A Big I.D.E.A.

We like the thought of having “life under control”… but nothing could be further from reality! It only takes one ‘txt. msg’, doctor’s report, stock report, phone call or accident to rock our world and remind us that life is seriously fragile.

A closer look at God’s Word reminds us to turn our focus inside, not outside. And although we can’t control life’s external circumstances, it is the internal choices we make that create our world.

Check-out this 'fab-four' and discover what God has to say about living your life with a Big I.D.E.A. After all, these are the only four things you have control over in life...

A BIG I.D.E.A.

• I – Integrity (Prov. 10:9)

         Live so that your private and public life have no daylight between them. Authenticity 
         creates self-confidence, trustworthiness and broadens your influence.

• D - Declaration (Eph. 4:29)

         Keep your talk positive, strong and forward. Talk about where you’re going, not where 
         you’ve been.

• E - Effort (Col. 3:23)

         Never be caught looking when you should be working. Opportunity is created by 
         effort.

• A - Attitude (Phil. 2:14-15)

         Without the right mind-set… skills and talents are irrelevant. Make sure the 
         atmosphere you create is healthy enough for you and others to grow in.

This Big I.D.E.A. reminds us that when we control everything we can, we are then able to handle everything we can’t. Stop trying to control people and things, and start dealing with yourself. Handle this quartet responsibly and life will be steady, strong and successful.

Banging Heads With God

I have been a fight-fan all of my life. From boxing and wrestling matches (the real and the fake stuff) to Mixed Martial Arts, I love to watch a good fight ...as long as I'm not the one taking the hits!

But did you know that God loves to bang-it-up in the ring, too? I know we usually talk about God's wonderful comfort and gentle embrace, but I have to admit that I have also experienced the whiplash of His 'flying headlock' and the domination of His 'rear-naked-choke-hold'. ...there have definitely been times when God put the smack-down on my life!

After surviving a few of these "brutiful" (brutal & beautiful) encounters, I discovered something subtly distinct about God's combat techniques... sometimes He fights, and at other times He wrestles. Let me explain.

Fighting and wrestling are two completely different styles of physical engagement. For the fighter, his plan is simply to beat his opponent into unconsciousness, while the wrestler's intent is to pin his opponent to the floor using strategic maneuvers. In the end, the fighter's goal is to damage his opponent, while the wrestler's quest is to simply alter and control his opponent's position. 

Throughout the Bible (and in my life), I've discovered that God sometimes rages like a Fighter and then at other times like a ground and pound Wrestler. Let's check-out these roles one at a time.

Exodus 15:3 (NIV)
      "The Lord is a Warrior; the Lord is His Name."

Personally, I am so grateful that God has a Warrior inside His nature. Don't get me wrong, I am beyond thankful for His grace and mercy - I need both of those in my life daily. But His willingness to respond passionately against the enemies of my life is a comforting and assuring thought. Just the idea that God refuses to sit back and watch me get my head beat-in by the 'hell's thugs' helps me sleep better at night.

As a Warrior, God decidedly knows how to take care of His people - He's never faced an enemy He hasn't been able to eradicate! Yep... God has a 'hot button', and when it's pushed, He's the baddest Dude that block has eva' seen!

Then there's the "other" side to God's physicality in dealing with people - the Wrestler. One of my favorite stories in the Bible tells of where God literally locks-it-up with a man named Jacob. The sports headlines read, "Smackdown 1906 B.C.: Jake vs. Jehovah!" 

Genesis 32:24 (NIV)
      "So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak."

Can you imagine telling your friends that you physically wrestled with God? The Hebrew word for wrestle in this verse means, to grapple (to get dusty). Bottom line... Jacob and God were literally rolling around in a cloud of dust - sweating, grabbing, twisting, pushing and pulling like two kids fighting over a PlayStation remote. The Bible goes on to say that when the scuffle was finished, Jacob walked away with a limp, a blessing and a new name (I'll have to blog about these three results some day!). Thankfully for Jacob, God shifted His tactic from fighting/warring against him to wrestling and engaging him hand-to-hand - which ultimately altered Jacob's character and destiny.  

Here's the Key: God fights with His enemies, but He wrestles with those He loves! 

• The Warrior uses weapons to destroy; the Wrestler uses moves to gain control.
• The Warrior keeps a distance from his opponent; the Wrestler stays close and in constant contact.
• The Warrior makes you bleed; the Wrestler makes you sweat.
• The Warrior dis-positions you; the Wrestler re-positions you.
• The Warrior makes you weaker; the Wrestler makes you stronger.

We are all going to experience some brutiful seasons with God. He's going to grapple against your will, but stay close by your side. He's going to allow you to struggle and sweat through tough seasons, while subtly re-positioning you for a better life. You simply have to believe that God's plan will never destroy you; His push is there to strengthen you; His grip is there to protect you; His squeeze is there to comfort you... and the weight of his Presence is there to cover you with His love!

The truth is, my greatest moments of change, advance and growth have only happened after I've experienced a Head-to-head "ALTAR-cation" with the Greatest Wrestler of all time...

Now, climb back in the ring and let Him finish what He started!

Getting Back Up After Life Knocks You Down

Life knocks everyone down.

My dad and I have enjoyed watching boxing together for years. Maybe its something about the 'cave-man' in us that loves watching two men slug it out until only one man remained standing - or in some cases, leaning.

There is one thing I have discovered over the years... every fighter eventually finds himself looking up from the mat wondering "what just hit me?". And amazingly, it's in that dazed, disoriented and damaged condition that the fighter has to make one of the gutsiest decisions of his career - do I quit and stay down or do I regather and fight my way back up? But... not only must he decide to "get up," he has to start moving quickly because the referee only gives him until the count of '10' to make it happen. If he doesn't beat the count - he's defeated and the fight is over. 

Like most people, I have experienced several 'gut-checks' in life - scenarios that have sucked the wind and strength right out of me. For my wife and I, the punches that dropped us to the floor were when two of our children were still-born. Maybe you've experienced a phone call, conversation or report you never saw coming... but it dropped you hard and the 10-count has already started. The truth is, life floors everyone... but we can get back up.

MAKING a COMEBACK
    1. Decide to get up!

        Refuse to even think about giving-up. I know you are disoriented, but refuse to 

        give-in. There is always hope for a comeback - but you have to get-up to see it 

        happen. If you quit believing - you'll quit fighting; if you quit fighting - you'll quit 

        living. Getting back up... is the decision that every future champion has to make!

    2. Decide to get up quickly! 
        The longer you stay-down, the more focused you become on your pain; and, the 
        longer you spend thinking about the punch, the closer you are to being counted-out. 
        Be careful! When weak, tired and hurting, we typically reach for 'comfort' instead of 
        'growth'. Don't allow your emotions to throw in the towel - immediately begin the 
        journey back to your feet. You can do this, but you have to start now!

HOW to GET BACK UP
The bible tells us about a man named Nehemiah who's world got rocked with bad news. He learned that the city of Jerusalem had been attacked and destroyed and only a few Jews survived. Amazingly, the bible goes on to give us a play-by-play view of how Nehemiah dealt with this 'knock-out' punch.

     Nehemiah 1:4-5 (NIV) 
           "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and 
           fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said..."

     Step 1: "Sit Down" 
         When heavy news hits your life, make a quality, disciplined decision to sit down, 
         breathe deep and gather your thoughts. Don't react or make emotional decisions that 
         may worsen the situation.
     Step 2: "Cry"
         Express your pain. Don't bottle it up only to have it explode later. Give yourself a 
         license to be human and express your emotion. Of course, boundaries are still 
         important, but find that safe and proper way of allowing your heart and soul to 
         respond emotionally. 
     Step 3: "Fast and Pray"
         This made the difference between staying down as a victim or getting up as a champ! 
         When Nehemiah began fasting and praying he turned the corner, took control and 
         began fighting his way back up. Fasting and prayer isn't an idle activity in the time of 
         mourning. It is your faith 'fighting back' by looking to God's goodness, power and 
         ability to help in the tragedy you are facing. For Nehemiah, it was that 
         acknowledgment of God's presence that strengthened and settled his hope, faith and 
         heart enough to get his mind and spirit standing tall again.
     Step 4: "Get Up"
         Now you've got to change your position. 'Sitting down' was Nehemiah's first step, but 
         now he knew it was time to get back up again. Why? When Nehemiah stood up, he 
         literally raised and changed his physical perspective on life. Proper vision is critical 
         for your come-back and for your future. Once your faith is strong, then you can get 
         back on your feet and start seeing things again from a higher perspective. It's time to 
         see beyond the immediate difficulty of today, and start seeing, hoping and believing 
         in a place called tomorrow.
     Step 5: "Move Forward"
         Now, get active and start living again. Reconnect with your routine and those healthy 
         relationships in your life. Laugh. Exercise. Plan. Smile. Talk forward. Think forward. 
         Reach forward. Believe forward. Get your eyes and heart focused back on your 
         future, because that is where you are headed. 

Nehemiah's response to his devastating hit obviously worked well... because the bible says, where others had failed at rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem for 100 years, Nehemiah was able to finish in just 52 days!

Nehemiah got back up... and you can, too!