Success is never accidental. In other words, it won’t just drop in your lap. Having goals in life will give you the purpose and drive to accomplish something truly valuable. Having a goal keeps you on target. As author Bill Copeland says, “Without a goal, you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” Or, even worse, you’ll hit the wrong target. Matt Emmons won the Olympic gold medal in rifle shooting in 2004. Four years later, he was set to win another gold medal in Athens, Greece. He had a commanding lead going into his final shot. But something went wrong — he hit the target, but he was aiming at the wrong one! That one misplaced shot dropped him from first to fourth place and cost him a medal. In order to achieve your goals, it’s important to write them down so you…
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Although Yogi Berra was a catcher for the New York Yankees for 19 years – 15 of those as an All Star – most people don’t remember Yogi Berra for what he did on the baseball diamond but for what he said off the diamond. Here are just a few examples: “Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours.” I have to admit – it’s hard to argue with that! When talking about a friend who could use both hands equally well, he said: ““I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.” He once explained his opposition to encyclopedias this way: “I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.” But when it comes to achieving the life you’ve always wanted and desired, he was spot on: “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up…
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This past weekend I had the opportunity to guest preach at the Littleton Church of Christ. The Littleton Church is a wonderful group of people who meet only about 10-15 away from Mountainview, the church I'm privileged to serve as senior pastor. Our two churches are both a part of what is known as the American Restoration Movement (Christian Church, Church of Christ, and Disciples of Christ). For several years, the Littleton Church was led by Collin Packer, the son of one of my first friends in ministry - Barry Packer. When I was a very young minister (21!) serving my first church in San Diego, Barry become one of my best ministry friends. I'm still very thankful for the lunches we shared at Fuddruckers in Grossmont Center. Over the last few years, I enjoyed meeting with Collin and hopefully provided him with the same encouragement his dad provided me. My wife…
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Here’s an important thing to remember: after you come to faith in Jesus, your old self doesn’t automatically fade away. If there’s one thing we all have in common, it’s that we all want to change for the better. I don’t know many parents that say, “I really want to strive to be the worst parent,” or couples who say to one another, “Let’s allow our marriage to crumble.” And rarely – if ever – will you hear anyone say, “My resolution this year is to gain a lot of weight and eat as unhealthy as possible!” A quick search on Google or Amazon reminds us that we spend billions of dollars a year trying to improve ourselves. There is something inside of each of us that longs to change for better. But the fact of the matter is – we can’t make ourselves better. Living as a follower of…
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It’s always an unsettling moment when you pull up to a favorite restaurant only to see one of these signs: Under New Management. A change in managment may mean different servers, different menus, and a different décor. While it may ultimately be a change for the better, the idea of change is not always welcome. One of the reasons for that has to do with human nature. The favorite word of a person who seeks only happiness is “I.” These people measure everything by “what I want.” A good chunk of Romans 8 is about how God offers us new management. He wants to transition us from the destructive patterns of old desires to the new program of the power and peace that comes from doing the right things and living the right way. Here’s what the change looks like … 5 Those who live according to the flesh have…
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