice is derived from the Latin word oblatio that literally means "to offer." We get the word oblation, the act of making an offering, from oblatio.

Another way to explain sacrifice is to remember it as the willingness to give up something you love in order to give something to someone you love more.

In the end, sacrifice is an act of worship.

Yes Equals Sacrifice

Today many people across our state and local communities will be saying yes and no to political personalities, policies and issues. As many of us exercise one of our greatest rights and privileges by voting at the voting polls we will again crowd the voting booth with belief and bias; concern and assumption. The reasons are many and volumes have been written about why we decided to say yes or no, but the underlying reason we say no and say yes is because of what we believe deep within us.

What we believe is our reality, at times which can be good; other times that which can be awful.

Over the years, understanding how people arrive at the choices they arrive at has received much attention in the area of cognitive psychology.

As I mentioned, people make political decisions, they make decisions in the areas of finance, health and career. We all make personal decisions and decisions concerning romance.

Countless studies have confirmed that some of the most consistent and major influences for decision making is past experiences, cognitive biases, age and individual differences, belief in personal relevance, socioeconomic background and finally, the escalation of commitment.

And though I could go into great detail why each of these qualities are good qualities to entertain while making a decision, many, if not all of them, will fail us if we solely depend on them when making a decision.

Faith is the key. 

Faith is needed in something greater than our past experiences or education level. A kind of faith that is entrenched in something more powerful than our thought patterns that are based upon observations, generalizations and, or socioeconomic background. Faith is needed that is even greater than how we were raised or what we have grown to believe.

Our Faith must be in God and His sovereign hand and His divine providence.

Noah, many of his contemporaries and countless others since biblical times have made decisions based on faith.

Good decisions; decisions that pleased God.

Faith is what makes the academic elite roll their collective eye and drive the non believer crazy. But it is our faith and decisions based upon our faith, which is consistent with God's word, which pleases God the most. John 20:29 states; Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me." And Hebrews 11:1 shares with the reader; "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

It is impossible to believe in God or to please God without faith. 

Below is an excerpt from the book; Obedience: The Key to Our Problems by Stephen J. Hulshizer where he say's this:

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear [reverence], prepared an ark" (Hebrews 11:7). There are several things that immediately become apparent about Noah as we consider this verse: he had faith in God, he listened to God, he had a fear of God, and he acted for God. How do we know that Noah had faith in God? Did he fully understand the reason for building such a large ship in a place where it had never rained? Did he question God's wisdom or authority? No, Noah heard under (Hupakouo). His trust was in God. What He said, Noah did. Note that Noah acted out of reverence for God. That is a holy fear, or recognition of the authority resident in his God. Is this true of us, or do we question the reason or want a full explanation before we act?"

I wish I could add something to that, but I can't. 

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Finally, at the church I attend, Cypress Wesleyan, we have begun a campaign called YES. Speaking in the affirmative, the YES campaign is about moving forward and saying YES to Christ. Saying Yes to God is about inviting Him into your heart and starting a personal relationship with Christ. For those that already have made a personal commitment to God based on the commitment He first made to us by allowing His son to die on the cross for our sins saying YES is about saying YES to God in the small details and the large areas of our lives.

Saying yes today, tomorrow and forever.

And as we go forward with our YES campaign at Cypress we move forward with the foundation being built upon touching & transforming lives, sparking a kid's revolution, building a Sports Health & Wellness Center and being fiscally responsible while doing so.

We are not just building physical structures; we are building a future, a future that can, and will, impact thousands upon thousands of lives for generations to come. When Noah built his ark, he built more than ship. He built hope for future generations. He became, like Cypress has the chance to become, a generation changer.

That is powerful... read it again.

In the end saying Yes to God and His will for your life is what really counts.

The YES campaign is more than a campaign purse' or just another building project, saying YES is about making a difference in other people's lives and while doing so making a difference in our own life.

Yes Equals Sacrifice.

Yes Equals Strength.

Yes Equals Service.

Yes Equals Servanthood.

Yes Equals Selflessness.

Yes Equals Salvation.

And isn't that what saying Yes is ultimately about?

 

...Yes it is!

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Rock Steady . Sting

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Fall Back

Time: the system of those sequential relations that any event has to any other, as past, present, or future; indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another. (2) A system or method of measuring or reckoning the passage of time: mean time; apparent time; Greenwich Time

 

 

 

It's nice to go back in time from time to time.

 

 

It's that time of year again; time to set back our clocks. Tonight, while turning back your clocks one hour remember the words of David in the 39th chapter of the book of Psalm:

 

"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered--how fleeting my life is.You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath."

-Psalm 39:4-5

 

 

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 Time (Clock of the Heart)  .  Culture Club

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