Pastor A

Samuel Butler said, “All of the animals except man know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.” Now I know that we are not animals before anyone writes a comment. However,  after I read this quote, it did make me stop and think about all of the people that I have met and continue to meet that are so very miserable in life.

My guess is you are not enjoying life as you should and certainly not enjoying life as much as you could have in the past. If you are like most people, you do not really think your job is fun, but you tolerate it or do it because you think  you have to or need to. You probably do not think your friends are all that much fun, but it just seems like too much effort to find new ones.

I have met far too many people who complain about their spouse, their job, their children, their car, their house, their clothes, their looks, their everything… if I am even close to right about these statements in your life, then you need to hear this! You CAN enjoy life; you CAN change your life; you CAN have better relationships; you CAN actually have “fun” in your life; and you most certainly CAN have a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ.

Here is what I have personally discovered in this journey called, life. When you enjoy what you do, you will figure out a way to be excellent at it. When you are excellent at what you do, you will serve others better by doing it well. When you serve others well, you will be rewarded well!

In other words, your enjoyment in life is a result of how well you serve others. People are always focusing on the wrong things: money, prosperity, success, etc. To me, an absence of enjoyment indicates a presence of frustration and dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction and frustration lead to negativity. Negativity in your life means you will react negatively to everyone and everything you come in contact with. That means you are ultimately going to destroy your relationships at home and at work. You will be a jerk to your family. You will be a creep to your coworkers, your clients, your customers, your bosses, etc. In the end, you get fired, you lose all of your friends, and your spouse dumps you and takes all of your stuff. You end up lonely and broken.

Think I am exaggerating? Maybe, though probably not by much because I could give you names and pics of people that this represents today in real life.

So, do you enjoy your life? Why not? I’ll delve further into this topic tomorrow.

Don’t try today; DO today!

This was actually a difficult exercise. I also realize that most people could care less what I believe. However, you should care what you believe. I would challenge you to sit down and jot down a list of what you believe. You will find that it has shaped and molded who you are today. Once you discover what you believe then we can go about working on helping you become the person that God intends for you to be.

I believe:

1. God created me and He is the reason that I must live.
2. God has commanded me to tell others about Him.
3. God is love and therefore I must love others.
4. Love, service, and giving are the motives behind my life.
5. Serving others comes disguised as work.
6. I can change.
7. Words are powerful and often shape the circumstances in my life.
8. Whining kills any possibility to succeed.
9. Results never lie.
10. Most people are lazy and need to get off the couch and do something.
11. Worry is a waste of my precious time and energy.
12. Personal satisfaction comes, not from the approval of others, from God.
13. Everything in life gets better only when I get better and nothing gets better until I get better.
14. By loving my work I can become excellent at it and therefore well rewarded.
15. It is wonderful to have stuff; however, it takes much more than stuff to make me happy.
16. Everything in life is a lesson.
17. If I fail to learn the lesson then I am doomed to repeat the mistake until the lesson is learned.
18. It should be fun serving the Lord, not just fun from time to time.
19. Guilt serves no purpose; confess my sin and move forward.
20. I must always accept the intuition of my wife.

I challenge you to write 20 things that you believe. It is not as easy as it looks. I also learned things about myself. Of course my list could be another 20 items but some items are a given when it comes to the specific details of my daily job and responsibilities. Generally speaking, I live by the 20 items I took the time to write down.

Do you want your life to be different or the same ole hum-drum, drag that you experienced yesterday.

Start somewhere – Don’t try today; DO today!

Good morning! I missed yesterday as I had a very, very full day of visitation, sermon preparation, and family duties. The ongoing goal of my blog is to encourage one to think outside the box. I am eventually going to get to the pretty part of the building we are building. Right now we are still trying to put in the foundation, which oftentimes involves changing or removing the old foundation as it was faulty and is cracked. So here we go today…

What you believe about money determines how much you have in life. If you rob God, I’m positive you will have money issues. Of course I am speaking to those who are Christians. As a believer, you know what is right and if you try to do it on your own because that is what you believe is best, will get you into trouble!

What you believe about either men or women will determine how you treat your wife or husband and how you get along with her or him. Likewise, what you believe about men and women determines how you treat your son, your daughter, your co-workers, and the strangers you meet. What you believe determines how you vote and how you feel about the people you do business with.

What you believe about yourself determines how you dress – whether your clothes are clean and fashionable and whether you shine your shoes. What you believe about love determines how much of it you give and receive. What you believe about success determines much in your life. What you believe about happiness determines if you are or you are not. What you believe about Jesus determines whether you read and talk with Him or you do not.

Now do you see how I can tell exactly what you believe by just looking at you, your attitude, your words, your body language, your dress, etc.? Your beliefs leave a trail that shows up in every area of your life.

May I challenge you to look at your life. Take some time to consider the way you live. Think about your belief system and how it affects every area of your life: your relationships, your church, your ministry involvement, your happiness, your fulfillment, and on and on. Maybe, just maybe, you will for the first time ever, understand and know why your life is the way it is.

“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tomorrow I am going to give you my list of “Brent believes…” and then I would like to challenge you to do the same. How about some introspection today; just what do you believe?

Be in church today – it shows what you believe!

Don’t try today; DO today!

Yesterday I wrote how sad it was for it to be Jonathan’s last high school soccer game. Today I would like to say how proud I am of the manner in which Jonathan handled himself last night. Jonathan cheered for his team, volunteered to be ball boy, and encouraged his teammates throughout the game.

At the end of the game, Jonathan asked the other team to join him for prayer at midfield. So my last image of Jonathan and his soccer season is this picture. Jonathan, who did not get to play in his last game, leading the prayer with the team that just beat his school. His maturity in this situation was refreshing and uplifting to his dad. Then I witnessed his teammates hugging and slapping Jonathan. It really ended well!

What you believe determines so much about your life! Your belief system determines the quality of your relationships and the quality of your life. So… what do you believe? I would imagine that you have a mental list of things right now you are absolutely sure to be true and that you believe in with all of your heart, soul, and mind. We all do. Maybe you have never taken the time to sit down and really think about your list but I would like to encourage you to do just that.

But first, let me tell you what you believe. Say what? “Wait a minute! You don’t even know me. How do you know what I believe?”

I think it is rather easy. I can usually tell what someone believes in a just a few minutes. I can tell by looking at your bank account / register exactly what you believe about money. I can tell what you believe by looking at your car, your house, your shoes, your clothes, your Bible, your church, where you work, who are your friends, etc.

I can also tell what you believe by taking a look at your relationships and how you get along with others: your spouse, your children, your friends, your co-workers. I can tell what you believe by how much you focus on yourself and talk about yourself. I can tell what you believe by how you spend your time when you are alone, what you do when you relax, and what you do when you go on vacation. I can tell what you believe by the books that your read. I can tell what you believe if you do not read. I can tell what you believe by the television programs you watch and the movies you see.

In other words, everything about you – what you do, how you talk, what you have, where you go – all tell me (and other observant people) exactly what you believe. Your beliefs show up in your life. Without exception, you always manifest your belief system.

Woe or wow! Did you realize you show everyone else so much. Your belief system is revealed in the manner in which you live your life.

Don’t try today; DO today!

Today is a very sad day for me! I have watched Jonathan play soccer since he was three years old. He joined his first team at the mature age of four. I have missed very few of his games throughout his eighteen years. There have been so many memories – critical goals, injuries, yellow cards, celebrations, championships, losses, travel, unique uniforms, evolution of equipment, etc.

Today is Jonathan’s last game and he will not get to play in this game. Jonathan received two yellow cards in his last game for aggressive play and that has resulted in a one-game penalty, which just happens to be his last game. By the way, there are no sour grapes and complaints about Jonathan’s yellow cards. The first was definitely legit and the second was marginal but not worthy of any serious argument or disagreement. As a father this pains me; however, as a soccer fan I know that it is absolutely the right decision for Coach Coates and Athletic Director, Mr. Tvrdy for Jonathan to sit the bench and cheer for his teammates.

I have been able for twenty years to live vicariously through Benjamin and Jonathan on the soccer field. I think soccer is the greatest game to play (not necessarily watch) in this entire world. Both of my sons have provided terrific memories.

I am proud of Jonathan, in particular, for his effort this year. His team is young and have been trounced repeatedly with embarrassing scores; yet, the team has held their head high. Our 2-A school has played 4-A and 5-A schools all season. They have been bigger, stronger, and more experienced. In the games that we have competed it has been fun and exciting to watch. The maturation of this team throughout the year has taken place. They will be very good in two years and will provide acceptable competition against schools that we have no business even playing.

However, this year I’ve watched Jonathan also grow as a leader on the field and even down 7-8-9 nothing in a game, never quit. He has played hard all season. There is much DNA that has been left on the different fields with his bloody knees. Even after a couple discouraging thrashings by an opponent, Jonathan was ready to play the next game. I appreciate his character and willingness to fight for his team as the captain. So, as a father, there is sadness today, but I’m so proud of him as a son.

Jonathan, you have provided me so many memories. Thank You!

Have you ever heard of this next myth?

Myth #8: Just Give 110 Percent

Sure, that will do it. Just get out there and give 110 percent! No? Well that is what all of the motivational gurus say is the key. I have heard  them myself. Some of them will even sell you a little lapel pin that has “110%’ on it so you can prove to others how gullible you are. OK, maybe that was mean… you just didn’t know what you were doing.

You cannot give 110 percent. It is impossible. One hundred percent is all there is. It’s the maximum. There is no 110 percent; it does not exist and you cannot give it.

Allow me to illustrate: it is like getting on the airplane and having the flight attendant announce the flight is going to be extremely full. No, it is not. The flight is only full. Full is 100 percent. It cannot be more than full. If the flight gets more than 100 percent full, then someone is not going.

This motivational technique is honestly NOT a problem for most folks. Very few ever face the challenge of giving more than 100 percent because most people seem to be quite comfortable operating at about 60 percent. Most people work just hard enough so they will not get fired. If you even approach 100 percent, I applaud you! You are truly in the minority in this country.

However, while you cannot give 11o percent, I will grant you this: You CAN give more than you think you can. You always have more to give. But you cannot give more than there is. And 100 percent is all there is.

So, I’ve spent this week examining what I refer to as motivational myths. Our motivation must be found in our belief system. That belief system is now going to be discussed over the next few days. Now that we have debunked all of these motivational techniques used by these speakers that are all too happy to take your hard-earned money, we want to show you that you CAN DO some pretty amazing things with your life.

See ya tomorrow – Don’t try today; DO today!

Delaney plays soccer and is her team’s keeper! We were invited on a beautiful January day to watch Delaney play. The field at Golf Links Park is amazing. I think it would be great to play on this field.

Delaney played very well and her team won 6-3! Way to go Delaney! I learned in this soccer game that girls are far nicer than boys! Girls don’t like to get dirty and will stop to clean their knees if they have dirt on them.

Delaney and her family are very active at TBT. It was a joy to spend some time with the family and see their life outside of TBT.

Thank you for inviting us to watch you play!

Today I am going to continue examining myths that many motivational speakers will emphatically state in their seminars, cds, books, and blogs. If these “gurus” can get you to open your wallet, use your credit card, or write a check, then they will say just about anything. Unfortunately there are too many people who fall for these lies… and thus they are out of their hard-earned money AND their life is no different. Perhaps you fall into this category. Reverse that trend today!

Myth #7 There are no problems, only opportunities

Have you heard this one before? The motivational types love to use this one. What planet are these people from? I have problems. Period. They are not opportunities. They are problems. And they must be dealt with like problems. Of course these pie-in-the-sky thinkers who say this are also the one who are out there saying, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” Sorry folks, not where I come from. Sometimes the sky is black and all it does is rain and storm and make a mess. And sometimes when it storms like that, the only thing you can do is take cover. There is no silver lining ahead; brace yourself for a tornado!

To be kind, the folks who say this stuff are well-meaning. I know all they are trying to do is get you to put your “opportunity” in perspective – “all bad eventually holds some good.” But to cram motivational cliches down our throats when we are facing real turmoil is insulting.

Last week one of our beloved church families had a problem! At 9:00 a.m. they received  a knock on their door. A fairly good-looking Hispanic male asked if he could do some yard work. Our kind church member negotiated a price for this young man to work for a couple of hours. This young man asked him about the side yard. Once Jim stepped out of the house and walked to the end of his sidewalk, he was met with a fist to the side of his head, knocking him to the ground by a man with a mask and a gun.

I respectfully say, in deference to all of the motivational speakers in this world, Jim had an immediate problem! His problem only increased in its severity as he was herded back into his house to be tied up and his charming and beautiful wife of 56 years to also be disgracefully tied up. (Note: I can say with great authority, if they ever catch these bad guys, there is a long line of people willing to handle this problem, for Jim’s wife did not deserve to have this traumatic and terrible problem take place in her life!) Now folks, at the time that Jim and his wife were tied up, they had a problem, a very real life-threatening problem!

You see, a problem is a problem. Hurt is real. Pain exists. These are the realities of life. There is no help in sugarcoating them. While every problem can teach us a valuable lesson, it still needs to be called a problem and dealt with like it is a problem.

As a believer in Christ, I’m so thankful that we can cast our cares upon Him for he careth for us! Take your problems to Him today, whatever they may be!

Don’t try today; DO today!

Bethany is one of our teenagers who is home-schooled and plays soccer for Santa Rita High School. We were given an invitation to watch Bethany play soccer. It was a very, very cold night; however, we bundled up and headed to the high school. Beth has been recovering from an ankle injury and had been give the green light to play on the night we visited her school.

Beth played valiantly, as did her teammates, but a victory was not to be on this particular night. Beth’s ankle was not quite ready for a full game; however, we enjoyed watching Beth play in the first half and fellowshipping with her family during the second half. Beth is actively involved in our ministry by singing specials, singing in the choir, helping with “Date Night,” and in her youth group. Beth is a blessing to have in the TBT ministry.

Today, all across America, people will try to come up with some quip, book, seminar, or blog that will give them the magical advice that will suddenly make their life better, more fulfilled, and complete. We have looked at five myths thus far. Here is a sixth myth that will definitely lead you astray.

Myth #6: You are perfect just the way you are

If you believed that, you would not be attending the seminar, reading a book, or looking for that “something” that will make you better. You really don’t believe this for a minute. We could probably (and will) debate this issue a good long while, but for just a minute let me give you my take on this myth. Yes, spiritually you are perfect in that God said He fearfully and wonderfully made you. He said His works are marvelous; therefore, one can logically assume that in this one area of your life, you are perfect. However, you had and have nothing to do with this area of your life. You were never consulted before the blueprints were drawn; God designed you.

God loves you and accepts you just the way you are. I love this thought and find it comforting, as should you. This blog is not intended to be a “preaching blog” so therefore I will not preach a sermon. Suffice it to say that God loved all of us so much that He sent His only Son to be the “perfect” sacrifice for all of us. This beautiful story will be discussed at a different time.

For now, spiritually it is true you are perfect just as you are; although, you must accept His Son to truly achieve that future perfection in a place called heaven.

However, on a practical level, you are NOT perfect just the way you are. You probably need to change many things about yourself in order for you to be the kind of person the rest of us can put up with.

While God will accept you just the way you are, it is a certainty that many of the rest of us, will not. We want you to nice, reasonable, and fairly easy to get along with. Otherwise you will not be hired, others will not buy from you, you will not have a great marriage, or many will not want to be your friend. You will grow old while being lonely and miserable. So wise up and change; you are NOT perfect just the way you are.

I sure have heard motivational speakers and even preachers say this my entire married life. We ALL have work that we must DO in our lives! To the person who no longer is willing to learn and improve in areas of his life is a useless person spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. Never stop learning; you are not perfect.

Read today! January’s book is Off Script by Cary Schmidt. Have you read it?

Don’t try today; DO today!

I am so thankful that in this year 2012 that God is still saving and changing people’s lives. On Saturday, January 14, we had our normal door-to-door visitation and around 25 out for visitation. Two of our ladies knocked on a door and invited the family to TBT. As a result of this visit, the family attended church on Sunday, July 15. At the invitation time, both the husband and wife left their pew and walked to the front of the church. Both the husband and wife were talked to by our counselors. Both accepted Christ as their own personal, Lord and Savior. It truly was thrilling to see the joy that flooded into their soul.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Spears, a young couple in their 20′s, took the next big important step in their new found faith. Last night they followed the Lord’s instruction to be baptized. They publicly identified with Christ (as did 14 adults) and made it known to our church family, their own family, and their friends that a change has taken place in their lives. It is so true… personal invitations to church still works!

Two ladies did not try to go on visitation, they went on door-to-door visitation. As a result of their obedience, two adults have now made the most important decision of their lives. The changes have been evident in just one short week. Praise the Lord for His abundant goodness to this family.

Don’t try today; DO today!

Yesterday I examined one of the biggest myths about trying to do something in your life. The lie is that you can be whatever you want to be. Today we will look at a couple more that I have heard or read about through the years:

Myth #2: You can do whatever you want to do.

Sorry, this is a lie too! Much like myth #1, it will only lead to disappointment. You can do whatever you have the talent to do. By the way, you DO have much more talent to do more things than you have given yourself credit for up until now. Too many people have allowed themselves to be beat down and then have become demoralized, believing that they are useless. You HAVE talents and abilities that were given to just you. Are you using and developing them.

One of my church members expressed frustration over something that I wrote on my blog a couple weeks ago. I said, “well thanks for reading my blog!” She said, “I don’t think I am going to read it anymore.” I said, “do you think you could write?” She said, “Of course.” I said, “Then let’s have a competition. I will continue to blog and then you blog and let’s see who has the most readers in a couple months.” She said, “Oh, I don’t want to do that, I will leave that up to someone else.” SAY WHAT! This is the problem with this world – complain about what someone does but continue to do nothing! Oops, now I am in trouble. But folks, the truth is the truth!

Myth #3: You can have whatever you want to have

If this were true I would know some pretty important people in this world much better than I do. The truth is you can have whatever you take action toward achieving, utilizing your abilities, your thoughts, and your words.

The real issue with these first three myths is the word want. You do NOT get what you want; you get what you take action on!

Myth #4: You become what you think about

I have said this for years and it dawned on me back in December that this is categorically untrue! You do not become what you think about all day long. Can what you think about all day influence your decision making ability, yes! However, if you became what you thought about all day then most adolescent boys would be girls =) Get it – this motivational technique simply cannot be true!

Instead, you attract what you put your energy, effort, and attention on. The real truth is this: You become what you think about, talk about, and do something about. It is the combination of these three that makes things happen in your life, both positive and negative.

Myth #5: As long as you have a positive attitude, everything in your life will be fine

Another lie! I already addressed this in a previous post but let me remind you that a positive attitude does not keep things from happening to you. A positive attitude helps you deal with what happens to you. You will have highs and you will have lows in life. You will have automobile accidents, experience illness, your roof will leak, and people still get sick and die. This is life. It happens to all of us regardless of our attitude. How you deal with it is what matters, and a positive attitude helps!

These myths are just food for thought and lies that people swallow hook, line, and sinker. Remember, there is a Creator that fearfully and wonderfully designed and made YOU. You are not an accident but an “on purpose” creation by God Himself. Embrace it and get busy, right now, DOing what He created you to do!

Don’t try today; DO today!

This past week there was a HUGE motivational seminar in Tucson. Mega bucks were spent to invite all of these “gurus” to Tucson. Thousands flocked to this seminar hoping to meet a famous personality or hear a new piece of advice that will revolutionize their lives. It is truly unbelievable how many people are searching for some secret to be successful. As thousands filled the Tucson Arena on Wednesday to hear Rudy Giuliani, Kurt Warner, Terry Bradshaw, Steve Forbes, and General Colin Powell, I can tell you that we at TBT also heard one of the greatest “motivational speeches” of all time. Our “motivational speech” (message) came from the Word of God.

Folks, if we are not willing to obey the greatest motivational book that has ever been written, then we will never become the person that we desire to be! As I thought about the events of this week it became clear to me that people are still searching… they are searching for the magical formula, the super secret key, the edge that will get them ahead of others, success, wealth, happiness, security, fulfillment, etc. As I thought about this, it is clear to me that people have bought into the lie of most motivational speeches. Over the next couple days I would like to debunk some of the motivational tactics employed to sell books and fill grand arenas. I am going to call them “myths!” I believe these myths are detrimental to your life!

Myth #1: You can be whatever you want to be.

This is a lie! Not everyone can be whatever he or she wants to be. Somebody has to do the stuff the rest of us do not really want to do. Not everyone can be a model or a professional basketball player or movie star. First, you may be short, fat, and ugly. That knocks out that model thing pretty quickly. And you may have no talent or skills to become a professional athlete or an actor; although I will admit there are plenty of movie stars with no talent who seem to do pretty well.

You can become whatever you have the potential to become and are willing to dedicate the time and effort into becoming, and what you have the talent for. That is the truth – no more, no less!

I love to sing! However, no choir director after hearing me sing is going to invite me to sit in his choir. It is the sad reality of who God created me to be – I do not have the ability to sing in a choir, men’s quartet, or as a soloist. Can I sing in a congregational setting, yes! I am drowned out by those who have been blessed with the talent to sing.

The truth: I can be whatever God designed me to be! That requires me to DO! That means that literally I CAN BE all that God desires. BUT – it requires work. There is no magical formula!

Don’t try today; DO today!

Typically, motivation is a lot like blowing up a balloon. You blow up the balloon and without tying the end, you let it go and it flies all over the room bouncing against everything. While it is great to have a balloon all blown up to play with, to really enjoy it you have to tie off the end so you can really have some fun with it. You can use it like a ball, or rub it on your head and let the static electricity stick it to the wall. Or you can tie a string to it and anchor it to something and bat it around. Without tying off the end you have the frustration of just blowing it up over and over and over again until it finally blows out the window or pops. While that is fun to do for a few minutes, it becomes tiring pretty quickly.

We just finished a week of revival meetings with Evangelist Mike Shrock. The meetings were amazing with dozens and dozens of decisions! At least five adults walked the aisle to trust Christ. I believe our folks are motivated! They have heard very direct preaching from II Peter 1 that focused our attention on a very specific direction. We even have seven areas to master!

Have you ever watched people who have just become all fired up and motivated, but they have not been given any direction? They are like the balloon that has been blown up but not tied. They bounce around the room letting out lots of motivational hot air, passing out their “Attitude is Everything” buttons and getting in everyone’s way. Yes, they know all the buzzwords and can quote the jargon, but they have no direction. And just the like the balloon, they become tiring after a while.

I ask you today, why get motivated without a plan? What is YOUR plan? Are you DOing and are you working your “DO 12 in 2012″ this year? In order to head in a specific direction, you MUST have a plan! Can you see that is the way it should be done? You must have a plan first. To get motivated without a plan is (fill in your word here) [crazy, stupid, lame, ignorant, etc]. You are nothing more but a balloon full of hot air.

I believe you MUST have direction: plans, dreams, desires, a picture of what you want, who you want to be, and how you want to be. You do not need pages of plans; you just need a direction that can be articulated and focused on so you can direct your energy toward it.

Don’t try today; DO today!