Motivating With Positive Direction

When I was in college I was a student trainer. I think I worked every home football game during my time in college. Several coaches had the wit to come up with one-liners. I remember one instance where a defensive player blew his coverage, thus allowing the opposing team to score. He came off the field, feeling bad about what he'd done, and the coach was talking to him. I don't remember his name, so we'll call him "Ryan". The coach something like this, "Ryan, we both know you blew that play. That doesn't make you a bad person, it makes you a horrible player." The tone of the coach was very calm and conversational. He wasn't up in his face. He just told him like it was. I know I laughed, inside at first, and outside when I told someone else. I wasn't laughing at the player, but at the line.

That really is no way to motivate. Putting someone down may make them mad and fired up, but it doesn't make them better. That brings us to this week's quote...

When you want to encourage a greater sense of responsibility in others (and yourself), emphasize the anticipation of accomplishment, not the penalties for failure. ~ Roger Crawford

Parents, spouses, coaches, supervisors, and employers can all learn from this concept. If you want someone to do something better, showing the positive outcomes more so than the negative.

As you go into the future, think about how you will try to encourage someone to do more with themselves. Whether that "more" is a single situation or an ongoing task. Make them feel good about what they can accomplish rather than feel bad for what will happen if they do not accomplish the task.

Having an environment that has a positive direction will probably affect the morale, too! What a concept to consider!

Make it positive, not negative...then see what results...

Going Green: "BE" Vitamins - Part 3

Thank goodness for Flintstone's chewable vitamins! I remember taking those as a kid and really enjoying them. I wanted to eat more than needed. In high school, our sports team gave vitamin C tablets out to players, if they wanted them. Since they tasted so good, as a trainer, I sometimes took a few to eat throughout practice. They were good!

It was easy to take these because they tasted so good. Whereas the ones that do not taste as good, would not be taken in extra amounts. That is the way it is with some of the "BE" vitamins that we examined over the past three weeks.

Sunday, we examined how we must "BE" prepared, self-controlled, holy, and careful. These may require more to "swallow" than others do. As each person's taste buds differ, so does how one can take their "BE" vitamins; easier for some than others.

Here are some applications from this week's sermon to choose from to use this week...

1. "BE" Prepared - There are so many things in life to be prepared for. Many, at this time, are getting prepared to go off to college. Parent's prepare for months getting ready for the arrival of a baby. Those are events that we know are going to happen. Our spiritual preparation needs to also focus on things we do not know are going to happen. When that temptation comes around the corner. When someone offends you. When the overdraft sheet comes in the mail. When someone starts talking about someone you know. Make sure you're prepared!
2. "BE" Self-Controlled -You've probably heard the story of the officer who stopped a woman who was ranting and raving at people who weren't driving "correctly". Who, in turn, was driving very erratically. He stopped her because he thought she stole the car. Part of his reasoning was that she had Christian bumper stickers and icons on the back of her car...but she was not even close to acting like a Christian. She needed to take a self-control "BE" vitamin. When things are going awry...swallow hard!
3. "BE" Holy - Taking time to swallow the "BE" vitamins are ways that we can set ourselves apart from the rest of the crowd. Just being kind and thoughtful to people are not always ways that may set ourselves apart. Pray that God will help you to be "holy" and set yourself apart, and still be 'normal', so that people will see you as an approachable Christian.
4. "BE" Careful - "You may not touch that, it's dangerous" is a phrase that is said around our house a lot, because of having an 19-month old. He's at the height and capability to get into a lot of things - sometimes dangerous things. I can already tell it will be challenging to let him get further away from the 'nest' and be more independent as he grows. But he will make his own choices in life, just like you and I do. Some will be good and some bad. Just as God, the Father, lets us make choices, we must be constantly aware to "be careful". The smallest influences can wreck our life. Watch where you step!

After these different "BE" vitamins, you have a lot to be taking or to choose from, as you go through life.

Take them, not just for your "health", but to make your 'environment better' as you are working to 'go green'.

Swallowing my "BE" vitamins daily...

Things Are Always Advancing

As I have a child, we go to McDonald's on a regular basis. The "Happy Meal" is geared to have food servings for kids. Inside each of these meals is a toy/prize. These prizes are continually rotating, weekly for ten or so weeks at a time, then another line of toys will come. On the bottom of the cardboard Happy Meal containers it will tell you what is "coming next". I am getting accustomed to looking at the bottom of the container to see what's next.

Though there may be some groups of toys that I am not that keen on, I know they will be rotating (after all, the toy isn't for me anyway). That is a good marketing strategy, to be coming up with something new on a continual basis.

That is the business world, but since we are always consumers, that is our world. Which means, that is our culture and what our church exists in. As people are consumer minded, the church must also adapt to the times. If businesses do not change, people will get bored and go elsewhere. It doesn't have to be a complete transformation or remodel, but a change. If it is too drastic, people may not recognize the business and its goals. This can be the opposite side of the spectrum of change.

Take, for instance, the Happy Meal. The same three options are included in the Meal - hamburger, cheeseburger, or 4-piece McNuggets. Now, a more healthier approach is given to other options, apples instead of fries or milk instead of a soft drink. Depending on how you combine these options, the basic meal stays the same. The difference is the toy inside. It changes weekly.

This is a minor example of change. But it is a major argument for the need for continual change. As a church, what has changed lately? Past 6 months? Past year?

When it comes to thinking about change, we must do it. At least change something. If not, people get bored, complacent, and lethargic. That is the people in our congregation. So if we're feeling those feelings, why would someone come in and join us?

We must be changing. May not be our environment, but be different. We can't be model-followers, and do just what a "competitor" is doing. We have to be unique in action, not just in principle.

What can we do to be different? Let's brainstorm. That is something the teams can be trying to work on. Try not to think of something safe, but something "out of the box". People are attracted to more of "I never thought a church would do that" kind of things. How can we open our doors to others? Know anyone who needs a meeting spot? We're open for that! Let's see what we can do to cause people to "look under the box" to see what's happening next!

We're having an ice cream night, take time to invite someone! Maybe they are someone who makes great ice cream and you could even ask them to make their "famous" ice cream, who knows.

Things are always changing...let's not be left behind!

Syncing Up

As personal digital assistants (PDA) and MP3 players have been introduced into the technology world, the term synchronization, shortened to sync, has also been introduced. One will ‘sync’ or ‘sync up’ their object with their personal computer. This action assures that both pieces of technology have the same information in them. Neither of them is competing, nor are they withholding any information from the other. It is a convenient tool to have for backing up, retrieving, and transferring information from one piece of technology to the other. So if you lose your object or have it replaced, then all you have to do is sync it again, and all the information will be put back.

With the popularity of these types of technology, probably half of you have either experienced this yourself or know what it is. You know how simple it is to plug your cord in to your PDA or MP3 player, and in a matter of minutes, all the information is on both pieces of technology. It doesn’t matter if you had five hundred addresses and phone numbers or one hundred of your favorite songs, they are now digitally saved for you to use whenever you want.

Now, phones are using the feature which allows you to plug it in to save all your contacts to a computer. Other phones are being combined with a PDA. They are classified as ‘smartphones’. You have all your contacts, their addresses, birthdates, anniversaries, your appointments, pictures, videos, and any documents you wish to store, all in one small, portable object.

Whether your PDA is included in your phone or if it stands alone, you understand the value of this tool. There are no more times when you must fumble through pages of contacts or scribbling names and addresses out when someone moved. You simply edit their name and voila, it is changed, neatly and easily! It also can remind you when you have an appointment or special day coming up.

For those of you who have MP3 players, whether or not combined on your phone, you know how much time you can spend putting hundreds of songs on your player. The ability to sync the songs you have transferred makes it convenient and helpful.

Christians also have the privilege of being able to ‘sync up’. With technology, there is a smaller unit that can hold a fraction of what the larger unit can hold. As we parallel this to us and our Creator, we are the smaller being and he is the ultimate being, and we can hold a fraction of what our Creator can hold.

When you connect to Him, through prayer, thought, or meditation, you are essentially ‘syncing up’. You might be trying to understand what His will is for you, confessing your heart, or asking for Him to care for a particular person or situation. ‘Syncing up’ allows Him to better understand what you are experiencing. There isn’t a competition going on. When you are finished ‘syncing up’, hopefully, you will be on the same page. ‘Syncing up’ also allows you to be more in tune with things and to remember details that you may not remember otherwise.

With technology, you do not have to sync up your unit more than once. It is a choice you make. You can sync up one to unlimited times. However, the fewer times you do it, you risk losing information.

As a Christian, you have the opportunity to ‘sync up’ once or unlimited times, too. If you ‘sync up’ only once, then the information you have from that last connection will eventually be old and out of date. However, if you sync up over and over, you will notice that you will be more familiar with Him and you will be up to date.

Take time to connect with Him and to let the two of you be in sync. Just as it is a benefit in technology to sync up between each unit, it will be even more beneficial to you to ‘sync up’ with your Creator.

Plugging in and syncing up!

On Earth to Be Ordinary?

Life is generally what you make of it (or don't make of it). There is no way to deny that life is full of ups and downs. Sometimes those happen on a daily basis. You could be in an "up" or a "down" moment right now and that will determine a bit of how you view life.

As Christians, we are called to be different. We are not to be ordinary, of the "world" or anything like that. We are called to "be holy", set apart. Let us show people we are different, but not in a yellow-with-purple-spots unitard kind of way, but in an "I'm here when you need it" kind of way. The "it" could be when they are going through a victory or a defeat. When they are needing someone to watch kids or needing to go out for coffee. When they are needing a smile or reminded that they aren't the next 'American Idol'.

We aren't expected to be ordinary, which was inspired by this week's quote...

I can't believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary. ~ Lou Holtz

I can't believe it either! In fact, I know so. There are too many ordinary people. We are given all the chances in the world to be ordinary. Let's be something different...maybe even EXTRAordinary. What will you do extra?

The other day, I wrote a post on a listserv I subscribe to that people all over the country are a part of. It is somewhat of a brainstorming and sharing listserv with people involved with Coalitions. I wrote about a recent CNBC program regarding marijuana and its legality in Mendicino County, CA. Yesterday, I received a nice, encouraging e-mail, appreciating my post. It really boosted my week. It was ordinary to read it, but it was extraordinary to send an appreciation e-mail to the author of the post.

Don't believe you were put on this earth to be ordinary...because you weren't! Now do something to show it!

Going Green: "BE" Vitamins - Part 2

"Be all that you can be" was one of the former U.S. Army slogans. It challenged one to do all they can do for their country, while serving in the U.S. Army. That is a tall order for us to give all we can, every chance we get.

Sometimes "being" something takes a lot of effort. We have a tendency to slack off and not give our all.

If you've played football, you know that, generally speaking, going 100% and getting hit is a lot less painful/dangerous than going part way. More people get hurt, getting hit, when they get scared and slow down.

Have you been giving your all in your daily life? I will admit that haven't been giving my all in certain areas. It usually has negative results. As you focus on yesterday's lesson, let us look at the "BE" Vitamins and see how we can apply them this week...

1. "BE" Humble and Gentle - Do you have a tendency to think of yourself in situations? Do you take the "I'm the customer" approach and desire certain services in certain lengths of time? Maybe you need to swallow this pill. Do you take that approach in church settings and think that someone better greet you or the preacher better say something I can relate to. Maybe you need to swallow this pill.
2. "BE" Patient - This is a "pill" I need to pop more often than I would like. Whether I'm waiting on the Lord or waiting on someone, I need this pill. Do you have a tendency to become impatient easily with people? Maybe you need this pill.
3. "BE" Kind and Compassionate - How do you try to get your goals accomplished? Do you do it by beating your horse or by giving your horse some straw to chew on? When we have difference with people, we need to think about "feeding" them a bit rather than beat them. What can you do to help lead someone this week by feeding them?
4. "BE" Imitators of God - Do not try to be an exact replica of God, but rather think about some characteristics that you need to swallow/absorb which will help you as you learn to imitate Him?
5. "BE" Merciful - Jesus tells the parable about the servant that was not able to pay back the large sum, but demanded the small sum from someone who owed Him. God doesn't demand the repayment for the large sum of sins that we have brought about on Him. Have you ever thought about being merciful to someone who may owe you a little. Give someone mercy for something they may have done to you...God is rich in mercy - spread a bit of it around, yourself.

Our challenge may be the same as the Army slogan. Let us 'be all that we can be' as we are trying to swallow some "BE" vitamin enhanced 'pills'.

Swallowing these vitamins may be difficult, but they're for our own good!

Swallow hard!

Coasting Through Life?

When I was late into my high school life, I purchased a car that was a stick shift. It was somewhat of a sports car. It was fun to drive - except when I was trying to juggle food and shift gears.

Sometimes when I would drive, especially if I was putting through town or coming up to a stoplight, I would take it out of gear to put it into neutral, letting it coast. It may not have been the best to go in and out of gear, but I enjoyed it.

A very embarrassing thing happened in that car when I was "dragging Main" was I killed it while trying to put it into gear, and I had worn the battery down from all the "dragging" and it died...luckily I had a friend in with me, but it was still embarrassing to push the car in busy, heavy traffic.

A vehicle with manual transmissions allow one to coast pretty easily. Besides the wear and tear on the transmission, one thing about coasting in neutral is you can't gain any speed. That leads us to this week's quote...

If you're coasting, you're either losing momentum or else you're headed downhill. ~ Joan Welsh

Are you coasting in life, or in certain areas of your? If so the quote holds true. How is your family life? How are your work pursuits? How is your church-related pursuit?

I asked a "get to know you" question one time about the favorite place to ride a bike. I got a good laugh out of one response..."downhill". For a lot of us that could be the favorite place to ride a bike. However, we do not receive any benefits from just coasting or going downhill.

If/when you see yourself coasting through life, it will probably be because you are losing momentum or heading downhill. Why not keep going? Putting in the energy will help you as you pursue your goals. Don't coast or wait for the downhill, anticipate the challenge of continuing to pedal. It has many benefits!

Coasted enough...starting to pedal...