Live It

One action is more valuable than a thousand good intentions.

I know….I didn’t even give you time to prepare for that one, I just hit you with it. But my whole blog today is a little spontaneous and a bit of a spiritual rabbit punch.

I’m sitting here reading a place in Luke where Jesus is teaching and speaking the wisdom and truth of God when all of the sudden a woman calls out and says, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you!” Jesus stops, pauses for a moment and says, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

What???... Maybe the most influential statement on obedience to God in all of scripture. He literally said the favor and blessing over your life is richer and more prolific by merely DOING what you read in God’s word than if you had given birth to the savior of the world.

Jesus was relentless in his teaching when it came to this issue of ACTION. He knew it was and is what separates advancement from abandonment. Let’s have a moment of truth shall we? No dream comes true by itself and the measure of a person is not in his dream but in his action.

I have never heard of anyone stumbling onto something big while sitting down. A quaint poem written by a late poet from northern Kentucky simply says, “Sitting still and wishing makes no person great, the good Lord made the fish but we must dig the bait.”

I’ve been preparing today for my message on Sunday, as I do every week. And every week people trek out to listen, but the true test of the message is not the listener walking away saying, “What an inspirational set of concepts and ideas.” The true test of the message is what Pilate declared and asked the Jews, “What shall I now do with Jesus which is called Christ?”

Some people indeed find life as well as the Christian experience empty not because there is nothing to it, but because they put nothing INTO it.

THE DEVIL DOESN’T MIND YOUR PROFESSING FAITH JUST AS LONG AS YOU DON’T PRACTICE IT. The truth is most of us are educated well beyond the level of our obedience, but it is in obedience only, where what we hope for becomes reality.

Mark twain once rightly noted, “Thunder is good but lightning does the work.” You got that right. Every time we hear truth and refuse to do it we allow a form of deception into our lives because no matter how we slice it if we agree and declare it to be true and don’t do it the cold hard fact is we really don’t believe it.

There have been hundreds if not thousands of books written about the Secret of Success but I believe people secretly don’t want to really know the secret of success because deep down they suspect that secret may be HARD WORK.

I heard one man say, “I’m not afraid of hard work, I can lay down right next to it and sleep like a baby.” While that may be humorous, refusal to work the vision means the death of the dream.

I am haunted by an image of me standing before God and seeing the lives I could have changed but didn’t simply because it required some extra effort. Nobody gets everything right every time and the great news is God knows that.

The scripture never reprimands the soul for failure after all this is what created the advent of GRACE. What the scripture addresses is never trying, never doing and never attempting.

My question for you this week is what is it you know to do but are not doing? Has God put something or maybe someone in your path or in your heart and you have not acted on it? Miracles happen ONLY when we move.

I told God seventeen years ago if he opened doors and would help me I would go anywhere, anytime and do anything for Him, that’s why next week I’ll be blogging from Prague in the Czech Republic while I’m there preaching and teaching to 150 Pastors from Budapest, Hungary and Poland.

God has a dream for you, friend. Don’t be afraid to say yes and run hard after Him, trust me when I tell you you’ll be glad you did.

As always take 20 seconds and tell me and the others who read this weekly blog what you think.

Thanks for participating and I’ll see you next week from Europe.

All for Christ,
J. Mark

Excellence

I believe that more problems in this world have been caused by the weakness of good than by the strength of evil.

Evil proliferates not so much because of the wicked but because of the weak who disagree with it but do nothing.

THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO DO THE RIGHT THING. The true measure of a person is found in his height of ideals, the breadth of his sympathy, the depth of his convictions, and the length of his patience.

The book of James in the Bible is so powerful simply because it’s so practical. The point of the moment of truth today is found in this book of wisdom when it says, "To the one who knows to do the right thing and doesn’t do it, to him it is a sin.”

What does it mean to be a person of excellence? Well, I am certain there are as many definitions out there as there are people who read this weekly blog, but let me share with you what it means to me at this particular stage of my life and walk with God.

To me it’s about sincerely seeking what is true and right, and what is just and pure. It is a quest for the heart and mind of God and a deep longing for His thoughts and ideas about everything in my life from my relationship with my wife and children to the ministry and responsibility to which He has called and equipped me for.

And once I am convinced I know His heart on these issues…..DOING IT WITHOUT RESERVATION OR HESITATION. To stall or hesitate means to question His authority in my life and to entertain the vain ideology that perhaps I know better than Him.

IF YOU WANT GREATNESS, THEN FORGET ABOUT PURSUING GREATNESS. EARNESTLY PURSUE GOD’S WILL AND THEN YOU WILL FIND BOTH.

It is a great day in a man’s life when he discovers that God is far more concerned with him being Holy than He is with him being happy. Don’t get me wrong the two are not mutually exclusive but the world would have you believe they are.

The mantra of the world is “Live only for yourself” and their theme song is “If it makes YOU happy, then do it.” How utterly empty and decaffeinated the life lived only for itself is.

True happiness is only found in holiness and holiness is simply about following the Fathers purposes and plans for our lives. True success has really nothing to do with the amount of money you have or where you live or what you drive. Success is peace of mind that comes from knowing you did your very best and left nothing in the bag in your pursuit of God and His will for your life.

With God’s grace I have settled, determined and concluded that I will not be a dropout, a cop out, or a holdout but through his strength I am determined to be A SOLD OUT. When you stand for what’s right, then you win, even if it seems like you “lost.”

I seem to remember a scripture here….hmmmmm…something about losing one’s life to find it, you remember it don’t you? Jesus did his best to frame the picture of what a life lived sold out to God would look like and He is our ultimate example of TRUE SUCCESS.

I read this quote 3 days ago and have come back to it several times since. Richard Huseman said, “Be driven by excellence. To be driven by excellence we must ask one important question: Have we demanded enough of ourselves, and by our example, inspired those around us to put forth their best effort and achieve God’s dream for their life?”

Oh God, help me….let my life matter to and for someone else, but ultimately for you. Take a few seconds and leave a comment, your words encourage me and others as well.

Until next week, when you know the right thing to do, JUST DO IT.

All for Christ,
J. Mark

Fail-Safe??

Those who expect nothing are never disappointed, and those who never try anything never have to deal with failure.

But what kind of a life is that?

Trust me, anyone who is currently achieving anything in life or ministry, is simultaneously risking failure. It is always better to fail at doing something than to excel at doing nothing. I don’t care how mangled it is, a flawed diamond is still more valuable than a perfect brick.

I have somewhat of an obsession with studying and observing great leaders in life and history and I have discovered that one of the differences between average leaders and excellent leaders is how they perceive and respond to failure. In fact, there is a distinct correlation between spiritual maturity and how quickly one responds and rebounds from failure.

People who are spiritually less developed seem to have a tendency to hold on to their past failures longer than those who are stronger in their faith. Here is a huge moment of truth for you….FAILURE IS JUST A SITUATION, NEVER A PERSON.

Paul Galvin, at the age of thirty-three, had twice failed miserably in enterprise. Then he attended an auction of his own storage-battery business and, with his last $750, bought back the battery-elimination portion of it. This part later became a little side-venture called MOTOROLA. Upon his retirement in the late 1960’s, he advised his company in his last address with these words, “Never fear mistakes, you...will…know…failure, but it is not a force to be feared but rather a fact to be faced. The mistake-riddled life is much richer, more interesting, and more stimulating than the life that has never taken a stand and believed for something great.”

I read these words and something inside me screams…bring it on! God holds in reserve His greatest power and favor for those who jump in water over their head and dare to strive for things beyond the safe and comfortable places.

The man who invented the eraser had the human race pretty well figured out but I try to always keep in mind that there is more lead in the pencil than eraser at the top. As long as I write more than I erase I’ll eventually complete the novel. In other words, always focus on what’s left not on what you have lost.

The book of Ecclesiastes offers this instruction, "In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider.” Translation… whenever you fall, pick something up while your down there. The only true failure is never learning from your mistakes. The key to truly being free from the stranglehold of past failures and mistakes is this: LEARN THE LESSON AND FORGET THE DETAILS.

The enemy never wants us to remember the lessons, his goal is to get us trapped and bogged down in the details of our failures. The secret is to gain from the experience while not allowing the experience to dominate your life. I have fallen down and I’m sure I will again, it’s a part of dreaming, pressing, building and striving. But what I know is that my CALL is always greater than my FALL.

What about you, tell me what you think. I had some great responses last week. Take 20 seconds and leave a comment so someone can benefit from your thoughts and encouragement.

Thanks for reading and participating and I’ll catch you next week.

All for Christ,
J.Mark

Dream On

Have you ever said something or done something that you thought would excite people and be well received only to be shocked and devastated by a flurry of negative response?

I’ll bet I just got an amen from somebody, somewhere.

I sincerely strive for wisdom in everything I do, especially in dealing with people and leadership as a Pastor. But I have also come to understand that there are some unavoidable trials and companions to visionary leadership that must be accepted.

One of those is the fact that not everyone will always be excited about your dreams and the vision that God gives you. It doesn’t mean they are bad people, it just means that sometimes not everybody gets it. The key is to understand that criticism is a normal occurrence that always surrounds dreamers and to not allow the dream to be surrendered simply because some negativity is present.

At times, ingratitude and criticism are merely prices you pay for leaping past mediocrity and daring something others are not doing. Jesus healed a man and changed his life forever, but because of the time in which he did it, he was horribly criticized. In another place He heals ten lepers only to have one return to say thank you while the other nine continued on their way ungrateful for His time and effort.

Learn this lesson well, if you move with God you WILL be critiqued and questioned often, however, no one can ever make you feel average without your permission. Whenever God calls you to leave His mark you will always attract erasers but it doesn’t matter as long as you stay the course.

I love the Celtic proverb that says, “It is useless for sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism, if the wolves refuse to participate with the legislation.” What it means is, nothing will change no matter who says what if everyone doesn’t agree and participate.

It is unrealistic to think everyone will always agree or see the same value as you do over what God is calling you to do. Let me give you a scripture you ought to put in your heart if this blog is ringing your bell, Romans 12:18, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Notice the words, “IF POSSIBLE.” If there were not legitimate times when everyone won’t be in agreement than God would have never included these words in scripture.

Just because everyone doesn’t catch your vision or see it your way does not mean their wrong and it doesn’t mean you’re wrong. It simply means God has given you a journey that doesn’t include everyone. What makes it hard is that we secretly wish everyone would go with us but they won’t and shouldn’t.

God has a journey for them and we should pray and hope for His perfect will to be done in there life. Agreeable disagreement is a sign of tremendous maturity and health. It is the mark of Godliness and confidence in knowing what He has called each of us to do.

Besides, if criticism had any real power to harm, the skunk would have been extinct by now. Be confident in what God has spoken to you and don’t take things so personally when everyone doesn’t leap for joy at your dream. If you are persistent you will finally get where He wants you to be.

Remember, through perseverance, even the snail reached the ARK.

Does this ring true with you? Take 20 seconds and leave a comment. Give me some of your thoughts on the subject.

God Bless and I’ll see you next week.

All for Christ,
J. Mark

Character

Would your reputation recognize your character if they met in the dark?

Reputation is who you are supposed to be, but character is who you really are. Too often these entities that should be one in the same are merely distant cousins. They know what each other looks like but never spend enough time together to be intimate.

John Morley once said, “Living a double life will get you nowhere twice as fast.” So true.

I have recently found myself reading and rereading a passage where David made a plea to God that I also desire desperately. It’s in Psalms 51:10. David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

I don’t know if we have ever known a time where character was so scarce in the world. The economic crisis we are facing as a nation and a world right now is the result of what happens when people become more obsessed with doing what is best for themselves in the short than doing what’s right for others in the long.

AIG, CITIGROUP, and Madoff are the buzzwords of 09 and they are all synonymous with low character.

Ask yourself this honest question, "What kind of world would this world be if everyone were just like me?”

I was driving and thinking last week when I was confronted by a sign that got my attention, it simply said, “KEEP RIGHT.” I thought about how in scripture God directed Paul in his miraculous conversion to a street called STRAIGHT. Stay right on straight street? Hmmmmm, smells like God.

Scripture instructs us to be like a tree planted by rivers of water but it’s impossible to grow high when your character is low. We should live our lives so that our friends could surely defend us but never have to do so.

Excellence in character is shown by doing unwitnessed what we would be doing with the whole world watching. Doing the right thing is not always the easy thing but the road around the curve is smoother and straighter when paved with character.

I often wonder, would the boy I once was be proud of the man I am? I hope so. The people I Pastor at CCA hear me often say, “I may not be what I ought to be but I’m sure not what I used to be. I am somewhere in between.” I am thankful that God knows our hearts and sees what is really in our spirit.

Now, here is the cold, hard truth about character, you either have it or you don’t. You can’t be a little pregnant, you either are or you aren’t, character is the same way. The way you deal with ANYTHING is the way you deal with EVERYTHING.

The way God measures our character is by motive and intentions. Others may assess us and judge our character based on facts alone but God looks deeper and sees what drives our actions.

So when we have truth in the inward parts, as David once wrote, it means we have honest and character driven intentions. This is the life God blesses.

So what about you? Leave me a comment and tell me what you think about this issue of character. Do you see more or less? How do you define character? Who is the most Character driven person you know?

Until next week remember this, a man who lives right has more power in his silence than a man of low character does in his words.

All for Christ,
J.Mark

What's in Your Hand?

Have you ever been driven by a dream or an idea and found yourself stalled saying, “If only I had this…..If only this were different….If only I had more money, then I could do what I want to do, then I could follow my dream?

I think people constantly overstate the importance of things they don’t have. Never let what you think you can’t do keep you from doing what you can do.

Case in point…Moses. After a lengthy discussion with God about how unqualified he was for the job and how limited he was in his resources, God takes an ordinary moment and an ordinary man and asks an extraordinary question, WHAT’S THAT IN YOUR HAND? The question had to seem completely irrelevant at the time after all Moses’ case was solid. No money, no confidence, no ability and no power. I’m sure with a slight chuckle he held out the only thing he had and said, probably with a little cynicism, “A staff.” And the rest is history.

It was from that moment forward that the scripture refers to the staff as ‘THE ROD OF GOD.' This staff was present for every major miracle that happened around the life of Moses and stands as a testament that with God the seemingly ordinary and common can be transformed into the extraordinary and uncommon.

Here's this week’s moment of truth. START WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, DON’T WAIT ON WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE. Don’t wait for special circumstances to act, use the ordinary situations God has given you now. One of the greatest revelations I’ve ever had in my life is the day I realized that I could row as far as I wanted to go with the oars I was given. Every big thing you see today was once just a small thing yesterday, but somebody, somewhere was willing to do something small in the hopes that greatness would one day emerge.

I love Zechariah 4:10, the Lord asks the prophet, For who has despised the day of small things?” Only small people see no value in small things.

I remember a conversation with a young man in Ohio I had years ago while I was there speaking at an Assembly church. He was sharing with me how God had called him to be a youth Pastor and how frustrated he was that no matter how many churches he applied to no one would give him a chance to serve. After listening to this young man complain about wasted time and no opportunities, the conversation went cold and quiet when I finally asked him one pivotal question. “How many kids have you mentored here?” “What do you mean?” he said. “I mean how many kids have you prayed for, encouraged and befriended in the last year here?” Silence. “Well, I’m not the youth Pastor.” I then shared with him that it doesn’t matter whether you have a position or title, people with pastor’s hearts pastor, just like writers write and builders build and singers sing.

This young man had fallen into the rut of so many who think that opportunities come only in one shape and size and only one color. The truth is they are big and small and blue and green and purple, opportunities are everywhere to the person with vision and a heart to serve, no matter how small the moment. What many people call the impossible is all too often simply the untried.

Do not let the enormity of what isn’t blind you from what is. It is possible to look so far ahead that you miss the wonderful things close by. Start with what you have and start moving today. Quit wasting time worrying and wishing for things you don’t have, when all you really need to begin is already in your hand.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never begin. God never promised a perfect time, just ordinary time. No one is promised tomorrow but you do have today, and something small today can turn into something huge tomorrow. But not if you stall, wait and wish for things you may never have.

I love the German proverb that says, “If you’ll begin to weave, God will give you the thread.” It’s true. Why? Because beginning to weave requires faith and you know what faith does to God, it gets his attention and motivates him to action.

So what about it? Are you waiting for an opportunity, when opportunity is already present. Or do you turn your nose up at small things because you feel it’s a waste of time? What’s in your hand is all you need to make a stand.

Talk to me. Take a minute and leave a comment and tell me if these words ring true with you. Maybe share a brief story where God met you as you began, and let it be an encouragement to someone.

Thanks for participating.

God bless and I’ll catch you next week!

All for Christ,
J. Mark

Embrace the Pace

I like Pop Tarts. Strawberry, blueberry, or chocolate, it really doesn’t matter to me because quite frankly, there just delicious. I am not really sure who first decided to create a light and fluffy pastry, then fill it with savory fruit filling, but I am quite certain his or her brilliance has not received the recognition it truly deserves.

I read a statistic the other day that got me thinking and reflecting. On the back of a Pop Tart package are two sets of instructions. One for toaster preparation and one for microwave preparation. Guess which one people use most….you got it. Eight out of ten people zapfry their Pop Tart. And why? Because who has 90 seconds to waste? 90 seconds? Really!??

This is simply a microcosm of life. NO ONE WANTS TO HAVE TO WAIT FOR ANYTHING. Now, let me tell you why that’s a big problem in our walk with God, because with God, TIMING IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN TIME. God is a planner, a strategist; He is incredibly organized and has a definite flow and pace.

I am slowly but surely learning the rhythm of God for my life and ministry. Undo pressure usually accompanies us when we are out of the pace of God for our lives. Listen to Proverbs 16:9, We should make plans, counting on God to direct our steps. Here’s another one, Proverbs 16:3, Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Adopt and embrace the pace of God for your life. All great achievements require time, and true joy is found in the journey not the destination.

I was reading about the years during one of the darkest hours of our nation’s history, the Civil War. One statesmen asked Abraham Lincoln, “Are you sure God is on the Union’s side?” President Lincoln’s response made me pause for reflection. He said, "I do not know. I have not really thought about that. But I am very anxious to know whether we are on His.”

This has moved me since I have read it to find joy, regardless of setbacks and struggles, just in knowing I am on God’s side. Building a vibrant and healthy church is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, and while leadership, strategy as well as great people and planning are all necessary, we who are in ministry cannot ever forget Psalm 127:1, Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.

Great Pastors are like candles, they must keep cool and yet burn at the same time.

Henry Ward Beecher said, “The true strength of a man consists in finding out which way God is going, and going that way.” I think he’s right. There is no time lost in waiting when you are waiting on the Lord.

Now, I am not talking about sitting around and doing nothing hoping God will finally take pity on you and bless our pitiful lives. GOD NEVER BLESSES LAZY. Never has and never will. I am simply saying the scripture reveals a consistent pattern of WORKING and WAITING. Do all you can, as often as you can for as long as you can and realize that God has a due date for you.

The word says to never grow weary in doing good, if you won’t faint or give up God will cause you to harvest and gather in his time. He knows when the right time is and we either trust Him or we don’t. Our obedience to Him is greater than all of our sacrifice.

So let’s have a moment of truth. Are you frustrated with God? Have you questioned why you seem stalled or slowed? Have you wondered why it seems God is blessing others lives and efforts more than yours? Here it is….everyone is on their own pace with God and you have one too, the key is to discover and embrace it. If you are doing all you know to do, you are on track, and when your due date comes nothing can stop it.

So until next week, embrace your pace and watch God work.

All for Christ,
J.Mark