Dallas Men of God

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Tuesday - Lessons with Questions

Lessons from Questions

Throughout Jesus' time on earth He very often taught by asking questions of those around Him. I love questions. I often teach and coach others by answering a question with a question. Why do this? Is asking a question when people expect an answer rude? Is it presumptuous? Is it easier to give your answer rather than help people reason and think? If you don't think this is true, just try this on your children.

In the past few months during my personal quite time, as the Lord has directed me, I have started writing down questions of myself. Jesus used this. I do with it others. Why not do it to me? Even in scripture we are taught to "Search me O Lord and "check me out with a microscope". See if there is any deep, hidden stuff in my life, magnify it." Scary! Do I really want God to put that kind of scrutiny on me? Is there a secret closet of my life that I think no one sees? Do I really want to think about confessing it? I ask myself these questions all the time because that's what I've been taught to do. But, I want to present to you a question that I doubt you normally ask of yourself. It's just one. Only you can answer it.

Based on 1 Cor. 10:22, "What do I have in my life that could provoke the Lord to jealousy?"

Begin by asking yourself where are my priorities? Write this stuff down, guys. Journal it. Keep it for your kids to learn from. Don't kid yourself. We all have something.

Thanks for today's blog posting to - Fred Lively

Thanks,

Gary

gkendall@KendallSystems.com
www.KendallSystems.com
972-488-0009
"While it is hard to motivate someone with no Vision, it is almost impossible to stop someone with a Vision." - gary kendall

Please pass this email on to anyone you think should see it.

Visit the blog at:

http://firstdallasmen.blogspot.com/

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
menofgod-subscribe@kendallsystems.com

To remove your address from the list, just send a message to:
menofgod-unsubscribe@kendallsystems.com

Friday, July 27, 2007

Friday is for Vision

Visioncasting

What Vision are you casting to your family and friends? When you speak your words have power. Are you speaking good or evil? When you tell someone "You're no good" you are speaking a curse on that person. When you grumble and complain you are casting a negative vision. When you say "It can't be done" you are casting a negative vision.

People, especially kids, tend to live up to or down to your expectations of them. If you expect the bad in them then you should not be surprised when they deliver it.

Say there is someone in your life you are having issues with like a spouse, child, co-worker, future pastor, whoever. If you want the best then speak it and cast a positive vision. Find something you can compliment in that person and encourage that thing. Never mind the thing you don't like in that person, let God handle that, instead, build up, edify and encourage the other person in the thing you find that is good in them.

Do they drive you nuts because they are so slow at getting their work done? Then instead of complaining about how slow it is, compliment them for taking the time to be thorough. My 14 year old son went to get something out of the hall closet (the family everything, video, game, closest) the other day and could not get in because it was so cluttered. So he pulled everything out, vacuumed the entire floor, restacked the videos and games, put everything back in and organized it. No one asked him to, no one told him he had to do that, he just saw it and did it. Now I could have complained to him about a lot of other thins he had not done (chores or mowing the lawn or it could be anything) but I seized the opportunity to compliment him. I told him I really appreciated his initiative, his hard work, his attention to detail, and his thoroughness in getting this done. I reinforced it by rewarding him with points (we have a point system in our house - get points for doing good stuff, lose points for bad stuff and trade points in for videos or games or special treats. It works great). I made a big deal about how proud I was of him for doing what he did especially when he was not asked to. Now he will remember that because I cast a positive vision for him and spoke blessings into him. He will want to live up to those expectations and receive more praise in the future for similar acts.

So we have a new pastor coming. So maybe there is something you don't care for in the new pastor. Find something you do like and compliment him on that. Find ways to truthfully say encouraging things to him to build him up.

Say you are out eating in a restaurant and you get good service from your waiter. When the meal is over, ask to speak to the manager (they always get nervous when you ask for the manager). When the manage comes over, compliment the waiter and the outstanding service you received and tell him you will be back for great service like they have provided. Everyone else complains, why not be the one that compliments.

Cast a positive Vision.

Sometimes when someone is acting up and causing problems, instead of yelling at them or complaining to them, take a closer look at them. What is really going on with that person. Maybe you don't know everything. Find out and help them out. We were working with the youth a few weeks ago and there was one guy who kept needling people and pushing their buttons to get a reaction. I watched him all week do this. Then at the end of the week I took 5 of the guys one on one and talked to them and complimented something I saw in them that week that was good. I cast a positive vision in them. This one guy who needled everyone I took aside and told him that he had a gift for being able to read people. I told him he was very good at figuring people out but that he was misusing that ability to pick on people and get a reaction out of them. I went on to say that I did not think he was doing this to be mean, he was doing it because 1) he wanted attention and 2) he did not know how to talk to people and the only ay he knew to get someone to talk to him was to push their buttons. Instead of doing that, I told him to start using his ability to find out what people needed and then to start trying to help meet the other person's need and to use that as a way to build a relation, get the attention he needs, and gain a friend in the process.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no vision, the people perish...

Everyone is casting some sort of vision. What kind of Vision are you casting?

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Wednesday- Be Encouraged to Lead

Take a Stand

Gentlemen, today I'm encouraging you, challenging you to lead by example and lead by following God's will. The topic is simple: the upcoming decision by our church to accept the man chosen to be our new pastor. The search committee put in many hours on their knees praying together and alone. They interviewed dozens and dozens of men. They sought God on this matter. Many of us in the congregation prayed for them day in and day out. We prayed for their safety when traveling, for the precious time with their own families that would be sacrificed. We prayed for God to lead them, guide them, show them the best man of God to lead our flock. We prayed for a man with the vision for our church that we have and a vision that is beyond. Our church has been blessed with that- a pastor that has vision beyond our own. We prayed and agonized over the months of no news. We were excited and anxious as word came that the search team had a significant announcement.

All along we had no say or guarantee in the final decision the team reached. We put that in God's hands. Did God lose His grip? Did God let something slip out of His grasp? May it never be said! The almighty God and Father still reigns and for some unknown reason, still cares about the minutia of our lives. We trusted in God to lead the search team. Let our trust continue. Was our trust misplaced in the members of the committee? No.

A lot of things get blamed on God and a lot of things get credited to God that have nothing to do with God whatsoever. When someone makes a decision and says it was God's will, then the decision turns out to be a poor one or the person is discovered to be a charlatan. God is still on His throne. When someone achieves something and gives God credit but the thing accomplished is contrary to His Word. God is not mocked. God's will may not always be easy to determine. When one door closes or is stubborn to open one person may be convinced that God is telling them no. Another person may be convinced that same occurrence means God is saying to keep trying, pursue, don't give up. God is still sovereign, still in control even though we don't have a clue.

I don't know this chosen man personally; very few of us can at this point. There is no way that everyone in our church would ever be able to know our pastor personally. But what I do know is this: I prayed for the yet-unknown pastor times. I prayed for the search team. I prayed for all those things above and more. I believe God does intimately work in our personal lives and can make things happen for His glory. I have no reason to doubt, no reason to second guess, no reason to withhold my full support of the decision of the search team. I supported the decisions in the past. Men may fail. Men may change their minds. Men may be lead by God other places. Our God is faithful and is able to lead this body of Christ with fallible men. It is not our decision for our pastor to remain at our church for 50 years. It may be our preference, but it is not our choice. How dare we doubt God when things don't go our way.

I'm learning more from Nehemiah. It doesn't seem possible in my little pea brain that so much can be tucked away in this little book of His blessed Word. Twice in this small book something is mentioned that we, in our casserole-toting Baptist world, don't discuss much….fasting. I do not know why fasting is not discussed much in our circles and I'm certainly no pro about it. I've been reading and I'm coming to understand that when fasting is coupled with prayer and Bible study, fasting can lead to a much deeper, almost intense understanding of God, His Word and His will. I need that right now. I need to know what I can do, how I can be used by Him to support the man chosen by our search team. We can't enter into this relationship looking back or looking elsewhere, we must enter into it arm in arm, heading straight into battle. There is too much to be done truly in the name of the Lord, too many souls to be won and too many saved to be strengthened to allow for this foolishness. I look forward to what God shows me as my fasting continues.

We can't know all that lies ahead. We can't answer all the ifs. Just because we don't understand something, doesn't mean it can't be right. Praise God that He does things I don't understand! I am still called to be faithful. We can only do what we are called to do. I am not called to know every matter in this search for a new pastor. I am called to be obedient. I am called to pray. I am called to follow the other commands in Scripture when things look uncertain. No where am I called to speculate with my 10 closest friends on why the man chosen is not God's will. I am called to support, uphold, pray, encourage, uplift, edify. That is where I am trying to remain.