Who's in your bullpen?

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a minor league baseball game. During the game, my daughter asked me what a “relief pitcher” was. I pointed out to her the bullpen and explained that other pitchers warmed up there to come into the game and help when the starting pitcher gets tired, or simply isn’t pitching well.

Today I want to challenge you with the question: Who is in your bullpen?

Exodus 17:9-13 (NASB)
9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us, and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
10 And Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.
13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

In baseball, the starting pitcher begins the game and takes the team as far as he can get them on the strength of his arm. Once the pitcher gets tired, it is up to the relief pitcher to help protect the starting pitcher’s win or help the team recover from the starting pitcher’s poor showing. It is critical for a team to always have a pitcher warmed up in the bullpen and ready to go, at a moment’s notice.

In the above cited example of Moses, he needed Aaron and Hur to hold his arms high, when he was too tired to do so himself. He needed them to bring out the stone to support his weight, when his legs simply couldn’t do it anymore. It was the “relief” work of Aaron and Hur that allowed Moses to secure the victory for Israel. It is important to note that the real victory occurred in the beginning, when Moses brought Aaron and Hur to the top of the hill with him. Had Moses not brought these men with him, he would have ultimately come to the point that he could no longer hold his arms up and Israel may have been defeated in this battle.

The real issue for you and I is the preparation of others to step in at critical times to help us sustain our victories. All too often we shut others out and try to do everything ourselves. Many organizations are stifled because the key leaders have not adequately trained other leaders to step in and take their place if need be. Even many households have been put at a disadvantage when a spouse has died or become incapacitated, and the other is uninformed as to the nature of the household bills and routines.

Today, I encourage you to identify those who need to be in your bullpen. Who are the people that need to be equipped to provide you some relief when your arms are growing weary? Have you prepared others to step in to your role in a pinch? Take some time this week to give away a part of yourself, so that the victory you’ve worked so hard for is protected even if you are not throwing your best pitches.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

Get Out of the Penalty Box

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

The past two evenings I watched the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals. One of the unique features of ice hockey is the power play. A power play occurs when the member of one team commits a penalty. When a penalty is committed, the officials levy a 2 minute or 5 minute penalty against the offending team. During this time, the penalized team is required to play with fewer players on the ice than their opponent.
During the power play, the penalized team finds itself playing at a disadvantage, unable to play at a maximum level of potential.

In our lives, God has surrounded us with people who are necessary for us to operate at a peak level. Unfortunately many go through life without realizing this truth and penalize themselves and those unnecessarily. The reasons we penalize ourselves can vary. Perhaps it is feelings of unworthiness, guilt or anger that sideline us.

1 Corinthians 12:20-21 (NASB)
20 But now there are many members, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

When we don’t recognize the importance of the roles that each of us plays in the lives of others, we can very easily hinder the potential of ourselves and others. When you don’t do your part, someone else is required to take up the slack. This creates extra burden upon them and may even take them away from their greatest strengths. Additionally, the group misses out on the gifts and strengths that you bring. This lack of people operating in their respective roles creates a loss of synergy within the group.

This week you may be sitting on the sidelines watching the action. I encourage you to get out of the box and back on the ice. Your team needs your skill, talent and giftedness if they are to operate at full strength once again.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

Getting By with a Little Help from My Friends

Good morning! I hope your weekend was tremendous and that you are hitting the ground running.

Over the past several days, my family and I have been in the process of moving from one home to another. Each day last week, I moved a load of boxes from one location to the other. On Thursday I spent the day steam cleaning the carpets in the new house. On Friday, I finished steam cleaning and moved the boxes that were already in the new home from the tiled floors to their respective carpeted locations. Saturday was the major moved of the larger household items, the assembling of beds, hanging of curtains, etc… Sunday was more unpacking and shuffling of furniture.

These things are tiring for even the most energetic person, but for me I face the additional challenge of having an arthritic compression fracture midway down my back. As the day goes by the muscles in my back begin to lock up to the point that I can hardly move or stand up straight. For me to successfully accomplish a major feat such as a household move requires help from my friends.

As I was considering what to write this morning, the following example of scripture was brought to mind:

Exodus 17:11-12 (NASB)
11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.

The Amalekites had come to make war with the people of Israel. Whether the people of Israel were to be victorious rested in Moses’ ability to keep his hand held up with the staff of God in it. Naturally, over time Moses strength began to fade and his arms began to drop from weariness. Unfortunately these drops of the arm led to a surge from the Amalekites. The only way for Israel to be assured a military victory was for Moses’ hand to stay airborne. It was the help of Moses’ friends that made this feat possible. They gave Moses a place on which to sit and each man took hold of an arm and held his hands up high.

For me to successfully accomplish the task at hand this weekend was going to require more than my bad back on lone rusty pickup. I need friends with energy, who were willing to sacrifice their time and vehicles to make this endeavor possible. I needed them to step in to help carry the burdens I could not carry alone. The task was simply too big.

Sadly, too many of us are trying to accomplish the major undertakings of life alone. In our solo efforts, we find that we are running out of steam, determination and hope. The task ahead is simply more than one person can manage in their own strength. It is during these times that we begin to see the value of true friendship. A real friend sees the bigger picture. They realize that their hand holding efforts will ensure a greater victory for all involved.

My friends weren’t just responding to a guy with a bad back who needed a few extra pickup trucks. They were seeing the bigger picture. They know that my home is a place of ministry, a place where people find love, shelter and acceptance. My home is a place where others come to discover God’s greater purpose for their lives. It is a place where God transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Today I want to challenge you with this question: “Who is standing beside you?” I hope that you can readily name the men and/or women who stand on either side of you, holding you up when you just don’t have the strength within you to press on. If you can’t name those people, then I encourage you to seek God’s provision for the Aaron and Hur in your life. Their presence may mean the difference between victory and defeat in your next battle.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

Being Transparent

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

This past week, I was asked a question that on the surface didn’t seem that penetrating, but in the end was life changing for me. The question was simply: “What do you need from me this week?” Now this wouldn’t seem like a difficult question to answer, but for me it was. After a few seconds of thought I gave the standard surface answer: “You can pray for me.”

It was from this exchange that God began to unravel my inner wiring and identified a short circuit in the system. The friend who had asked me the question seized the opportunity to speak truth into my life. He elaborated that his prayer for me was a given, but that his question was an offer to walk beside me as a brother.

GALATIANS 6:2 (NASB)
Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.

My friend was seeking to help me carry the burdens of my life, there was just one problem. I was not allowing him to walk with me through my journey of life. The truth of the matter was that I had many needs. Let’s be honest, I just left a salaried ministry position to start a church and live by faith. The problem was, I didn’t want to be totally transparent. Something inside of me wanted to hide the fact that I had needs…some of them pressing in quickly.

When I got home that afternoon, my wife could see I was grinding on something deep within me, so she asked. I told her about my interaction earlier in the day and she immediately informed me that I had taken the easy way out. She elaborated that God was trying to provide for our needs, but I was allowing my pride to thwart those very provisions. Ouch! She was right; my pride was hindering the very thing I was seeking from God. I wanted to simply tell God all of my problems and sit back and wait for the provisions to flow in.

Unfortunately, that is inconsistent with the way God chooses to work in our lives. He has joined us with others who were put into our lives to help us carry our burdens. The channels of blessing are those who walk along side of us. We are truly dependent upon the other members of Christ’s body, if we are to function at a peak level.

The next time you are asked “what do you need from me?” Don’t pass off the question with a quick “pray for me.” Choose instead the route of transparency; allow others to see you needs and burdens. You will find that their presence beside you brings God’s comfort and blessing. God never intended for us to walk alone, so take joy in those who care enough to ask the “tough” question.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

In Christ,
Carl

Under Your Nose

Good morning! I hope that you had a refreshing weekend.

I meet with a friend of mine every Thursday for lunch. During our time we talk about life and he allows me to challenge him in his Christian walk. Often times I am the one getting challenged as we dialogue back and forth. This week was no exception, as our dialogue helped me to see an opportunity right in front of my nose.

Two weeks I ago I began a new ministry called Simplicity. The basic concept of Simplicity is to develop a network of groups that meet in homes, offices, coffee shops, etc… as macro level church bodies. As my friend and I were talking I was discussing the groups that we have already established and the opportunities we had on the horizon. As part of that conversation I mentioned that I would like to have a group going in the downtown area for business people by January of 2009. That’s when I had my “duh” moment. My friend said, “Why don’t we make our meeting that group?” My friend was seeing the obvious that for some reason wasn’t even crossing my mind.

Numbers 22:31 (NASB)
Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground.

There are times in our life, when we simply don’t see the opportunities right in front of us. I find that the reasons for this come in a variety of forms. At times it is my preoccupation, tunnel vision or lack of awareness of my surroundings that is the issues. Other times it is not the right time for God to reveal those opportunities, or, as in the case of my friend, God wants to use someone else to speak into my life.

The truth of the matter is that we are surrounded by opportunities every day. These opportunities have the potential for lasting impact on our lives and the lives of others. The only barrier is our ability to recognize them. Unfortunately we miss some of our best opportunities, simply because we are not looking for them.

This week ask the Lord to open your eyes, so that you see the landscape of your life and surroundings as God sees them. Listen carefully to the conversations that you find yourself involved in and listen for the open doors of opportunity. You will be amazed at the opportunities you have been missing that have been in front of you all along.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

There is no "I" in "Team"

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

Over the weekend, the world turned its attention towards Beijing, China and the start of the Olympic Games. Here in the United States our eyes have been on the waters of the swimming competition, as we watch to see if Michael Phelps can break a nearly 40 year old medal record.

One of the lessons that have come out of Michael Phelps quest for gold is his need for others. Last night America held its collective breath as the men’s 4 x 100 relay team narrowly beat the French for a gold medal. In this particular race, Michael Phelps played his part, but the victory was attained by Jason Lezak. As the anchor of the relay team, Lezak has the most critical role in the water. A gold medal performance of his teammates can be rendered meaningless if his performance is not the best. Lezak had been a part of two previous relay teams who had been unable to obtain gold in this same event during the 2000 and 2004 games. Lezak’s entry into the water was later then his toughest opponents, but using sheer strength and determination, he made up a deficit of nearly half a body length to bring home the victory for his team.

This display of reliance and fortitude got me thinking about the body of Christ.

Romans 12:4-5 (NLT)
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, [5] so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.

Whether it is competition swimming or the Christian life, the understanding of cooperation becomes critical. Without the efforts of those God has put around us, our efforts for Him would fall short. We need the strength, wisdom and life experiences of those near us. There is a mutual process of learning that takes place through our interaction.

Sometimes we feel as though our past failures have disqualified us from accomplishing anything of meaning. This is a place where we can take a cue from Jason Lezak. Our past failures and shortcomings are not reason to quit and give up, but instead are sources of inspiration and determination. Our story of disappointment not only drives us in our quest for victory, but it also becomes a source of motivation for others who hear it.

As you examine your role in the body of Christ, you may see yourself as the gold medal favorite or a veteran with little to show for your efforts. In either case, you are equally important. Neither of you can be all that God has intended you to be without the gifts, talents, abilities and experiences of those you have been joined with.

So this week, step up on the platform, put your focus on the far wall and when the gun sounds dive in and swim with all of the energy God has given you. The race of life is short, the rest of the body of Christ is cheering you on. Seize the victory!

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl