Recognize God In Your Work

Ecclesiastes 2:24-26There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and to enjoy his work. I have seen that even this if from God's hand. For who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from Him? For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God's sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Each day I am thankful that I have the opportunity to influence high school students and athletes in a positive way. It is very easy to lose focus of this with all of the negative things that go with our society. Students not being motivated, students missing school, athletes with a bad attitude, parents that have a false sense of how talented their son is, students that are living with divorced parents or single parent homes, students that have been abused, students with iep's, administrators adding more to our plates as teachers, new contracts with less compensation, higher expectations from the state on test scores, etc. I could go on and on and on. Each day we must celebrate the successes of our work. God wants us to enjoy our work. By doing what is best for students and athletes each day- I find that peace of mind! I pray that this week we can find a peace of mind in knowing that our work is Godly, I pray that we can find time to share with our families, and I pray that we can find the time to help someone that is hurting or in need! AMEN

Having a Solid Foundation

Matthew 7:24-25 "Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded the house. Yet it didn't collapse, because its foundation was on the rock."

I believe what this passage is saying is that we need to have a solid foundation in our lives and that we need to have a plan. I have always felt that my strongest foundation has been God and my family. These foundations have never turned their back on me! I know that there have been times that I have made poor decisions, and they have always been there for me. Just as God has a plan for us- I believe that we should always have a plan for the events of our life. A well thought out plan can provide a foundation for you as adversity hits. Prayer:Lord I pray that you can allow us to see the solid foundation that you have put in front of us, I pray that you will give us strength to develop a wise plan for the week and days to come, I pray that you will be with those people that are low on strength and that need guidance in adversity, thank you for your presence! AMEN

Precious Time

John 15:5-6 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into a fire, and they are burned. This week I attended my 6th grade daughter's back to school night. It was a great night to meet all of her teachers. I was taking notes and paying close attention to the approach of each teacher. One very energetic, one very loud and funny, one very laid back, one well organized, and one excited to be able to teach everyday! As I listened that night to one of Ella's teachers I was reminded how precious time is

...time just keeps on ticking..I started this blog at 12:16 and it is already 12:35...time just keeps on ticking...On those days when you feel tired, or down and out..time just keeps on ticking..God wants us to value time- when we realize that time spent on Godly things is Precious- we have truly discovered Precious Time.

Living with Heart

Luke 6:43-45 A good tree doesn't produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn't produce good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren't gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

One of my first years coaching freshman football we had 13 players that came out for the team. As we started the season this was a little bit discouraging because the coaching staff had been used to having 35-40 players each year. However, this discouragement went away very quickly with this group because each of these players was very committed to getting better everyday! They were not the most talented group of football players, but they had a lot of heart. We were not very big, and we did not have alot of depth. When we got off the bus- I am sure that the opposing teams were licking their chops. It was also a lonely sideline as we had more coaches than subs. This did not hold this group back. They pushed each other everyday, and we had a very successful season. We ended the season with a winning record, and had alot of fun. These players played football with heart! Living with heart means that we can bring out the best in others, and we do the intangible things that complement our God given talents!

Trying to Become More Selfless

Philipians 2:1-4 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Each day we encounter situations that make it very easy to think of ourselves first. This passage has helped me to think about truly serving others. When someone asks you for help- are you helping them because you expect something in return? or are you doing it because it is the right thing to do? We are all busy- we all feel overwhelmed at times- we all are surrounded by people that want to drag us down. Instead of whining and feeling sorry for yourself because you are too busy or because you had a tough day- think about how you can positively influence someone around you! I pray lord for patience everyday to help reach the students in my classes, the athletes on the football team, and my own kids Ella and Kole! Give us strength to be TEAM players, and to consider the interests of others when put in a position of influence..Allow your presence to Grow inside us as we Shrink! AMEN

Wisdom For a Great Start

Proverbs 23:12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. This morning as I think about the start of another school year, I am excited about meeting and teaching a new bunch of students. I know that there are going to be many challenges- students that do not like math, students that are more interested in socializing, students that have had a rough time at home because their parents are split up, students that are attentively challenged, students that are excited to be back at school, students that want to learn, and students that will challenge me on every level. I pray that this will be a great school year filled with learning at the highest level. I pray for wisdom for the teachers to reach each student with instruction, positive direction, and knowledge for growth. I pray God that you will help us to remember our purpose of helping kids to become great decision makers.

I know that the ride is going to be bumpy, but I know that it is going to be fun and exciting! Let's have a great start to the 2013-2014 school year!

Prayer and Patience

As I sit here on my back deck on this cool July morning (55 Degrees) and listen to the birds chirping, squirrels chasing, and the leaves blowing I think about how intricate and detailed God's creation is.

This morning I read Psalm 13- How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give me light to my eyes, or I sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foe will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

This picture from Dale Hollow is one of my favorite pictures from the week. Again on display is God's presence. Everyday we have the opportunity to look to God through prayer. How we do that is our own personal experience. I believe that it is just like a relationship with your best friend. We must do more than ask- We must be conversational- We must be honest- and We must work at it to make the relationship work!

This is another one of my favorite pictures from the week. When we pray to God we must sometimes show patience in his answers. It is going to take the turtle a good while to get up the hill, but with patience and persistence it will arrive at its destination- the top. We must show trust in God, and learn to have patience! With prayer and patience we can have a peace of mind in our lives!

The Greatest is Love

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. This week I watched a youtube video of two boys that went around town trying to make homeless people smile. They did this by giving them clothes, bananas, and water. These were simple little gestures that made these homeless people feel loved. This video gave me a new perspective about the people that stand on the side of the road with their signs asking for money. This morning after stopping at McDonald's in Martinsville we came to a middle aged woman holding a sign at the main intersection- instead of passing by her without acknowledgement- we gave her a breakfast burrito. I hope this small gesture gave this woman a little pick me up. This passage from 1 Corinthians allows us to understand the kind of love that God provides to us. It is an unconditional love! It is awesome! I pray that we can love more unconditionally this week, and that we can eliminate past records, and not hold grudges. I pray that we can love those who are disgruntled, and that we can help lift them up. Give us the strength to be compassionate and sympathetic toward those people who are in need!

Treat others with Gentleness

Mark 4: 21-23, When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell to his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." Each day we have the opportunity to comfort others around us with a gentle touch. It may be holding your son/daughters hand while they are getting their shots, giving a few words of encouragement to a co-worker when they are dealing with a tough situation, pushing an athlete to not give up on their goal, giving a hug to someone you love, or just simply being there for a special event. These are just a few examples of ways that we can share our gentleness. Jesus offered his gentleness to the little girl by holding her hand and healing her. Pray for the patience to offer a gentle touch to those around you on a daily basis!

Achieving Success in a Humble Way

1 Chronicles 22:13 "Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Isreal. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged." Each day we have the ability to achieve success. There are many ways to measure success- money, ability, beauty, intelligence, grades, wins and losses, number of tackles in football, percentage of shots made in basketball, etc. All of these measures are good and great as long as we keep God in the picture. I believe that God wants us to: have good work habits, be honest about our work, and be loyal to those people around us. Part of success is having a plan. As we plan our day, week, or month we must pray for a positive attitude, the ability to have courage, and the work ethic to achieve Godly success!