Yard work and my spiritual walk . . .

Well, we have made it past another Memorial Day weekend and I am stiff and sore. This has traditionally been the weekend that we attack the yard work that we have let go for a while around our house. This weekend I have laid sod, put down stepping stones (which I still have some to put back down where I laid the sod), I have cut back Azaleas, trimmed tree limbs, bought a new gas grill (which I am trilled with) and a new set of chairs and a table for the patio. To be honest and transparent to those who read this blog – I really do not like yard work. That is the reason that I am stiff and sore. If I used these muscles all the time – by doing yard work and enjoying it – I would not be stiff and sore. You have to understand that I have seen all this work that needed to be done for a while – I just kept putting it off. If I didn’t put these things off to the last minute, it would not be so hard to get them done and my body would not have to be put through so much stress. But, I do have to admit, I like the way everything looks after it is done.

I started thinking this morning that sometimes our lives are a lot like Memorial Day weekends. We see things that need to be done in our lives (things that God has revealed to us) that need to be taken care of and yet we just keep putting them off. If we would just deal with those things when God revealed them our lives would be a lot easier and yet, we continue to hang on to them or put of dealing with them. I am far from perfect, and I procrastinate with the best, but I know in my life after these things are dealt with I like the way my life looks after it is done. Even dealing with the stiffness and soreness after dealing with something that God has revealed, the outcome is well worth what we go through. My question to you is this – what has God revealed to you that needs some attention?

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and let’s get the work done.

Living your life out load . . .

Are you living your life out load? Let me tell you what I am talking about. Are you living your life so that it affects those around you to the point that they become followers of Christ? You may say this can’t be done and I would say that you are wrong. I have had men and women who have affected the way I live my life just by the way that they live theirs and I would venture to say that so do you. The real question then is – how do we live our lives so that they affect others and their beliefs?

I ran across a scripture in the book of John this week that has stemmed this line of thought. In John 12:9-11 it is said that the High Priests plotted to kill Lazarus because people were becoming followers of Jesus because of him. Now I do find it strangely funny that they were plotting to kill a man that had already died once. Just by living his life – Lazarus was affecting peoples lives around him for the kingdom of God.

We need to live our lives so that we affect those around us. They need to see that we are regular people who lead regular lives – with one difference – where our faith lies. Our faith as believers lies in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This should permeate every aspect of our lives to the point that people see Jesus in everything that we do. My question to you is – when people see you living your life – who do they see?

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and live you life out loud.

Who are you, Judas or Mary?

As I sit here this morning, eating pop tarts and getting ready to start a day of work, I’m asking myself, which attitude do I have Judas or Mary. Here’s where I’m coming from. Remember the passage in John 12:1-8. We discussed this last night in our Bible study with The Journey. Jesus has been traveling and stopped by to see Lazarus. Martha was serving supper and Mary poured an expensive bottle of perfume on Jesus’ feet. Judas fussed at her for wasting such and said that she should sell the bottle of perfume and gave the money to the poor. Of course, Jesus told him to be quite because Mary was doing the right thing.
Mary was worshipping in her own way. She cleaned His feet and dried them with her hair. She was at His feet, enjoying His presence. I wonder if she knew that six days later He was going to be hung on a cross.
Judas fussed at Mary because she wasted money by pouring an expensive bottle of perfume on Jesus’ feet. That bottle of perfume was like 11 months wages in that day. Judas was the “chastiser” of the bunch and a thief. He also kept the money bag for the disciples and yes, he embezzled (that’s why he fussed at Mary; he was thinking he was “the poor”). As most of you know this is the same Judas who took money in exchange for turning Jesus in to be crucified. Judas also had a habit like a lot of folks in today’s church. “You shouldn’t do that” or “You can’t come in like that”; “we’ve never done it that way”; “this is the way we’ve always done it”. Need I go on?
In my new church experience with The Journey, I’m learning to have an attitude more like Mary and less like Judas. I use to have an attitude like Judas but now I know that it’s more than the do’s and don’t ‘s. God is not concerned with all of the formalities of worship or going “to church”. He is concerned about worship. God does encourage us to come together as believers to encourage and lift each other up. Worship should be a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year thing. Corporate worship is an overflow of what has taken place during the week. It should never end. It’s never going to end when we get to heaven.
Hopefully this has stirred up something in you like it did me. Give me a shout and let me know what you are thinking. I hope all who has read this will have a wonderful day. Remember to be watching for what God is trying to get your attention about in your life.

How do we impact our world . . .

Do you ever wonder how we impact our world? You know the people that you see everyday. How do you impact them for the kingdom of God? That is one of the things that we are thinking about continuously as we work at planting The Journey. Our focus from the very beginning is to “Love God and Love Others.” But in a practical way how to we do that?

Well, in Mark chapter 6 (which is quickly becoming one of my favorite books to study) in verses 18 – 20 (in The Message), Jesus told the man, that He had cast the Legion (many) demons out of, to "Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you." We don’t need to over complicate matters. We each have our own story of what Jesus has done in our lives. We just need to tell our own people – those that we come in contact with everyday what Jesus has done and is doing in our lives.

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and who have you told your story too lately? Who’s the next to hear your story? Pray that God would give you the opportunity to tell your story soon.

Nuggets of wisdom . . .

Have you ever stumbled upon something that you were reading in the Bible, maybe in a different translation, and suddenly a light seems to go on? Well, that’s what happened to me this morning. I was reading in the 4th chapter of Mark in the Message this morning and suddenly a light went on. I know that I have read this same scripture lots of time and for some reason never had it hit me the way it did this morning.

This scripture talks about the way that Jesus was teaching the people. It says that He taught in stories to those who did not have the insight to the kingdom of God. By doing so the stories were “creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight.” I have been thinking a lot about the way I teach and those around me teach and whether we sometimes over complicate things, especially for those who may not have a relationship with our Lord. The conclusion that I have come to is that we should basically use the model that Jesus used.

Our teaching never should be overly complicated. Teach in stories that apply to the people that we are teaching allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives. What do you think? How do you teach? Let me know.

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and keep it simple.

Props to my friend Phil . . .

Last night I had the opportunity to go to a reception for one of my very best friends – Phil Edge. The reception was in honor of his retirement at the end of this school year. Phil and I have been friends for 30 years. We have seen each other through some great times and we have seen each other through some hard times. I can truly say that this is someone that I have traveled the roads of life with. Phil is retiring after 36 years in the education system as both a teacher and a principal. The following are a few things that I have seen in the life of my friend . . .

In his life as an educator – what he did was for the kids – not for himself. The kids under his care were what was always the most important. Greenville County schools are loosing a great educator.

Allow others around you to grow and empower them to lead.

Genuinely care about those under your care, especially kids – they can tell.

Look for the great qualities of people from our past and emulate those qualities in your life today.

Bad day fishing is better than a good day at work.

As you walk through God’s creation – keep your head up and focus on the journey and not the destination. If you don’t you will probably miss something great.

Take time to enjoy life.

Love God and love the people around you.

Those are just a few things from 30 years of friendship. I look forward to the next 30 in our journey through life together. Phil has poured a great deal of his life into me over all these years and for that I am eternally grateful. Phil – I love you as a friend and a brother. Blessings to you as you retire and start the list your wife has for you.

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and when are we going to try out the new boat?

The road less traveled – revisited . . .

You know, I find it quite fascinating that I consider myself pretty well read and yet I have never seen this poem. I was talking about the latest post that I made with Mike Thompson and he asked if I knew that there was a poem with that name. Since I did not, I Googled it and low and behold there it was. So for others that may not have ever read this poem – here you go . . .

ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other as just as fair

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet, knowing how way leads onto way

I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence

Two roads diverged in a wood

And I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference

Robert Frost

I’ll revisit this topic again soon, but until the keep your eyes on Jesus and let’s see where this road goes.

Road less traveled . . .

I don’t know how that statement (a road less traveled) jumped in my head earlier this week, but I don’t seem to be able to get it out so . . . that is now our topic of discussion. When I first started thinking about this statement I was thinking of the scripture talking about narrow is the way. Since then I have moved on to a different train of thought.

I’ve been thinking more along the lines of discipleship and relationships. What I have noticed over most of my Journey as a Christian is that discipleship was done in a group and through a program instead of face to face and person to person – basically relationships.

If asked, most people would say that they have many friends. I would say that they have many acquaintances. A true friendship is built around a deep relationship. A disciple of Christ should be actively seeking those that he or she can build a relationship with in order to influence their lives through the touch of the Holy Spirit. So why don’t we do this more often? Because people’s lives are messy. Especially those which are far from God.

I’ll dig deep into this thought and statement in the days to come – but for now keep your eyes on Jesus and see you in Pigeon Forge this weekend. Irene and I will be at the Apple Barn for breakfast.

What a weekend . . .

Just to let you know, in some ways I had a great weekend and in some ways I would have been better off staying in bed most of the weekend. I jsut trying to be honest and transparent to those that read this blog. I am far from perfect and I have bad weekends.

Friday was a great day. I met with one of the guys from The Journey and we had lunch and went to Woodcraft and hung out a little while. Then Irene and I closed on the refinancing on our house.

Saturday started as a problem. Everything that I touched I either dropped, broke, or had to fix to be able to use. I went to Lowes and evidently so did every other oerson in the eastern seaboard. There were no parking places and the walkways were clogged with people. If I had not known better I would have bet I was at the Mall at Christmas time. Saturday evening got better as we met two friends for bar-b-que and later a trip to see the Greenville Drive play baseball. The game was supposed to start at 7:00 pm. There was a rain delay and the first pitch wasn’t thrown until after 9:00 pm. We still had fun jsut being at the part and fellowshipping with our friends. When we left to come home, Greenville was ahead 2 to 0. We checked the paper the next day and they had lost 7 to 2. We should have stayed. Their luck ran out when we left.

Sunday was great. We went to First Baptist Church Fountain Inn and listened to Mike preach a great sermon. After lunch it was nap time and then out again for Bible Study with The Journey. This week we had (23) come to our Bible Study. We had a family offer their home to meet until we ran out of room. We also had someone offer to work with our children during the adult discussion of the Bible Study. God is answering prayers.

Today, I was in the first of a two day training class for work on holding Crucial Conversations. It is a little more that humbling when you realize that you are not as good a communicator as you think you are. But that is OK. I want to get better and this is going to help me do that.

Next weekend Irene and I are heading out of town to Pigeon Forge TN and I can’t wait. I need a couple of days to kick my head out of gear and see if I can get my perspective back.

Tomorrow will be another all day class and then it is back to work on Wednesday. Until next time - keep your eyes on Jesus and let’s see what the Lord has in store for us in the future.

Things that I am looking forward to . . .

• There are a few things that are coming up soon that I am really looking forward to:
  
  

• Irene and I are closing on the refinancing of our house tomorrow. I am loving it. That will be one step closer to nothing outside of normal household bills.
• Irene and I are celebrating the closing by going to a Greenville Drive baseball game Saturday evening with two of our best friends.
• I am really looking forward to Bible study with The Journey Sunday evening. We had (22) at our house last week. I am praying that it gets more crowded this Sunday.
• Next Monday and Tuesday I will be out of the office at a training session on Crucial Conversations. I am hoping that this will help me with my conversation skills. Especially in those tough conversations.
• Mike is on his way back with a list of things that we need to tackle to begin to move The Journey forward. I look forward to seeing what he has learned at Exponential in Orlando.
• A chance to get back to reading “Church is a Team Sport” by Jim Putman. If you have not read this book yet, get a copy. It is a course changing read.
• Possibly spending a weekend out of town with my beautiful wife in the next coupe of weeks.
• Disney in October. That’s right. Irene and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary at Disney. I can’t wait. I haven’t been there since the park was (2) years old.

What are some things that you are looking forward to? Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and where’s Mickey? I want my picture taken with him.

God is so good . . .

God is so good. I just was thinking about how blessed I am. I turned 49 years old a couple of weeks ago and it has me thinking about how God has blessed me.

I have a beautiful wife that pretty much puts up with all of my nonsense.

I have great friends and family that love me and care about me.

I have a great job at a greta company - Devita and Associates, Inc.

My wife and I are closing on refinancing our home and rolling in a couple of bills that we have been trying to get paid off. If all goes as expected, our mortgage payment will go down from what we are paying right now and we are going from a 30 year loan to a 20 year loan.

My wife just called and said that she had discovered some moeny that she had coming to her from a past job that she had when we first met.

I am helpping a friend of mine plant a church here in Greenville.

I could go on and on, but for now that will do. How has God blessed you. Take a few minutes and make a list. Until next time - keep your eyes on Jesus and count your blessings, name tehm one by one.

A book that I am reading right now . . .

I am reading a book called Crucial Conversations right now. This is something that I would not normally pick up, but maybe I should have earlier in life. You see I have to read this book for a two day class/training session that my job is sending me to next Monday and Tuesday. I am actually looking forward to going. I really hope that it helps me with my communication skills, especially in tuff conversations.

I hate those types of conversations. I had to have a couple of those conversations last week with some guys on my team. I guess that the reason that I hate them is that I don’t think that I do them very well. In fact I now I don’t do them well at all. I probably hate being ion the receiving end of one of those conversations more than the one conducting the conversation. Mostly because I don’t process things very quickly and it is hard for me to know how to respond. Reading this book has caused me to look at the way I communicate and have communicated in the past, especially when I feel threatened.

One thing that it has triggered, unexpectedly, is to look at the way Jesus communicated in tough conversations. He always had the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes asking questions and starting crucial conversations with Him. I like the book that is required for the class. I like the example that Jesus set for us even better. I’ll let you know how they mess after the class next week.

How do you handle crucial (tough) conversations? Let me know. I really am interested. Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and your ears open more than your mouth.

A Great Weekend . . .

I was sitting here at the computer on Sunday afternoon, which I normally do not do, and I decided to get off a quick hits list from the weekend. This weekend was great for several reasons, and some of them are as follows:

• Friday evening we clowned at Greenbrier elementary school for their spring fling. We tied balloons for 3.5 hours straight with no breaks. The kids were great as always. My hands have hurt me for two days now. I stand in awe of anyone that can do that everyday.
• Had to work at the office yesterday morning. I am blessed that I have a great job and a great company to work for. I am also blessed that I don’t have to go into the office on Saturdays very often. This was the first time in over a year.
• Last night we had a gathering here at the house to celebrate my birthday. We fired up the charcoal grill for the first time this year and cooked hamburgers and hotdogs. The only thing better than the food was the family and friends that were here at the house to help me celebrate my birthday. I am truly blessed.
• Today was awesome. We had a Sunday morning Bible study for The Journey here in mine and Irene’s home. We had no idea how many would show up. All we knew going in was that we would make contacts and see what happened. God is so good - we had (17) adults, (1) teenager and (4) children show up for Bible study. We worshiped together - Jonathan Whitten led us in some music. Mike brought us a lesson from God’s word that was great and we are going to seek to apply it this week. We had lunch together - baked spaghetti, salad and bread prepare by Irene and Karen (you to girls are da’ bomb). Some desserts were brought and enjoyed. The fellowship was great. One of our first time families even stepped up and offered their home for next weeks meeting.

This weekend was over the top incredible. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us in the upcoming week. Until next time - keep your eyes on Jesus and what did we do with the left overs from lunch, I’m hungry again.

Why I do what I do . . .

Do you ever just look at your life and think – there must be an easier way of life than this? Why do I do what I do? Well, as someone who can now be consider as a church planter – that question does pop into my mind. I guess that he has for a long time even prior to helping plant a church. That question I guess surfaces in all lines of work, especially if you work with people. But I think that I have stumbled upon the answer and it is not that I am simply a glutton for punishment.

I was reading in Matthew yesterday morning in my Blackaby study bible and came to the scripture where Jesus is talking about being yoked with Him. Blackaby talked about if our work is just wearing us out and beating us down, then chances are we are not yoked with Jesus. To be yoked with Jesus does not mean that our work will not be messy. Dealing with peoples lives will always be messy. What it does mean is that Jesus will ease the work load through His spirit within us. As our relationship with Jesus grows, our passion for working along side Him grows and with passion comes energy. We do not need to work out of a sense of duty but out of a sense of relationship.

I find it funny – since I started helping plant this church, it has been confirmed in my life that all that I have taught is the past about relationships was dead on the money. Our relationship with Christ and relationships with the people that we are surrounded with are tantamount (wow – big word – where did that come from) to doing the work of a disciple. What do you think?

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and let’s put on His yoke. To quote Blackaby – “God does not reward our duty; He blesses our relationship with His Son Jesus.”

A conference fully worth the time . . .

I spent Monday and Tuesday of this week at a conference at White Oak Conference Center and I can say that it was fully worth the time spent there. Now, I have been to conferences in the past and generally always came away with some little tid-bit that I could use in some way. This conference was different!! I came away with several pages of notes in my journal and excitement in my heart. You may ask what breeds this excitement. I finally see a working model of a way to do discipleship that I have been talking about for years.

We had the opportunity to hear Jim Putman and several of his staff talk about a discipleship method (notice I did not say program) that produces disciples that re-produce themselves. It is done in small groups of people and is based in relationships that are built. It is the most biblical model that I have ever seen.

I also was able to see a method of teaching that is probably the most effective way of teaching that I have seen in a long time and it revolves around telling stories. Avery Willis brought this part of the conference. Something that was pointed out and I have recognized for a long time is that people will remember a story and repeat it far more often that they will remember teaching in its other forms. It hit home in a mighty way when one of the speakers asked us to tell him the second point of his talk that he had given just one hour before and we could not, but we could all repeat the story that he led into that point with.

The main excitement that I carry within me right now is because this is the skeleton that we have been trying to put meat on since we started The Journey. I have so much information that I need to process now into a form that we can use in what we seek to join the Lord doing here in Greenville and there is a definite direction to move in now.

Keep watch in the future for updates and information as I get it processed, until then – keep your eyes on Jesus and I do truly love to tell the story.

Mental Picture . . .

Do you ever get a mental picture when someone says a name or you get that passing fragrance that triggers a memory from your past or maybe a song that triggers a thought or a memory? I think that we all do. For me there are certain things that trigger those pictures almost instantly. The name of a school mate and I’m back in school. The smell of sun tan oil that has cocoa butter in it and suddenly I am just out of high school again. Although I am getting a little age on me now, there are times that I am still 21 in my mind.

Now that we all have the same foundation for this thought process, I have a question that I have been kicking around in my mind for a couple of weeks now. When someone says the name Jesus - what picture do you get in your mind? I am going to spend some time, maybe a long time, in various posts talking about a portrait of Jesus. Some times we get part of a picture in our heads, but we leave our other aspects of the picture. To give you an example – we understand that Jesus was fully human. We can see that in birth and death, but do we see him as fully God?

For now, I am going to leave this post with another question that has been kicking around in my head – when people that do not have a relationship with Jesus hear His name used, what mental picture do they have?

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus.

Catch up . . .

Sorry that I have been away so long. My focus is crazy here lately. Let me catch everyone up with what has been happening over the last couple of weeks.

I have been reading a book called “Church Is a Team Sport” by Jim Putman. If you are looking for a great read about how God is still moving within churches today, you really need to pick this one up. I am reading this in preparation for going to a conference that Jim and Avery Willis will be leading. I am really looking forward to this conference and to hear how these men have come up with a unique way to impact communities for Christ through use of the Word of God.

The Journey is going well. We are going through PLACE together. This is a way fro us to discover each others personality traits and spiritual gifts and how they work together for the cause of Christ. It is a lot of fun going through this together and surprisingly we have people showing an interest in joining us in this early part of our Journey together. Continue to pray for our group as we get to know each other better and seek ways that we can serve our Lord most effectively.

My mother is in the hospital with pneumonia. They have been giving her antibiotics and she seems to be getting better a little at a time. We took a walk to the end of the hall and back twice yesterday. It is really important that we keep her strength up as much as possible so that we don’t have more problems with her being self sufficient when she gets home. Please continue to pray for her.

We will be getting our Growth Partners started this week through The Journey. This is the way that we will be growing as Disciples of Christ. I am really looking forward to this. The first topic that we will all be dealing with will be prayer. The group that I am going to be a part of is going to read and discuss Jim Cymbala’s book “Breakthrough Prayer.” I am finally going to be a part of discipleship the way I see it mapped out in God’s word.

I think that I am going back to having just one blog and this may be it. I really like the other format and some of the things that it allows me to do but it is wearing me out trying to keep up with two Blogs. I still have not completely made up my mind and if you would like to have some input into this decision, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and let’s meet for coffee and talk about it.

P.S. I just noticed - I had my blogging birthday the 16th of March. We should have a party.

Hello world . . .

For those of you that may be wondering why I have not been posting lately – well, I am now trying to keep up with two Blogs. You may be asking yourself, self why would Allen want to try to keep up with two Blogs? I am testing a different blog site and format to see if I like it better. It also helps me keep things a little more separated in my head. Now that may seem a little obscure to you, but it is working, kind of, for me right now. You can read form my other blog by using the link named – Allen’s other blog.

Just to catch everyone up on what has been happening in mine and Irene’s life:

• The Journey was commissioned by Rocky Creek last Sunday evening.
• We have a few families that are committed and others that are still praying about joining up.
• We will start going through a process called PLACE this Sunday evening and I am really looking forward to it. It will be great to learn each others personalities and their spiritual gifts.
• Mike Thompson and I meet weekly to talk through the business of the church and its direction. It is great to watch how God is working in our lives and the life that He is breathing into this church.
• Irene and I have ordered three new windows for our house and they will get put in place over the next week. I love having a brother that knows how to do this stuff that is willing to come down to the house and help.
• We actually have a couple of spring clown events that are coming up in April and May. This is generally a slow time for us.
• Irene and I have booked and are in the process of planning our 10th anniversary trip in October. You may wonder where we are going – Disney World. I have been looking at maps of the park and can hardly wait.
• I still get out in my shop and work from time to time and once spring clean-up around the house is done, I hope to get out there and get a few projects ahead.
  

Well, that’s enough for now. Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and full speed ahead number one.

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium . . .

If you have not seen this movie – get a copy and watch it. It is like being a kid again. The movie is absolutely delightful. It is full of wonder and magic that could only be seen through the eyes of a child. The movie surrounds a magical toy shop. The story is fun. Dustin Hoffman does an excellent job is Mr. Magorium. I love the door of many rooms and the dodge ball that can not be dodged. I also thought that the counting mutant was a great concept. There was one statement that I thought was wonderful – “life is an occasion that you have to step up to.” (I think that is correct – I’ll let you know when I watch it again this weekend.) I recommend this movie highly. If you have sent it or after you have seen it, drop me a comment and let me know what you thought of the movie.

Until next time – I think I’ll wear the red fedora today.

Spring Fever . . .

I don’t know about the rest of you, but as for me, I have spring fever. I am now ready for all of the crazy weather to go away and the weather to settle down. These 30 degree temperature changes are killing me. I get up and it’s cold outside, ok, at least it is cool out side and by 3:00 pm it’s 70 plus degrees outside. Now, I’m not really gripping about the temperature right now because it is awesome. I’m gripping because I am at work and it is really nice outside. I am really blessed to have a great job and great people to work for. I still want to be outside on a 70 degree day. I begin to think of all the project that I could be working on at home. Even better yet, since I am struggling right now, a nap in a hammock would be really nice. Now that I am off my soap box, it’s back to work. If you are struggling with this also, send me a comment and we’ll support each other in this pity party.

Until; next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and hang that hammock under the tree.