Just about all sabotage is self-sabotage.

We don’t get forced to eat that cookie, we choose to. And so the diet is ended.

Marketing self-sabotage is fascinating to watch and understand. Consider the college application: it’s primarily an opportunity for teenagers who aren’t sure of where they want to go to undercut their chances by exposing their uncertainty. The lizard brain, the voice in the back of the head that wants security and safety–it’s not eager to go to a college that might be ‘too hard’ or ‘too good’. The easy thing to do is to scale back the effort, not do what works, but do what feels right instead.

Or consider the way we resist opportunities to lead, to connect, to do work that matters. We don’t resist because we’re not capable of it… we resist because if our marketing fails, if we don’t get the job or earn the trust, then we’re off the hook. No promises made, which means no promises to keep.

We know more than enough about marketing now. We know how to craft a story that will spread, we know how to find and lead tribes. The thing we have trouble with is making the commitment to do it even when it’s frightening and difficult.

The above sentence is a little misleading as the quote is actually from Mark Twain but nonetheless:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover.

I know so many people that are contemplating their next move in life.  Don’t sit back and see what life throws you.  God created you for so much more than that!  Follow hard after the heart of God and He will lead you on the greatest and most exciting journey of your life!

One day after years of ministry with a wonderful congregation, I will say my good-byes, pack my bags and, with many tears, walk out of the church.  But when I walk out of the church, there’s only one place I can walk into.  Family.  While everyone in our great church loved our family, I have come to realize that nobody is fighting for my family.

That’s great insight for a guy like me.  I was called to be a follower of Christ, husband, and father long before I was ever called to be a Pastor.  As much as I love Freedom Church, loving my family is a higher priority.

This isn’t even close to an exhaustive list, but I fight for my family through prayer,  by dating my wife and daughters as well as spending significant time with my son.  If need be, I’ll chop someone up with a machete as well

I hope you would do the same.

You don’t necessarily have to be smarter or better educated to succeed.  Your power lies in your ability to focus on doing what is important.  If you focus on the right things, and work at them often, you will achieve exceptional results.  -  Mark Sanborn

Don’t just focus on  getting things done.  Focus on the most important things you need to accomplish.  Usually, there is a world of difference.

America’s poor donate more, in percentage terms, than higher-income groups do, surveys of charitable giving show. What’s more, their generosity declines less in hard times than the generosity of richer givers does. “The lowest-income fifth (of the population) always give at more than their capacity,” said Virginia Hodgkinson, former vice president for research at Independent Sector, a Washington-based association of major nonprofit agencies. “The next two-fifths give at capacity, and those above that are capable of giving two or three times more than they give.”

Since giving is an issue of trust – I wonder how trustful and trustworthy you and I really are?

Knowing the remedy doesn’t necessarily complete the healing; the difference comes when we apply it.  Reading the menu doesn’t fill you up; eating the food does.

How true is that!  Knowing the solution is NOT enough.  Proper execution comes with correct application.  Most of the issues in my life haven’t arisen because of a lack of knowledge – they have sprung up because of improper execution.

It’s great to know the right thing to do but doing it is even better!

What decision has been sitting on the shelf?  What will it take to move you to action?

I’ve been attending Freedom with my husband since March.  I did not have a Christian upbringing and was not sure what I believed…  I wanted to accept Jesus Christ into my own heart I felt like I would be doing it just because I though it was the right thing to do, until April 12, 2009.

It was Easter and all of our boys (there are four) were in attendance.  When you were delivering the message I was so focused that it was like tunnel vision.  I felt a warmth and I felt love and I felt like there was no place else in the world that I should be.  When you asked for those who wished to accept Christ into their hearts to pray with you, I did!

I was baptized at the 9:30 experience this morning with my family and some close friends in attendance.  I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you…

Thanks so much,

Robyn

Keep it up Freedom Church – God is using you to have a significant impact on the lives of people!

You can’t take shortcuts by going through the land of make-believe.  Your first commetment must be to discover and accept new truths no matter how difficult or how unpleasant they may seem at the time.  You cannot rectify problems if you deny that they exist.

This plays out in a variety of ways:  Maybe your marriage is struggling but it’s easier to ignore than acknowledge.  Maybe you have neglected your body but it’s easier to laugh it off than it is to put down your 7th piece of pizza.  The list goes on and on.

Admitting the truth doesn’t guarantee success, but refusing to do so is sure to guarantee failure. Proverbs 23:23 says, Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.

Seek the truth even when it hurts – I am sure that you can handle it!

The University of Miami has had some great coaches over the years.   My favorite was probably Jimmy Johnson.  I loved the swagger he brought to The U.  Playing Miami during his regime was a daunting task.

Hearing his coaching philosophy explains why:

My role as a head coach was to do three things: One, bring in people who are committed to being the very best; two, eliminate people who are not committed to being the very best; and three, the most important of my responsibilities, create an atmosphere where they could achieve their goals and the goals we set for our team.  I wanted to put them in the right environment and delegate the responsibility so they could be the best they could be.

Coach Johnson got it!  Go Canes.

Here’s what John Maxwell had to say…

It is easy to make decisions based on what we know.  But there are always things we don’t know.  It is easy to choose a direction based on what we see. But what don’t we see?  Reading between the lines is essential for good leadership.  We are most likely to do that when we ask the question, “What are we missing?”.

Asking and answering the tough questions on the front-end make things easier to navigate on the back-end. Don’t get blind-sided because you refused to find out what was lurking just around the corner.