Starfish Solution

I was once told a supposedly true story about a little boy walking down the beach after a storm. The storm washed, what seemed like, a million starfish onto the shore. The little boy was painstakingly picking up the starfish and tossing them back into the sea one by one. An elderly gentleman, walking on the shoreline, stopped and took in the scene. He watched as the boy picked up starfish after starfish and chucked them into the water.

After several minutes, the gentlemen called to him, “Young man! It will take days to get them all back in the ocean. Do you really think the few starfish you save this morning will matter?”

The little boy bent over and picked up another starfish. He looked intently into the old man’s eyes and said, “It matters to this one!” and he threw it into the water.

When it comes right down to it what we do matters even if it seems small. Life is hardly inconsequential. However, I think we get things twisted up about what is important and what is not. Just like the older gentleman in the story, we focus on the size of the job and forget that it is in the menial tasks where big things are accomplished, like saving the life of one starfish. Small things matter. Through small things dreams come true, destiny is realized and world-changers are born.

One thing I see is that we often fail to believe that we could be the solution. We fail to even consider that “little ol’ me” might be the one to change a situation, a community or the direction of a nation. The little boy in the story saw himself as the solution and he did something. I am pretty sure that if this story is true, the little boy did what any child would do and he simply acted on what he knew had to be done. It is doubtful he even gave a thought to if it was a good idea or not. He merely acted on what he knew was right. He was the solution to the problem…one single starfish at a time.

Think for a moment about how the world might look if Moses, the Apostle Paul, Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, Galileo, the Wright Brothers, Steve Jobs or Martin Luther King had never considered that they could be the one to do something big?

For the world-changer’s history, it all started with a call, a dream and single thought. It all started with a small idea bouncing around someone’s that they decided to act on. They never worried about whether it was a good idea or a bad idea. The world-changers of history took that dream, that idea, and acted on what they knew had to be done. In doing so, the course of history was changed and big things exploded into the world one menial task at a time. It really is quite remarkable when you think about it.

So what is your “starfish” and have you considered tossing it back into the ocean lately?

See what I mean…

~R

Hunger Games

Last week I caught up with the pop culture phenomenon Hunger Games when I saw the movie. Because I am a little bit of a sci-fi geek, and have an addiction to a great story, I of course loved the movie.

Now I must admit, the whole Hunger Games thing got past me. I had no idea there was a book trilogy out there. It all came out of nowhere for me as I started hearing about it in the news. I was a little reluctant to see the movie because of all the hype and reports of how controversial it was. I must be blind or insensitive because I missed the controversy.

Some of the reviews and blogs I read were filled with ridiculous comments about how it was a perfect depiction of our horrible nation and how we are destined to become a “Hunger Games” society. I even commented on one blog, “Surely the inevitable zombie apocalypse will come first!”

It’s fiction! It’s a story and nothing in it represents our society at all. All of the ideas presented in the reviews and blogs that I read were just trying to find similarities in the problems within our society, government or communities. They presented lots of problems but no solutions.  That just peeves me and I realize it’s because I find myself doing exactly that all the time!

It’s easy to point out failures and problems within a society or community. Living to be the solution is what’s tough. I am going to start a Hunger Game of my own. I am going to starve myself of negativity and having a critical spirit AND I am going to starve myself from sarcasm. I’m going to remove all negative thinking about people, life and spirituality. It’s just a better way to live. (2 Cor. 10:5-6)

The catch phrase for the Hunger Games was, “May the odds be ever in your favor.” This stood out to me because the 16-year old protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, never once consideredthat the odds were against her and she beat them anyway. Not once does she complain about being forced into the game. She just accepts her challenge and, as she does, she changes the course of her world. In fact, the game she was forced to play didn’t happen to Katniss, Katniss happened to the game.

Maybe we need to focus less on what is happening in the world around us, no matter how negative or frightful. Maybe we should move into the world and happen to it. It’s our mandate to do something effectual. So let’s go out and happen!

“…And may the odds be ever in your favor.”

The Shalom Factor

It is really a good thing that geography doesn’t matter when it comes to finding God’s presence because it was in Las Vegas, Sin City, where I connected to the Father for the first time. I love when God does ironic things just to prove a point.

After several months of just experiencing him in the privacy in my home, I began to feel a powerful sense that He was directing me to go out into the city. This was not something that I felt comfortable doing.

At first, I thought that He wanted me to go into the streets and tell everyone the Good News about Jesus. I imagined walking down the Las Vegas Strip with my Bible and cheesy Christian t-shirt and telling people that Jesus loved them. Maybe even hand them Christian propaganda that subtlety told them to “turn or burn.” I’d rather walk barefoot over hot coals and broken glass then do that! The idea freaked me out!

However, to my surprise, I was to merely go to a coffee shop, sit there with my laptop and a coffee, and… talk to no one unless spoken to first.

Talk about the evangelism jackpot! Okay, so go to a coffee shop, drink coffee and say nothing. Oh and I didn’t have to wear a cheesy t-shirt or pass out literature.

“That’s easy enough, I can do that.” I told myself.

I was set up. Everyone spoke to me! Not once in nearly two years did I strike up a conversation. People just walked up to me and started talking. I shared coffee with strangers almost daily. They would tell me things as if I was their closest friend. That would open up opportunities for me to share hope and peace with them.

It was one of the most successful and enjoyable times of ministry I ever experienced. Think about that. It didn’t happen in a church, rarely did a Bible come out, no sermon, no agenda… just the opportunity to share coffee with a stranger, coffee with room for cream… and hope.

But why? Why did they talk to me? Why did they feel led to sit at my table and pour out their hearts?

After years of wondering, I finally understand why. It’s because of the Shalom Factor.

It had nothing to do with me but everything to do with whom I am connected! I went into the coffee shops and the Peace of God was leaking out of me. The spirit of Shalom was there with me.

Shalom means peace but not just peace. It also means things like completeness, wholeness, health, safety, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, rest, and the absence of agitation or discord.

The lesson I learned was that we carry something powerful once we have been in the presence of the Prince of Peace. He rubs off on you and people are drawn to that.

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

People just want to be free. Free from shame, hurt, chaos and discord. We bring his freedom and peace into those situations. We carry Shalom.

So then the question is, if we are not bringing Shalom then what are we bringing?

It’s something to think about this week.

Well, I’m off for an extra-large caramel latte with no foam and an extra shot of Shalom!

~RT

The Eye of Providence

This time of year, people of all ages are able to embrace their inner child and inner pyromaniac without remorse as we celebrate Independence Day. That’s the way it should be. I think that our nation’s forefathers would totally be in favor of celebrating freedom with the freedom to blow things up! Nothing says fun and freedom like an explosion.

Volunteering in the fireworks booth this week made me think about our freedom and the sobering facts that men and women paid with their lives for the freedom I enjoy. That sent me on a little journey into history to try to find out why fireworks and explosions is our celebratory tool. I learned that our nation has been doing this since July 4^th, 1777, on which date Congress led the celebration! That was an exciting and fun fact.

Then I stumbled upon something else… something more explosive.

Somewhere in my searching for facts, I ran across The Great Seal of the United States. On the Seal, there are three mottos: “E pluribus unum,” on the front. “Annuit cœptis” and “Novus ordo seclorum” are written on the back of the seal. E pluribus unum translates to “Out of one, many.” That is explosive right there but then I learned something else.

“Annuit coeptis” is an interesting Latin word study.

ANNUIT means to nod, to favor, or to smile at.

COEPTIS means undertakings, endeavors, beginning a task/journey.

Annuit coeptis means favors or literally to give the nod to the undertakings. Now open your prophetic eyes before you disagree. If you look at the seal’s reverse side, you will see the pyramid and the eye known as The Eye of Providence. Now, I know that there is great debate as to that eye being steeped the occult but I discovered the original intent of what the Eye of Providence really means.

In 1782, Congress appointed William Barton to bring a proposal for the national seal. Barton suggested the Eye of Providence. The mottos which Barton chose to accompany the design, “Deo Favente” which translates “with God’s favor”, or more literally, “with God favoring” and paired that with the word “Perennis” which means “Everlasting”. Therefore, the Eye of Providence’s intended meaning is “with the everlasting favor of God.”

The verb annuit can be either present tense or perfect tense, therefore an accurate translation of the motto is “Providence favors our undertakings” or “Providence has favored our undertakings.” Who favors? The Eye (Providence) does. Whom does the eye represent? Who is the eye of providence? After taking into consideration the intentions of the designer, think it clearly means the providence of God himself.

The translated idea is “He favors our undertakings and prospered our endeavors.”

Now, I am not trying to say that God has favored the U.S.A. more than other nations. However, I would like to point out that for a country only 235 years old, there has been quite a bit of prosperity. But don’t miss my point here. There is a Heavenly principle here.

By making that statement as a motto, it seems like the founding father made an outright declaration about the favor of God relating to their new endeavor. Bold to say the least!

In the Kingdom of God, his favor rests with us as we move, as the word says, “from Glory to Glory” (2 Corinthians 3:8). We have a covering of His glory so that everything that we set our hands to, every idea and every creative endeavor is bathed in the favor of God Himself. Moving in a direction of his glory isn’t linear; it is upward — more like a staircase than a straight line. If we are moving with and in the favor of God it has to be upward because his creative nature is moving from glory to glory… from better to even better, success to greater success!

The forefathers embraced the idea of a land with freedom and allowed the favor of God to be their chief source. The expected that God’s favor would be on their endeavor. They set forth a firestorm of God’s favor on their endeavor, which has lasted over 235 years. They proclaimed the favor of God and he came through.

With this in mind, why not attempt something new, fun and amazing? Why not be a little careless and see what God’s favor can do for you. Why not embrace that inner child and go dream? Doing so with the favor of God on your side, you just may start a fire that will change not just the course of a nation, but the entire planet!

~RT

The Process of Truth

Somewhere along the road of life, I obtained a value for being teachable. I am not sure who imparted this great nugget of truth but I picked it up early in life. I don’t think that it was one person but perhaps a group of individuals who pointed me to this virtue. It probably started with my father and then other people who so graciously invested in me. Over the years, I have watched a number of great leaders lead with incredible skill. All of these men and women possessed one thing in common. They had a teachable spirit.

The single most important core value for me is that I remain teachable. This means that my posture must always be that of a student… even when my role is the teacher.

One can never know it all and there is always something new to learn. I find it disturbing when I run across people who think that there can be no other opinion or idea other than their own. People get so emotional when things like politics, theology and matters of conscience are discussed, and these discussions usually become arguments. No one wants to consider the opposing view. If we could just take the posture of the student every now and again, I think we would be stunned by what can be learned by considering another person’s view.

This in no way means that you should allow your convictions to be invaded by ridiculous opinions or philosophies. I say stick to your convictions but respect the convictions of others. Don’t think that just because someone has an opposing view that you need to change that person’s mind. Truth has a way of revealing itself with little or no effort.

The truth will always win.

Pride only makes us un-teachable. Pride will convince us that that someone is not worth listening to or is somehow beneath you. If we take the posture of the student and just listen to everyone we will be surprised by the knowledge and truth that we can gain.

By reading the writings of atheists, I learned the true meaning of my faith. Listening to those who work for me helped me to get things done in the work place more efficiently. By hearing what my elders were saying, I didn’t make the monumental mistakes that they made. I listen to my wife, and our relationship continues to grow in love. Because I listened to my children, I never broke their spirit. I have learned stuff from people who are great successes, and I even learned great lessons by those that some might call epic failures.

By staying in a teachable posture, I gained knowledge, yes, but the icing on the cake is that I gained truth more often than not. I have gained truth from friends, strangers, the baristas at Starbucks, liberals, conservatives and moderates.

The process of truth requires a teachable spirit.

I think the reason some people struggle with living in a teachable posture is that it makes them vulnerable to other people. In other words, we are so concerned about our position, that the very idea of submitting to another person’s point of view threatens us. I have a question about that. If knowledge and truth can be revealed… why fear a new idea that just may be the truth after all?

Truth in its very definition is narrow but there are wide varieties of ways in getting to it. We can take the posture of a student and learn from others, even those we never expected to teach us. The student will teach the teacher, the apprentices will show the master new things and those who we think are against us, could very well be more on our side than we first believed.

Being in a teachable posture means being willing to submit to the process of truth. That process may require us to receive truth from people we least expect.

One of those people may be on their way to see you now…so change your posture to receive the truth.

“Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.” Psalms 85:11

~RT

Stand There and Point

I woke up this Father’s Day morning realizing that I have been in the “Daddy” business for twenty-one years! I have to confess, business is good. Anna and I have intently focused on our three children, loving them, teaching them, making sure they knew how to laugh, how to play, and how to dream.

Now, they are three of my all-time favorite human beings on the planet. Breanna, Aaron and Rebekah are nothing alike, yet have everything in common. They are people who know exactly who they are, they know what they want and nothing will stop them once they have set their minds to do something. I raised a triune of bulldog-like people!

As I sit here with my coffee in hand, watching the cursor blink at me, I can’t help but think, “You did good, Dad.”

Truth is that most of the time I just stood there and pointed. I pointed at the dirty clothes all over the bedroom floor, I pointed at subpar grades and I pointed at the clock when they violated curfew. I just stood there and pointed. Not with my condemning finger in their faces, but with my heart focused on God the Father so that they could see that He is their source.

To do that, I had to trust the same God the Father to take over this meant that Anna and I stood there a lot and pointed. Usually with our hands in our pockets, with our mouths closed, watching and trusting the Father with our children.

.I had my doubts many times. There were times when I wondered if any of that pointing worked.

Yesterday, my oldest daughter, Bree, sent me this text, which inspired this blog:

 “…made me really happy you’re my dad and you have always found a way to point me to God for the answers in my life which is everything. ;D I learned that true fathers point children to the true Father and you have really done that for me so thanks, love you!”

Yep, pointing works!

My family is growing! In May, Aaron asked Anna Grace to marry him. As of yesterday, Breanna is engaged to Kenny!

So, the “Daddy” business is booming and it won’t be long until the family business expands to the “Grandfather” business and you know what? I will keep doing business as usual. I will watch my kids point for my grandkids and every now and then, I too, will just stand there and point.

~RT

Determined Focus

 

In Old Town San Diego, there once was an old-fashioned ice cream parlor which I used to visit when I was a kid. It was one of my favorite places in the world. There I could get an ice-cream cone, rock candy, salt-water taffy and a sarsaparilla all in one visit. I used to pretend that I was a gunslinger from the old west as I sipped my sarsaparilla in the saloon-like establishment.

On one of these visits, there was a man standing just outside the door with a Scottish terrier. As my family and I were walking in the door, something unexpected happened; that little Scottish terrier jumped up and bit my butt! Well, he bit my pants pocket anyway. His teeth never made contact with my flesh. However, broken skin or not, this was very traumatizing for me. In my mind, the little beast had made an attempt on my very life and no one noticed!

My father was at the counter asking me what I wanted as I stood there rubbing my backside looking back at the little devil dog. My mind switched to my long awaited ice-cream cone and a large sarsaparilla. We ordered and sat down at a table. Now, this was supposed to be a day of me imbibing the sugary goodness of the old west and fantasizing about being an outlaw enjoying a cone and a soda pop. However, all I could do was sit and worry about the dog. I worried that when I left, that dog would be there waiting like a canine ninja to assassinate me! I was so focused on that little dog that my ice cream melted all over the table and I knocked my precious sarsaparilla over, spilling it everywhere!

As we left, I held my mother’s hand because I was scared to death that that dog would be there. However, he was long gone. The little dog had given up his fiendish plot to kill me and moved on to terrorize a new victim.

I shuffled down the street and slipped into state of total regret realizing that I let that little dog ruin my fun trip to the Ice Cream Saloon. The treats that were meant to bring me joy were melted and knocked over onto the floor.

What we focus on will determine the reward.

When Jesus said in John chapter 10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly,” he really meant “abundantly.” He intends us to have life in large quantities! He intended for us to have a life with joy, peace, prosperity and fulfillment… in large quantities! If this has been God’s intention all along, why do we always seem to focus on the dog that tried to bite us? When we start focusing on the Kingdom of Heaven, we will reap the rewards of heaven and start grasping life in large and amazing quantity.

Listen. The dog (the devil) can’t really bite us. He can only distract us from the truth so that we will miss out on the blessing and reward. So in essence, just kick the dog on the way in and enjoy the ice cream.

~RT