Life Lived Backwards

So, i set here tonight after one of the hardest afternoons i can ever remember. Today I had to take the keys away from my dad. he is only 76, yet he has short term memory loss. So, it got me to thinking. It would seem more fair to live life backwards......

Born with a pension and a social security check for life

Meeting your wife and growing young together

Watching your grand kids and kids get young

Very wise by the time you are in high School

Going to elementary with your young wife

Playing with a restless youth with plenty of money, wisdom and wit.

Till we are just a gleam in our parents eye! lol !

Just a Thought.....

Branded

It was 1998.. I was the new kid in a very, very small town. The culture was a shock to me and my family. I knew i needed to learn to adjust, so I did. Not long after we settled in i met a man that would make a major impression in my life. His name, Elmer Nugent.

He was a fun, yet no non sense kind of guy. He became my mentor, father figure and a true Godly figure in the life of me and my family. There is a word that is used from the King James, its called.. "ensamples". It means indention.. or branded.

Elmer branded me. he challenged me not to "adjust" to culture, but rather lead it. I learned to be me and not a fake.

I just found out a couple of days ago that Elmer has cancer. He lost his son in a car accident three years ago. He has been through a lot. Yet, because he is not just a talker, but a doer, he continues to brand my life and others with straight forward encouraging talk.

Man, i hope I am just a quarter of the man he is some day.

He never branded me or others with stink'n religion. He always branded us with unveiled truth.

They have not given him much longer to live, but he will live for ever. He has branded my life.

I'm going to return to that small town to see him in a few days... what will i see? The brand that he is leaving. And if God does not wipe the cancer away and lets Elmer come home.. The Angels in heaven bess get ready to get branded by the new angel in town.

Listen

Listen

People are hurting in the shadows of your church.

Listen

People really don't care how cool your church is

Listen

Do you hear them.... Crying?

No? Turn down your Church programs...... Now do you hear them?

Listen

There are people in your Church who feel beat up because they don't feel like they can measure up to what you are beating them down with.

A whisper.... vaguely asking questions

Questioning God

Questioning life

Can you hear them?

Maybe you cant because they don't ask you... they are afraid to question you. So they ask God.

They might be mad at God... but even He knows that is taboo in a building with his name on it.

People need God

Did you know that?

Not YOU

God

Not your doctrine

God

Listen............. Shut the door of your church, just for a while and see what God is doing in other places that you would not be caught in.

He is under the bridge with a homeless person

He is at a bar watching them have fun, while you judge them for going.

He is holding the hand of a Muslim, Christian and a Buddhist because he loves them all.

He is at the football game... yep on a Sunday!

He is in Arkansas

New York City

Africa

Small towns

Churches

Temples

Honky Tonks

At a rich person's house

A Poor persons house

A card board box

He is at Wal - Mart

He is with you

Listen.. Shhhh...

Do you hear Him?

END OF TIME?

Two facts of this Universe is.....

1. There is a God

2. We are not Him

It seems like every few years or so when a catastrophe happens all of the dooms day people start preaching about the end of time. The last days. The second coming of Jesus Christ.

Yes... I believe that He is coming again (for you that are already ticked at me for challenging "doomsday")

But end of time? Really?

Think about that.... Time never started.... and time (as we do not know it) will never end.

There are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many other things that we need to do before we worry about eschatology of the theological premise in which we spend our time debating how it is all gonna happen.

here are some ideas of how to quit wasting your time talking about "End Times"

1. Pray for yourself

2. Pray for others

3. Don't be a "Christian snob"

4. Stop freaking people out with freaklogy

5. Make someone laugh

6. Tell God He is awesome

7. Love

8. Live

9. Laugh

and last but not least.....

10. Make the best of time (as you DO know it)

Till he comes again.....

Just a Thought.....

Embrace Now...

When I was a pastor I was always teaching on "Vision". The future... we were gonna do this or that or this or that.... That was great. Dreaming is great.. Vision is great and a must. However, just as many of us can get stuck in the past, we can get stuck in the future as well.

Right now we have life

Right now we have today

now we have these 24 hours

now we have time to throw the ball in the front yard with our kids

now we can enjoy good friends

now we can take a walk

now we can cry, laugh, morn or whatever needs to come out of our emotional system

Remember yesterday... it was great... but its a mere memory.

Tomorrow? Who knows??

Right now? Its here... now.

Take a breath and enjoy now........... Right now.

Just a Thought.....

My biggest complaint

Complain....

It is something I do everyday.

I complain about.........

1. Gas prices

2. Dirty Laundry

3. The BP oil spill

4. My bills

5. My job(s)

6. The heat

7. The rain

8. The lack of rain

9. Traffic

10. Poor service at a restaurant

11. And ton's of other things

However, yesterday, I found out what my biggest complaint is.... Randy G. Wood

I get on my nerves more than anything listed above.

When it comes down to the core of me... when you strip away everything... I am selfish, sarcastic, hypocritical, greedy, mean, wrong, a religious bigot, sneaky, a gossiper and a ton of other things.....

No, I don't do all of that in one day... Yes, i am working on them and letting God do his thing.

So.. while I am complaining about everything and everyone and all of the "worlds" problems... I need to shut the hell up and work on one person.. Randy G. Wood.

How bout you?

Roots

Victory, shame, continuous winner, bad health, good health. What do these words have in common? The answer is.. the root. The root is "the point at which something comes into existence or from which it derives or is derived".
Yesterday I was taking down an old fence which was used to be a grid or lattes for blackberries to grow.

As I began to take the fence down I was pulling off the dead vines. As I began to pull the vines I discovered that they were very deep rooted with several strong root systems. It took a LOT of digging and pulling and sweat to get the roots out of the ground. If i would have allowed the roots to remain then the vines would have continued to grow and take over that area of ground.

If we are to succeed in life the fruit of it is only from a strong root.

If we are dealing with bitterness, shame, etc. the same principle applies.

The root system of anything must be tended to in order for it to flourish or for it to die.

What do you need we need to strengthen?

What do we need to dig up?

What is our root system supplying?

Just a thought.....

Happiness

What is happiness? Is or does it truly exist? If so, where does it come from?
If your a Christian, you might say, "it comes from Jesus"
If your a Hindu, you might say, " it comes from within"
Maybe both principles are true.
One thing is for sure. Happiness does not come from a single event. It does not come from instant riches. It can never come from ritual or rite.

Happiness is very illusive. Its not tangible.

Happiness is a bunch of great moments celebrated every time they happen.....

Happiness must NEVER be taken for granted.

Happiness must be celebrated very slow.

Happiness is not a toy.

Its not just an emotion.

Happiness is not a product for sale.

Its not just landing the dream job.

Happiness is not joy.

Joy is joy... a state of being.

Happiness is happenstance...... curcumstance.

But..... Its OK to be happy.

We should never feel guilty for being or wanting to be happy.

Then again, I did say Joy is a state of being, not happiness.

Hmmmmm, maybe it all begins with then hugh?

Just a thought.....
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Makeing a difference

After Tami and I resigned as lead pastors of CrossPoint Church in Little Rock we started attending New Life Church at their Greater Little Rock Campus.

I admit, at first i was overwhelmed by the size at first (10,00 and growing between there campuses) But there is something else that overwhelms me, the way that they are making a difference.

One word, Wow!

NLC is not a Church that is about a "star" pastor, or any other big personalities. NLC is NOT about fads, competing with other churches, filling buildings, good music, good programs... NLC IS about Making a difference.

Go over to their website and see for your self. http://www.newlifechurch.tv

If you are looking for a place to worship, or just start a journey looking for God, try it out. If you don't want to come to the actual campus, watch them on line. If you want to be a part of something that is making a difference... come on!

Point A to point B

There are things in life that we have to deal with on a daily basis. The main one is what I like to call, changing variables.

For example, we will always have four seasons in a year.... but the weather (at least in Arkansas) can change in one hour. Another example is, you have to get from "point a to point b" to get to where you need to go. However, certain variables can change that. Such as detours, a new road was built for easier access, or you just go a different way. The point is, "Points a and b" have not changed, just the things in between.

Get ready, because your life could change in a second! Just hold on tight to you core values and enjoy the ride!

Just a thought!

Right Now

I am ALMOST 40.

As I begin this course of my new decade, I realize something. Right NOW is more important than anything in the world.

If you need to diet... Do it right now.

If you want to dance... Do it right now.

If you need to pray... Do it right now.

If you need to tell your spouce you love them... Do it right now.

Make the call... Now.

Make a difference... Now.

Hug your kids... Now.

Have a party...

Travel overseas...

Give something away...

Laugh...

Cry...

Forgive...

Walk in the woods...

Right Now

Fill in the blank, "Right NOW I need to____________________.

Now go do it.... Right Now

Just be yourself

Have you ever had people try to dictate your who, what, where and why? Maybe you were born with a gene to be a comedian... BE IT!!, a serious person... BE IT!, shy... BE IT!, goofy... BE IT!, etc...
What ever God designed you to be.... BE IT!
Some are leaders and some are followers. Leaders need to lead, with grace and love. Followers need to follow, without compromising their own values.
It take a lot of different moving, and for that matter, still parts to make things work. In a business, school, church, office, etc.
But for goodness sake be JUST BE YOURSELF and allow YOURSELF to shine and be a part of the bigger picture!
You are who you are, if you don't like who you are then find your true self and be them.... It's OK.. JUST BE YOURSELF..
Just A Thought.....

It's all good

Life has been a trip lately. Ton's of challenges for my family. But, it's all good.

Yes, i have been theologically challenged, spiritually challenged, physically challenged, emotionally challenged, beat up, knocked down, pushed down, walked on, laughed at, ticked off, sad, fearful, cowardly, fake, stupid, but its all good.

I haven't really been "following God" like i should, but, it's all good.

I have seen of my friends become silent to me, but its all good.

One thing i know is this. God loves me and his grace has NO opposite.. so, it's all good.

So in the words of Bob Dylan, "It's All good"

More than being.........

In all of us is a survival instinct. Sometimes its all we have. Sometimes its what causes us to just.... well.... be.

Have you ever been there? Just being...............

There is an ancient yet relevant and still living quote "For we live, move, and exist because of him" That was a statement from Paul the Apostle. He was actually quoting a poet from his day and time. He was basically stating.. "Live'.

A good friend of ours that lives in Colorado has taught me so much about the subject of LIVING. Not just being, but living.

Dream? - yes

Walking toward the dream? - Yes

Live... don't just be.

How?

Good question....

Start.....

Go.....

Do......

Just be? - No

Live life

Did You Get It?

Kock, Knock! Who's there? Didya. Didya who.................?
The moment was odd for the lil guy. As I overheard his conversation with his friends. When he got to the punch line, no one laughed. I looked at his expression and could tell that "he" was going to be the punch line if no one laughs. So, I giggled and said, "I get it!" And then I started laughing really hard. Then another kid said, that is so funny! Then another one said, that would make an awesome "redneck joke" for Jeff Foxworthy! I looked back at the eyes of the lil guy and could tell that he felt acomplished.
Why?
Because laughter is more contagious than any other thing in the world. Yet, most of the time we just dont "get it".
I am gonna challange myself to laugh more!
I am gonna try to find comedy, not just on the tv, but in life!
Who knows, maybe we could start a movement called.... well, "Laugh even if it aint funny!"
Oh.... the punch line was "Didya get it?"
Now thats funny right there, I dont care who ya are! :)

Bitter to Better

So, I sometimes what its all about. I was a pastor (of a great Church) for 10 years. Me along with, my family, staff and many great volunteers gave our hearts to it, and now I realize i sacrificed my family for it. Wow! Did I really do that? I treated it like a business. i got "locked in" to the stupid politics of the "denomination" I was trying to be their golden boy!

Now that I am not pastoring, I am on the "outside of their camp". I'm not the "Golden boy".

Basically I am let down. I have let my wife down. I owe a ton of money to an the Bible College I went to. I only hope that some of my credits from the college transfer so that I can continue my education at another institution.

Bitter?

yep!

Whose "fault" is it?

Mine.

Will I be OK?

Sure!

Church is NOT a business!! It is a place where both parishioner and pastor should have a safe place to go without all of the politics to interfere.

So, here I am. "pastorless", and working against being bitter. And I will.

I have a ton of life to live (not necessarily time), but life.

Do I still desire to make a difference in this world? Yes. And I will.

I am going back to school, getting my licences to teach and desire to teach High School in the public sector. It will be tough... but its my passion. i will also be doing some motivational speaking when given the chance.

To anyone that reads this that i used to pastor, I love you. You were awesome. But, I wish the context of it were under a different set of eyes other that of the denomination I was a part of.

Bitter? a lil bit.... But I am gonna get better!

Kicking Cats

Sometimes the way we frame a problem contains an assumption that prevents us from solving it.

Gotcha!... based on the title you probably got ready to cal P.E.T.A. and turn me in for animal abuse.

I heard it said that if you assume it makes an a** out of you and me.

I am at a time in my life where a lot of people have assumed that I am "not in the ministry" any longer, based on the fact that I am not a pastor.

Someone may be assuming that you are who you are because you failed, messed up, changed jobs, got a divorce, got married, changed your clothing style, etc...

Eg; Many people that did not no I was a pastor, find it strange that I was one. Why? Well, I shave my head, have a couple of tatts, can't stand to wear a tie, and love to kick cats.. (Kidding about the kicking cats ;) I have a cat, and love her! LOL! Anyway, I think you get the point. Kind of like those that are "in the church" assume that I am someone different now. Nope, I am the same.

How about you? Are you assuming something about someone? Or, are you allowing someone to assume something about you? Its OK, like my Father - in - Law used to say all the time.. "It is what it is". I agree. Just be who you are... Quit assuming, don't allow people to assume about you based on ANYTHING and please... quit kicking the cat!! :)

One grip at a time

I'm not a mountain climber, but I respect the sport. Mountain climbing takes several discipline. It takes guts, strength, heart, vision, faith, knowledge and a whole lotta risk.

Life.... That's what I am climbing. It takes guts, strength, heart, vision, faith, knowledge, and a whole lotta risk.

To get to the peak is one thing.... getting there is another.

the first grip a smile

the second grip a giggle

the third.... a point of no return

the forth... wondering, "what in the heck am i doing" while smiling

a slip

grip again

faith

heart

guts

the top? sure... but the journey is what its all about.

Whats next?

Another mountain.... one grip at a time.

CAN DESTINY HAPPEN IN A VACUUM?

This is a repost, what do ya think?

Remember the story of Macbeth? He tried to change his own destiny only to see the "prophesies" about him come true. To make a long story short he tried to avoid his foretold death only to be beheaded as his "fate".

Question: Can destiny happen in a vacuum?

I was talking to a coupe of co-workers on my break today and asked them this question. I posed the question in the form of what I call, "Plinko in a sealed room' Go with me on this.......

Remember the game 'Plinko" on the game show "The Price Is Right"? The game was all about the luck of the way a large poker looking chip would be dropped along the top of strategically placed pegs. When a person would drop the chip down the plinko board it would bounce along the pegs, and if "luck" was on their side it could land in the 10,000 money slot.

When the chip would land in a large money slot, the contestant would try from the very same spot with different results only to befrustrated.

Why?

I have been told that if you try the same thing you will get the same results. tell the contestant that. Maybe it is the atmosphere of the room. Maybe its the air coming from the vents blowing it. Maybe it is the rumble of the audience cheering vibrating it in a different direction. Maybe.

So, lets change the atmosphere.

A vacuumed room - sealed tight - plinko - a machine that is programed to drop the chip at the same place with the pegs, board, and all aspects with NO variables to change it.

Can destiny be changed in a vacuum? A sealed off room?

My co-workers said No. I asked, why? they said because its impossible to create that atmosphere.

Hmmmm.

As is life. THERE IS NOT A "ONE FORMULA" that can work EVERY TIME... Enter, the Cross. Jesus. The Messiah. YHWH. GOD. (Some "American Christian's" have their view of a long blond hair and bright blue eyes - I am not talking about him, I am referring to the one from historical scripture with out an American interpretation.

He (Jesus) said, "I am the (Only) way, the (only) truth the (Only) Life"

That, is destiny.

That IS a cure all.

So, from the moment we accept Christ, does our destiny begin? Free will VS. Unconditional Election.

Macbeth. Was that "supposed" to happened? Could it have changed?

Judas (who betrayed Jesus), was that "Supposed" to happened? Could it have been changed?

The plinko chip. In a sealed environment - could it fall in the same place every time?

Me and You, In a sealed environment - does that effect us?

Or, does God drop us on earth like plinko chips (with a Bible) and say "I'll see you on the other side."

What do you think?

Elephants, Gorilla's and other Animal's that poop

Taking a Team within a company that has plateaued or is in decline to a level of healthy growth will be painful.

Some people don't like change or different.

Some people like it the "old way" because it's their style.

So transitioning the team into a healthy oiled machine will require sacrifice, a season of pain, and focusing on what really matters: people NOT product.

The first and most important detail that must take place for a dysfunctional team to become functional, is to expose what everyone already knows or think they know.

In other word's if there is an Elephant, Gorilla or any other kind of animal that is leaving a mess in the room; someone needs to talk about it.

There are different things that we do within a group of people that we work with that we would not do with our own family. For the most part we do not like to talk about or discuss openly any issues that the team is facing.

I call it, "Natural Tension"

Tension is needed within a group.

If we can get past our Ego, then the tension of the problem can be discussed in a healthy way.

The tension factor is usually handled by that one person in the group who is "the one person in the group" who speaks up all of the time. That, is unhealthy. There should be a way created within each cell or team for the tensions to be brought to the table.

Without tension, we will just white wash the issue only for it to resurface later.

In the next several posts I will talk about tension vs. conflict and how they are both recipes for success or failure.

My question for you is at this time would be this.....

Are there ant "tension's" on your team at work, school, church, etc... that need to be brought to the table. How do you deal or process through them?

How have you gone from unhealthy to healthy, or the reverse?

I would love to read your story.

Mud Pies and Relationships

Mud Pies!

Remember them? Ha! Ha! I remember setting and making them with Keith, my child hood friend. We sat there and made those things, talked, laughed, dreamed and got very dirty in the process!

When I was a pastor I learned a lot about growth. Growth didn't come form technology. It didn't come from fresh methods and against religious popular belief, it didn't come from just prayer.

Growth came from "true relationships". Organic (authentic networking).

Before you read the rest of this post, ask yourself three questions:

1.) Can I name 3 people I work with by their first and last name?

2.) Do I know what their spouces names are (if single, why?)

3.) Do I know what their passion is?

Yes, technology was a great tool. Fresh methods were a must, but they were just that, methods. Prayer, yes it was/is a prerequisite, but it changed me not God.

If your brand, Church, Business, classroom, office, etc... is going to have that "stickability" actor. The relationships must start with you knowing who you are working with and for.

Know their families, there favorite foods, their passion, etc...

The more you get to know the true thing that makes your product stable (people) the more stable it becomes.

Want to rise to the top?

Plant from underground, with seed and cultivation of the seed. Yep, you will get dirty. But that is the fun of it all!

Have you and your team made any mud pies lately?

The Right People

Who do you allow to talk to you?

Better yet, who are you listening to?

When you approach am issue, a problem, etc., what advice is in your arsenal?

Here are three types of people we MUST have in our life.

1. Connectors

They know everyone, and cab connect you to the group you need to target

2. Mavens

They know a lot of information about your target group

3. Sales people

They can take your product to your target group and sale it.

You nay know someone who holds all of these attributes or one. You may hold a couple of them yourself. The point is have them in your life. They need you, you need them and together you can cause what author, Malcolm Gladwell calls, "The Tipping Point. Its when your product or vision grows rapidly.

Who do you have in your life?

Why do "Christian's" say stupid things?

So, yea... its been a crazy couple of days. Our friends in Haiti have met with some unreal disaster. Now we have the "Pat Robertson's" of the world saying it was "God's judgement because of a pact with the devil". Well, the "pact" may be true, but the rest is a lie.

Why do "Christian's say stupid things?!"

If I am correct, the life of Jesus was about him loving people who hated God. He had a passion for people. Period. Its called "Grace". That word CANNOT be defined in theological terms.

The next time you or i come across someone that is different than us..... guess what, you are different than them.

We should never, NEVER, allow STUPID, American Christian talk of judgement come out of our mouth.

God IS Love and there is nothing that will change His mind about that.

Sorting it Out

Tami (my wife) went through all of our pictures and separated them into own categories. i took one of the boxes and and began to look at Jacob (our youngest son). The moments that were captured were awesome. He has the best laugh, smile and since of humor! I was able to trek through a ton of memories as I looked at them.

That has me thinking. There are some things in our life that we need to "sort out". Get them in order. Browse through our thoughts and our though process.

3 simple ways to do that.....

1. Get some boxes

2. Label the boxes

3. Sort them out

Sounds easy?? NOPE , its not.

Sorting out life is a whole other process.

Hurts, mistakes, old friends, sickness, bad economy, failures, success, tears, laughter, life, death, work, etc.....

Its all a mixed up mess sometimes.

But, the process starts with getting out the boxes and sorting away.

Go ahead, start the process.

It may take a while - but it will help you see how blessed you really are.

Can I question what YOU believe????

Do you allow people to question you? Even if what you are stating is the correct answer?

E.g. 2 x2 = 4 Disagree? Of course not, however is it wrong to question the fact? Is it wrong to have dialog about the fact?

There is an ancient Scripture that states "Come, let us reason together."

Enter - questions on faith or brand

Do you allow people to question your belief system?

From a marketing stand point, do you allow people to question your brand?

Most of us are self proclaimed apologists. We will defend what we believe with a closed mind.

If our belief system can be stretched or our brand made more "stickable", then we must allow everyone from teacher, peer and student to have dialog with us. Allow them to ask "Why?"

Life is not monologue.... its Dialog.

Cmon, lets reason this out........ Lets let them ask ANYTHING THEY WANT.

Agree? Disagree?.............

The Now to the Wow

Do you remember the commercial from "Duncan Donuts" where the baker said," it's time to make the doughnuts". It was a "mechanical" job.

You know what I mean? Doing the same thing day in and day out.

Don't misread me I like stability I like to know that I always have a place to run back into that is familiar. however i do not want that familiarity to become my enemy. i do not want to live a mechanical life.

Enter - adventure. Trying new things. tasting new foods, new culture, new areas along with my family. Taking the familiar and introducing it to adventure. Taking the now and introducing it to the wow.

Taking the donuts and adding some sprinkles.

How bout you?

wHO iS tIPPING yOUR pOINT??

Malcolm Gladwell wrote "The Tipping Point" its a book about the little things that make a big difference.

The difference for me? People.

There are a few, a very few people that have made a "tipping point" in my life. The ones that are not afraid to challenge me - the non-wimps the ones who can see through my tented glass wall.

Here are those people:

My brother Rod - He is still my hero, and still calls me out on stupidity.

My wife Tami - She is something. She has put up with more s**t from me than one should ever put up with. She is the most authentic person i know.

My Father-n-Law Tom - Outside of Christ, he was the closest thing to perfect

My Son Luke - He teaches ME to be a better dad

My Son Jacob - He has taught me to dance with life.... again.

My friend (and former co-pastor) Brady ward - He pulls the creative out of me. He is a man of his word and is a great listener

My new friend - Tonya Montgomery (Friend of Tami's since 2nd grade) Her and her husband Jim and their kids live in Denver - She is teaching me how to network again and how to live again.

These are my people that cause and continue to cause tipping points in my life.

Who is tipping your point?

looking Back

looking back over 2009 i can honestly say... hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. what a heck of a year. It was very, tough. A man who God let in my life nearly 24 years earlier went home to heaven. It has been a very hard and challenging blow to my wife and the family. It feels as if though there is a gap in our lives. i find myself having a question and wanting to call him. It hurts, and it sucks. He is my hero and i pray that i can become half the man he was. I learned how to be a REAL christian not a church christian. I learned how to accept people and how to strive to be a man of my word.

Another change was after 10 great years me and my family resigned from CrossPoint Church. Wow what a ride.

My son Luke became a senior in High School.

This is Jacobs last year in Elementary.

We moved our dad in with us.

I started working at Kroger.

Tami and i joined Facebook and have reconnected with some great friends.

And now.... Tami and I are getting ready to go back to school.

So whats 2010 hold - I resolve for it to be a year of "Adventurous Simplicity" Irony? yep but lets do this thang!!!!