PREPARATION

She came in complaining about my sermons always being about forgiveness and grace. According to her, I needed to come down harder on the sinners and in her words, ”nail them with guilt.”

After her rant, I asked, “So, when did forgiveness and grace become more than slogan concepts for you?”

“Ron, there are some things you can’t turn loose of, things that don’t deserve grace, or forgiveness. That’s just the way it is. I know that’s the way it was in my family.”

The pain in her words revealed a heart trapped in resentment and hardened by bitterness, “No, forgiveness is not an option. I was hurt too much.”

She had her religious in a box and all the right scriptures worked into rules, but her spiritual life was empty and powerless. Lack of forgiveness and grace had turned her into a friendless critic.

She wanted everyone else to be as miserable as she was.

A year later she and her husband announced they were leaving the church, in search of more biblical preaching.

On the other side of her story is Reginald Denny; remember him?

Years ago Reginald Denny drove his truck into the riots of South Central Los Angeles and the video cameras captured every detail of two men mashing his truck window with a brick, hauling him from the cab and beating him with a broken bottle and kicking him until the side of this face was caved in.

Then at the trial, in spite of protests from his own lawyers, Denny walked over to the mothers of the two defendants, hugged them and told them he forgave them. The mothers responded with hugs and tears.

How could he do that? One commentator stated, “Well you know, Denny did suffer some brain damage.”

At times, forgiveness doesn’t make sense; it seems like nothing is more important than punishing the offender, hanging onto the grudge for life. Truth is, hanging onto the grudge punishes us more than the offender. It gives the offender power over our life, for the rest of our days.

And, sometimes “turning loose” is nothing but a slogan, just religious words without confirmation in life. However, when forgiveness is genuine, it’s a miracle. God shows up; Grace is experienced.

Truths that kickstart forgiveness:
1. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you condone what was done.
2. Forgiveness doesn’t depend on the other person’s apology. Forgiveness is the refusal to let that person live in my head regardless. I release the past. My choice, period!
3. Forgiveness is also blessing to you. When you forgive God gives you relief and release from hurt and resentment and bitterness. The root of bitterness is uprooted by God. (Hebrews 12:15).

Remember, He has pointed the way. He first forgave us.

It’s a life choice, Grace or Grudge (Ephesians 4:32).

INSPIRATION

It was 1990 when Robert Knighton escaped from a Missouri halfway house and went on a three state crime spree including a short stop at the Oklahoma farmhouse of Richard and Virginia Denney. Richard offered directions, but Knighton overpowered the couple, killed them, and stole a total of $17.

Sue got the call from her brother. Her Mother and Daddy had been found murdered in their own house and she was numbed by it all. They were old and poor, why would someone do this?

In the courtroom, Sue was confused about how she should feel. The room was filled with hate and they expected her to feel the same way… “But it didn’t feel good,” she said.

On the last day of the trial, Sue asked God to help her. And He did. She woke up realizing she had a choice, she could hate Knighton like the rest, or forgive him. “I chose to forgive; it was a message from God.”

While the jury was out for deliberation, Sue visited Knighton in the holding cell. For a while he refused to look at her. Then he said, “Why would anyone want to talk to me after what I have done?” Sue replied, “I don’t know what to say to you. But I want you to know that I don’t hate you. My grandmother always taught me not to use the word hate. She taught me that we are here to love one another. If you are guilty, I forgive you.”

People thought that Sue had lost her mind. Some refused to talk to her and her family didn’t understand how she could turn against them.

Up until Knighton’s death Sue continued to write him and encourage him. Then on the night of his execution, in a brief, almost inaudible final statement, Knighton thanked his attorneys, said he was sorry for what he had done, and to Sue he said, “I’ll see you again someday. God bless you.” She replied with a thumbs-up as the execution began.

Sue says, “There is no way to heal and get over the trauma without forgiveness.”

MOTIVATION

Are you still holding grudges? If so, your faith is trapped and limited.

Is there a hidden, dusty corner of your heart that still harbors resentments and bitterness? Do you collect the painful moments and store them in the dark recesses, or do you release them and forgive. It’s your choice.

Question: What is it that keeps us from forgiving people, even the people closest too us?

Please share your forgiveness stories with me. The stories of forgiveness are some of the most inspirational and miraculous stories ever told. They force us to unwrap the gift of grace. So, Grace or grudge? Email Ron.

Tell the Story.

PREPARATION

My friend David Himes has suggested, “For most people, the Bible is like a software license. Few actually read it. They just scroll to the bottom and click ‘I agree.’”

His observation gives me a chance to say, “Too many believers settle for faith that is little more than a list of statements they agree with. Faith has been reduced to landing on the right side of arguments starting with the words, “What do you believe about…?”

No wonder the world religion we call Christianity is in decline; the truth of faith has been sucked out of it.

True faith is life, and Jesus illustrated this when he rattled cages with his parable of the sheep and the goats. “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matt 25:34-36 NIV

Jesus describes faith as more than a list of things you agree about. Faith opens eyes to be like Jesus, to see like him and to see him in people around us before they do. It takes eyes of faith to see like that; to see below the surface and behind masks. Faith even sees the invisible.

So, do you see Jesus or are you stuck on the agree/disagree button?

Try this: There are 4 dots around the center of this picture. Stare at them for 15 seconds. I mean study them, lose yourself in those four dots. Then close your eyes and wait. You will see a clear image of Jesus. The illusion is unmistakable.

You know the test: Do you see Jesus among you? Do you see what Jesus sees? Do you look past the failures, the struggles, the grief, the miscues and mistakes? Do you see life in the middle of death? Do you see hope when others argue? Do you see what can be?

Then, do you step up? Do you change things? Genuine faith never settles for agreement and never settles for simply seeing what no one else sees. Faith is proved by actions!

INSPIRATION
The musical, Les Miserables based on Victor Hugo‘s classic work, is all about faith in action–grace lived in spite of despair.

Valjean, prisoner 24601, is released after years of incarceration for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family. He is bitter and shunned and judged and lost.

Finally a bishop invites him to spend the night at the church and to eat at his table and enjoy his trust. During the evening Valjean eyes the silverware as much as the food. He could sell the silver and get a fresh start.

In the middle of the night he steals all he can carry, but once on the street he is stopped by two policemen who search him and find the stolen goods. Recognizing the silver, they take him and the loot back to the church.

The bishop identifies the silver, and then faith steps in. This religious man sees beyond the thief held by the police. He sees Jesus. He sees future and hope and grace.

No one is more stunned than Valjean when he hears the bishop say that the silver was a gift and that he is glad Valjean has returned because he had forgotten the candlesticks.

This act of faith, this seeing Jesus in a trapped man’s eyes, this undeserved holy moment, changed everything. Not immediately, but over time, Valjean became what the bishop saw in him.

The eyes of faith changed everything. Valjean was no longer 24601, no longer a thief; he was transformed.

MOTIVATION
Keep your eyes open, not your physical eyes, your holy eyes. See what Jesus sees.

Take a moment for God to work on your holy eyesight this week. Step back, study the scene, look at the heart of what’s happening.

Close your eyes and let God show you what HE sees. Look for Jesus, for the future, and for your next step.

God is going to show you wonders this week. Are you ready?

Each BAM un-covers a life-message designed to encourage and inspire. Hidden in each story is an intentional desire to put in a good word for God. Make this your story day.

Listen to a sample BreakAway Minute spot

Now visit the website.

PREPARATION

Generosity is a core value of Jesus followers. It displays the power of God and describes who we are.

It all starts with a decision to risk. When we give our time, our talents, and our money we are risking a piece of our hearts. It is our faith in God that empowers us to turn loose of the resources we hold dear.

Sure, we want the gift to be appreciated and cherished. But, we learn, first-hand, that something special happens when we give, whether it is appreciated or cherished or not. And, that decision to give regardless, stretches us beyond our self-interests and into God’s world.

Jesus taught, “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38

Fully understanding this teaching demands that we test it; give and give some more. Then get ready to experience life to the full. Trust the teaching: give. Truth is, everything we have is provided by the God who created us, who gave first; so when we give we are like Him.

Do other people think of you as a generous person? Can you remember the last time you gave something significant to another? Have you ever given a valued donation anonymously? What difference did it make?

This is the year we leap; it’s a leap-year. Make it the year you become a giving person, a person known for generosity. Test the promise. God says it will come back to you concentrated, packed down and running over. It changes your heart.

INSPIRATION

In June of 1999, popular author Stephen King found out what “You can’t take it with you” means.

While he was lying at the side of a country road, covered with mud and blood and with the tibia of his right leg poking out the side of his jeans like the branch of a tree taken down in a thunderstorm, he discovered first hand a simple faith secret. “I had a MasterCard in my wallet, but when you’re lying in the ditch with broken glass in your hair, no one accepts MasterCard.”

That day King was hit while walking along a road near his home in Maine. He nearly died, and the weeks and months of intense pain and healing that followed, gave him, he said, “a painful but extremely valuable look at life’s backstage truths. We come in naked and broke. We may be dressed when we go out, but we’re just as broke.”

Of all the powers available to Americans, King considered, “the greatest is undoubtedly the power of compassion, the ability to give. We have enormous resources in this country, but they are only ours on loan, only ours to give for a short while.”

Stephen King has accidentally discovered a faith secret. It takes faith to be a truly compassionate giver.

In his months of recovery, the master of fear adopted a new story-line. “I want you,” King said, “to consider making your lives a long gift to others, and why not? All you have is on loan anyway. All you want to acquire, from the Maserati you dream about to the retirement fund some broker will try to sell you on, none of that is real. All that lasts is what you pass on.”

Wow, that’s a new story-line from Stephen King, and this one changes real life.

MOTIVATION

Spend time this week collecting stories of people who have had the experience of giving—really giving. Ask your friends to tell you about generous people.

The key here is not to look at the size of the gift, but the size of the heart.

Now, ask God to transform you into a generous giver. He has given to you so that you will give to others; start with one person. Decide to give without acknowledgment. Don’t let anyone know, especially the person getting your gift. Keep it just between you and God.

By the way, givers never run out of something to give. The treasure keeps growing when it’s shared. Take the risk. Trust the words of God. It took tragedy for Stephen King to discover what God has been saying forever. So, be reminded by the author of “Carrie” and “The Shining,” but be transformed by the author of life.

PREPARATION

A while back I sent an email to 300 men asking them to answer a simple question: “In the real world, what are you planning to do in the next 12 months that will define you as a man of faith?”

Some wanted to argue about the question, a few responded with lengthy theological explanations, but most took a few moments and shared a personal answer to my question.

A. W. Tozer said, “Were we to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, ‘What comes into your mind when you think about God?’ we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man.”

It makes perfect sense. Is your God omnipotent or impotent? Sovereign and aloof? Omnipresent and available? High and lifted up or familiar? Punitive or kind? Faithful or flaky? Loving or vengeful? Just or unjust? Able or unable to make a difference? Creator or kill-joy? So what comes to your mind when you think about God?

Good questions move us out of the shallows and into the deep. They force us to think and re-think the “why” and “what” of our lives.

Here are five of my favorite questions:
1. Why do people pray for an open door, then refused to walk through it?
2. What crisis time has God used to get your attention?
3. With all this faith around us and in us, why are we still so afraid?
4. What is it that keeps us from bringing out the best in people?
5. So, what’s your story?

We invest a lot of time as Christians, reading and re-reading the teachings of Jesus. We look for His answers. What about searching first, for His questions? He was the master of provocative questions. And, He seemed to always have an unspoken follow-up that inspired change, “So, what’s next?”

INSPIRATION

Chuck didn’t want to knock on her door; he didn’t want to be there at all. She had always been so negative, critical, and cranky.

“When I was in my twenties, I would write to her,” Chuck explained, “Instead of answering my letters, she would return them with spelling, grammatical, and stylistic corrections! Always complaining, she never had a kind word to say about anyone.”

He hoped she wasn’t home, but she was always home…she was 82 years old. Her negative attitude was evident as soon as they sat down. “Chuck,” she said, “why does your wife speak such poor English?”

For some reason, Chuck decided this day was going to be different. He had had enough and so had all the residents of the retirement community.

Looking her straight in the eye and without any animosity, he said, “Why would you say such a mean thing?”

That simple question provoked surprise and reflection.

Before leaving, Chuck told her he was working on a book. “I suppose,” she said, “when your name appears on the cover, it will be followed by B.A. and M.A.”

“No,” he said. “Degrees aren’t important. The president of one of the largest advertising companies in the world, Saatchi & Saatchi, has only a ninth grade education. Just because he quit school doesn’t mean he quit learning; on the contrary, he’s one of the brightest men in business.”

“You mean I don’t have to be ashamed that I only have a high school diploma?” Her husband had a Master’s Degree and everyone in her field had at least a bachelors, but not her. She started out at the bottom of the ladder in her profession, but because of her great talent became the manager of a department, overseeing college graduates.

Suddenly, all the pieces came together! No wonder she corrected Chuck’s letters. It was her way of saying, “I may not have a degree, but I’m smart enough to correct your letters.” She had let her “lack of education” grow into resentment that had destroyed her
.
As she ushered Chuck out the door, she headed straight to her desk. She had a lot of letters to write.

Now she knew her answer to my question number four, “What is it that keeps us from bringing out the best in people?”

MOTIVATION

Good questions not only provoke thought, they motivate us to take action, to make amends, to change direction. What is the question, that if you had the answer to it, would set you free?

Spend some time with one of my five thought questions. Write out your answer in your faith journal. Then find a way to share your answer with a friend.

Oh, the first question we usually ask a stranger is “What do you do for a living?” So, if you really want to know more about the stranger, follow up with… “How did you get started ___________?”

And the follow-up question, “What’s next?

PREPARATION

Change is in the air…it’s in the wind.

It was over ten years ago when Dick pulled me aside. “Hey, Ron, have you ever done any sailing?

“A little, years ago…but the wind wasn’t cooperative,” I replied.

“Well, we are putting together a sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands this summer. Would you and Lyn be interested in going with us? We plan to rent a Catamaran and Captain it ourselves. We’ve done this for years with our kids, but this time we want to take adults. Talk to Lyn and let me know.”

Lyn and I said “YES” before we left the parking lot.

We barely knew the two other couples Dick had invited, so this was certainly shaping up to be an adventure into the unknown.

On the boat Dick was a mystery. He didn’t fit my preconceived image of a pilot. He was humble and patient and gentle. And, he understood the wind and knew exactly what we had to do to get to where we wanted to go.

Once we got out of the harbor he pointed to the horizon, “Do you see the wind? Just off the port bow. See it?”

He anticipated the changes and understood them. He knew when to tack, when to let out the Jib, when to reef the mainsail, when to adjust and tweak, and when to let out and billow. As I watched and listened, he taught me how to find the wind, how to get the most from it, and how to enjoy every minute of the trip (even the danger parts).

I learned how to set a point and sail to it, regardless of the direction of the wind. Even when the wind was in our face, we still reached our destination (it just took a little longer). I learned to watch for dangers, for coral heads just below the surface, for rocks and reefs and lobster traps.

In the world of sailing one thing is certain: the wind will change. So we got new skills. When the wind changed, sails had to be adjusted. The sails made the difference. Sometimes we set for a broad-reach, at times beam-reach or close-reach, and a few times we ran wing to wing. Our GPS helped us keep eyes trained on our track to the point, while our senses grew fine-tuned to the winds of change.

There is a faith principle here: The winds of change are all around us. Sometimes they bring disaster, sometimes a cooling and refreshing breeze. The challenge of the moment is not just to stay alive, or enjoy periods of calm and comfort. The challenge is to do whatever is necessary to stay on coarse.

The Apostle Paul told King Agrippa, “I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do.” Acts 26:20 NLT

Is it your time to adjust the sails, to make the change work for you and not against you… to prove your faith?

INSPIRATION

Regarding Henry, the movie, came out two decades ago, but the message of the film is timeless. It is the story of major change and transformation. Harrison Ford, plays the part of Henry–the central character in the film.

Henry is a jerk; he is a shady, cut-throat, dishonest, and unfaithful attorney who is seriously injured in a robbery attempt. The incident leaves him with amnesia. He is a blank-slate. So, with the help of bewildered friends he starts over, from the beginning.

This time he becomes a different man. He embraces different values, makes different choices and upgrades to Henry 2.0.

Before the injury, Henry had ruthlessly suppressed key evidence that would have awarded a poor family a medical malpractice settlement. Now, the new Henry, after discovering what he had done, quits his job and heads off in a search for that family.

When they meet, he gives them the evidence they need to win the case against his former firm.

The wife is shocked and puzzled. As Henry is about to leave, she asks, “I don’t get it. What changed?”

Henry looks at her and replies, “I did.”

MOTIVATION

Change isn’t the problem, it’s the answer!

Faith changes whatever needs to be changed; it faces winds from all directions. Faith proves itself by what it does, not by what it says.

Quit complaining about the changes and set your sail. Prove you have faith. Make it so.

PREPARATION

Today’s Faith Note is a shout-out for followers of Jesus. These grace-filled believers distinguish themselves, not as watchdogs or campaigners, but as humble field agents embedded in the ups and downs of everyday life. Disguised as ordinary people, followers humble themselves and pray and seek God’s face…When we do that, we will automatically change and turn away from sin. It’s a set up for action that makes a difference. That’s what God calls doing good.

These believers are not agents of good in order to be saved, they are agents of good because they are saved. It’s a God Thing, and because of HIS indwelling Spirit everything they touch leaves HIS fingerprints.

The Spirit is working full-time placing HIS people at just the right places at just the right time, thus shaping their instinct and honing their intuition to step into action.

Have you noticed?

The transformed agent we call Paul put it this way:
“Let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. So then, as occasion and opportunity open up to us, let us do good [morally] to all people [not only being useful or profitable to them, but also doing what is for their spiritual good and advantage]. Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith [those who belong to God's family with you, the believers]. Galatians 6:9-10 Amplified Bible

Believe God, expect opportunities for action, and trust his hand in your instinct. After all, you are a field agent for the Creator.

INSPIRATION

This story is several years old, but the message still lives.

As Corey Gober turned off Texas 114 and headed south on Farm Road 51, she saw the horrible scene. A little white car had collided with a tanker truck. She stopped for a moment just to look; something pushed her out of her car and into action.

The driver’s side door of the car was crushed, and the steering wheel was hanging by wires. The driver, a woman, was lying across the front seats, with her feet under the steering column. “I just kind of stood there and looked at her,” Corey told Melody MacDonald of the Star-Telegram.

“I think God was telling me, ‘you need to help this woman. You need to go over there and talk to her, touch her or something.’”

Corey walked over to the passenger side, opened the door and touched the woman. While Corey held her hand and picked glass off her face, the woman (Mary) opened her eyes and whispered, “I’m going to die. Tell my children that I love them, and tell my husband that I’m sorry.”

She told Corey about her girls and her husband till the EMS people arrived.
Corey stayed with her for about an hour more, talking to her, holding an oxygen mask over her face and shielding her from the broken glass as workers removed the windshield.

Finally, still trapped, Mary closed her eyes and died.

Two days later Corey contacted the family to share Mary’s final moments. She told Mary’s husband that Mary was conscious for a few minutes and able to talk. Corey told him, “She told me about her children and she wanted me to tell them that she loved them and to tell you how sorry she was.”

Her words were a gift from God.

Corey was an unsuspecting agent of grace, pressed into action just when God needed her. That’s how it is with followers; they are fingerprints of goodness.

MOTIVATION

Life comes at you hard and fast. Most of the time, it’s unscheduled and unexpected, but embedded in it are opportunities to be Jesus and to see Jesus in the faces of people, sometimes strangers.

Ask God to push you in to action at just the right time. Take the risk, get outside the walls of comfort and be what you were saved to be… a humble follower of Jesus.

You don’t have to be a defender or know all the “right” words. Just be look for His face, take action, and listen.

Related articles

• The Invitation (faithteam.org)

PREPARATION

The storm was closing in, the sky seemed packed with darkness, but it was the lightning that shut everything down. For 5 hours a wall of commanding thunderstorms stilled O’Hare, one of the world’s busiest airports. One flight after another was delayed or canceled. It’s pretty simple really, if the planes can’t land, there won’t be any planes taking off.

Above the airport, scores of aircraft circled in a holding pattern. Eventually hundreds of flights were diverted to other airports. Inside the Terminals thousands of travelers waited, they too, were in a holding pattern. All the vacations, business trips, family reunions, and personal journeys were on hold.

To the casual observer it appeared that I was quietly engrossed in my book, but truth was I had been staring at page 113 for more than an hour. I was selectively listening to conversations around me. Yes, I was eavesdropping.

After 18 hours in that airport I came to a conclusion about travelers; when placed in holding patterns, we complain; and given the right set of circumstances we will turn complaining into a competitive sport. The more we play the game, the more victimized we feel, thus feeding more complaints. Eventually life seems to be nothing but a growing collection of grumblings and grievances that must be told and retold.

No one likes life on hold, but believers have an option, the holding patterns can become opportunities for God to work. It seems to be SOP that in the middle of distractions, messed up schedules, missed appointments, disappointments and brokenness God shows up. So, when your journey gets put on hold, pray for God change your perspective; then, listen for His voice and take your place in His story.

INSPIRATION

It took them ten years to be blessed with a child, now just before their eleventh anniversary he skipped out. One moment he was there the next he was gone. He just left!

In the middle of all the responsibilities and challenges of motherhood, Tiffany was now alone.

Everything in her life seemed to be at a standstill. Her whole live had been put on hold and she had learned to live there.

Gloom followed her wherever she went. From the beginning, Tiffany’s parents tried to comfort and help, but Tiffany was unresponsive. It was going to take a miracle to get her attention, so her father prayed for one.

Several months later her dad talked Tiffany into going to the Opera. It was Tiffany’s first venture out. Music had always been Tiffany’s world and maybe, just maybe, this day would be the breakthrough, maybe this Opera would bring back the old Tiffany.

There was a long line of cars waiting to get into the parking garage and people were getting impatient. It was taking too long. Finally, Tiffany pulled up to the ticket stand, grabbed her ticket, and the automatic arm began to lift. Just as she prepared to pull through and find a parking space, the parking attendant yelled out for her to stop.

”We’re in a hurry,” Tiffany responded.

”This won’t take long, just hold up, Honey,” replied the bubbly, round woman who probably called everyone Honey.

While the line of cars waited, the attendant pulled an inexpensive cosmetic bracelet out of the paper sack. Then she said, ”Honey, this little bracelet is very valuable; it is a present from God. He wants you to have it, so that you know He is on your arm all the time.”

Cars were honking, people were shouting; but, Tiffany didn’t hear them.

On the passenger side, her dad sat speechless. It was a miracle. Tiffany moved on and found a parking space, all the while muttering, ”Thank you, thank you, thank you, God.”

It really was a cheap bracelet, but a priceless gift. Because of the round woman’s words, Tiffany will treasure it, till God gives her the words to use when she passes it along to another person who is lost and on hold.

MOTIVATION

If you know a person in a holding pattern, this is the week to pray for him or her, to ask God what He wants you to do, or say that is exactly what that person needs. Faith empowers believers to give gifts and speak words because they are convinced God is still showing up and working miracles, even in the middle of holding patterns.

In it’s most effective form, prayer is not a monologue, but a dialogue. Speak in Jesus’ Name and Listen for the voice, the nudge, the prodding of God.

Pray that God makes you a miracle for some unsuspecting, abandoned person. Listen for God’s directions; respond to His nudging. God has already convinced me, this is the year, this is the time. Be the story.

PREPARATION

For the believer, life is a growing collection of God stories. You have more than you know.
God is there in every new page of the adventure, whether we feel His presence, or not. We trust the promise, “I will never leave you.” Embedded in each trust experience is a faith story. That means I choose to live life believing that I’m connected to the God of the universe, even when I don’t feel like it, or understand it.

A few days ago I watched the movie, UP again and I saw fresh insight, “Story-teaching,” hidden inside the scenes. For instance, toward the end of the movie, Carl and Russell are escaping the clutches of Muntz, while dragging Carl’s house behind them. Along the way a meandering conversation emerges:
Russell: “You know what Mr Fredericksen? The wilderness isn’t quiet what I expected.”
Carl: “No, how so?”
Russell: “It’s kinda wild…I mean, it’s not how they made it sound in my books.”
Carl: “Um, get used to that kid.”

Little Russell launches in to a story about good times with his dad. then concludes:
Russell: “That might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff, is the stuff I remember the most.”

Adventure happens, in the unexpected and scary times, the grieving times, the risky times, and sometimes in the boring stuff.

After we’ve lived a while, He helps us understand. He opens our eyes. He validates our trust. He reveals new truth, new stuff. And, we have a story to tell.

Our life is filled with His fingerprints, times when He shows up. He weaves together these faith events and grants us moments of understanding, epiphanies of meaning and direction and wisdom. He encourages our spirit of adventure.

God has known all along that without the stories we get lost.

You never know when Russell might turn up at your door. Stories come in all sizes. Oh, just a thought…Can you see Jesus in Russell?

INSPIRATION

Up, the movie, is primarily about the spirit of adventure living inside Carl and Ellie. The first 10 minutes of the film is great storytelling, even in the 4-minutes of silence. Hint: You don’t have to have words to tell a story.

Carl dreams of adventure, but he is very comfortable keeping the adventure inside his fantasy world. After all, he’s just a kid. Then he meets Elli, a sassy little would-be adventurer who lives every moment with an infectious spirit. From that moment on, they are inseparable. They marry and make the old club house their home. They share joys and tragedies, ups and downs, dreams and disappointments, and the “cross-your-heart vow.”

Someday, they will go to South America, to Paradise Falls. It’s in her Adventure book.

But something always keeps them planted in their little house. Carl and Ellie grow old and never visit South American jungles. And, then, Ellie dies leaving Carl with the house filled with beautiful memories of the way it used to be.

He thought the adventure was buried with Ellie, then young Russell interrupted Carl’s boring life…adventure takes a deep breath and a new chapter begins…headed UP.

MOTIVATION

Start this year with a journal that collects your faith stories. Look back on your pictures and search for God’s fingerprints…Write what God reveals. There is more hidden in the past than you remember.

Listen for your story in silence…even in the boring stuff.

Close your mouth. Open your eyes. Silence is the prerequisite to imagination. We must be present and observant to the world around us, the world within us, and the movements of God in both. See beyond your vision.

PREPARATION

Several years ago, when I read The Shack, it took me on a journey. William Young has written a book that provokes and prods us, but at the same time lifts and liberates us. It begins with a single envelope in Mac’s mailbox. Inside is a call, an invitation, a challenge: “Mackenzie, It’s been a while. I’ve missed you. I’ll be at the shack next weekend if you want to get together. Papa”

I’ve been blessed with a number of “calling” experiences. Each call came while I was in the midst of a wilderness. Out of grief, doubt, disappointment, unemployment, failure, frustration, and spiritual dryness, I heard God’s voice challenging me, inviting me, to take a new direction with refreshed vision and always a call to action. Like Mac, I had to get over a lot of pre-set ideas about what God could do and what he couldn’t. In the end, I found more than I was hoping for. Each time I touched His heart.

I’ve learned to listen for his voice when I least expect it. Sometimes that lesson came the hard way. On a few occasions I’ve heard the ring, but refused to answer the call. I didn’t want a fresh perspective, or a new vision or something more to do. My relationship with God was just right; I was close enough for him to be around when I needed him and distant enough so I could live out my own desires and adventures.

Sure you can run, but there is no place to hide.

Have you heard His call?

You know that little nudge, that compelling whisper, or that slap up-the-side-of-the-head that invited you to make a difference, to send a note, to heal a hurt, to take a meal, to be a listener when you felt like being a talker, to stop in your tracks, to forgive the past, to hold a hand?

What did you do?

At the wedding reception at Cana, Mary told Jesus about the embarrassing shortage of wine. Jesus responds, “How does that concern you and me? My time has not yet come.” Or perhaps more like this, “Mom, we’re not at home, this is public. it’s not the time or place.”

It seems Mary could read more than a put-off in his words; she knew her son. She gathered the servants and said, “Do whatever he tell you.”

The first step to any miracle requires us to accept the call. But, the most important next step is to to take immediate action: whatever he says, “do it.”

Imagine the bewildered servants who had just finished serving the last of the Cabernet being told to fill the huge ceremonial jars with water…this guy must be crazy.

Regardless of what they might have thought, they heard the call and did what he asked and an award-winning new Cana Cabernet was served.

The miracle happened because they did what he asked. Are you looking for a miracle? A wonder? A sign? An invitation? A challenge?

What’s your first step?

INSPIRATION

Once a month the church youth group went to a convalescent home and led a little church service for the residents.

Doug went with the youth group and stood in the back of the room. The young people were performing when an old man in a wheel chair rolled his chair over by Doug and took hold of his hand and held it all during the service. That was repeated the next month and the next month and the next and the next and the next.

Then they went one Sunday afternoon and the man wasn’t there.

Doug asked the nurse, “What happened to that man?” “Oh,” she said, “He’s not doing well. Maybe you should go in and visit him. He’s just down the hall, the third room. He’s unconscious, though.”

Doug walked into the room, stood by the bed, and took hold of the old man’s hand. Before he knew what was happening, Doug was praying out loud. “Amen,” said the old man as he squeezed Doug’s hand.

In the middle of the squeeze, Doug began to cry. Then as he was leaving he bumped into the nurse.

“He’s been waiting for you,” she said. “He said he didn’t want to die until Jesus came and held his hand,” I tried to tell him that after death he would have a chance to meet Jesus and talk to Jesus and hold Jesus’ hand.

“But he said, ‘No. Once a month Jesus comes and holds my hand and I don’t want to leave until I have a chance to hold the hand of Jesus once more.’”

Holding a hand is such a little thing, right? Hardly a calling, right?

MOTIVATION

I believe every calling from God forces us into a crisis of faith. Is God who he says he is and will he do what he says he will do?

On a personal note is he really calling you? Does he really even know you?

Yes!

Is this invitation really just for you?

Yes!

It’s personal; his note is addressed to you, but it will require some new thinking, a new vision, and new plan of action.

If you can’t hear the call, get your focus off yourself and your pain. Is He calling you to get out of the church walls and into the streets?

Try one of these action items:

1. Walk your neighborhood and pray for our neighbors.
Then write a note to each one and tell them what you have done.
2. Read aloud the names in your address book and pray for each one, then write a note to each one. Send it as an “after-Christmas” card.

Follow His nudge; do what he calls you to do. Be what He calls you to be.

PREPARATION

Songs have a way of touching us in profound ways at the most critical times. Truth is, you have a playlist of songs that reflect your life journey. Not limited to any one genre, these songs reveal a smorgasbord perspective on where we’ve been and where we are now.

When the lyrics and melody find synergy–when the heart is engaged by the message and captivated by the melody, memories are forged–time seems to stand still. Life is changed! Just the opposite can also happen: we experience a dramatic time-stopping event and a background song becomes a memory-trigger for the rest of our lives.

Either way, music helps describe who we are and where we are along the journey.

For years now, “Because He Lives” has had a direct connection to a second touch time in my life. When I hear the song I feel that touch. When “Victory in Jesus” is sung, I relive the loss and grief I felt at my dad’s funeral. And, I still remember that winter night outside of Searcy, Arkansas, when I asked Lyn to be my wife and the Righteous Brothers were singing “Unchained Melody.” Time stood still.

Our playlist grows with age and is a window to the soul. So, where are you on your spiritual journey? Listen to your music for a clue.

INSPIRATION

You have probably read this story before. I am using it with permission from John T. Oaks. Here he shares his experience with a singing sparrow at Starbucks.

It was chilly in Manhattan but warm inside the Starbucks shop on 51st Street and Broadway, just a skip up from Times Square. Early November weather in New York City holds only the slightest hint of the bitter chill of late December and January, but it’s enough to send the masses crowding indoors to vie for available space and warmth.

For a musician, it’s the most lucrative Starbucks location in the world, I’m told; consequently, the tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right. Apparently, we were striking all the right chords that night because our basket was almost overflowing.

It was a fun, low-pressure gig. I was playing keyboard and singing backup for my friend who added rhythm with an arsenal of percussion instruments. We mostly did pop songs from the ’40s to the ’90s with a few original tunes thrown in.

During our emotional rendition of the classic, “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” I noticed a lady sitting in one of the lounge chairs across from me. She was swaying to the beat and singing along.

After the tune was over, she approached me. “I apologize for singing along on that song. Did it bother you?” she asked.

“No,” I replied. “We love it when the audience joins in. Would you like to sing up front on the next selection?”

To my delight, she accepted my invitation.

”You choose,” I said. “What are you in the mood to sing?”

“Well, do you know any hymns?”

 This woman didn’t know who she was dealing with. I cut my teeth on hymns. Before I was even born, I was going to church. I gave our guest singer a knowing look.

“Name one.”

“Oh, I don’t know. There are so many good ones. You pick one.”

“Okay,” I replied. “How about ‘His Eye Is on the Sparrow‘?”

My new friend was silent, her eyes averted. Then she fixed her eyes on mine again and said, “Yeah. Let’s do that one.”

She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse, straightened her jacket and faced the center of the shop. With my two-bar setup, she began to sing.

Why should I be discouraged? 
Why should the shadows come?

The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed. Even the gurgling noises of the cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped what they were doing to listen. The song rose to its conclusion.

I sing because I’m happy;
I sing because I’m free.
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed to a deafening roar that would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall.

Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din, “Oh, y’all go back to your coffee! 
I didn’t come in here to do a concert! I just came in here to get somethin’ to drink, just like you!”

But the ovation continued. I embraced my new friend. “You, my dear, have made my whole year! That was beautiful!”

“Well, it’s funny that you picked that particular hymn,” she said.

“Why is that?”

“Well,” she hesitated again, “that was my daughter’s favorite song.”

“Really!” I exclaimed.

“Yes,” she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time, the applause had subsided and it was business as usual. “She was 16. She died of a brain tumor last week. I’m gonna be okay. I’ve just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing his songs.” She picked up her bag was gone.

Copyright © by John Thomas Oaks, Caliora Music Publishing, ASCAP
For more information, visit www.johnthomasoaks.com

MOTIVATION

Whether you like it or not, your collection of songs reflects and/or empowers your faith journey. Review your songs this week. Listen again to your favorites; go beyond Christmas songs—all songs.

Identify 12 songs that resonate with your soul. Jot down reflections about each song and describe why each one holds meaning and memories for you.

Remember, music is like an open chat room to your soul and a link to your faith. So, what do your 12 songs say about you?

PREPARATION

Jordan was sitting on the park bench right by the bike trail, when a boy about 5 years old sat down and started winding what appeared to be his own very special Mickey Mouse watch. Jordan said, “What a neat watch! Does it tell you the time?”

Without even looking up the boy responded, “No, you gotta look at it.”

This is the season of rush, not the talk radio guy, the packing of our days with too much stuff for our time. We wind our days too tight, hurried, stretched, and frazzled, while conveniently losing track of our moments. The boy is right–to get the most out of our time we’ve go to stop and look at it.

From the moment we wake up, we’re driving the fast lane, moving from appointment to appointment with a great sense of accomplishment but little appreciation. We hurry through food without thought of conversation. The rich layers of generations and traditions and friendships are marked with cards and newsletters, but carelessly overlooked. We smile for the pictures while stretching our necks and sucking in our guts, trying to look younger and thinner then we are. We don’t want to look like we’ve missed the point of the season, even if we have.

When events do bring us together we don’t know what to do. We eat, watch TV, play video games, stick earbuds in and headphones on our ears, text friends and family members in the same room.

Don’t settle for watching someone else’s memories on TV or reading about them on Facebook. Stop for a moment and let your mind meander through the layers of life in the moment. Look for surprises and wonder. Listen for hidden joys and fresh insight.

If you want to experience the moment, to enjoy all the layers of the season, do more than pose for pictures. Invite grandparents and great-grandparents to talk about Christmas when they were a children. Relax and listen for the layers of memories. You will hear the spirit of Christmas.

INSPIRATION

Everyone has a story at Christmas.

It happened when Logan was in the second grade. He and his Grandma were Christmas shopping in the mall. He loved going to the Mall with Grandma, she let him wander around and see the things he wanted to see. She always seemed to have more time than everyone else.

They stopped for a moment in the food court. What a surprise adventure! All he knew about the food court was built on dire warnings from the past. “No, we don’t have time.” “It takes too long.” “We didn’t come to the Mall to spend our time at the food court, we’ll eat when we get home.” After all that, Logan assumed that somehow the food court was a time wormhole—it sucked time into some mysterious and invisible dark forbidden zone. But grandma wanted to invade the mystery. WOW!

Logan picked a table under one of those giant Christmas ornaments hanging from the ceiling. It was a perfect day. He was with his grandma, in the food court, eating one of those great gooey cookies, drinking a fruit smoothy, and telling grandma what his mom and dad do when they think he’s not looking.

Then out of the blue, the kid sitting at the table next to them had a melt down. He yelled out, “No, I don’t want that! No!” For the next several minutes Logan stared intently at this youngster, watching him throw an all-star, hissy fit. The kid warmed up slowly, bawling and whining and stomping his feet. Then, he broke out into a full-fledged screaming tirade.

When the kid stopped to take a breath, Logan took a bite of his cookie and wondered if this was why his mom never wanted to stop at the food court? Then, without warning Logan’s grandma reached into her purse, took out her pen and a strange little black book.

She leaned over close to the “melt-down” boy and asked, “Can you tell me you name?”

The kid looked at her through his still tear-filled eyes and proudly yelled, “Matt.”

Grandma opened her black book and carefully wrote down “M-a-t-t.”

“Melt-down boy” watched her write and then asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m in Santa‘s Secret Service,” Grandma said, “I’m taking the names of children who are being mean and ugly. Now, what’s your last name?”

“No, I’ll be good. I promise,” he protested. “I’m sorry, I’ll be good. I mean it. I’ll be good.”

Logan and grandma got up to leave. While Logan took the last bite of his cookie, grandma, smiled at that boy’s mother and slipped her black book back in her purse.

Logan and grandma had a great day at the Mall. Grandma spent most of her time listening to Logan’s wonderings. It was a day locked in memory. Although they never talked about the “melt-down” boy, Logan was never quite sure that his Grandma was kidding about working for Santa’s Secret Service.

So, to be on the safe side he was especially good around her all year.

MOTIVATION

People of all ages bring layers of life to your Christmas celebrations. That is especially true about fingerprints of God moments. These shared layers shape us. So, make sure you stop and listen to the stories of past Christmases and write the stories of this one.

The following questions are simple, but powerful. They unlock layers of life that long to be remembered and retold. There is a deep-rooted longing to connect to the spirit of the season, so assume your guests share this desire and be the story.

• What was Christmas like when you were a kid?
• What was your most extraordinary Christmas?
• What Christmas memory transformed you into a giver?
• What person do you like to be around on Christmas?
• What could we do to make this Christmas extraordinary?

2011 was a great year for the FCN

This website enjoyed over 250,000 page views and thousands of faith stories were lifted and enhanced by Faith Notes. Along with the growing impact of the FaithTeam website, Ron’s Facebook and Twitter presence engaged friends in daily faith-shaping conversations.

Responses come in daily, expressing how this ministry has helped faith to thrive and endure in spite of tough times. Some report faith being rescued from the brink, and two have told stories of total redemption–how this online fingerprints of God ministry has saved their lives in dramatic ways. We are truly being God’s story outside the walls of church.

Through the last 4 years, nearly one hundred people have given of their time and money to keep this ministry moving ahead. It is extremely rewarding to watch as God touches hearts and then experience the result of His touch– financial gifts just when the funds are needed. It is truly a “God Thing.” This outreach exists because touched believers respond to God’s call.

Become a behind-the-scenes giver

Know this, all gifts go directly to ministry projects. When you give, you provide behind the scenes blasts of inspiration that push people off the sidelines and into the game. And, as always, your gifts help coach people in the process of finding the story, telling the story, and being the story.

The 2012 strategy is to move forward in mobile-web readiness and video training. In January FCN  will begin training a world-wde team of Story Collectors. As always, the stories will feature God’s fingerprints in the real world. 

Click Here–Give generously.

Related articles

• The benefits outweigh the costs (faithteam.org)

I wish we could have a cyber celebration

We have begun our 5th year at Faith Coaching Network. God has been gracious and patient. In many ways, I feel like we have just now found our place in His vision.

But, We CAN have a cyber challenge

God is up to something new, do you see it?

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19

Be a “Buzz-er”

We are determined to share the story of God’s “new” thing. That means we will create “Buzz” in every dark corner of the world. The challenge is open. The invitations have been sent. One has your name on it. Be a “Buzz-er” for His story.

Why?

To honor the Author of the book and the Director of the show.

How?

Facebook friending and liking:

• Ron Rose on Facebook
• Faith Coaching Network page
• Faith Notes page
• Story Status Community
• GoFaith Update

Twitter following:

• Ron Rose @faithcoach
• Story Collectors @collectthestory

Beyond clicking the Website:

• Bookmark the website
• Forward Faith Notes
• Comment on website posts
• Get listed and Subscribe to the GoFaithUpdate–INCITE
• Launch a “Be the Story” group and become Story Collectors  [coming January 4]

Personalizing your buss

Share a story on Story Status
Pray for the creation of “Buzz.”
Start y0ur day with PrayerPoints
Contact LB about a Faith Feature
Tell your friends about the ministry
Give to the ministry
Contact Ron for a Faith Coaching Session
Invite Ron to Speak to our group or organization
Begin each day looking for the fingerprints of God

Be part of a team focused on finding the story, telling the story and being the story…It’s God’s story written in the lives of real people in this generation.