Roadblock

In life there are different types of roadblocks. Don't you hate it when you're talking to someone and you try to remember the name of someone you've known all you life and for some reason you get a mental roadblock? (I tend to live in a state of mental block...ha.ha.) Or even the physical kind where you hit the highway and find out your usual route is blocked and you're required to take a detour. How would you feel if you knew there was someone always planning to block your path, success, blessing, and progress?

Guess what, there is someone who is planning against you. There is someone who is constantly attempting to establish spiritual roadblocks in your life. Satan is constantly trying to close the road to your blessing, your spiritual growth, and God's purpose for your life. I have to remind myself regularly that Satan is continuously working against me. He's a liar, a thief, and an all around jerk! But he is not in control of my ultimate outcome. No matter how many roadblocks he may set up, God can and will tear them down when I ask him too (notice the emphasis is on "asking him"). Ask God to destroy the roadblocks in your life. Take your needs to him. Be persistent! Act on God's Word and expect his promises to come true.

• Matthew 18:18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. (NIV)
• Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (NIV)

Ask God, according to his will, and he will blast you through the roadblocks in your life! Have a great week!

Pastor Mark

Friends, Critics, & Trolls

This is probably some of the best information about dealing with criticism that I've read in a while. I read it on Michal Hyatt's blog a few weeks ago (http://michaelhyatt.com). Michael is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. While this writing was directed toward leaders, I believe there is something for each of us to learn as we lead those around us. Have a GREAT week! __________________________________________________________________________

If you are a leader, you are going to attract critics. It is inevitable. In fact, if you aren’t attracting critics, you should be wondering why. Criticism is normal.

Why? Because real leaders upset the status quo and make people uncomfortable. As Finley Peter Dunne once said about journalists, “Our job is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.” The same is true of leaders. Unfortunately, this almost always meets with resistance.

But let’s be honest: criticism hurts. At least it does for me. I’ve been in the public spotlight since my first book, The Millennium Bug, hit the New York Times bestseller list over ten years ago. Writing three more books, becoming a CEO of a large publishing company, and launching a very public blog hasn’t helped.

Theoretically, I know this is just the price you pay. But emotionally, it kills me. It always knocks me off-kilter. You might think I would be past that. But I am not. I obsess about it, spending way more time thinking about it than I should. I wish this wasn’t true, but it is. (Just ask my wife!)

One of the things that has helped me in the past few years is to distinguish between three kinds of critics:

1. True friends. Not all criticism is bad. God forbid that we should turn a deaf ear to everyone who disagrees with us. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6). Some people are in our lives to save us from ourselves. As a leader, the trick is to create an environment that is safe for dissension, so these people can speak up.
2. Honest critics. Some people decide that they disagree with you and go public. They aren’t malicious. They aren’t out to destroy you. They simply disagree with you. That’s okay. We need to allow for a diversity of opinion. Besides, we might learn something from it. It enriches the conversation. We need to engage these people and refrain from making it personal. Not everyone has to agree with us.
3. Unhealthy trolls. These people have an agenda. They are out to hurt you—or at least use you for their own ends. They want to lure you into a fight. I have had three this week. They taunt and mock you. They are unreasonable. If you engage them, they will only distract you and deplete your resources. The best thing you can do is ignore them. As someone once said, “resistance only makes them stronger.” You will never satisfy them. Just keep doing what you know you are called to do.

As a leader, you must learn to distinguish between these three. I personally assume that everyone is a friend or an honest critic until they prove other otherwise. I may be naive, but I would rather give people the benefit of the doubt than live a life of paranoia. What about you?

What Is So Important......

I once heard someone say, "Don't allow the urgent things in life to keep you from the important." It made me think because there are so many things we give the title urgent. In reality, a majority of the urgent things are a result of poor planning or lack of forethought. When a project is due and we only have a day left to complete it, we put it on the urgent list (even though we had 4 weeks and procrastinated until the last minute). It's important to take care of our families, be faithful to our commitments, and be people of integrity and character. For this week consider how many urgent things never had to get to that level if they were planned for better.

But let's take it one step further. What is most important to you on a daily basis? Everyone's list will look a little different. It may involve family, job, kids activities, hobbies; fill in the blank. What's important on my list may not mean anything to you. But here is what I want you to think about this week. What is important to God? What is on his list? And when you compare your list to his, do they match up? Recently I heard someone make this statement, "What are we doing that's more important than reaching people with the love of God?" That made me stop and think for a minute; actually I'm still thinking about it. Because when I remember that this world is not my home, I realize that most of the important things on my list are really unimportant. The only thing that is eternal is my faith in God and the people around me everyday; and yes, in that order (God then people). That statement really made me think. I hope it makes you think this week too.

"God....help my list match your list....help me to understand what's really important....and give me every opportunity to show others your love. AMEN!"

Smile!

Here is one thing I know about my personality...I love to have fun. If something isn't fun, I attempt to make it fun. Because if it isn't fun, I get bored really quick. Isn't it amazing how we can do something we hate, but if we do it with the right attitude and a good measure of joy it can go by fast and seem not so bad? I used to think that my circumstances determined whether my life was filled with joy or anguish. But in reality, the measure of my joy in the day will be determined by my decisions. If I choose to have a great day, I will! And if I choose to have a bad day, I will! Joy is my choice!

You see, God has already given you every reason to have a great day. He's already put everything in place for you to have the best week of your life. He is waiting on you to decide to live in joy today, this week, this year, this life! Regardless of what your checking account balance is, we are blessed. Regardless of your health status, God is awesome. Our lives have the potential to either reflect the greatness of God or the depravity of our world. Reflect the life-changing traits of God this week; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Take time to smile this week and in doing so you become a billboard of God's love.

Psalm 118:24 - "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Proverbs 15:13 - "A happy heart makes the face cheerful...."
Proverbs 17:22 - "A cheerful heart is good medicine...."
Psalm 97:11-12 - "Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name."
Nehemiah 8:10 - The joy of the LORD is your strength.

It's Not About Me

One of the greatest joys of my life is being a father. And while a big part of parenting is teaching your child the difference between right and wrong, I've found it interesting what I also learn from them. For a child, the most important thing is self-preservation. That simply means they care most about themselves. They focus on what they want, when they want it, and everything else is just details. I spend a lot of time, especially when they were younger, trying to help them understand that life isn't all about them. That mom and dad don't exist on this earth simply to make sure they get everything they want. That's a tough thing for a kid to learn.

It's a tough thing for adults to learn also. If we were completely honest, we spend most of our lives thinking "it's all about me." Now as painful as it might be to admit that, you know it's true. We make our decisions based on what we want, when we want it, and how we must live to get it. And all the while our heavenly father, God, is trying to help us understand, it's not all about me! Colossians 1:16 tells us, "For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible......everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. (Message)" I didn't create my life, so what makes me think that I get to determine it's purpose. God created everyone with HIS purpose. And his purpose is always better than mine. It's always more beneficial than mine. All I have to do is admit it's not all about me. God is less concerned about what you want, and more concerned about who you are becoming.

"God, this week help me think less about myself and more about you........help me let go of my plans and grab hold of yours.......use me in such a way that others will know I am yours........AMEN!"