Integrity
I came across the following in a periodical:
Most people make integrity synonymous with honesty, but integrity has a finer point. The root word for integrity is "integer," which implies singleness, unity, something not divided, consistency, and by extension, reliability and trustworthiness - in everything.
A person of integrity is an honest person. He does not lie, steal, cheat, or take unfair advantage of others. The true follower of Christ has little problem with these major issues. Even the best of us, however, are sometimes careless about our integrity in little things. It is important that we maintain our integrity at every level. It is the "little foxes that spoil the vines" (Song of Solomon 2:15).
The person of integrity presents the same face every time and in every situation. In contrast, a hypocrite presents a different face to different people. Even a little two-facedness violates scriptural principles and undermines our integrity. Those who observe this behavior lost the ability to trust our "face."
It would seem that consistency is as much a part of integrity as honesty is. Without honesty, integrity is impossible. Without consistency though, we can fool ourselves into thinking we are people of integrity because we are 'telling the truth' even when we tell the truth from different perspectives.
The person of integrity speaks the same message regardless of who they are speaking to.
Baseball Explained to a Foreigner
I was watching the Phillies play the other night and remembered this old verse:
Baseball Explained to a Foreigner
You have two sides, one out in the field and one in.
Each man that's on the side that's in goes out and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out.
When three men are out the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.
Sometimes you get men still in and not out.
When both sides have been in and out nine times including the not outs
That's the end of the game.
Living Life in the Zone : Book Review
I received a copy of Living Life in the Zone - A 40-Day Spiritual Game Plan for Men by Kyle Rote Jr. & Dr. Joe Pettigrew from Thomas Nelson Publishers as a part of their BookSneeze program.
The authors present their teachings using the analogy of sports, something that men clearly can identify with. The main spheres that they address are; marriage, family, friends, work and the future. Each section is broken down into 7 readings per week with the first week laying the ground work for the remaining days.
In each of the of the main sections, the authors present their hypothesis in a section called "Coach's Corner" followed "The Game Plan" in which they provide a few key points with biblical verses. Each section also contains a section called "Playmakers" that focus on well known sports figures who inspire the readers in the sphere being discussed, each day's reading ends with a "Time Out" of questions that the reader can use for self examination and an Assignment.
This was an easy read and quite practical. Playing off the popular 40 Day model of studies, this book can be a great tool to help establish the personal discipline of reading. Each day's reading takes no more than a few minutes and could be fit into anyone's daily routine; early morning, lunch break or end of the day.
Start!
As I think through my life, I can see many times where I hesitated because I wasn’t sure. I can also see times where I should have hesitated. The times I should have hesitated were marked by my own impetuousness and instead of simply counting the cost upfront, I paid the price. The times when I hesitated because I wasn’t sure, were usually because I did count the cost and wanted things to get a bit better before I proceeded.
One of the poor habits I come across as I talk with group leaders is a reluctance to continue a scheduled group meeting if one or two people are unable to attend. This is going to be a little weird: I sometimes wonder if, even in a small group setting, we can become numbers driven. The fact is that people are not going to show up on occasion… and even for good reason!
Some of the best times I’ve had a group are when most of the members didn’t make it. We’d just put the material aside and spend a drawn out time focusing on the really important part of group life: each other.
As we look forward into this new and coming year, I wish to challenge you to keep this word in mind: START. Absolutely take time to count the cost! Don’t neglect that by any stretch. But don’t let the paralysis of analysis stop you in your tracks. Solomon writes these words:
Ecclesiastes 11:4: “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (NLT)
I don’t believe in the whole New Years Resolutions thing. If you don’t have the discipline to change in April, why would you have more discipline in January?? So, don’t make this a resolution… just start what you believe God wants you to do.
This Group Gets It! (repost)
I received an email from one of our group leaders this week about their plans for their summer series. It is one of the best ideas that I’ve heard a group doing for the summer!
Here’s what the leader wrote:
Our group will be doing some things differently for our next study. We all have very busy schedules and each family has a lot of stuff piling up that needs to get done at our homes. Some of the families recently had babies and you can only imagine how busy they are.
Last week we showed up at at our host home and Daniel was on a ladder trying to clean his gutters and squeeze in a project before small group meeting. He was there, by himself, on the ladder. We need to ask our friends for help and be willing to return the favor. For us to help others we can start by helping each other and then maybe continue to others in need.
In the CONNECT series, we had a study a few weeks back that we talked about PRIDE and how we don’t ask for help because we think we can handle it ourselves. This is a chance for us all to break our pride and let others help us out. We found that our small group gatherings have been getting smaller recently and the main reason is because we are all behind on our to do lists.
We came up with a plan! Each of us are going to make a list of projects that need to get done around our house. Sometimes this list is referred to as a “honey do list.” Each week, we are going to have a fellowship gathering at each family’s home and work on their list. We are at our best when we are helping other people, so why not help our own family’s with their projects. It is another activity that defines team building and brings us closer together.
What I'm Thinking...
- RT @bubbawatson You ever go to the driving range & think you will never play good golf again?? #golfishard / No. "Will I ever?" Yes. 1 day ago
- Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. http://t.co/c2d84vbS 4 days ago
- Put up or shut up. "What good is it... if u say u have faith but don't show it by ur actions?" http://t.co/Bvqv1qos 5 days ago
- Because 135+ baptisms in 4 services wasn't enough, @PastorRobFM throws in a wedding ceremony in the services! #obeyingGod 1 week ago
- "For some, change is life. For some, change is death. For all, change is difficult. And for all, change is mandatory." @lensweet 1 week ago
- More updates...
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