Pick One

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." Yogi Berra

Yogi was famous for saying things that didn't always seem to connect. At first glance, this saying appears to be another slightly confusing bit of wisdom that doesn't add up. If you look at it a little more closely, however, it is better advice than it might appear at first.

On our life's journey we will inevitably come to a point where we are presented with different options. It may be related to our health, career, relationships, spirituality, or even our finances. When confronted with those new directions, we will need to decide which one we think is best and then move down that path. If we don't take action, we'll stop moving forward and become paralyzed by our indecision.

It's okay to pause and figure out our next best step, but at some point we've got to take a step if we want to keep going.

Past Your Lips

The expression "talk is cheap" is fairly simple to figure out and the meaning behind it has been a common message for centuries. Even Scripture shares the truth in Proverbs 14:23, "In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

There's a time for talking and a time to get to work. If we only talk about action we won't ever get anything accomplished. Figure out what you need and want to do. Develop a plan to make it happen and then go do something about it.

Got to Go

I get excited about new ideas and the potential for change. I love the excitement of dreaming of what could be and sharing the vision with other people. The danger in new directions however is that they can stay in the idea phase if we aren't intentional. At some point we have to figure out how to make things happen and take steps of action.

If we want to see things move forward there has to be actual movement.

Roll It Over

I was talking with a good friend over coffee this morning about some of my aspirations for 2015. I admitted I had fallen short of achieving some of my goals even though I was able to mark several things off my list. While I try to have a realistic view of what is possible, I realize I may have set my expectations too high for what is truly feasible.

I can also confess to losing focus in some areas and neglecting to follow through on the tough decisions and hard work which makes some goals possible. My friend counseled me this morning to roll some of those unfulfilled desires into next year’s plan. While I think he is right in encouraging me to keep shooting for those things I feel are important, I also realize I have to take a different approach if I want to see them become reality.

Just writing them down and talking about them won’t make it happen. I’ve got to develop a better game plan and break it down into manageable steps so I can be successful. Having a plan for growth and new experiences is good, but unless I can match that up with action steps they are merely concepts and not reality.

(Don't) Forget It!

The clip above is from an infomercial that aired several years ago. The product was intended to make cooking easier as you seasoned your food and then "set it and forget it!"

While this might have worked for rotisserie chicken, it isn't a very good model for achieving your target. Unfortunately, far too many people (myself included sometimes) believe writing a good list is enough to move forward. An ambitious growth plan without consistent action is useless for achieving change. If we're going to do the work of setting goals, we need reminders to keep moving or we'll never get any better.

What works for tasty chicken doesn't work for maturing people.

I'm Here

It's often said that showing up is half of the battle. The problem with this philosophy is that you will lose a battle in which you only fight 50% of the time. We've convinced ourselves that our presence is enough when it doesn't necessarily indicate our engagement. "Being there" isn't adequate to develop a relationship or have a substantial impact if we refuse to invest ourselves into the moment.

Our children need more than a parent who is merely present and they desire someone who cares enough to discipline and encourage them. An athlete isn't going to improve their skills by standing at practice in full gear, but never engaging in any drills. You won't mature in your relationship with Christ by checking off church attendance on your to do list and ignoring God the rest of the week. Standing in the right place without putting in the right effort will cause us to lose every time.

Don't just show up, but learn to engage in something worthwhile. If it's important enough for your presence, it's important enough to work at it.

Get Dressed & Moving

I embarked on a new journey last September. I had reached my IHHE moment (I Have Had Enough!) with my physical health and decided to take on a new course of action. This brought about a serious change in diet (no fads-just healthy, non-processed eating) and in exercise level (consistent & incremental). In fact, in the last two weeks I have invested in some exercise clothes, good shoes, and wireless headphones. I feel I have the right equipment to continue to exercise now that I have shown some consistency.

The clothes, shoes, and accessories don't mean very much on their own however. I can put on the clothes & shoes, connect my headphones to my playlist, stretch, and then sit in my recliner while watching Netflix. Even with the right equipment I have to make sure I commit to the right actions. Transformation won't happen just because I prepare, but because I was willing to engage in the behaviors that lead to that change.

Shifting Allegiance

Then he (Moses) took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” Exodus 24:7

That sounds like a group of fairly committed people. In fact, I think they believed the intent of their own words and didn't plan on falling short. In that moment the people of Israel wanted to follow God and stay under his authority. Sadly, history tells us that less than 40 days later they had failed miserably and suffered the consequences of their decisions. 

On the surface it seems hard to believe that an entire group of people could shift their allegiance so quickly. Before we decide to judge the Hebrews too harshly perhaps we should examine our own life patterns first. How quickly we walk away from our commitments? How often do we make bold statements about our convictions and then abandon them in a matter of days? What life changing resolutions have we written down and then ignored once the shine of their newness wore off? 

If we want to make positive declarations about what we will (or won't) do, we've got to have a corresponding action plan to make it stick or we're just making a lot of noise.

See the Mess

I shared a quote from Madeline Albright on my blog a few weeks ago where she had been quoted as saying, "The world is a mess." I think that might be fairly evident to some people, but what if we're in denial about the true state of things?

• Are we calling something clean when it's dirty?
• Are we calling something right when it's wrong?
• Are we calling something orderly when it's in chaos?
• Are we calling something good when it's clearly not?
• Are we calling something healthy when it's sick & dying?

We can't begin to fix things if we can't admit things are broken. Let's get a realistic assessment of the world we live in and then let's get to work providing the solution.

Keep Moving

It's not coincidental (see last Sunday's blog) that I continue to hear challenges to transform our community. It's a tension felt by many and I'm grateful to be part of a church that is dedicated to doing something about it. I believe this tension is felt by many of us, but not everyone is committed to making something happen. I believe people have good intentions, but often get bogged down in a few areas.

Our lead pastor shared a message this morning that called us to action and to making a substantial difference in our community. There were three essential elements to that change: prayer, planning, and taking action. It doesn't seem mind-boggling to grasp this concept, but it's important to have all three of these without zeroing in on only one of them. Asking the following questions might help us stay focused:

• Are you spending so much time in prayer that you don't do anything?
• Are you planning so much that you never take action?
• Are you taking action so quickly that you neglect to pray?

We need all three of these to move forward with God's blessing, wisdom, and power. Our communities are waiting for us to do something about it.

One

What do the following things have in common?

• Cultural shift
• Radical personal change
• Major life goal
• Positive relationships
• Unity in our community
• Overwhelming task list

They can only be achieved by tackling them one step at a time. We won't accomplish these in a single day or with a specific act, but with consistent effort in the right direction. Take the first step today, followed by positive movement tomorrow, and let the momentum build with each step in the right direction.

That's Messy

I heard a quote from Madeline Albright (former Secretary of State) today where she was asked for her assessment on the state of the world. She simply said, "The world is a mess."

I think she might find many people who agree with her. We could all find things that contribute to the messiness we find ourselves in. It could be an uneven political climate, dysfunctional family dynamics, ineffective churches, the lack of male role models, and disunity. I doubt that we would struggle to come up with influences for our current situation. Identifying problems won't be an issue.

The bigger question is what is our response going to be? Are we content just to recognize the mess or do we want to do something about it? We can bemoan the current state of affairs or we can decide to engage in a two-step solution;

Step 1: Talk to the Creator and The Solver of problems and seek His wisdom and healing
Step 2: Do what He asks us to do to be part of the solution

It's time to stop simply talking about messiness and work to clean it up. We need to either do something about the state of the world or shut up.

If Only

The words "if only" are two very small words. They are often used to describe a sense of longing, an excuse, or a wish for something better. Our finances, families, marriages, jobs, and communities would all be better "if only" certain things would have been different. We would work to improve ourselves "if only" circumstances were right. They describe a sense of dissatisfaction, but are deeply rooted in the idea of discontentment. We are unhappy with our current situation, but these two words give us a pass on doing anything about it.

Perhaps it's time to stop using these two words as an excuse for our inaction. If we want to see things improve we have to commit ourselves to the discipline of identifying and pursuing the right goals. This will create new opportunities for change and eliminate the paralyzing power of two small words.

Questioning

I believe in the power of a well-timed, well-phrased question. It has the ability to draw people close together, to bring insightful clarity, and to communicate interested concern. There are two keys that make the art of question & answer effective.


1. Ask the right question.

2. Listen intently to the answer.


You will never get the answer you are looking for if you ignore either one of these.

Winning Ticket

My wife and I will sometimes talk about the things we could do if we won the lottery. We share extravagant dreams, missions we could support, places we could visit, and people we could help. The biggest problem with this conversation isn't our improbably odds on winning the lottery or even the potential ethical dilemma associated with "gambling." The biggest obstacle to us winning is that we don't play. We laugh about our conversations, but the truth is that we will never come close to winning a multi-million dollar Powerball lottery simply because we've never purchased a ticket.

You don't have a chance to win if you aren't in the game. If there is some area that you want to find success you will have to take a step of action or nothing will ever happen.

Think It Through

My wife and I are at the Exponential conference in Orlando this week receiving a lot of great information & spiritual stimulus. Both of us are motivated to do something what what our eyes have been opened to here. I recognize that we need to prayerfully process things so that we don't jump into areas without measuring the cost. I also know that we need to continue to pray with urgency. Too much time passing tends to lessen excitement and allows us to step back into old patterns of well-learned habits without taking action on the Holy Spirit's prompting. 

What I Want

I have ridden the changing weight roller coaster most of my adult life. I have allowed my weight to balloon to close to 260 lbs. and been in good enough shape to be 218 solid lbs. as well. I really would like to be more consistent and not wait until I am completely fed up with my current state before I do something about it. Sadly, it really comes down to me wanting change, but not wanting it enough to put in the consistent work to make it happen.

How true is this for us in the rest of our lives? We want improved relationships, but aren't willing to make the emotional investment. We desire financial stability, but not the hard work of saving & increasing earning potential. We recognize character flaws and personal weaknesses, but aren't willing to take the difficult steps of personal transformation. We would like to be a more committed Christ follower, but are afraid to take risks of faith to grow.

Identifying our areas of needed change isn't nearly as difficult as taking the first steps towards making it happen. If we aren't willing to work, nothing will ever change.

Genuine Sorrow

"And when he (Jesus) drew near and saw the city (Jerusalem), he wept over it"  Luke 19:41

I read where a pastor and author described this verse by saying "Jesus wept over his zip code." He certainly possesses great compassion because of his nature as God, but I believe it was more than that too. Jesus was filled with sorrow over the plight of this city, the lost people, and the pain of their decisions. He recognized their problem and knew that He was going to be their only real solution.

Do we identify with Jesus' level of compassion? Are we genuinely sorrowful over the conditions in our own community? Are we truly heartbroken over dysfunctional homes, abuse, poverty, ignorance, and sin? Genuine concern is more than an emotional response that leads to philosophical discussions. If we truly care we have to ask: what are we doing about it?

• Pray: nothing can be done without this
• Repent: realize that we have ignored our community's problems for too long & resolve to change
• Invest: use our resources (time, energy, money, abilities) to help address some of the physical problems our community faces
• Share the good news: while we have a responsibility to help with physical needs, the church's greatest calling is to share a life-changing relationship through Jesus Christ. Without this transformation we are merely providing superficial patches to deeply ingrained wounds.

We will either be part of the solution for our community or we are contributing to the problem. If we claim to care about our people we have to take a risk and do something to make a difference.

The Right Thing

Dean Smith is the former head men's basketball coach at the University of North Carolina. He is retired now and is still highly respected throughout the sporting world. He has influenced thousands of people through his coaching and most importantly, through his personal life and character.

The story is told of how he helped to bring about social change in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and the home of the university. Desegregation was still part of the society in North Carolina at the time that he began his coaching career-especially in local restaurants. Dean apparently chose to fight this wrong in a very quiet and respectful way. After church one Sunday he invited a member of his church who happened to be black (and a personal friend) to have lunch with him after services. They dined peacefully at this local establishment and their efforts started the process of rectifying this wrong. Even though Dean was not the head coach at the time, he was respected enough that his quiet stance spoke about what was important.

One of the outstanding things about Dean is that when he was asked about this incident he responded by quietly speaking a powerful truth. He said, "You should never be proud of doing what's right. You should just do what's right." This is not only a testimony to his character, but a poignant reminder for each of us. We can do what is right while looking for the spotlight to shine on us or we can just do what should be done for the betterment of us all. Learn to look for ways to do the right thing just because it's the right thing to do. The rewards will be found in an improved society of like-minded people pursuing a mutually beneficial higher calling.

First Step

A small beginning is better than none at all. Unfortunately we often want to make a big splash and hesitate to leap into something without grandiose plans and expectations. The truth is that we can spend so much time trying to perfect something that we delay taking action. Don't fly into something blindly, but sometimes we just have to take a risk and take action in a small, positive way. It won't always be exactly like you drew it up but that doesn't mean it wasn't successful. The positive momentum gained from taking that first step can eventually build into what you hoped for.

The longest journeys are started with a first step.