God's Man

I love how my minds moves when I do these drills. This one is a bit off topic but it captures something that I have been working on for quite some time. As I opened this drill I allowed one of my novel's characters, now an old man to write down in his journal. He lives in a prison. A prison of his own making. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are moments where I can still hear the voices. Like echoes through time I can still hear the battle raging. I wonder if I will ever get beyond that moment. The smell of smoke and the clanging of weapons. The shouts of battle reflecting off of the armor of warriors who had seen both their first and last battle. Their young faces seem far to young to have been part of the carnage around them. The heat of fire still cascade through my mind. We had tapped into something in those days that no one even remembers in this age of peace. Time is short for one such as I and at my age you would think I would have all the answers. However because of my age I ...

Have you ever played checkers? I remember playing this game when I was a kid. It was fun especially that moment when you reach the other end of the board and proclaim "King Me". See the king was all powerful. Able to fly from one end of the board to the other. Not like the king in chess who could only move one tile. So the image you see above is something that I "drew" in a a program called Paper by Fifty Three while I was sitting in staff. This is no random doodle though. I have been experimenting with visual note taking as a way of remembering things. My Pastor was sharing with us that to be excellent you had to work to master 7 different things. Two of them were captured there. These 2 were the ones that stuck out to me. I have never been good at these 2 things. Reality has never meant much to me. I tend to see things in was that are not realistic. This is a blessing and a frustration point for myself and others. It means that I am not usually able ...

We have started a new sermon series called Chazown. Transliteration: chazown Pronunciation: khä·zōn' Part of Speech: masculine noun Root Word (Etymology): from chazah Outline of Biblical Usage: 1) vision a) vision (in ecstatic state) b) vision (in night) c) vision, oracle, prophecy (divine communication) d) vision (as title of book of prophecy)   What are you doing with God's vision for your life? Jump into finding it out! - God's Man  

Today is Father's Day and as I was thinking what I would post I started looking through some pictures that I have stored and I came across this one. In this picture we have my God son, Cameron, cooking crabs for the first time. It was the first time that he had really touched one. Even wearing those thick gloves he was still nervous being pinched. The other guy in the picture is my Dad, who I refer to as the old King. I know that this isn't the best picture of him but, with half his face gone but it illustrates an important thing about my Dad. My Dad has one of the biggest personalities that you will ever experience but you won't always notice it. Sometimes it is in your face but most of the time it is behind the scenes guiding you. Growing up we always called my Dad the foreman because when there was work going on he made sure that all us boys knew what we should be doing, what we were doing wrong and how to fix it. Like with Cameron he was showing him what to do, th...

As you wind down on this Saturday remember that no matter what season you are in God has given you a focus, a hope, and a promise. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1:1-6 ESV) -God's Man

Today's XKCD is incredibly relevant to our discussion today. As we look at the theme of Jump for this month's NaBloPoMo (National Blog Post Month) one of the things that we should make a habit of doing is trying new things. I went into the shoe store last week and tried on a pair of the Skeltoes from Fila.  I had looked at them many times but because of the weirdness of my feet I have ignored any shoe innovation.  I buy the same type of New balance shoe that I know fits my custom orthotics.  A weird thing happened when I tried them on.  They fit.  Even without my orthotic I could move around and they felt comfortable.  I am going to get a pair and see how working out with them feels (winking at Fila). Anyway,  Jump into something new today.  You never know what the outcome will be. -God's Man

image credit Elev8.com 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:29-31 I was explaining to a young man on Sunday that no matter how hard WE try we cannot get it right all the time.  If we could, why would we need Jesus at all?  I mean, He would not have needed to go to the cross if we were just perfect.  Eventually, no matter how young, strong, smart, disciplined we might be, our strength will falter (vv30).  There is only one place where we have access to an unlimited supply, God.  His power renews and restores us when our patience is tested.  His power lifts us up to greater heights so that we can see above the situation with clarity.  His power allows us to naviga...

I planned to write a long narrative introduction today, with lots of editing, however my time was consumed by the whirlwind.  In order to make sure that I do not start my 30 Day Challenge with a loss I am going to do this 5 minute drill style. I have been using this as my online elevator speech for as long as I have been blogging.  Here is who God's Man is: I am Husband to the World's Greatest Wife. I am Father to the World's Greatest Daughters. I am a Servant to the Most High God. I am one guy committed to God's Plan for his life. So let me break this down in reverse order I am one guy committed to God's Plan for his life For the last 8 years I have been training and operating as a leader of men.  My heart has been to help men understand the potential that God has placed inside of them.  That is part of the reason that this blog has continued beyond its original intent. I am a Servant of the Most High God I am a believer and fol...

*** Ready Set Go *** Have I ever mentioned my secret? I am nerd. Not just any kind of nerd; I am a super nerd. Now here is another dirty little secret that I hold. I hate school. From start to “finish” I had been in school from age 18 mo to 21. The entire time I was bored to tears. Of course, as a kid I could never articulate my hatred of school. I just didn’t want to go. My parents being attentive made sure that I went, all the time. Skipping was never an option. However they couldn’t make me apply myself and my grades showed it. There were classes that I excelled in. However that was only because it was something that I was interested in. Computers, English, Physics, Math, and Art, those were classes that I enjoyed. It wasn’t until later in life that I understood why you need to get good grades. When I got ready for college I have very little scholarship potential. I learned that I they wanted high GPA’s and I did not have it. *** Timer Expired *** The point of the a...

This video incorporates two of my favorite things.  Music and awesomeness!   Go Go Go

God does not give me the ability to make right decisions.  He gives me the ability to make a decision and the guidance to make it right.   Go Go GO

Go Go Go

*** Ready Set Go *** How do you find time? I would point you to the last message that I wrote on Doing Less. That is the easiest way to find the time necessary to get things done. Next is to start doing an inventory on how you are spending your time. I have noticed how much time I waste. MY pastor recommends doing a tome audit every 15 minutes. Check and see what have you been doing. Write it down and then examine it at the end of everyday. By doing this I am sure that you will identify time sinks that eat your day. After the audit do a time budget where you can plan out the important things you want to accomplish. Even plan out your leisure time. I know it is counter intuitive but if you know that you will be surfing the web from 1-1:30 it makes it easier to say no at other times of the day. Give it a try. It has worked wonders for me when I commit to it. Go Go Go *** Timer Expired ***

*Ready Set Go* Are you doing too much? That is what I find with a lot of my clients. They usually have a good understanding of what they should be doing. They struggle with doining it with everything that they have on their plate. I am a fierce advocate of the word no. It is powerful. The more you can say no to even good things the more opportunity you have to yes to what is best! Go Go Go

***Ready Set Go*** Fear is such an empty emotion. It tells us that we can't do something, that it is too hard... But it is a lie. Today I saw fear in a very real way, in Isana's eyes. She wanted to try the monkey bars on the swing set. She was expecting our normal answer of no. I told her that I would have to remove the swings first. She watched me take each one off chain by chain. Finally it was clear and the ladder that we have watched her go up and down on seemed so tall. She decided she didn't want to do it anymore... Aren't we like that some times. We say, God open this door. But when the door is finally open we slink away because now we have to stretch. Like I said it could have ended there. But I wouldn't let Fear stop her growth. I told her to climb up those steps. Then she didn't want to reach for the overhead bars. It was too far she said. I told her she could do it but the fear wouldn't retreat. Even though she had grabbed the bars and was hanging...

***Ready Set Go*** I am a big believer in the meaning of dreams. I wrote this dream down one night in 2007. I share part of it with you as well as the specific questions that I asked God about it. People in the Dream: Me, Virginia Carter, my cousin "Cakes" Locations in the Dream: Virginia Carter's House, Villa Julie College (AC Building) Segment 2: Ginny and I, she ask me to her Ginny, are walking through the AC building at Villa Julie. I am showing her the classrooms and talking about what our team does here. Again the conversation seems light and fluffy. All style and no substance. We get about halfway down the hall and some people call to her from down the hall. She acknowledges them. I can't tell who they are as they are covered in shadows. We keep walking and talking but I start slowing my pace. I want to keep talking with Ginny. I want to talk about important things but we seem caught up in this banal conversation about my work.. We walk and talk and then, alm...

call someone Honestly I did not do this one today. I was stuck on who to call and I couldn't think of anyone. Now it is late and i do not want to disturb anyone. SO I am calling this one a failure today. Maybe I will attack it tomorrow so I can say I did it. take initiative Today I was a little more proactive than I usually am. I told my team members how to address issues rather than allowing them to come up with their own solutions. While I prefer letting my team learn through their issues there is something exciting about being in charge. experience nature The only nature that I experienced was the natural beauty of my bride. She has taken to wearing dresses and skirts again and for that I am thankful. Walking around the city and experiencing the people was also fun. I long for being a kid again, living in Matthews Town and walking barefoot in through my grandmother's garden. smile more Today was a day filled with laughter, even amongst the tears. My bride and I h...

Welcome to Day 12 - Facing the Shadow The caption reads, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death I will fear no evil Psalms 23:4" I LOVE the 23rd Psalm. My grandmother had me repeating that thing over and over again when I was a child. For me I just loved her praise when I could recite it on command. I didn't understand what any of it meant and I don't remember anyone trying to explain it to me either. It was just important that I know the words. Today I want to talk about walking through the valley. This feel in line with my tasks for today. Here they are breed confidence If you take a look at the passage it tells us that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death there is nothing to fear. I want you to think about a shadow. It is late now and with the lights off you can see the shadows everywhere. When I was a kid I remember not wanting to sleep in the dark because of the way the shadows played in my room. I though...

Five Minute Drill - What Are You Capable Of? When I was teaching I used give my students what I called the 5 minute Drill. No matter the discipline I used this technique to draw out the creativity in them. By starting off the class with this I "hopefully" prepared them to use their creative muscles for problem solving. So since I have 5 minutes until my hamburgers are done here is my 5 minute drill. "Never tell a young person that anything cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing." ~ John Andrew Holmes I made a habit with my oldest daughter was small to tell her that she is capable of anything. That there is nothing that she cannot do. I caught a lot of flack for that because it made her into a bit of a daredevil. She is a super climber and a fierce jumper. When she was just learning to walk she would climb onto the couch and then walk across to the coffee table and then onto my ch...