an interesting journey

I'm discovering the longer I hang out with God the more I discover that I know very little. I've been hanging out with God over 20 years now and in some ways feel like I'm just beginning. This walking with Jesus is sure an interesting journey. Somedays I feel like I know what this journey is all about - other days, like today, I just can't get my head around it. Aren't relationships funny things, and my relationship with Jesus is no different.

join the revolution

A friend of mine has joined the blogging revolution. She's just beginning but I'm sure will have some interesting and challenging things to say. Check out her site at http://uncontained.blogspot.com/

success

In light of my last blog - here's a question. "What is success anyway?" Try finishing this statement: "I am successful when ..."
Here's some of my answers to get you going.
I am successful when ... my kids know I'm available just to hang out with them ... my wife feels appreciated ... people ask me about Jesus because of how I live ... relationships are more important than my bank account ...
Now why don't you give it a go.

the "56 hour secret"

Did you know the average successful business person or minister works 56 hours a week! That is the number I've heard from a few places lately. Success it seems is a result of both a great idea and hard work. The question for me is this: "Am I willing to pay the price?"

a flash of brilliance

I'm never ceased to be amazed by what happens when a person with passion is allowed to run with an idea. Sure having control is much more comfortable, is less stressful, and often means a more consistent result, but ultimately results in something that is "ordinary" or "nice".
This week I want to award to a friend of mine the "flash of brilliance" award for her efforts organising a brilliant cafe church. Kell you are one of my heroes. Go girl!

disciplines

What a strange word combination "Spiritual Disciplines" is. But have you noticed that in life freedom actually comes through discipline not laxness. The freedom that is the result of health is a result of the discipline of healthy living. The freedom of the spirit comes from the spiritual disciplines. Check out the link for an interesting article called "Spiritual Growth for Leaders."

gorilla moments

A 30-second film shows six people playing basketball, three in white shirts and three in black. Volunteers are asked to count how many times the white shirt team pass the ball. At the end of the film, they are asked if they saw anything unusual. Most do not. The unusual thing is: halfway through the film, a man wearing a gorilla suit walks through the players, beats his chest to the camera, then walks off.
When shown the film again, people are utterly surprized to see him, to the extent that they often believe a different film has been substituted for the original one. Their focus on one task has blinded them to a truth.
This film trick illustrates a simple fact - that if we are only looking for one thing, we do not usually see anything different. This forms the basis of Professor Richard Wiseman's new book 'Did You Spot the Gorilla? How to Recognise Hidden Opportunities'. The point at which people finally see the unexpected is what he calls a 'gorilla moment'.
(This comes from "Web Evangelism Bulletin" found at http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/webull04aug2.php)

10 things to settle by age 40

Maxwell writes ... "When I was 40, I put together a list of 10 powerful, practical things every young leader should do early in life—by the time he or she turns 40, at the latest. We've already discussed one of them: Develop your philosophy of life. In this issue of Leadership Wired, I'll cover four more, and in the next issue I'll complete the list. Here we go:
1. Know yourself.This isn't some philosophical mystery; it's actually quite simple. Knowing yourself means being acutely aware of your strengths and weaknesses. It means knowing what you do well and what you don't do so well. That way you can work in your strength zone, where your most significant opportunity for growth and success lies, as opposed to focusing on your weak zone, where all you'll find is frustration and stagnation.
2. Settle your family life.Identify the issues that are affecting your family and figure out how to deal with them. Marriage always takes work, but it's pretty sad when two 40-year-olds are still struggling with the same problems they had when they got married 18 years ago. You may not resolve every issue entirely; you and your spouse may have to agree to disagree on some items. The key is to be comfortable with your differences so you can move forward together.
3. Determine your priorities.By the time you hit 40, you should have your priorities set. You should know how you want to spend your time and to what you want to devote your life. The following statement, which I've carried in my briefcase for years, highlights the importance of this:
"He who seeks one thing,May hope to achieve it before life is done.But he who seeks all things wherever he goesMust reap around him in whatever he sowsA harvest of barren regret."
4. Get physically fit.Early in life, people give up their health to gain wealth; later in their life, they give up their wealth to regain their health. That's how it often works, but it doesn't have to be that way. I'm not saying you have to be able to run a marathon. Just exercise and get yourself in decent shape. Don't put it off until later; start today. Trust me—whatever sacrifice this requires will pay dividends later.
You won't get these issues resolved overnight—they take time, thought, and in some cases, a great deal of sweat. But don't let the complexity of the task discourage you from starting the process. Remember, the sooner you settle all this, the better off you'll be.
(Note: click on the link and you will get the article online. You can then subscribe to the FREE newsletter.)

rejoice

This morning I did something I haven't done for a while. I wrote a list of things that I could thank God for from yesterday. As I got going I came to realise that I had more to rejoice about than I thought. Frankly, it made me realise what an ungrateful person I can become despite how blessed I am. "Lord help me recognise your multitude of blessings that I receive every day."

serial learner

I confess that I'm a serial learner. I love to read and learn and think about new things. Now that's in many ways a good trait, except when I keep on learning rather than applying.
I suspect that people who grow in wisdom are people committed to application as much as learning.
Here's an exercise that might drive this home.
Write a list of things that you know would be good to do but you're not doing.
Here's a few of mine: (1) Get up at 6am to spend time with God. (Started applying this yesterday and already experiencing the benefits.) (2) Do at least 3 lots of exercise each week. (3) Make the kids lunches more often. (This is something that my wife really appreciates.) (4) ... that's enough for now!
The idea is not to get legalistic about all this. The point is that most of us know more than we apply and every once in a while we need to stop and ask this type of question.

i'm just slow i suppose

Every once in a while I realise just how slow I am. I was praying the other day - moaning actually - about how God isn't answering my prayers. I was having a jolly good old winge and then I realised something - you might say God spoke into my heart - and he made me realise that most of my prayers were really just requests for God to do what I didn't want to do.
I think I'm come to realise that God won't act when I can. If I have a problem with someone and am not prepared to talk to them about it, then its my fault not Gods. But he will work when I really am at the end of my strength.

hearing god

Had an interesting discussion with my 10 year old daughter this morning. She told me that God doesn't speak to her. How do you explain to a 10 year old how God speaks. Honestly I've never heard God speak in a audible way - but I'm sure that I've heard from him pretty clearly in other ways. But I understand where she is coming from. At times I wonder if what I've heard is just in my head, just something I've wanted to hear.
I've got to acknowledge that I'm alot like Thomas - I just want to see and hear and touch Jesus to know he's really real. This living my faith is really really hard sometimes, .... and then God touches me in some way and I just know, really know, am absolutely convinced that my friendship with God is very real.

loneliness

Do you ever feel lonely? I've come to the conclusion that people who never feel lonely have yet to learn to live.
My gut feeling is that the only people who never feel lonely are the people who never spend time in real silence. Thesd days we live such noisy busy lives that it's easy to never be really alone, really in silence, really thinking.
I used to feel really uncomfortable with loneliness until I read a life changing book called "Inside Out" by Larry Crab. Now I recognise loneliness as a symptom of not yet knowing God in a way that I will one day know him. Loneliness is essentially thinking I need someone or something to make me feel valued, rather than realising that my essential sense of who I am can only come in a full relationship with God.
I dare you to spend some time in real silence and learn to live with the reality of some loneliness in life.

little things

Have you noticed that little things are not always so little. One of the most significant caring things that anybody has ever done was when a friend simple turned up and mowed my lawn. I hated mowing my lawn and my friend was caring enough to do something for me that I would really appreciate.
There is a great book called "Love Languages" by Gary Chapman (I think!) which helps you discover how you can give and receive love in a way that really counts.
Often it's not the 'size' of what you do, but 'what' you do that really makes the difference.
So why not do something for someone today that they would appreciate rather than what you think you would appreciate. But here's the real rub - you have to care enough to find out what they would appreciate in the first place.

fat

Just the other day my wife reminded me of my first every sermon. It was on the FAT principle. The FAT principle is about the characteristics we need to develop in our life. That of being Faithful, Available and Teachable. I guess if you want my definition of what I mean by "the heart" (see previous blog) then that's it.
Personally I look for people, who have some talent, but mostly who are FAT! FAT beats pure talent any day of the week.

the heart

Have you heard the comment that "they had the heart to win", that is it takes more than pure talent, it needs that bit extra. I wonder what will happen today in your and my life that will require more heart than talent?

a world class stirrer

Have you ever sat down and considered the writers who have most influenced your thinking?
One of my personal heroes is a guy called Tom Peters. Personally I think his worldview is wrong, he comments over the top, his perspectives sometimes wacky, but oh do I love the way he stirs me, challenges me, provokes me, and gets me to think from another perspective.
There are times I want to hug him, times I want to kill him, but never times I think, "gee that was nice."
To Tom Peters, and I agree, the worse thing is just doing a "nice job". Personally I want to achieve or blow it big time. The famous baseball player Babe Ruth had both the greatest 'strike rate' and the greatest 'strike out rate' in baseball history. (I think that's right.)
My prayer today is this, "God help me to take a big swing, sure I might miss, but if I connect the home run will be worth all the pain."

opportunity

How an abandoned child became a champion of the poor. David Bussau has lived and worked among the world's poor, had his life threatened by corrupt profiteers, been kidnapped by pirates and born witness to natural and man-made disasters. For the first time this orphan turned millionaire, entrepreneur, humanitarian and ultimately co-founder of Opportunity International, one of the world's largest aid organisations, allows his full story to be told in "Don't Look Back: The David Bussua Story" by Phillipa Tyndale.
(Personal note: Of all the people I've met, this guy is the least pretentious, yet amazingly productive person I've ever known.)

emotion

I'm trying to decide if new behaviour can bring new emotion.
Here's the rub. I'm a Kiwi and therefore find it really hard to cheer for an Aussie. But since I'm now an Aussie citizen I think I need to get over this hurdle.
The reality is that I would rather Aussie lose than win, unless playing the USA.
But the other morning I got up at 3am to cheer on Thorpe and Hackett. I didn't really feel like it, but after making the effort I can feel the early stirrings of emotion. It might only be 1%, maybe 2%, but its starting. As the olympics go on I will continue this experiment and maybe by the end I'll be a fullblooded Aussie supporter except of course when they compete against my beloved NZ.
"Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda. Who'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me?"

do you believe in coincidence?

No matter what happens some people simply call things coincidence. Others of us like to call some of them "Godincidences".
A famous writer once said (I can't remember his name): "It's funny, but coincidences happy more when I pray than we I don't pray."
The other day I got an email from a person I hadn't heard from in a long time. I passed the email on to my brother who "coincidently" had a dream about that person the night before.
Today I sent an email to another friend whom I hadn't heard from in about six months. Coincidently, that very hour, I got a text message from him without him being aware of my email.
Spooky? or Godincidence?

a great day

Here's an interesting idea. Write a list of things that would make 'great normal day' for you. I came up with 10 things, they are: (1) Got 8+ hours sleep, (2) Did 1/2 hour exercise, (3) Spent an hour with God, (4) Served my wife in a practical loving way, (5) Did some study or strategic planning, (6) Communicated with one of my key leaders, (7) Spent some focused time with my family, (8) Had some fun doing something I love like Judo, Squash, Scuba, etc, (9) Spent some time with friends, (10) Special time with my wife.
Now the job is make choice that help every day be a 'great day' by getting a score of at least 7/10.

the hope

Watched a fantastic 80 minute dvd which gave a very good overview of the entire bible. Watched it with my 8 year old daughter and we were both fascinated. The only problem was the hard questions I was asked. The dvd/video is called "The Hope" and can be found by doing a search at www.koorong.com.au. It's something that could be given to someone who wants to know more about the amazing story of the bible, or watched as family, or used in a bible study.

millions reading it

According to the Sydney Morning Herald last Saturday, this guy is the most sold author in the world at the moment. Who is it? It's Rick Warren and his book is called "Purpose Driven Life".
I started it before but plan to finish it this time. It's a book to be taken slow and thought about. It's a book with the subtitle "What on earth am I here for?". A very thought provoking and I suspect life changing read.

neutrality?

Stolen from Philbaker.net who borrowed from Sojourners who got it from somewhere.
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has his foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

beauty

The beauty of the world as seen in this phote at http://www.life.com/Life/classicpictures/winterlife/index.html surely reminds us of the creator.

alone?

If you've ever felt alone check out this guy. The first untethered space walk. http://www.life.com/Life/classicpictures/nasa/9.html

love

It just hit me again while watching the movie "The Climb" the incredible love God has for me. The bible puts it this way ... "when I was an enemy of God, Jesus died for me". At my worst God loves me, which enables me to turn to him and in return he gives me life like I have never known before.
If that's not awesome then I don't know what is.

a prayer

Lord help me be a more patient, kind, loving follower of you. I'm prone to letting frustrations burst out. Lord help me discover what you mean when you say, "Be still and know that I am God."

diary update

Purchased a diary and been going a couple of days. Already finding it helping my time with God. I find I pray so much better when I write my prayers. Makes me take more time to consider my requests and petitions. Good also to reflect on the day and consider how to grow tomorrow.

14th wedding anniversary

Thank goodness for the reminder function in Outlook. The reminder yesterday saved me from an embarrassing mistake of forgetting my wedding anniversary. So I took my lovely wife out tonight. We wandered the Glebe area and found an Indian restaurant just off Glebe Point Road. Only the second time I've even gone Indian but it was a real delight. $52 later and we left completely satisfied, but still found room for the tub of double chocolate icecream purchased at the IGA on the way home.

god's ultimate purpose

Reading "God's Ultimate Purpose" which is the first in a series of 8 commentaries by D M Lloyd-Jones on the book of Ephesians. What a wonderful, rich, and astounding commentary series. For anyone wanting to get into the real meat of the bible this guy is brilliant. The style may be a bit of a slog, but the results are worth every moment.

movie: Flywheel

Not many movies make me choke up. This one did. "Flywheel" is a movie about a used car salesman who comes to a turning point in his life. The storyline may be a bit patsy but the point is nevertheless made with humour and pointness. It's a movie worth seeing, especially by guys who are considering the point of their lives and where God fits into the picture.

diary

Decided I might try the diary thing again. It's an interesting thing to read back on your own personal journey and discover the things that have been learnt.