Sunday, October 27, 2013

The Ultimate Official

Officials, referees or umpires are a big aspect of the sports world. Their role is to preside over the game, have a neutral point of view and to keep the sport under control. They have a position of authority and keep a close eye on all the players in the games in which they officiate. Their role also consists of keeping the players in line and to practice good sportsmanship. 

We are all blessed to be players in this great big world. We all get the chance to compete daily and try to win each day. Each morning when we wake up we should be grateful that we have the "Ultimate Official" that is in charge of officiating our daily lives. We are fortunate that when we commit a foul or step out of bounds, we have someone in charge that is always there to pick us up. For He tells us that in this life we will all some point fall short of His glory. When we sin and mess up, that is when God is there to preside over the game. He is there to listen and to guide us. 

As he officiates over our lives, He has a neutral point of view.  It doesn't matter where we come from, how much money we make, how tall we are, how many points we score or how many strike outs we have. He wants to guide and help direct our lives in a way that is pleasing unto Him in this game of life. 

At some point in all of our lives, we have all competed in an event that has involved some sort of official or referee. Whether it be sports, pageants, spelling bees or even an awards banquet, there has been an authority figure to assure that the events are fair and go as planned. As we awake each morning, I want you to thank and talk to the Ultimate Official that has total control of our life here on Earth. Allow Him to lead your day and be your supervisor. Never lose hope that he is always there to help facilitate through not only the good games, but the tough losses as well. 

Who is officiating your game? 

Friday, October 25, 2013

Scouting Report....

Growing up playing basketball, one of the crucial aspects of being successful is developing a plan called a scouting report to put your team in the best position to win. Scouting reports are designed to determine another team's strengths and weaknesses to help adapt your team on how to win. Many times countless hours are spent on game-planning for the upcoming opponent. As a coach, I feel sometimes we spend too much time on what the opponent is doing that we fail to focus on our team and what we can do and how we trust in what we do to win the game.

Often I think about the game of life. We spend time worrying about what we don't have, for example time and money. We complain about being rushed all the time and that we just don't have time to make for ourselves to do something we enjoy doing.

What is our scouting report on ourselves? What are our strategies for living a fulfilled and honorable life in which we can be proud?

Personnel: Who are the best players are your team? Who can you call and talk to when the going gets tough? Who do you trust the most?

Starters: How do you start your morning? What is your routine to get your day off to a positive beginning?

Stats: What are some good things that you have done that you are proud of? How many people did you make smile today? Did you play by the "Golden Rule"?

Offense: Did you attack the day and make it great? Did you share the ball with your teammates (family, friends, co-workers, team)?

Defense: How did you handle those situations that happened today? Were you the bigger person? Did you have a positive outlook and attitude towards the negativity?

Keys to winning the game of life:

1. L.ove : Love God, Love your family, Love your friends and Love yourself
2. A.ppreciate: Count your blessings and remember why you are here on this Earth. Be thankful for your opportunities and experiences that you are given in this life.
3. U.nderstand: Be
4. G.ive: Give of yourself, your time, your talents to help make this world a better place. Always remember that "It is in giving that we shall receive.
5. H.ope: Never give up hope on your faith, yourself or your country. Trust that things happen as they were meant to be. How we handle adversity defines who we are and who we become.

As you can see, this spells out LAUGH. Never forget to laugh. As it has been said many times.."Laughter is the best medicine.
Sit down occasionally and analyze your life. Do a self-scouting report. Look at where you are in your life. Look at who you are and who you want to be.

What's the Game Plan for your life?


Sunday, October 20, 2013

Eye on the Prize

As young kids, we all can remember getting rewarded for our good behavior. I can remember my parents telling us if we were well behaved at church, at dinner or at the grocery store we would get a prize.This is still true today in today's society. We tell our children to be good at school, for the baby sitter and for mom or dad while the other is away for work and in return they will receive a prize of some sort.

I can reflect having birthday parties at Show Biz Pizza, now known as Chucky Cheese. While you were at Chucky Cheese, you played games and the more tickets you collected the bigger the prize you would trade them in for when you left. As adults, we still enjoy going to Dave and Busters, reliving our childhood playing video games and skee-ball. And we can in return for our success, get a prize before we leave. What happens though when we leave this life? What prize are we wanting and searching for?

Most people in life get caught up in winning and being successful as being the ultimate prize you can receive in life. How many championships, how much money we can accumulate and buying name brand material things become the focal points in which we base our success. Quite simply, though, the ultimate prize is when we arrive at the pearly gaits and await hearing God say " Well done my good and faithful servant." We should strive each day to be the best person that we can be and keep our eyes on what is truly important in this life.  Look to have faith, hope and love and do not look for glory or fame. Concentrate on being a messenger for a positive outlook on life that God's in control and sometimes our greatest disappointments are mercies in disguise. Keep your head held high and keep your eye on the prize. Just as we are rewarded as kids for winning our tickets, we will be rewarded in heaven when our job here on Earth is done for our obedience, faithfulness, sacrifices, forgiveness, walking in love and for a renewal each day to give our lives to Him.

What prize do you have your eyes set on?

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Are you Dirty?

Growing up, I always loved playing outside. My twin sister and I grew up in a neighborhood full of boys, so most of our childhood was spent playing tackle football, 5 on 5 basketball games, home run derby, bike races and summer water balloon wars. When it was time to come in for the night, my mom would always tell us to make sure we cleaned ourselves off and not to track any mud in the house. I often reflect on those fond memories of childhood friends and how many t-shirts, shorts and shoes I ruined over the years. When we played, we played hard.

As I get older, I reflect on these days where you had not a worry in the world and it was normal to play outside and get dirty. In our world today, I look at being dirty in a different way. When I think of the word "dirty" it reminds me of the things I've done and said that have not made me proud. There are times when we make bad choices, wrong decisions and get in the wrong crowd. Instead of our parents being there to make us take off our dirty clothes, we have a Father that can help clean us up from our dirtiness.

Are you dirty? Are there things in your life you are trying to change and disinfect? We all have struggles and disaappintments that cause us to feel dirty and unclean. Psalm 51:10 says "God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me." No matter what we have done or if we go astray God is always there waiting for us to come to Him. He wants to give us a clean slate and a new start. 1 John 1:9 says that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

If you get to a point in your life where you feel you are settling for less than you deserve or making the wrong choices, remember that God is there for us. He is readily available to rinse all the mud from our hearts and souls. The mud could be jealousy, envy, greed, hate or anything that is hindering you from being the person you want to be. He is there to renew a right spirit inside of you. He wants to help us be a shiny, clean ambassador for Him.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

G.L.O.W.

As a young child, I can remember always looking forward to The Celebration not for the donuts, not for the horses, not for the socializing, but for the glow sticks. I remember buying them and then tying them to the ceiling fan to give just a little bit of light at night. The next morning I would put them in the freezer as if that was supposed to save the light and help it to the glow for a few more nights. I've never really liked the darkness, but have always loved things that glow in the dark.

We can learn so much from that little bit of light that comes from  a glow stick. We, too, should have a glow about us that other people see. In this world full of darkness, we must put out a glow that portrays hope, faith and a caring spirit. How we glow in times of struggle and disappointment reflects our true faith. People look at how we shine in times of defeat more than they do when everything is going the right way. When life doesn't always go as planned, remember that the good Lord has given all of us a light inside of us to shine bright so that others can see it. He wants us to GLOW:

G. Give of yourself: Give of your time to help others. I realized a long time ago, it's not all about ourselves. We tend to be selfish human beings, when what we need to do is be still and listen to what God is calling us to do. 

L. Learn: Try to learn something new every day. Learn a new song, learn a new quote or learn a new verse. As we get older, it's never too late to learn. The more we learn the more confident we become in ourselves and our walk with God. 

O. Oomph: In sports some times we say to put a little "oomph" in it when making a good pass, swinging for the fence or hitting a golf ball as hard as we can. Such is our walk with God. Sometimes we get caught up in the negative and the hectic parts of our lives that we just need to add a little oomph. 

W. Witness: Sharing your faith is a command from God. I believe it is our duty to share with others what God has done in our lives and continues to do. Without Him in our lives, we are lost. 

Stop and think when you get up in the morning.....Am I Glowing? What will others see in me today? 
People will notice the good or the bad by your body language. So make sure you put out that GLOW! 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Are you Contagious?

Have you ever actually wondered if you would want your child, friend or anyone to be like to you?
Sometimes in life we get caught up in the wrong situations, the wrong jobs or the wrong relationships. Positivity and negativity are both very contagious qualities. Chances are if you hang around with negative, pessimistic people.....you will become negative and pessimistic. If you hang around positive, optimistic people.......chances are you will be a more positive person.

Most of us in our jobs are in positions of influence in some form or fashion. At some point in our careers, we must communicate and associate with many different types of people. Often times, it's all in the way we treat people that decides if we get their business, if our employees are going to work hard for us, if our team is going to play hard for us or if we are going to develop lifelong friendships.

When you wake up in the morning, do you like who you see in the mirror? Only we can change ourselves. We must be confident in who we are, what we stand for and the vibes we send to other people. God has blessed us with many different talents and personalities to help spread His love and His word.  We all have a different light that we shine in different ways. It is so important for us to let people know that there is something different about us. The way in which we live our lives should reflect God's love in our hearts. Our tone, our body language, how we handle adversity and the way we live our every day lives are aspects that people often take notice of when we least expect it.

What do others see when they see you? Do you attract people and want to help them be more positive?
Would you want someone to catch what you have? I encourage all of you to be a spark and help light a fire that will help others learn to burn and spread love, care and faith that this worlds need.