Blessings

Inheritance! Where does it come from?  If you spend the most time? If work the hardest around the house?  Do the most for them?  Give them the most? What creates the inheritance? 

When you look through history, the inheritance is what was owned or owed that now passes to the children of the deceased!  Many traditions would pass it to the first born. Some pass it to only the sons. In almost every case, it is passed from the father!

Our culture is missing out on this truth.  The fathers are so decimated by media, the entertainment industry and by our communities that the father is not held in high regard.  However, in the family unit itself, the father carries the greatest impact. Whether a relationship is severed or intact, the paternal bond is emotional.  It offers the most encouragement. If the parental relationship is still intact and strong, the paternal image is now a multiplier of itself. 

This is why, children are distraught when promises by the father are broken. Why they are elated when they are kept. There are kingdoms that are passed down to first born. Rulers leave heirs in charge of the kingdom!  Look at the bible and you'll see very powerful blessings bestowed on the first born. Adam's children (Cain and Able) fought over the blessing. Jacob and Esau battled their whole life for the blessing of their father. We need fathers to be MEN and bestow blessings on their children today. That is not just a "one and done" mentality.  We need to mentor our children, raise them within eye sight, ear shot and handshake distance to see what it's like to be a real man! Then when you are old and gray, you will be able to leave an inheritance to your children's children!  That's a statement!  If you live well, then your life will be an inheritance that will last like a dynasty! 

It's not a lottery ticket!  It's not a settlement!  It's not just an inheritance! The blessing is bestowed on the children because ITS A LEGACY that is multiplied and passed to the children's children!  What are you leaving?

It's just a little white lie.

What makes a lie little?  What deems appropriate to steal or not steal? Why is it so hard to tell the truth? What makes it difficult to forgive the person who lied? There are so many people who will hold a grudge against someone and that person doesn't know that you are still holding onto it.  Why do we hold onto these things?  

It's interesting to think about these ideas!  What makes us want revenge on that person who cut us off in traffic? Why do we feel that we have the authority to dictate what should happen to people we think broke the law?  Have you ever appreciated justice when someone sped by you on the highway to see them pulled over by an officer only a couple miles down the road?  Why do we want to see reality television where people are hurt physically, emotionally or mentally?  We want to see them kicked off the island or voted out by not receiving a rose! 

Have you thought about how easy God forgives? All you do is ask and we expect and believe that it is simply removed form his sight! How does he do that?  Some us feel that we don't deserve forgiveness so we don't even ask. Yet, he stands ready and willing to do just that at any moment we choose! How in the world can that even take place with so much hatred and sin, where we can exercise that?  It's simple, Jesus did it. The example is there.  It's even more simple to understand by simply removing the emotion from it!  What did I just say?  Remove emotion from our lives?  Emotion is what separates us from plants and other living things. Yes, that is true, but God is not human yet we are made in his image and yet God has emotions.  The bible talks about his love, compassion, anger, judgement and so on? How does God forgive us when He has so many emotions toward us, His creation?  I'm not God nor am I perfect.  The only thing that could make sense of how He could love us unconditionally is by removing the emotion from the sin that was committed against us so that we might be able to forgive like Jesus did on the cross.

As Jesus stated, now go and sin no more! 

Next level.

It's always exciting when you have a new game and you've made it to the next level.  Have you thought about how you can make it to the next level in life?  What is the next level in life?  The bad news is you only get one turn!  There are no ways of getting another life to try this level again!  What are you doing now that maybe you should tweek or completely start over?

Interestingly we all have had times of testing.  When you look back you think, "Why did I do that?"  Take a moment and think about the different times you were tested.  Now think of the times where you experienced great success at what you did.  These imes are typically when you were stretched.  We all face testing.  We all face trials.  The true question is what is your response when you are stretched?  A leader will survive a test.  They might even survive being stretched.  But a true shining star not only survives, they thrive while being stretched.  It is then that they perform their best and actually make a bigger difference.  It is then that the experience doesn't matter but taking it to the next level was the goal.  These people not only enjoy the journey they blaze their own trail and make it big enough for others to follow.  These times you learn a lot about yourself and how well you thrive under pressure.  

How did you make it to the next level?  Did you thrive or just survive. 

Defeat at the door,

Have you been exhausted?  Do you feel like you've been fighting but you don't have anything left?  Out of breathe. Cramps in every muscle. You've done all you possibly could.  The referee is counting, 1, 2, 3, 4, You just want it to be over. Give in to you body. Your mind says no more. Your heart is racing. It feels like your chest will explode. Your soul reminds you of everyone else. 

You made it just a little further than the last person who tried. No one would think you gave in.  You gave it your best try. You went a long time. You're so numb that the pain is just a distant memory. Tomorrow is coming and it will be all new.  You won't have any regret. At least that is what everyone will tell you.

He is still counting, 5, 6, 7, what if I don't give in?  What will happen?  How much more of this can I endure? Will I ever be able to live it down if I quit? I'm not a quitter! You start to feel a surge welling up from deep inside.  Growing into every aspect of your being.

You hear, 8, 9,  but your not done. No one tells me I'm done!  You can keep counting. It's not over until I say it's over. You might feel like you've destroyed me, but this is going to last a long time. Stubborn as a mule, you won't get rid of me. I'm good til,the last drop. Like, Nike, just do it. 10, but I haven't won yet. I'm still fighting. I'm not going to stop until I get what you promised. 

Just like when you feel defeated, there is always a little bit left to take you one more step.  One more rep. One more mile. The reason why you have that little bit left is because God has given you determination. Read the story of Jacob in Genesis 32.  He is in fear of his life when he thinks his older brother will want to kill him. He sends everything he has ahead of him as a gift to his brother. Then when he is alone he wrestles with God. He claims that he will not let this angel go until he blesses him. Have you fought that hard but still demanded something at the end.  You wouldn't  be done until you received it?  Defeat is only as close as we let it get.  Yes there will always be giants, but there are always small stones.  Yes, there is always threats but there always promises of redemption. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed.......where is your defeat?  

Practice makes......

Practice makes perfect. Practice how you perform.  Practice until you get it right!  If at first you don't succeed, try try try again. 

I've heard practice it until you can't get it wrong!  What if you are practicing the wrong thing?  Would that mean that you practiced the wrong thing until it was right?  Would you have practiced it if you've known it was wrong?  When is something wrong ever right, no matter how much you practiced it? 

Sports helps us in life. An athelete will devote themselves to becoming better at that particular sport. Looking at a great actor/actress also illustrates the season of deliberate discomfort to get into a role. Everything in life is for just a season.  Sports is a life dream but does not last a whole life.  The role of a lifetime will be portraited in a 2 hour window that took maybe a few months to film.  

So, what are you practicing?  What is it that makes you get pumped up?  Wha is it that you are deliberately putting aside for this season?  Have you made a lifetime event out of something that should've been only a season?  Practice, practice, practice....have you got any better?  Possibly at the detriment of something else?  What are you practicing for?

Failure!

It seems that today we over use words.  Words lose the power behind their meaning.  Words can be taken or left alone and lifeless.  Words can be painful and strength giving.  We as human beings allow words to influence us, drive us and even destroy us.  

How do you feel when you hear the word failure?  The inability to accomplish a predetermined outcome.  That's my definition.  How would you define failure?  What if we said failure to lose? Is that a positive view?  Failure to give up or quit.  What road does failure take you down?  Thomas Edison, was a failure but it took him to more discoveries than can be counted.  

People can be very afraid of failure.  What if.....  You won't know unless you try?  How will I look to them if...... How come I can't be....... FAILURE!  If a batter never swings,  if a gymnast never flips, if a emcee never speaks, if a carpenter never hammers, if a potter never molds, if a baker never bakes, if an actor never performs........

What if you fail, how about you fail to even try!  Which one is worse?  If a toddler doesn't fall, he will not know how to learn to get back up.  Failure is important, its life giving!  Go out there and give it you all. Leave nothing behind. Then you wil learn you can go farther. You can do more. You find ways of not doing it to improve on how TO DO IT!  Now what do you think about failure?

Casting...

Casting can be many things. We use it to create a cast to protect a broken bone while it heals.  We see it as a way of fishing. Extending out to reach something beyond our own capabilities.  It is what leaders do to find the right people for certain positions.  It can also be to get rid of things that might be hindering.  Casting, what do you do with it?

How can you effectively make advances when you are weighted down with whatever you have chosen to carry?  This is where you can cast off those things you find important in you life to purposefully and aggressively attack your goals in life.  You should also be purposeful about whom you are allowing to speak into your life.  You must cast the right cheer leaders or better yet, the right parts of the engine that will enable you to EFFECTIVELY advance you to your goals.  These other people can prohibit you or can prosper you. You get to decide. Lastly, you must cast out to retrieve what you need to grow yourself.  Catching fish is hard if you never have done it.  You must know what kind of fish you are looking for and where you can find that type of fish.  You also need to know what lure to use that will attract that fish to bite your line and what equipment will be needed to bring that fish into your boat.  Then you may need to prepare yourself if you have made the wrong decisions, to protect your dream while you mend your gaps and deficiencies of your plans.  After realizing your choices, you may need to go back and repeat!

Now that you have a better understanding of casting what are you going to do with it? Casting?