Josh Hamilton

No, I'm not a Texas Rangers fan...but I have to admit it was fun to hang out a little with the winner of the home-run derby, Josh Hamilton. He's a believer and last year his song when he came up to bat was, "Saved the Day" by PCD. He's a pretty outspoken believer and came out with a book recently about his return to Christ. He got off track in his teens but has come back strong. That gives me hope for all the youth who get confused or misguided in their teen years. Here's one who came back, a modern-day prodigal.

Some Things Never Change

Bathing can be dangerous to your health. Believe it or not, there was a time in our recent American history that this was accepted as truth. Go farther back into early medicine and things like "bloodletting" (draining a certain amount of a person's blood) were popular remedies. Of course we've discovered that bathing is not really dangerous and bloodletting is.

More recent history has revealed other adjustments to popular thinking:
Coffee shortens lifespan. Now it's actually believed that a cup of coffee a day could actually be helpful.

Eggs in any quantity raise cholestrol.They are still debating this one but most health experts now believe that there is a compound in eggs that helps the body deal with the "bad" stuff in eggs.

When I think about the changing world of medicine and science, it gives me comfort to know that there are some things that never change.

We've been studying 1 Corinthians on Wednesdays and it's fired me up...especially the first few chapters where Paul talks about the unchanging wisdom of the cross versus "foolish" worldly wisdom.In verse 19 of chapter one, Paul reaches back to Isaiah 29:14, where the Lord says, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside." While information and knowledge of the sciences increase, the power of the cross still stands. Methods for growing churches will change, but this will never change: The wisdom of the cross is greater than the wisest man.I'm glad some things never change.

I'm really looking forward to Sunday, getting back together with God's people and talking about the things that never change. Pastor Terry Smith from West Orange, NJ will be with us. It's gonna be good.

Originality

Yesterday I woke up earlier than normal. Guess there is a lot more on my mind these days. I like mornings but it was especially great to have the extra time with my Father .

Lately, I had several days where I was feeling driven and anxious. I found myself comparing what I've accomplished with others. (Comparisons are deadly by the way.)

Look at all the books he's written while pastoring, being a daddy, and giving leadership conferences. What's your excuse?

Look at how fast their church is growing. How many have come to Christ there? You must be doing something wrong.

People sure talk about "x" national ministry a lot. Guess they want me to be more like him.

I was praying to God about these thoughts because I know they are deadly. They can make us try to be something we're not. Suddenly we're not transparent or real. So I'm talking with God about them when He says, "I'm the God of originality. You're an original."

Whew. I was reminded of how God blesses what He initiates--not the "warmed up" repackaged efforts of what He's done in someone else.

What about you? Have you heard those kind of accusations?

How does she do it all? Super Mom, super job, super wife? What's wrong with me?

How come my kids aren't the high achievers their kids are?

God is a God of originality. No two fingerprints the same, no two snowflakes alike. Just be who He's created you to be. That's my mission today.

SALT continues...

Just got off the phone with Pr. Jeff at Dream Ctr Stl. He reiterated what a blessing our folks have been to their church this summer. He said things like, 'I keep bumping into them and they are there serving without any big demands or expectations. They just jump in and say what can I do. Obviously your church is communicating this value of serving.'

Isn’t that cool! Our folks have bought into this idea of SummerS.A.L.T.! These are exactly the kind of things I had hoped for--seeing ourselves as part of the solution, not just concerned about our own four walls. I'm pumped.

Potential is Overrated

As a pastor, I'm frequently asked by members, "My dream is to be on staff someday. Can you tell me how to get there?" Or I've been approached by others who say, "Have you thought about hiring this person over here? They are so talented."

Here are my thought processes when it comes to talent:

1. Attitude trumps potential every time. Talent and potential are over-rated. All of us know many stories that go like this, "It's such a shame. Did you hear about X? And they were so talented." Loads of talent are on the trash heap of life. But a great attitude? Now that's worth something. Attitudes like: flexibility, humble, cooperative, diligent, persevering. If someone complains, it's like cancer. Give me someone who is less talented and doesn't complain or grumble.

2. If they aren't faithful with 10 people, they won't be faithful with 1,000. They might have great potential, but if they can't faithfully follow-through with the one thing you've asked them to do, what makes you think they will follow-through with ten things? "But I think they could develop." That's great. But when you have a big need in a church ministry, you don't have time to teach them faithfulness. They need to learn that before you appoint them.

3. Test the potential. This is related to the previous point. I test potential by giving them an event, an opportunity, a challenge that is limited in scope and time frame. If they do well, it is a good sign that they can be trusted with more. This is scriptural. NEVER entrust the precious commodity of people to someone who has not been tested.

"But let these also first be tested ; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless." (1 Timothy 3:10) NKJV

4. Don't forget the most underrated quality: perseverance. Talent is overrated. Potential is overrated. Looks are overrated. The ability to persevere through tough times is underrated.

There you have it. That's my thoughts today on potential.

Christmas in July

I have to brag on some of our SummerS.A.L.T. troops. It's so wonderful to hear what our folks are participating in around the city. From D.C. Cafe, to Sunshine Mission, to handing out water at the parks--so many are serving in practical ways.

The picture here shows some real stars in my book. Jay Duncan had a vision to distribute 10,000 Feed My People bags and collect what we could to fill the pantries of this great organization that feeds the needy. After handing out the bags, this group collected enough food to fill over 300 banana boxes, about 2,000 bags!!!


Carol and John DeGuire, the directors, told me that this was the biggest amount of food ever collected for their pantry! They said, "It looks like Christmas around here!"

Rock on, SCCC! SummerS.A.L.T. is having a huge impact!

To Wed or Not to Wed

After Father's Day and Mother's Day, Becki and I were talking about someone who had recently married. And so little thought went into the marriage. So much centered around how they felt, how cute he was and what kind of wedding they would have. Little consideration was given to the much more important stuff...like where did this person get their ideas about marriage?

Mostly, we don't learn about how to treat each other from a book. We learn by watching. So here's the clue about how to choose a mate: Watch how their parents treat each other. If the Mom treats the Dad like he's a moron...well... don't be surprised if when you're married you get the same treatment...after the honeymoon, of course. If your guy's Dad treats the wife with respect, grace and dignity, then you're probably getting a good guy.

Every fight, every conversation, every gift, every hug is a lesson in pre-marital counseling for those looking on. Even when the kids roll their eyes!

Becki and I are so grateful for the legacy we have. My parents are around STL right now and I have deep respect for them. My wife's folks were here for Mother's Day. (Here's a photo of her Mom and Dad). If my wife grows up to be like her mother, I don't have anything to worry about!

Now you may not have the same respect for your parents as we do. You may look at his parents and groan. That doesn't mean you have to be a statistic or another casualty. You can break the mold! We have many friends that are not repeating the cycles of their family. God's grace can break those destructive patterns.

But if you happen to be one of those who is considering marriage, it's a good idea to check out the parents. It may speed up your decision!