Joel Stiff's Adventure

 

Shannon and I were driving down the road and were rapidly approaching a raven eating some roadkill in the center of our lane. 

He was big boy. Shannon suggested I run him down (she isn’t usually violent like that). Upon her recommendation, I kept my speed where it was.

Typically, the bird notices you coming and flies away. This guy didn’t seem to care. We missed hitting him by about three feet before he flew away.

Why didn’t he fly away sooner? The entrails dangling out of his beak as he flew away explain it all.

Greed.

He didn’t want to stop eating. He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to fly away. He didn’t want to flee his territory.

There is a time to get out while you’re ahead. When the grill of a car is bearing down on you, it is not the time for one more bite.

Don’t be greedy.

 

We were running today and passed an older lady walking toward us. As we passed her, two young ladies passed her from behind. As they did, she said to us, “I wish I were younger.”

We know what she meant. She wishes she still had the same energy and ability that she did when she was younger. Sometimes that is possible and sometimes it is not.

A great source of discontentment is thinking that things were better at a different time or place. It’s simply not true. 

Most of our memories consist of positive things from the past. Nostalgia only remembers the good. I love hearing people talk about the good old days when you walked through the snow in the middle of the night to use the outhouse, threw more coal in the stove at 3 AM and were bather number five in a number two wash tub. I think I’ll keep my indoor plumbing, thank you very much.

When I was younger, I was  a lot dumber. When I was younger, my marriage wasn’t as mature. When I was younger, I didn’t have the joy of my children.

I’m grateful for those younger days and I remember them with fondness, but I certainly don’t wish I were back there again.

When Jacob was asked by Pharaoh at the end of Genesis how he was doing he replied, “Few and evil have been the days of my pilgrimage.” Really!?! You were just reunited with a son you thought was dead. You just saw all of your children reunited and make up over past grievances. You were rescued from a famine. You were just given the best land to retire in. If that’s few and evil, I’ll take few and evil every time.

It’s not where you are or what you have. It’s what you tell yourself about it that determines your joy.

“Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.” Ecclesiastes 7:10

 

Not too many years ago, the established authority was feared and obeyed. 

Today that is no longer the case. The advent of immediate information has closed the gap between leadership and followship.

There are too many options available today. No one needs to submit to someone who chooses to rule with an iron fist. 

We can find out what we need to know by going online rather than depending on someone to tell us.

We also find that many of the people in whom we had placed great trust were great hypocrites.

Today if you are going to lead, you must understand that co-laboring with people you have a sincere interest in helping is the only way it will be accomplished.

The only power available to leaders today is the power of influence.

Loyalty will only be given to those with a heart to help.

 

From the earliest of ages, we begin to hear the word no.

Our parents and authority figures use it to establish boundaries. It is necessary and helpful. But one of the harmful side effects of no is that it causes us to start seeking permission to do things. As children, we check with mom and dad before we do something. Or, we look for approval while in the process of doing something, prepared to cease if we receive a glaring expression. 

Parents do not simply say no out of necessity, but also based on their preference. Because of this, we develop an instinct to look for displeasure in others based on our actions. We start looking to see if our decisions or actions are approved by others we look to for guidance. In other words, we are looking for permission.

This is wonderful for children learning right from wrong. It is stifling for adults who already know. 

We began a spring attendance campaign at church on Sunday. We are using a baseball theme and are calling it “Home Run for Jesus”. In the middle of the service, we served hot dogs and gatorade to everyone in attendance. Although I am sure something similar has been done before, it certainly is a rarity. An auditorium full of people were enjoying a snack while I was preaching on Abraham. It was  a great time. 

I bring it up because this is the very kind of thing that would make many “policemen” yell at me for not doing it right. When unusual things are attempted, there is always a chorus of people ready to say, “You can’t do that!”

The simple reply is, “I didn’t bother to ask your permission, because I don’t need it.”

Who is holding you back?

I read a book once called, “How Full Is Your Bucket”.

The premise was that everyone carries around an imaginary bucket. As you go through your day, people are either filling your bucket or dipping out of it. 

Two lessons are learned:

First, spend time with people who fill your bucket rather than dip out of it. Spend time with people you want to be around. Spend time with people who encourage, uplift and help. If someone insists on being critical, negative and bringing you down, get away from them. There is no rule that says you have to be around people who destroy you. 

Second, be the person who fills others’ buckets up. Using words, expressions and deeds, we can encourage people to a degree we would never imagine. Just as we don’t understand how deeply an unkind word can hurt, we don’t fully understand how much a word of encouragement can help.

Are you a bucket filler or dipper?

Your attitude toward a post like this will let you know.

 

This post is being written at 11:30 PM.

I’ve gone 46 consecutive days posting.

Today, the streak was almost broken. Why, you ask? I tried to do too much. I actually didn’t think I scheduled too much, but a few things took way longer than expected.

I do this fairly often. I call it the superhero complex. Thinking you can do more than you truly are able.

When I do this, my effort is present, but the result suffers.

There is only so much one person can do. 

As Dirty Harry said, “A man’s gotta know his limitations.”

We have all heard of the proverbial used car salesman.

This is the guy who will say whatever he needs to say to get you to buy a car.

He will lie, distort the facts and manipulate you to get you to do what he wants you to do. 

We don’t like dealing with people like this.

We took a family vacation to Orlando when Nicole was little. We didn’t have much money so to help finance the trip, we signed up for some timeshare tours. This is where you are given breakfast while a salesman tells you all about the benefits of “owning” a property to use for vacation purposes anywhere in the world. After eating, you go and see the property, which is usually quite nice and certainly nicer than your hotel room. You then go back to the table where you are to be sold a property. After going through this ordeal, you are given a prize. In our case it was two adult passes to Disney.

We did this twice. The first salesman did a good job and when we told him we were just there for the tickets, he did the smart thing and let us go so he could focus on someone he may actually be able to sell. The second guy was not as bright. He spent over two hours trying to guilt and manipulate us into buying. Everyone left quite angry. We still got the tickets.

I read a book by a car salesman named Joe Girardi when I was in sales. It included a chapter titled, “Honesty is the Best Policy.” The first sentence of the chapter then said, “and it is just that, a policy. And policies are meant to be broken.”

We are all sick of being lied to, guilted and manipulated to buy or do what someone else wants us to buy or do.

The truly disgusting thing is when this type of “leadership” ends up in the church. I have seen so many men say and do things in a manipulative and guilt laden manner that this post would be so long you wouldn’t read it if I wrote them all down.

I watch parents train their children using manipulation. I wonder where their kids learn it. I watch husbands and wives manipulate each other to get what they want.

As a Christian, Jesus told us to let our conversation be yea and nay.

If you can’t sell what you desire someone to do on its own merit and value, maybe it’s something they don’t need to be buying.

And whatever you have gained through this manipulation, you have lost in integrity.

 

Our family witnessed the eruption of Old Faithful two summers ago. It is spectacular.

Geysers erupt when water below the ground is superheated until the pressure can no longer be contained. 

This has been a pressure packed week. Our spring attendance campaign begins at church on Sunday. We are also starting two new adult classes. We have been busy preparing decorations, remodeling classroom space, advertising and visiting to get people to services. The clock is ticking and there is still much to do. Most things will get done. Some things will be scratched because of a lack of time. 

Pressure is a funny thing. Some look at it negatively. There certainly is such a thing as negative pressure. There is also such a thing as too much pressure. 

But there are times when pressure is positive. When we challenge ourselves. When we stretch ourselves. It’s not a place we can live, but it is a place we can visit from time to time.

When we allow ourselves to be put under pressure, spectacular things can happen.

 

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

The kids and I are training for a half marathon.

I have run races alone. I have run races with a group. I have run races with people faster than me. I have run races with people slower than me.

When we run the half marathon, I will run with two people slower than me. It’s not their fault. They have never covered that kind of mileage before. Their legs aren’t as long as mine. They are not as strong as I am. They don’t have the same experience I have.

So is it better to run the race on my own and leave them to themselves while I strive to set a personal record?

Or would it be better to stick with them for the whole 13.1 miles? Should I run when they run, walk when they walk and rest when they need rest? Would it be better to help our two kids accomplish something for the first time in their lives? Help them accomplish something that they will never forget. Help them accomplish something they never thought they could do.

Which strategy will result in me really winning?

 

We were riding down the road listening to a radio talk show in our area and they were discussing the movie Noah. From what the host said, there is a part of the film that has a man stow away on the ark in order to escape the coming flood. This is seen as the man desperately seeking to preserve his life.

Winston, rather astutely said, “Why would he have to stow away? Noah and God were begging people to get on the ark.”

God is always made out to be the bad guy. He’s an evil, vindictive, cruel creator who just wants to make people suffer.

All of the cruelty and suffering that goes on in the world is a result of the actions of man.

Noah preached for 120 years for men to repent and prepare for the coming flood. No one listened. They all mocked. I’m sure they blamed God as they gasped their last breath before drowning.

God does everything short of forcing men to make things right with Him. He is not willing that any should perish. 

We need not stow away lest God find us and cast us out.

He is waiting patiently for us to notice how much He does to prove HIs love toward us. Waiting for us to walk right through an enormous open door.