This Saturday at The Garage
Just a reminder that this Saturday is the 1st Saturday of the month and that means we are meeting at The Garage at 8AM. There will be strong coffee, donuts and a great group of guys wrestling with the topic of the day.
Feel free to stop by anytime after 7:30AM.
Hope to see you Saturday at The Garage (located at Dave Plekkenpol's place)
Email me at dave@meadowonline.org if you need directions.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Just a Couple Degrees Off-Course
What difference does it make to be just a couple degrees off-course. Well...over a distance of 100 feet, probably not much. Your destination is within eyesight and correcting your course is relatively easy. Over a long distance, it can mean missing the mark by several miles and ending up at a destination you never intended. Because you only drifted one or two degrees, you never even noticed that you were headed in the wrong direction. Fortunately there are navigation tools that allow us to stay headed in the right direct so we end up at the right destination.
The same thing applies to our lives. We need to keep our compass heading set accurately to the destination we desire to arrive at. Yet how often do we find that we have drifted signicantly off-course and possibly have even shipwrecked? We thought we had the right coordinates, but didn't have or make use of the navigational aids at our disposal. After all, we are guys. We don't ask directions.
How do we make sure that we stay on-course? One way is daily time in the Bible. It is our God-given map to navigate the waters of life. Another way to stay on-course is to never go through life alone.
Accountability is huge in keeping us on course because it keeps us honest. You can know a map like the back of your hand, but if you don't follow the direction on that map, you are in big trouble. Having someone we are accountable to helps us to stay on-course and be true the map.
Without accountability it is so easy to drift just a little bit. A "small white lie" here, a quick peek at a certain website, cable program or magazine and over time we find ourselves miles off-course and caught in a tempest that threatens to wreck everything precious and important to us. Wouldn't it be great to have a group of guys that you can trust to share what is happening in your work, family and thought life? A group of guys who care enough for one another to help one another to stay on-course and finish strong at the right destination?
Well...Wednesday mornings, 6AM, such a group of guys meets at Panera in Shakopee (across the road from Home Depot). It is an opportunity for guys to band together to do this life with great success. This isn't just another social activity, but a group of fellow travelers who care enough to ask the hard questions.
If you are sensing that the internal GPS isn't taking you to where you need to go and would like the input of "brothers in arms", mark your calendar and join us Wednesday mornings at Panera.
What difference does it make to be just a couple degrees off-course. Well...over a distance of 100 feet, probably not much. Your destination is within eyesight and correcting your course is relatively easy. Over a long distance, it can mean missing the mark by several miles and ending up at a destination you never intended. Because you only drifted one or two degrees, you never even noticed that you were headed in the wrong direction. Fortunately there are navigation tools that allow us to stay headed in the right direct so we end up at the right destination.
The same thing applies to our lives. We need to keep our compass heading set accurately to the destination we desire to arrive at. Yet how often do we find that we have drifted signicantly off-course and possibly have even shipwrecked? We thought we had the right coordinates, but didn't have or make use of the navigational aids at our disposal. After all, we are guys. We don't ask directions.
How do we make sure that we stay on-course? One way is daily time in the Bible. It is our God-given map to navigate the waters of life. Another way to stay on-course is to never go through life alone.
Accountability is huge in keeping us on course because it keeps us honest. You can know a map like the back of your hand, but if you don't follow the direction on that map, you are in big trouble. Having someone we are accountable to helps us to stay on-course and be true the map.
Without accountability it is so easy to drift just a little bit. A "small white lie" here, a quick peek at a certain website, cable program or magazine and over time we find ourselves miles off-course and caught in a tempest that threatens to wreck everything precious and important to us. Wouldn't it be great to have a group of guys that you can trust to share what is happening in your work, family and thought life? A group of guys who care enough for one another to help one another to stay on-course and finish strong at the right destination?
Well...Wednesday mornings, 6AM, such a group of guys meets at Panera in Shakopee (across the road from Home Depot). It is an opportunity for guys to band together to do this life with great success. This isn't just another social activity, but a group of fellow travelers who care enough to ask the hard questions.
If you are sensing that the internal GPS isn't taking you to where you need to go and would like the input of "brothers in arms", mark your calendar and join us Wednesday mornings at Panera.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Reckless Obedience
We had a great morning at The Garage this past Saturday! Brandon brought his invention that helps with Fall yard clean-up. An ingenius set-up.
We also had a very good discussion on the topic of reckless obedience to God. We took a look at the life of Joseph, step-father of Jesus. The challenge of the day was to put ourselves in Joseph's sandals and take a look at the circumstances he encountered from his perspective.
He was a pretty ordinary guy who faced some extraordinary challenges in his life. First, his fiancee comes home after spending three months away and she is PREGNANT!! What had to be going through his mind? Can you imagine the exchange that took place between them?
"Mary, how could you? Who is he? Why would you? We are about to be married!!"
"Joseph, I've been faithful! HONEST! I'm pregnant by the power of God and am carrying the Savior of the world in my womb. This baby will save all mankind from their sins! Please, you have to believe me!"
"C'mon Mary! What kind of fool do you take me for! I think the best thing to do is to quietly end this relationship to avoid any further publice humiliation and start new lives APART from each other."
Let's be honest, guys. Joseph was no different than you or me. How would you have reacted?
And then, that night, he is visited by an angel as he slept. Can you imagine what further things had to be going through his head? The verbal exchange that had to have taken place between Joseph and the angel? The feeling Joseph must have had deep inside to simply cut his losses and run?
I mean, his reputation was shot. There would be no where he could go where the gossip wouldn't follow. Malicious tongues wagging. "Hey, there's Joseph, his fiancee is carrying another man's child!" How would he get his business back on track. Nazareth was a small town and gossip would travel fast. Would he be put out of the synagogue? And here is an angel saying "Go ahead, take Mary as your wife, because she really is pregnant by the power of God and the baby really is the Savior of all mankind."
So...regardless of what Joseph may have been feeling, he plunges ahead in reckless obedience to God, taking Mary as his wife, raising Jesus as his own, and leaving all the consequences of that decision in God's hands.
What is God calling you to do? Are you worried about what others will think if you step out in obedience to that call? Do you trust God enough to take the step of faith, to plunge recklessly into the deep waters of following God's direction and leave the consequences to Him? Are you ready to stop depending on your feelings and to place your faith and the outcome of your life squarely in the hands of God?
We had a great morning at The Garage this past Saturday! Brandon brought his invention that helps with Fall yard clean-up. An ingenius set-up.
We also had a very good discussion on the topic of reckless obedience to God. We took a look at the life of Joseph, step-father of Jesus. The challenge of the day was to put ourselves in Joseph's sandals and take a look at the circumstances he encountered from his perspective.
He was a pretty ordinary guy who faced some extraordinary challenges in his life. First, his fiancee comes home after spending three months away and she is PREGNANT!! What had to be going through his mind? Can you imagine the exchange that took place between them?
"Mary, how could you? Who is he? Why would you? We are about to be married!!"
"Joseph, I've been faithful! HONEST! I'm pregnant by the power of God and am carrying the Savior of the world in my womb. This baby will save all mankind from their sins! Please, you have to believe me!"
"C'mon Mary! What kind of fool do you take me for! I think the best thing to do is to quietly end this relationship to avoid any further publice humiliation and start new lives APART from each other."
Let's be honest, guys. Joseph was no different than you or me. How would you have reacted?
And then, that night, he is visited by an angel as he slept. Can you imagine what further things had to be going through his head? The verbal exchange that had to have taken place between Joseph and the angel? The feeling Joseph must have had deep inside to simply cut his losses and run?
I mean, his reputation was shot. There would be no where he could go where the gossip wouldn't follow. Malicious tongues wagging. "Hey, there's Joseph, his fiancee is carrying another man's child!" How would he get his business back on track. Nazareth was a small town and gossip would travel fast. Would he be put out of the synagogue? And here is an angel saying "Go ahead, take Mary as your wife, because she really is pregnant by the power of God and the baby really is the Savior of all mankind."
So...regardless of what Joseph may have been feeling, he plunges ahead in reckless obedience to God, taking Mary as his wife, raising Jesus as his own, and leaving all the consequences of that decision in God's hands.
What is God calling you to do? Are you worried about what others will think if you step out in obedience to that call? Do you trust God enough to take the step of faith, to plunge recklessly into the deep waters of following God's direction and leave the consequences to Him? Are you ready to stop depending on your feelings and to place your faith and the outcome of your life squarely in the hands of God?
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Snow Blowers, Doughnuts and Strong Coffee
Yep, that's what we will be doing in The Garage this Saturday, November 18th. C'mon over for a great time with some great guys!
Topic for the day is "Reckless Obedience". Afterwards we'll be turning some wrenches and getting our snow blowers ready for coming Winter season and "pickling" lawnmowers in hopes that Spring will show up on schedule.
The Garage is the Men's Community Group at Meadow Spring and kicks in at 8AM.
Feel free to show up anytime after 7AM. The coffee pot will be on, the garage will be warm and the doughnuts will be fresh. Bring your snow blower and your Bible!
For directions, contact Dave at dave@meadowonline.org
See you at The Garage!
Yep, that's what we will be doing in The Garage this Saturday, November 18th. C'mon over for a great time with some great guys!
Topic for the day is "Reckless Obedience". Afterwards we'll be turning some wrenches and getting our snow blowers ready for coming Winter season and "pickling" lawnmowers in hopes that Spring will show up on schedule.
The Garage is the Men's Community Group at Meadow Spring and kicks in at 8AM.
Feel free to show up anytime after 7AM. The coffee pot will be on, the garage will be warm and the doughnuts will be fresh. Bring your snow blower and your Bible!
For directions, contact Dave at dave@meadowonline.org
See you at The Garage!
Life Lesson From A Vine and a Branch
For the last couple of days now, I have been camped out on a couple verses in John 15. The ones where Jesus says, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself." And then a little later He says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:4 & 5 NIV)
Now if you are like me, I have a tendency to be a bit head-strong and independent. As I was growing up the surest way to get me to do something was to tell me that I couldn't. That was like lighting the fuse. As matter of fact, Bonnie still uses that tactic at times to get me motivated.
What is it about us guys that just bristles when someone tells us that we can't do something? It is a bit different when it comes to Jesus saying it.
"Remain in me...apart from me you can do nothing." Those words just echo in my head. It comes to mind that the times I have gotten in the most trouble, have dug the deepest holes for myself is when I have tried to live my life independent from God and anyone else.
"Remain in me...apart from me you can do nothing." The words haunt me. They are so true. If there is anything of real meaning that is to come from a man's life, if we are to make any kind of an impact on our families, our places of work, and our community, we must relinquish our claim to live our lives in utter independence and commit to a fierce, loyal dependence upon Christ. As a branch is utterly dependent upon the vine for everything it needs to bear fruit, I am totally dependent upon Christ to supply the strength, knowledge, wisdom, patience, and talent to carry out His mission for my life. When I try to get by on my own wits, I dry up pretty quickly and typically fail. When I remain in Christ, the results are quite different.
How does one remain in Christ? I think it is rather simple, and being a rather simple guy, I am thankful for that.
1. Time in God's Word - Reading, studying and learning from the Field Survival Manual that the Creator of the universe has written to guide us through life.
2. Prayer - Yeah, I know, not a word most guys are comfortable with. I challenge you to study the mighty men of God in the Bible, the warriors, the movers and the shakers, the world-changers and there you will find men who were passionate about prayer. Men who were unashamed to admit they didn't know the answers, didn't have the strength, that they didn't have a clue. They laid their weakness before the mighty King of kings and drew from the ample supply that He offers and through their connection with God they found all they needed to overcome whatever confronted them, no matter how impossible it seemed to human eyes.
3. Obey - Very simply, put into action what you have learned through time in the Bible and what God has laid on your heart in prayer. It does no good to sit at the side of the road wishing the flat tire was full. You have to take a wrench in your hands and put it to work. We can wish for our marriages to be better, we can wish our kids turn out right OR we can take the tools God has has given us and put them to use to change the world.
"Remain in me...apart from me you can do nothing." A simple lesson from a vine and a branch that challenges us to our core. Let us become men of fierce dependence upon Christ and through His abundant supply, draw from Him what we need to turn this world upside-down.
For the last couple of days now, I have been camped out on a couple verses in John 15. The ones where Jesus says, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself." And then a little later He says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:4 & 5 NIV)
Now if you are like me, I have a tendency to be a bit head-strong and independent. As I was growing up the surest way to get me to do something was to tell me that I couldn't. That was like lighting the fuse. As matter of fact, Bonnie still uses that tactic at times to get me motivated.
What is it about us guys that just bristles when someone tells us that we can't do something? It is a bit different when it comes to Jesus saying it.
"Remain in me...apart from me you can do nothing." Those words just echo in my head. It comes to mind that the times I have gotten in the most trouble, have dug the deepest holes for myself is when I have tried to live my life independent from God and anyone else.
"Remain in me...apart from me you can do nothing." The words haunt me. They are so true. If there is anything of real meaning that is to come from a man's life, if we are to make any kind of an impact on our families, our places of work, and our community, we must relinquish our claim to live our lives in utter independence and commit to a fierce, loyal dependence upon Christ. As a branch is utterly dependent upon the vine for everything it needs to bear fruit, I am totally dependent upon Christ to supply the strength, knowledge, wisdom, patience, and talent to carry out His mission for my life. When I try to get by on my own wits, I dry up pretty quickly and typically fail. When I remain in Christ, the results are quite different.
How does one remain in Christ? I think it is rather simple, and being a rather simple guy, I am thankful for that.
1. Time in God's Word - Reading, studying and learning from the Field Survival Manual that the Creator of the universe has written to guide us through life.
2. Prayer - Yeah, I know, not a word most guys are comfortable with. I challenge you to study the mighty men of God in the Bible, the warriors, the movers and the shakers, the world-changers and there you will find men who were passionate about prayer. Men who were unashamed to admit they didn't know the answers, didn't have the strength, that they didn't have a clue. They laid their weakness before the mighty King of kings and drew from the ample supply that He offers and through their connection with God they found all they needed to overcome whatever confronted them, no matter how impossible it seemed to human eyes.
3. Obey - Very simply, put into action what you have learned through time in the Bible and what God has laid on your heart in prayer. It does no good to sit at the side of the road wishing the flat tire was full. You have to take a wrench in your hands and put it to work. We can wish for our marriages to be better, we can wish our kids turn out right OR we can take the tools God has has given us and put them to use to change the world.
"Remain in me...apart from me you can do nothing." A simple lesson from a vine and a branch that challenges us to our core. Let us become men of fierce dependence upon Christ and through His abundant supply, draw from Him what we need to turn this world upside-down.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
