Made New

 Psalms 103:12 “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

I normally don’t write blogs spur of the moment, but after seeing a photo on Pinterest, I felt like I needed to.

Pinterest.  Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t.   I like finding house decorating ideas, or following Disney lovers like myself, but I don’t like seeing things like this ecard which said (to paraphrase), “Your God-fearing facebook statuses don’t make me forget who you were in high school”.

The first thing I thought of when reading this ecard was myself.  To some of you that may be a shock, but I haven’t always been a follower of Jesus Christ.  I grew up knowing about a God and that’s about it.  My parents didn’t force me to church nor did they really talk about it…(From what I remember) I do remember saying the “Now I lay me down to sleep prayer” at my dads, and I also remember going to a camp called Id-Ra-Ha-Je (I’d-rather-have-Jesus), when living with my mom in Bailey, Colorado.  Other than that, I would describe God to be a fairytale: something I would watch in the movies I love so much.

When it was time for me to go to high school, I moved with my dad and step mom to attend a private Catholic school in Denver, Colorado.  This was really the first in-depth look at who God was for myself, but even though I sort of understood and claimed to believe, it really didn’t register in my heart.  I was very much involved in the world, and struggling to find my identity.  I partied, had ungodly relationships, gossiped, you name it… I would have never been called a God-fearing Christian.

I walked into freshman year of college still stuck in high school. I thought I found my identity in those worldly things because everyone was doing it. I even went to church on my own accord.  But even then, I wouldn’t be remembered as a God-fearing Christian.

It wasn’t until I experienced one of the lowest points in my life that I realized something needed to change.  I smile when I write this because I think of God’s humor in the way he does things.  I was walking in the mall one day, broken, and empty, and I see a table with a sign that says, “Wake up Sleeping Beauty”.  Well…anyone that knows me knows I am a fan of Disney.  So I walked to the table, picked up a pamphlet, and read about finding your true love in Jesus.  I started this Bible study and my life was changed.  I remember sitting in the orientation service and the song, Born Again, by Third Day came on.  I started weeping and that was the day I truly asked Jesus into my heart.

Sometimes I think it’s hard in our Christian walk to forget what happened in high school, college, or a hard point in our lives.  Sometimes it’s hard to see those people on facebook and wonder what they think of you. Well, you know what, you may remember your past, and other people might too, but God doesn’t.  It says in Psalms 103:12 that “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

This means that God doesn’t even consider the sin we have done to keep us from coming to him.  HE HAS FORGOT! Colossians 1:22 puts it this way “Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”

Re-read that verse.  “you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”

Wow. I don’t know about you, but that encourages me.  We live in a society that holds our past failures over our heads, but it’s so amazing to know that the God of the universe looks at us without blemish.

We are spotless, blameless, and made new. All because of Jesus.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

What you did in your past is never too much for you to overcome in Christ.

Romans 8:37 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Keep posting your God-fearing facebook statuses.  God knows your heart, and you are forgiven 😉

Reflect:

We can’t ignore the past, but we can choose to use what has happened in our lives as a testimony to God’s faithfulness.

Even though other people may hold your past sins over your head, just remember Jesus Christ doesn’t.

One Lap at A Time

“…Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” Hebrews 12:1-3

Before. I love that word in that verse. Things that are “before” us are things that God has already planned “before” we knew it was going to happen. But the dictionary also defines “before” as something in front of us.

I remember one day in college I was in the rec center running at the indoor track. As I continued to go around and around my mind began to drift other places.

My goal for this particular run was 2.5 miles, which is about 15 laps around the indoor track. Now, for those of you who know me, I’m not a distance runner…AT ALL. After I would run a 400-meter race I’d be dead for a few days, (that was an all out sprint though. I’m trying to justify it ) but since the previous summer I had really wanted a challenge.

My track career consisted of the shorter distances, and sprinting as fast as I can to get from point A to point B. After about six laps on the track that day I decided to change my mindset. Instead of counting down the laps I had remaining, I chose to focus on the lap I was on.

One lap at a time.

As I continued to run, enjoying the things God was speaking to me, I thought about how much we tend to think about the future. We look to the future as something to work towards. Goals maybe? Which are great to strive for, but if we are seeing it as something better than what we are experiencing to get there, we are missing out.  We can look so much ahead of ourselves and forget about the blessings we have today, remembering this day, this hour, this minute, this second is one to celebrate and be excited about. Yes, there can be pain as we’re running this race of life, we will have hard times for each lap in our life, but God tells us “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”—2 Corinthians 12:10

Sometimes an injury can cause you to stop and enter the rest of God.

Hebrews 12:1-3 says “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

I love this verse so much. It first reminds us to remember all of the people who have endured things just like we are today. Hebrews chapter 11 is about the great hall of faith and people in the Bible that went through things like we all do. We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who have rejoiced, struggled, and have laid aside the sin, which so easily entangles us. We have encouragement!! How great is it to know that we are not the only ones that feel the way we do sometimes. Secondly, when we lay aside the sin that so easily entangles us, we are able to run with endurance. If you have something in your life that is holding you down and back from being who God has called you to be, it’s harder to run, but when we lay it (whatever that “It” is in your life) aside and give it all to Jesus who has already conquered it all…we can get through anything. One of the most powerful things about this verse is to fix our eyes on Jesus, which is the core of this devotion…because when we do, we can enjoy every minute that we’ve been given. “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” psalm 118:24. When our attitudes are changed to being thankful and remembering the things we have, we enjoy the moment more. Sometimes I dread running, but then I remember what a blessing it is to have legs, and to run and be able to think about things and clear my head and see the beauty outside. When I started being thankful and focusing on the things God has blessed me with already, I am able to love others more like Christ has loved us. “For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Matthew 6:25

Praise God that we don’t have to worry about tomorrow. Even though I do worry, sometimes more than I should, these things are a good reminder to focus running this race one lap at a time.

Life’s a marathon, not a sprint. Let’s hold onto the hope we have in Jesus, knowing that he’ll take care of us one lap at a time.

Reflection:

Think about those things in your life that distract you from running one lap at a time and ask God to give you patience as you confidently trust that He, in His perfect time will work everything out.

Application Steps:

Make a list of things that you are excited about and surrender them to God in prayer. It’s great to be excited about things in the future, but it’s another thing to have them consume your thoughts. Spend some time in your devotion praying for opportunities to rejoice in what you have today and remember to take one day at a time.

by Tina

Too Much Tebowing?

So………………I’m sure all of you know who Tim Tebow is.  Former Florida Gators quarterback, Heisman trophy winner, and Denver Broncos quarterback.  People either love him or hate him.

I’m just going to tell you flat out that I am a Tim Tebow fan, for a number of reasons.

1. His character and love for the Lord.  He’s not ashamed and lives a consistent lifestyle.  In a recent article by The Associated Press says, “his teammates and coaches, who see him when the cameras and recorders aren’t around, say he’s a sincere, aw-shucks, praise-the-Lord-and-pass-the-football kind of guy, with the world at his feet and his head nowhere near the clouds.  ‘He really is genuine and the emotion and the passion that you see him out there playing with, he has the same passion off the field with those type of things, the charity things and the missionary things,’ receiver Eddie Royal said. ‘He’s real,’ coach John Fox agreed.”
2. He’s a great role model.  John Fox later said in the article, “He walks the walk.  A guy like that in today’s society, in my mind, ought to be celebrated, not scrutinized to the level that he is.”  Bronco’s safety Rahim Moore said, “Look at the guy. He’s not a guy who’s out clubbing and doing this and that.”
3. Tebow plays the game like a man.  Not some mamby pamby quarterback who crumbles to his knees if the wind hits him too hard.  Tebow dishes out just as much pain as he takes.  Before the days of throwing a flag for every little thing the NFL was a rough and tough game:  The toughest team won hands down.  Now the team with the fastest guys and the prettiest quarterback wins.  Tebow has taken the NFL back to the good ole days of smash mouth football.  Tebow hears more negative comments from sports writers and fellow football players than any other player in the NFL.  There is absolutley no quit in Tebow.  The fourth quarter is now known as ‘Tebow Time’ across the NFL, because of Tim’s late game heroics.  When you are watching the Denver Broncos you know that they are never out of it.  Tebow plays like a man!
4. He’s been a great leader on every level he has played; pee wee, high school, college, and now the NFL.  He shows up first and leaves last.  He has been known to compete with the linebackers in weight lifting.  And he wins.  You can be a hard working great guy but if you are not winning players won’t follow you.  But he is winning, and his teammates are following.

Leading the team 5-1 since his recent position as starting quarterback, Tim Tebow is making an impact.  One of the most recent fads now a-days isn’t the eye black with scriptures, it’s tebowing.

Tebowing is posing as if you were praying when everyone seems to be doing something else: one knee on the ground, elbow on knee, fist on forehead…and now, take a picture, post.  There has been a hot discussion in the sports arena about whether or not Tebowing is offensive.  Some say that it is opennly mocking Christianity.  Others say these guys are just mocking Tebow himself.  Then, some say that posers are just paying homage to their hero.  Tim Tebow has come out and said that he doesn’t find it offensive.  He has actually said there are many positives about it.

All in all, I am not here to talk about how great he is.  I am not here to talk about to pros and cons of Tebowing.  I want to bring up the idolization of men.  (meaning: we make something a “god” in our life) We celebrate how wonderful and talented athletes and musicians are.  We place them on pedestals that no one can live up too.  We want to be just like someone who has just as many faults as we do.  We find ourselves talking more about ‘the game’ than what Jesus is doing in our lives.  In this age of moral decay, evangelical christians, including myself, have latched onto Tebow as the savior of the sports world.  While I have to admit I root for Tebow more because of his beliefs than anything, I see that many of us are taking it way to far.  Tebow is a great player, person, and Christian, but he is not a savior.  And he is not Jesus.

Now don’t get me wrong, root for your Broncos!  I’m just as big a Tebow fan as the next guy.  We need role models in this day and age of pride and selfishness being the norm in sports.  So I say this; please root for Tebow, root for the Broncos.  If there was a guy to look up to it would be him.  But lets put some perspective on this.  This man is getting more attention than any football player has gotten in as long as I can remember.  He is the face of the Denver Broncos, and Christian athletes.  But Jesus Christ is the face of love.  Jesus Christ is the face of redemption.  And Jesus Christ is the face of salvation.  Tebow cannot offer forgiveness of sin.  And Tim Tebow cannot offer the free gift of eternal life.  As we enjoy football and what Tebow has been doing lets have some perspective.  He is just a man being open about his relationship with God and letting Christ’s light shine through him.  We all can do that in our different arenas.  Tebow may be able to run over linebackers, but he can’t walk on water!

Go Broncos!

Make a play-

Thank you to my wonderful husband, Timmy who helped write this post. 🙂

Time Out

Ready:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

(Matthew 11: 28-31)

Set:

This time of year can be hectic, especially for a college student.  If you’re like me, you fill your plate not just with massive amounts of food over Thanksgiving, but also with too much to do.  For some reason, I sometimes get lost in the plans and things that I need to do this time of year.  Days are crammed and sometimes overwhelming.  Are you in a place like that?

I have been spending some time with other women who are so anxious to get home and have a break.  I can relate.  It’s comforting to go home.   It’s comforting to relax, and just enjoy the moments with other people.  Jesus invites us to go home and rest with him in this verse.  Let’s break this down.  Basically, a yoke is a long wooden beam with that fits over the necks of a pair of draft animals, usually oxen, to harness them together to pull a plow, a cart, or some other load. (1 Samuel 6:7) Yokes for humans were also used. These were simple beams or poles carried across the shoulders with a load attached to each end. With them, laborers were able to carry heavy loads.

When we come to Jesus and trust Him with everything, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  If we are resistant to the Holy Spirit’s leading, sometimes our yoke, and the burdens we bear are heavy and overwhelming.  Living in sin causes us to stumble.  Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..”  When we are choosing to disobey God and just go our own way things are more likely to get out of control.  Living in sin is a weight that we bear, a cord that entangles us and keeps us from going forward: it is a yoke that is too heavy for us.

Whatever you are going through, it isn’t too much for Jesus. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

When we trust in Him, the one who holds everything together, we are free from the entanglements that we can become wrapped up in.  When we give Him full control on our life, trusting in Him for the outcome and giving Him the glory, we come to a place of rest and contentment.  “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”   “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

Let God be the author of your life.  Take a time-out and let The Coach determine your game plan.  You’re in great hands. 🙂

Go:

1. Are you putting too much on your plate?

2. Can you let something go so you are able to see God at work in your life?

3. What is preventing you from going to Jesus?

Workout:

Hebrews 12:1-5

1 Chronicles 16:11

Isaiah 40:28-31

1 Corinthians 10:13

Make a play-

A Strong Woman vs. A Woman of Strength

A little over a month ago, two men came onto the Colorado Mesa University Campus proclaiming a gospel of hate to the students.  This stirred up quite a ruckus, but since then God has been using this situation for an opportunity for Christians to show the true Gospel: the love of Christ.

I remember distinctly what one of the men said to a woman who tried to approach them about what they were preaching.  Immediately, he shunned her away telling her that she is not allowed to speak because she is a woman and has to be submissive.  That’s a blow right to the heart of a woman..

The Google definition of submissive is Meekly obedient or passive.  When I read my instincts tell me that means you are weak.  In a society that says one of the most important things is being a “independent woman”, hearing Biblical teaching about a woman’s role almost turns women away immediately.

Here is a verse that sometimes is exercised beyond it’s meaning.  “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Ephesians 5:21-25

Often times the only verse women AND men take out of that verse is, wives submit yourselves to your own husbands…for he is the head of the wife.  

Well I’d like to go into this a little bit and talk about what it means to be a woman of strength.

First of all, it is incorrect Biblical Theology to just take a scripture face value.  If you have questions about this please refer to Michael Lawrence’s Biblical Theology book.  It has transformed the way I read the Bible.  When we take this scripture out of context we are missing the point and the authors original intent.  Paul is not just commanding women to submit or telling the men to make sure their wives submit, he is giving a structure to which God calls us to live by out of love for Him.  So many people miss the first part.  “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”  Synonyms of submit include, humble, obedient, and volunteer.  It does not say slave.  Submission is to volunteer to serve, and out of reverence (respect because of love, and relationship), we should feel compelled to do (action) things for Christ, and thus others.  (Husbands, Wives, Children, etc.)  In a selfish world, this is hard to do. We want someone to do it for us, then we’ll do it for them.  There are stipulations that come with love a lot of the time now.  I’ll admit , I’m not the best at it but when I constantly try to be the stronger vessel in my relationship with my husband, we constantly but heads. We always have to remember the Gospel we live by because it was modeled for us: love.   God created man to lead.  (leading is a whole other topic 🙂  I think it is so beautiful that God made man and women different.  My husband Timmy is a wonderful complement to me.  My weaknesses are his strengths, and some of my strengths help his weaknesses.

Ok if I keep going on husbands, I’m going to start ranting about mine 🙂  lets get to the point…

I am italian.  I am strong willed, determined, and don’t you dare push my buttons or else 😉  Just kidding… but not really.  It is hard for me sometimes to control my tongue and what I say.  I get so selfish at times and I turn into a person that I wouldn’t want to be around.  Being involved in ministry with the one you love is one of the best things I have ever done, but it is also stretches you.  There are so many times that I just take over.  Not always gently either…  I can get impatient, because like I said, I am determined.  I like to get things done right away.  I like to have a game plan.  Being involved in FCA is stretching me because I am forced to wait on God and to trust Him more than ever.

I have always prided myself on being a strong woman. Why?  Well that’s what we see.  Being a strong woman is a great thing, but I want to compare it instead, as a woman of strength.

This comparison is influenced by the Proverbs 31 Woman.  Which are you?

I know after I read this, I felt a strong sense of conviction.  But what exactly do we mean by the term conviction? Conviction means “the act or process of convincing,” “the state of being convinced,” or “a fixed or strong belief.” Thus, by biblical conviction we mean convictions or beliefs derived from and based on a commitment to Scripture, the Bible. As God’s Holy Word, it is the absolute index for the whole of our lives—faith and practice.

Going into the leadership role is another topic.  I’ve realized I’d much rather be a woman of strength than a strong woman.  Don’t you think it’d be different in our society if this were the example?

Which woman do you want to be?

Make a play –

Character Series: Endurance

“Blessed is the man who endures {perseveres} under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

Are you at a place right now where you have contemplated quitting?  I was at that place about two months ago with one of my jobs.  Do you ever feel like there is too much on your plate?  I don’t have all the answers you may need for where you are at in life right now, but I’d like to share some insight into what I read this past week and how enduring through trials is a powerful way to shape your character.

For the past 4 weeks, we’ve discussed courage, discipline, and vision.  Endurance is also known as patience, or perseverance.  Lets look at a few definitions. “The American Heritage dictionary defines perseverance as “steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness.” It defines endurance as “the act, quality, or power of withstanding hardship or stress,” but in the second definition it defines endurance as “the state or act of persevering.” While they are synonyms and each word carries in it the idea of “continuance,” perseverance lays stress on a given course of action in the face of difficulty or opposition. Endurance perhaps more strongly adds the idea of continuing under resistance or the adversities of life, to carry on in spite of hardships.”

Endurance–continuing under resistance or the adversities of life.  Let’s think about that for a minute.  Continuing when things get hard, and I’m sure we’ve all realized that life can be hard.

From where we have come from in our series, in this I hope you can see that endurance sustains courage, endurance gives staying power to discipline, and endurance turns your vision into reality. Sometimes we want to quit being courageous–maybe standing up for what is right all of the time.  Sometimes we want to quit practicing the delayed gratification it takes to be discipline–we don’t want to go to the gym today, or stick it out in our friendships.  Sometimes we want to stop thinking of new ideas and visions because they never work out anyways.  They sound great, but they are never executed.  Occasionally though, it pays to consider the high cost of quitting. Many people live with scars or lingering wounds from having quit on something or someone and later on they ask themselves why they chose to give up.  “But the answer is obvious:  It is infinitely easier to quit than to endure.”

In a society that glamorizes quitting because it is full of instant gratification, its hard to practice enduring.  Nowadays we demand overnight solutions, success, growth, strong relationships, and even spiritual maturity.  When you watch TV, you see this giving up mentality all too much.  Here’s a scenario–“things are tense at work.  The employee is disagreeing with the boss.  Nerves are snapping as the background music builds.  The camera comes in tight on the employee and shows the veins popping out on his forehead.  A moment of silence, and then his voice proclaims, “I quit!”  The music crescendoes wildly as he storms out, slamming the door behind him.  Here’s another one–a husband and wife are disagreeing.  The tension builds.  At the peak of anger, the wife suddenly slaps her husband across the face, just as the cymbals crash.  She slams the door and leaves.”

We don’t stop to think that the person is now out of job, or that the husband and wive’s son has to grow up in a divorced family.  People quit too much now a days, but the only way to build endurance and grow your character is to push through quitting points.  If you play football, you know what a quitting point is.  It happens on the 50th up-down when your legs are burning, arms are in pain and your mind is screaming give up.  If you run, you know what that quitting point is.  It’s the last 100 meters of a 400 meter race where you feel like you are going to fall over because you are in so much pain.  It happens at work when the pressure is mounting and it seems unbearable and you just can’t stand it. It happens in an argument with your spouse, or friend when you strongly disagree about something and your emotions are going through the roof and all you want to do is give up, walk away, and ignore that person.  Pressing past quitting points happens in learning to building good character, and even in our walk with God.

We must remember our key verse…Blessed is the man who endures.  The lights and stardom in society shouldn’t be focused on the people that give up on marriage after two months,(many examples of those) but on those who grit their teeth and say, “With God’s help, and all that’s inside of me, I’m going to press on.”

The rewards and joys that come from pressing on are very rewarding.  The second part of the scripture says, “because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him”.  Sometimes though, I think letting something go is necessary to grow.  I believe that if God releases you from something you will have a peace about it.  I don’t believe peace means a calm river with birds chirping.  I believe peace is given in the midst of the storm.  It’s when you’re on the ocean, waves tossing you back and forth, thunder and lighting all around you, but still inside you are OK and you know you are suppose to be there.

I’d like to share with you something I faced a few years ago when it came to quitting/giving up.

Three years ago I had the opportunity to go to Disney World to participate in the Disney College Program.  I was assigned to a fast food position…not a princess :), but i decided to go anyways.  The college program would have lasted nine months.  It was so exciting going to my favorite place in the world to work, but to be honest with you I never had a peace about it.  I got there, went through training, met some great friends, and got to go to the parks for free!  Everything seemed great, but something just wasn’t right.  In the first month I was there, I had gotten bit by a spider, and was sick for about two weeks. After that, I came down with another cold and there were bed bugs in my bed! I was seriously contemplating leaving.  If any of you know me, you know that Disney is one of my favorite things out there.  This was my dream job.  Not working in a fast food restaurant in tomorrow land, but working for Disney had been something I always wanted to do.  Why would I want to leave?  While I was there, someone from home asked me if I would regret the decision to leave.  I thought and prayed about it and realized I wouldn’t.  A month after I arrived, I decided to go back home.  There were some other reasons I had left, but the main reason was I knew I wasn’t supposed to be there.  Someone once told me that if we push God enough, he will give us what we want.  When that happens, we aren’t always inside is perfect will for us, and things are more likely to go all over the place.  But when we “trust in the Lord, with all of our heart, and lean not on our understanding, He will make our paths straight.”  Sometimes we are put somewhere we don’t want to be, or somewhere we never thought we would be, but we have to trust God in it because He is going to make everything work out.  You see, I was making my own plans for my life, I wanted to work for Disney, I wanted to get away and do more with my life, but I knew that isn’t what God wanted for me.  It took me falling down a few times to realize it.

If you are at a quitting point right now, count the cost before throwing in the towel.  In Proverbs, it says to seek wise counsel.  Talk to someone who may have been in your place when they were younger.  Know that God will also honor what we are going through when we endure.  He will give you peace about it if you are supposed to leave your job, school, a church.  If you don’t have that peace, wait.  Sometimes hasty decisions put us back, rather than helping us go forward.  Enduring trials and hardships builds character.  Remember though that ultimately, the decision has to be made between you and God.

Make a play-

Time Out:

1.  If you are contemplating quitting, do you have a peace about it?

2.  Have you sought wise counsel from someone?

3.  Would you regret your decision if you quit?

Thanks Coach

What’s your typical view of a president or CEO of a company?  I could be wrong, but I haven’t heard much about the CEO or President meeting with employees under them.  I will admit, I’ve had a judgmental opinion about  CEO’s.  The way the media puts it, the news, and in movies , a lot of those men and women up there are invisible.  You don’t get to meet them or talk to them.  You go through someone else to do it.  I’m not saying that any of this is a bad thing, but wouldn’t it be great if you knew the character of one of the main people you were working for?  Wouldn’t it be great if he called you on your birthday, or anniversary?  How about texting you to meet for coffee?  Ya.  Right.  Well that’s exactly what I thought before this past weekend.

Coach Steckel (left), and Sports Ministry Institute Students at an FCA Colorado Event.

My husband and I had the privilege of attending a dinner with the president of FCA, Mr. Les Steckel.  There were other FCA Colorado staff members there, but he took time to speak with us and many others.  I’m going to tell you a little bit about Mr. Steckel.

Les Steckel was head coach of the Minnesota Vikings in 1984.  He also worked as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He also enlisted in the Marines and served in Vietnam as infantry. He recently retired from USMC Reserves after thirty years of service with the rank of Colonel.  Wow.  Talk about an honorable guy. Can you imagine being married, having a family, in the Marine Corps, and coaching?  I can’t.  I’ve heard that coaching is one of the biggest time commitments as it is. Les shares that most men get their identities from their jobs.   “Les faced hardship when he was fired on eight different occasions.   Les says that every time he got fired it was painful, and it didn’t get easier, but he persevered.  He learned to get his identity from Christ and knowing that God has the future in store. He says football doesn’t build character, it reveals it. On March 1, 2005, Les became the seventh president/CEO of the FCA.  His extensive involvement with FCA dates back to 1972 when, as a college football coach, he attended his first FCA conference.   In the 30-plus years since, Steckel has served as a huddle leader, platform speaker, camp dean and football clinician at various FCA camps across the nation.  He led Bible studies throughout his NFL career and served regularly as a guest speaker for FCA events.  Les feels he’s on a tremendous team with FCA.” (http://www.cbn.com/700club/guests/bios/Les_Steckel113006.aspx)

Coach Steckel didn’t get up in front of all of us and boast about all he’s done.  He talked about the privilege it has been for him to be involved in FCA.  A humble man, yet strong.  He shared some stories during his coaching years, and even talked about his time being President for FCA. He reminded all of us who we were working for.  He reminded us who our real CEO/President was.  He reminded all of us to work for the Lord, not for man.  “Whatever you do work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, since 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

In any sport we are involved in we measure it by wins or losses.  Coach Steckel reminded us “we are in the game of life and death”.  There are students who are dying inside every day.  We who are ambassadors for Christ have a call to reach out to them and show them the the eternal life they can have with Jesus Christ.  We don’t do this by yelling in their face, or beating the Bible over their head, we do this through,with, and in love.  Coach Steckel reminded all of us “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:35.  A good President will remind you who you are working for, and demonstrate it through his character and actions.  Thanks for the reminder Coach.

Whether you’re the CEO, captain, secretary, administrator, rookie, quarterback, 2nd string, or underdog you can make a difference…all you have to do is step out and make a play.

~Sharing the Victory is FCA’s magazine that is published monthly.  They also have podcasts.  Here is this past weeks podcast with Coach Steckel, Tim Tebow, and Coach Bowden. 

Sharing the Victory Podcast featuring Tim Tebow, Bobby Bowden, and Les Steckel

Character Series: Vision–Escaping the Ordinary

What’s your day look like?  Many of you may have an every day routine, or an every other day routine.

Is it comfortable?

I know mine is.  Bear with me while I rant about my routine for a minute.

1.  I get up around 7:30 am…OK, lets be honest.  It varies 🙂

My husband, (bless his sweet heart) makes coffee every morning.  I grab a cup of coffee with vanilla chai creamer, YUM,  then plop myself on the couch with my Bible and journal.

2.  After my time with God, I have breakfast, get ready, and after that do one of these things…

• go to school
• work on a video for one of my jobs
• some sort of marketing thing

The days vary with which thing comes after getting ready, but I can count on one of them.  It’s become a routine, and it can become too comfortable.

How do you handle being under pressure?  If something comes outside of your typical routine, is it hard for you to handle?  Or (here’s the cliche question)  Do you see the glass half empty or half full?

Here’s an interesting story.  Two men were in prison for a very long time.  They had one small window that only let a little bit of light shine through.  One guy say the window as bars…metallic, ugly reminders of reality.  The other guy looked through the window and saw the stars beyond.  He had hope.  The prisoners were looking at the same window, but one saw bars while the other saw stars.  And the difference in their vision  made a huge difference in their lives.

Vision is one of those character qualities that go along with courage and discipline.  “The reason is simple:  it takes too much work to be a visionary.  It’s much easier to go with the flow and do what’s expected.  It takes courage to break out of conventional thought patterns.  It takes confidence and daring to risk failure with a new idea or new approach.  ” (Bill Hybels)

So I get stuck in my routine.  I do things just to finish them.  I try and rush through them so I can squeeze something else into my day.  Pretty much I’ve gotten into pattern of going through the motions.  I’ve lost my vision.

Vision can be defined in many ways;  vision is the God-given ability to see possible solutions to the everyday problems of life.  “Visionary people are solution oriented, not problem oriented.”   I’ve had Colossians 3:23-24 on my heart lately.  It says, “Whatever you do work at it with all your Heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, since you know that you will receive an inheritance rom the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

I have been praying for God to refocus my vision, and how I look at things for a while now.  I shouldn’t be comfortable in a rapidly growing ministry.  There is so much out there.   My husband and I are going through a trial and error stage…but through this, we are learning what ‘solution’ to take.  Instead of looking at our setbacks with a pessimistic attitude, we have to consciously choose to be visionaries and set our gaze upward.

Being a visionary doesn’t just apply to to ministry or a job…It’s an important character for every day life.  There are things all of us face; challenges, trials, disappointments, hurts…If we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by difficulties, our future is clouded by darkness.

This may be common sense to a lot of us.  But sometimes, I’ll admit, I’ve been so overwhelmed and crippled by fear that its hard to be a visionary.  In those times, it’s important to find a solution.  Bill Hybels suggests four steps:

1.  Repeat Matthew 19:26 ” With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  God is Way  bigger than anythin we face.

2.  Go to a place where you can be alone and seek God.

3.  Meet with brothers and sisters in Christ you are solution-oriented people:  not people who will fuel the problem.

4.  In a spirit of humility, prayer and openness to the Holy Spirit, list four or five best possible solutions to my problem..Then by faith, start down the path of one of those solutions.

VISION IS NOT ONLY FOR PROBLEM SOLVING.  Vision is the ability to see beneath the surface of people’s lives.  Most of us have generalized, stereotyped, or judged another person.  But instead of looking at the things we think are wrong with someone else, or whatever it is, visionaries see beyond it and look beneath the surface.  They look at the heart, the character, and even the hopes and fears that motivate the person’s behavior.  “Visionaries have an important mission to accomplish in the lives of others–looking past the obvious into the shadows, trying to draw out the greatness that God himself put there.”

We need visionary business leaders, parents, spouses, coaches, teachers, disciples…we need visionaries in all aspects of life.  It takes vision to go beyond the ordinary–  I heard a great quote one time, and it has stuck with since. ” People are born individuals, but most people die a second-rate version of someone else.” Sometimes we can get so caught up in trying to live someone else’s life that we forget..

“Vision is the God-given ability to catch a glimpse of what God wants to do through your life if you dedicate yourself to him.”  We are unique.  We all are different.  We all have a call on our lives placed by God.  In Acts 17:24-34, Paul is speaking to philosphers in Athens and at one point he says, ” From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he

marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”  And he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.   If you look at different translations, you find that God has placed every one of us where we are for a reason.  Whether you are a Christian or not,  you were placed where you are for a reason..the people around you, in your job, at school.  Whatever you are doing, God had appointed the time for you to be there.  God is a visionary for all of our lives…and we are all made in his image and likeness.

So, I’d encourage you, step our of your routine. Step out of your comfort zone. If something has been on your heart, do it.  Have a new idea?  TRY IT?  Facing a problem?  Look for a solution.  Sometimes we read Hebrews 11, the great Hall of Faith chapter, and are in awe of Moses, and Abraham, David, Ruth, Mary…  Remember they had faith in God, trusted in His vision, and went for it.  We all can do it.

Don’t stay on the bench because your content with being on the team.  Get in the game and make a play.

Character Series: Committed to be Courageous

 

 

Character, a wise person once said, is what we do when no one is watching.  It is not the same as reputation–what other people think of us.  Character is not what we have done, but who we are.  

This past weekend I went and saw Courageous with my husband, step-mom, and dad.  First off, if you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it.  It is a heart wrenching, tear-jerking, family oriented movie that will make you think about your character.  I would say the movie’s main target audience is men/fathers/or husbands, but the foundational character quality of courage can apply to all of us.

 Character is our world’s most pressing need, and courage is a good place to start.  How do you define courage?  The online dictionary defines courage this way:

1. The ability to do something that frightens one.
2. Strength in the face of pain or grief.

We see courage displayed in our media today that coincide with these definitions only when we see an extreme act of heroism: someone rescuing someone from a burning building, firefighters, police officers, the military, running a marathon even though it hurts…so many different examples.   But it takes a great deal of courage to face life’s ordinary, everyday challenges.  Every single day we make choices that show whether we are courageous or cowardly.  We choose between the right thing and the convenient thing, sticking to a conviction or caving in for the sake of comfort.  Everyday we face these decisions and often times forget that we even have to make them.  The Bible definitely has something to say about courage a few times.

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

1 Chronicles 28:20 
David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Matthew 10:26
Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

The latter verses don’t precisely say courage, but they talk about facing your fears.  People say that Christianity is for weak people, but it takes a great deal of old fashioned courage to be a Christian.  The Bible says that, to become a Christian, you have to own up to your sins before a holy God. No one likes to admit that they’ve hurt people, are selfish, have cheated, been greedy, gossiped, or was dishonest.  It makes people uncomfortable to tell your best friend those things.  Why would it be any easier to tell someone that you can’t see?  But too many people cave into their fears and say they can’t do it because it would be too humiliating, too hard, or they make excuses and say, “nobody’s perfect.”  In the movie Courageous, the rookie police officer portrayed this fearful person who made excuses for everything.  When the other men were talking about how important it was for them to have their fathers in their lives as kids and how it impacted their relationship with God, it was really hard for this young man to understand.  It turns out he was hiding something and was fearful of telling the truth. That is why he was so resistant to opening up to what the others had to say about the importance of fathers in their life and our Heavenly Father, God.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7 “We walk by faith, not by sight.”  But following Jesus demands an enormous amount of courage.  Quite often the things we feel like we are called to do seem out of the ordinary, scary, and even silly.  Sometimes we just ignore those leadings and crawl back in a cave and just do what’s comfortable.  But it takes enormous courage to follow God’s leadings in the Christian life.

We use this courageous quality every day: Relationally, morally, financially, in school, and especially in sports.  When I used to run track, the 400 meter race scared me to pieces. I didn’t like the burning aching pain in my legs the last 100 meters down the home stretch.  Every time…I mean EVERY TIME, I was warming up I would think of excuses as to how I could get out of it.  I was afraid of pain, I was afraid of the race, I was afraid of a lot.  No matter my fear, I got into those blocks and the officiator said, “Runners to your mark…set..”…and the gun would go off and all of the fear went away.  Why?  Because you grow in courage when you face your crippling fears.

Courage–we all need it, and God wants us to have it.  He did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear) but a spirit of power. Courageous people are ordinary people like you and I.  They are the athletes on our campus who made a courageous decision to play college sports despite the physical challenges and time commitment.  They are the girls who asks to meet for coffee because she is struggling to make friends. They are the wives who effortlessly cooks, cleans, and keeps the home in order when she is trying to balance the ups and downs of a busy schedule.  They are the friends who graciously tell the truth because no one else will.  They are the young men who make a commitment to stay pure and respect women despite today’s culture.

Courageous people are all around us:  Ordinary people allowing God to do extraordinary things.

Time Out:

Who do you know that has shown courage and can help encourage you to face your fears?  Remember to surround yourself with good models.  The Bible says, “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Cor 15:33)

What area are you struggling with when it comes to being courageous?

In what ways can you make an effort to consciously allow your mind to be transformed and take courage?

 

Go and make a play ~

 

 

 

 

Responding In Love

Bible Beaters showed up on campus and were proclaiming a gospel of hate. See post for more.

Today two men stood on soap boxes in the middle of campus, and shouted hate at the students of Colorado Mesa University.  They professed to be Christians, and shouted ‘their gospel’ at the crowds.  While shouting that we are all sinners, which is true, they never got to the heart of the real gospel, Jesus Christ and his redeeming, undying, unlimited, unconditional, and self sacrificing love for all.  In the middle of their condemnation of homosexuals, Catholics, sinners, and Christians was a gospel of hate.  When we as Christians lose focus on the fact that God is love, and he loves us so much that he allowed the death of his son for our redemption we lose the gospel entirely.

Hate speech like this is why people reject Christianity, and the gospel.  Hate like this results in false gospel, and an anti Christ lifestyle.  The crusades, September 11th, racial discrimination, and so many more issues arise because of hate, and a perverted gospel.

We at CMU FCA want you to know that this is not the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  Hate is not why He died for you.  Christ died to save us from out sin, and not for us to condem each other.  No matter what you have done.  No matter where you have come from.  No matter who you are.  God loves you passionately, and is calling you unto himself.  God is love, and we are called to love one another because he first loved us.  While we were in our sin he loved us.  And we want you to know that real Christians will love you no matter who you are.

While hearing these mean screaming at the it was hard to love, and easy to hate them.  Yet, we are called to love those men.  When God said that we are called to love each other, He did not mean to love just the easy ones.  God loves us unconditionally, and we should love others unconditionally.  Yelling back at these men may feel good in the moment, but it is not what we are called to do.

1 Corinthians 13:1

The Way of Love

” If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

In all we do it must be in love.  If there is no love in our speech, then we are just an annoying noise in God’s ear.