Hey, is anybody out there?
As I read about the cast of "Wagon Train" and the descriptions of the men, the leader, the cook and the scout, one question came to my mind that I can't shake. His way of saying "... the mysterious Up Ahead, that place around the bend in the river or over the next mountain range.
When we become the "Provider" he describes we will not only grow in our confidence we will see an increase in the confidence that is placed in us.
Read this chapter and see what the following scriptures tell you"
Prov 29:18, (vision)
Hebrews 12:1-4 (vulnerability)
Philippians 3:12-15 (perseverance)
I can only ask this question, "Is there a difference between steering and guiding?"
Tell me.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Chapter 1, Waking up, a Couple of Thoughts
There are going to be “wake up calls” throughout our lives. Some will come in the manner of a loud clanging gong, others will be like soothing music, just loud enough to bring you out of your slumber. Either way, don't hit the snooze button. WAKE UP!
In this chapter, Stu Weber describes a few that occurred in his life. Let's take a look at how we can gain from his experience.
His first alarm went off when one of his fellow soldiers lost his life in a helicopter crash. The question that came to his mind resounds in our minds when someone dies “too soon.” “What if it had been me? What am I going to leave behind?”
A couple of years ago now, I re-read in James 1:19-25, “... be doers of the Word and not just a hearer...” That passage came alive to me in a big way. If we do this, become real doers, we will leave a mark on the world. The real question for me now is this, “Is the mark I am leaving a pointer toward something better or just a smudge?” It needs to be our goal to leave direction signs so that the ones who are following us, whether it is our children or someone we are only casually friendly with, can find their way to the best that God has for them.
I was especially touched in this chapter by the question that came to Stu's mind as he was recovering from the parachuting accident, “What really matters?” As I reflected on that in my own life, I thought of three things: live well, laugh hard and love best.
By living well I mean that we should be involved. Involved with our wives and children. We ought to be a “felt presence” in our homes and in the relationships that the ones we care about are involved in. We need to know the people our kids are around. We need to know what they are interested in. I think that living well also means that we find and develop our abilities and pursue our passions. We don't necessarily need to try to position ourselves “on the edge” of control in our pursuit of these passions and we can't allow this to hurt the relationships we have with our families. We also need to cover this pursuit in study and prayer to assure that we are not venturing outside of God's plan for us.
As everyone is aware, I like to have a good time. I enjoy joking around and laughing with people. In doing this I am becoming more and more cautious that I am not laughing at someone or at their expense. We are men, sometimes I laugh when I shouldn't. God created laughter along with everything else and we need to enjoy our lives.
Love best. To me, this means that above all else that I do, loving is what I strive to excel at. Jesus said that it is the Greatest Commandment, to love God with all your heart, mind and spirit. He said the next most important thing that we can do in our service to God is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. If we love God first, and then those closest to us (wives, children and other family) next, after that, everyone else that we come into contact with, we are loving best. I will let you know when I get this part down and am doing it everyday, all day long. But this should be our purpose.
I am guessing that we have all shared the second wake up alarm that comes from taking our wives for granted. This made me realize that in God's eyes we are equally valuable. In our home she is my equal in every way and in many ways my wife is better than me. But, and this is important, if I am to love her best, I must be the leader in our home. It is the design of our Heavenly Father for men to lead. Not to be a dominator or tyrant, but it is our place. More on this later in the book.
Let's open the floor for feedback.
In this chapter, Stu Weber describes a few that occurred in his life. Let's take a look at how we can gain from his experience.
His first alarm went off when one of his fellow soldiers lost his life in a helicopter crash. The question that came to his mind resounds in our minds when someone dies “too soon.” “What if it had been me? What am I going to leave behind?”
A couple of years ago now, I re-read in James 1:19-25, “... be doers of the Word and not just a hearer...” That passage came alive to me in a big way. If we do this, become real doers, we will leave a mark on the world. The real question for me now is this, “Is the mark I am leaving a pointer toward something better or just a smudge?” It needs to be our goal to leave direction signs so that the ones who are following us, whether it is our children or someone we are only casually friendly with, can find their way to the best that God has for them.
I was especially touched in this chapter by the question that came to Stu's mind as he was recovering from the parachuting accident, “What really matters?” As I reflected on that in my own life, I thought of three things: live well, laugh hard and love best.
By living well I mean that we should be involved. Involved with our wives and children. We ought to be a “felt presence” in our homes and in the relationships that the ones we care about are involved in. We need to know the people our kids are around. We need to know what they are interested in. I think that living well also means that we find and develop our abilities and pursue our passions. We don't necessarily need to try to position ourselves “on the edge” of control in our pursuit of these passions and we can't allow this to hurt the relationships we have with our families. We also need to cover this pursuit in study and prayer to assure that we are not venturing outside of God's plan for us.
As everyone is aware, I like to have a good time. I enjoy joking around and laughing with people. In doing this I am becoming more and more cautious that I am not laughing at someone or at their expense. We are men, sometimes I laugh when I shouldn't. God created laughter along with everything else and we need to enjoy our lives.
Love best. To me, this means that above all else that I do, loving is what I strive to excel at. Jesus said that it is the Greatest Commandment, to love God with all your heart, mind and spirit. He said the next most important thing that we can do in our service to God is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. If we love God first, and then those closest to us (wives, children and other family) next, after that, everyone else that we come into contact with, we are loving best. I will let you know when I get this part down and am doing it everyday, all day long. But this should be our purpose.
I am guessing that we have all shared the second wake up alarm that comes from taking our wives for granted. This made me realize that in God's eyes we are equally valuable. In our home she is my equal in every way and in many ways my wife is better than me. But, and this is important, if I am to love her best, I must be the leader in our home. It is the design of our Heavenly Father for men to lead. Not to be a dominator or tyrant, but it is our place. More on this later in the book.
Let's open the floor for feedback.
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