Friday, April 30, 2021

Leadership Thought: The Perspective of an Umpire on Law Enforcement.

Dear Friends

There are good doctors and bad doctors, good lawyers and bad ones, good insurance agents and bad ones, and there are good ‘cops’ and bad ones. In my life I have met all kinds of people, some good and some not so good. I have learned not to paint people and professions with too broad a stroke for there are good people and bad people in each and every profession. But to watch and listen to the news over the past six months, you would think that every policeman was a bad policeman.

I grew up in Watertown, NY the home of the 10th Mountain Division, a well-trained and once well honored army unit that serves to fight for and protect freedom wherever they are deployed.

I never served in the military, but  I still maintain a tremendous level of respect for anyone who serves or who has served in the military. I seldom miss an opportunity to say thanks to a veteran whenever I see one and when I see an active member of our armed forces, regardless of the colors they are wearing, I often thank them for the service they render. I am grateful for their service to our country, and I want them to know that I appreciate their willingness to help preserve the freedom I enjoy.

But when it comes to policeman, I am pledging to be even more expressive in my thanks, for things are so out of balance in our country that many see the policeman as an enemy and not the protector of the state.

Recently Los Angeles Laker’s star LeBron James was quick to blame a police shooting in Ohio on racism (he later took down his tweet when he learned all the facts). We too, need to be careful about judging situations and casting judgement without knowing all of the details.

I in no way would defend George Chauvin’s actions-he was wrong in how he exercised his judgement, but let’s not be too quick to cast judgment on all the actions of law enforcement before we know and understand the facts. In many of the recent incidents where the actions of law enforcement have come under public scrutiny, and where the matter of racism has risen front and center, there has often been another side of the story that is neglected or under reported.

Yes, police officers are human, and like all of us, they are prone to make mistakes in decisions of judgement. When this happens, like all of us they should be punished. However, before we make our determination of guilt or innocence, let’s at least take the time to learn the facts and consider all the circumstances.

I have a good friend who is a policeman in our congregation, and I would trust him with my life. He is both a good person and a good policeman. I have been privileged to talk with him on many occasions about his profession, and I know how he feels about what is happening in our society. He happens to be the elected representative for one of the largest police units in N.J., and he recently shared with me how the toxic effect of the relentless scrutiny which law enforcement is under, has impacted their ability to do their work. This harmful impact has often been accentuated by biased reporting that doesn’t always present a fair picture of the circumstances surrounding the situation. Morale is at an all-time low and as a result a number of good officers are retiring early rather than endure the public loathing and animosity directed toward them.

I have a friend who frequently talks about the “B” word-Balance, when assessing current events. There are always two sides to every story, and we need to carefully listen to hear both sides before determining how we will respond.

All of this is to say that when I walk of the field after umpiring a high school baseball game, and I  hear the words, “Good job, blue.” My spirits are lifted. Sometimes when I know I have not done as good a job on the field as I could have done, and I hear those words, I am encouraged to keep at it and work harder to be a better umpire.

And while I don’t want to trivialize my remarks by suggesting that there is a direct correlation  between the criticism I receive, and yes, even deserve as an umpire, and the criticism directed at law enforcement, I do know that, like me, policeman too, will be grateful for a few kind words, and maybe even a “Good job, blue.” Just a thought and save your e-mails!

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Leadership Thought: It's Not What You Know in Your Head but What Lives in Your Heart That Matters.

Dear Friends,

As believers it's so important that we walk our talk, that our belief coincides with our behavior, and our creed is consistent with our conduct. It is easy to be a Pharisee, our minds filled with religious knowledge and information, but seldom translating that knowledge and information into a lifestyle that loves and cares for others. As believers we must be careful to ensure that our biblical knowledge (knowing what to do) gets translated into (doing what we know).

The consistency between our walk and our talk, is one keyway to measure the reality of our faith. Too many times our head knowledge, which glories in providing answers for every kind of doctrinal question, never impacts our heart where it gets expressed in compassion, kindness, and concern for others.

I am embarrassed to admit the following experiment took place at the theological seminary I once attended. The Greek class was studying the parable of the Good Samaritan.  The young seminarians were asked to study the story and do an in- depth analysis of the biblical text, observing and commenting on all the major terms and syntactical factors, and once having done that, they were to write their own personal translation of the parable.

There were three students in the class who cared more about the practical implications of the assignment than its intellectual stimulation. The morning the work was to be turned in, these three students teamed up and carried out a plan to make a point. One volunteered to play the part of an alleged victim. They tore his shirt and trousers, rubbed mud, ketchup, and other realistic  looking ingredients across his ‘wounds,’ marked up his eyes and face so he hardly resembled himself, and then placed him along the path that led from the dormitory to the Greek classroom. While the other two students hid and watched, he groaned and writhed, stimulating great pain.

Not one student stopped. They walked around him, stepped over him, and said different things to him. But nobody stooped over and took the time to help. Their academic work may have been flawless and insightful and handed in on time, but somehow the biblical message never got translated from their heads to their hearts. (Story is told by Chuck Swindoll in his book Tales of a Tidy Oxcart.

It is easy to say we love people, but is that love lived out in our daily lives? Do we ignore the needs of others, walking right by them, when we could stop and help and meet their needs? We must constantly be on guard to translate the message in our heads, so it becomes a message in our hearts.

There is a phrase used in working with recovering addicts, “Show me don’t snow me.” It’s just another way of saying another message we've heard before: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him” (1 John 3 :16-17)?

Have a great day and remember that doctrine often has a way of dividing us, but service generally has a way of uniting us. We need both doctrine and duty, for one without the other is like rowing a boat with one oar, and who wants to travel in circles?

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Leadership Thought: The Gospel Is A Lot Older Than You Think.

Dear Friends,

What is the Gospel? It is the message of the good news of our salvation. It is the Good News of truth offered to mankind by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.  But this Gospel, or Good News was proclaimed long before the cross, and even before the Law was given. In fact, it was given 430 years before Moses, and it goes all the way back to Abraham.

“Consider Abraham. He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: All nations will be blessed through you. So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Galatians 3:6-9).

Abraham was not doing anything to try and impress God. He just believed God and God declared Him righteous, (made right with God). If you and I possess faith in God then we are linked all the way back to Abraham who was the Father of our faith.

Like Abraham we cannot take any credit for our standing before God, for our salvation has nothing to do with what we have done, for perish the thought that we would think we could ever do anything to justify the gift of God’s grace.

God’s gift of salvation can never be earned by anything we do. The acrostic says it all. Grace is "God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense."

The Bible is clear that we have nothing to do with our salvation. God saved you the moment you believed, nothing more and nothing less. “You were saved by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT).

Salvation is by faith alone, by grace alone, through Christ alone.

The root of salvation is our faith. The fruit of salvation is our works. There can never be fruit without the root, so don’t mix them up. Our salvation is not a combination of our faith and our works, but it is simply the product of a faith that works. 

Our works are important, and God has even prepared them before hand for us to do ( See Ephesians 2:10),  but they are the consequence of our salvation but never the cause of our salvation.

We are saved through grace by faith. Nothing more or nothing less. 

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Subject: Leadership Thought for Those Who Have Dogs or Who Are Thinking About Having One.

Dear Friends,

I don't often share video clips as part of my Leadership Thoughts, but sometimes I view one that I just have to share. Some of you who don't understand how precious dogs can be to a family will not understand or appreciate this clip by former governor Mike Huckabee. However as a dog lover all my life and as one who can't remember more than a few months of my life when I was without a dog, I send this short video to you in hopes it will  help you understand why dogs mean so much to me and to so many others. 

Over the years Jean and I have had 12 dogs, and each one was a special member of our family. Among them  were Lassie a Collie who blessed out home in Greenville, Pa, and Huggy, a big loveable Old English Sheep Dog we had while living in Philadelphia, Pa.,and Riley, another Old English Sheep dog who bore us ten little pups- one of which we tithed-but that is a story for another day while in Rumson, NJ and Grin and Bear it, and Sophie…and now Maggie. We loved each one of them- all in special ways, and losing them was as tough as losing a  family member, for they were truly as much a part of our family as any of our family members.

Those of you who have watched the movie "A Dog's Purpose"-if you haven't seen it I hope you will-can never forget the tears you probably shed as you watched the ending when Ethan discovers his long lost friend Bailey and they are wonderfully reunited once again. 

Enough said, so let me close this message as my little friend Maggie lies at my feet, hoping you will take a few minutes to watch the clip below in hopes that it will help you understand why dogs are truly a Man's and Woman's and Child's Best Friend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxsLJJ3uhD0

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. Love is wet noses, sloppy kisses, and a wagging tail.

Monday, April 26, 2021

Leadership Thought: The One Word That Can Help Ensure the Success of Your Meeting.

Dear Friends, 

Have you ever been a part of a meeting where the  leader asks, “How are you all doing?” and then everyone gives the traditional response, “I am fine."  But if you really want to know how everyone is feeling the leader will ask the same question, but this time adding just one word. How are you all doing, 'really'? Often, it takes that one additional word to uncover how your people are feeling.

Before unpacking the items on your agenda, it is important for the one leading to know how his or her team is “really” doing.  And to accomplish this, it necessary for those on the team to feel comfortable enough to honestly answer that question. People may be wearing a smile on the outside but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is right on the inside.

How team members are feeling on the inside will greatly affect the success of your meeting. If someone on the team is wearing a smile, but underneath that smile he or she is harboring a major health concern, or has been struggling at home with one of their children, or is worried about how the bills are going to be paid, the leader needs to know.  Addressing the needs of your people should be as important, if not more important, than the items on your agenda, and ignoring those needs can significantly undermine the success of the meeting.

The apostle Paul tells us that we are “to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). What is that law of Christ? It is to love God with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). We are to be burden bearers, looking for opportunities to help carry the heavy loads of one another. But unless we know what those loads are, we will never be unable to help carry them.    

People on your team need to know they are a part of a burden bearing team, and if one is suffering, then all are suffering. It is more comfortable and less costly “to rejoice with those who rejoice”, but we must not ignore the second part of that verse that reminds us we are also called  “to weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).

People on your team need to know it is OK to admit they are struggling, even while they sit across from one another wearing a smile. They may look fine on the outside, but a good leader needs to know what’s going on in the inside, for it is the inside stuff that can sabotage the success of the meeting.

Beginning every meeting with a sharing question is a good way to uncover honest feelings, and I have found this to be an effective way to start out a meeting. But then again, there is nothing like starting a meeting by asking that question, “How are you feeling?” and then pausing to ask it a second time, but this time adding that magical word “really?” to the end of your question? Try it. I think it will make a difference in your meetings.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

The above thoughts were generated by a message from Bill Hybels, former pastor of Willow Creek Community Church as expressed in his book Axiom, p 88-89

Friday, April 23, 2021

 

Leadership Thought: Alan Jackson Tells Us How to Live Out Our Later Years.

Dear Friends

One of the things I love to do is to connect with old friends. Yesterday afternoon, I called a dear friend who was a part of the church I once served and  whom I had not seen for over 30 years. Turns out she is living in Panama City, Florida, only a few miles from where all 19 of our family-children and grandchildren-will spend a week this coming Christmas. She is exactly my age, so we had a lot of medical history to share, but getting beyond our various health challenges we had a wonderful time reminiscing about the times we spent together in  our former church. Turns out she even worships in the church all our family visited while spending Christmas there two years ago.

After praying together, she laughed and told me to read Ecclesiastes 12, a “senior citizens” chapter that I hadn’t read for some time. I read the words of the writer in a modern translation.

 3-5 In old age, your body no longer serves you so well.
Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen.
The shades are pulled down on the world.
You can’t come and go at will. Things grind to a halt.
The hum of the household fades away.
You are wakened now by bird-song.
Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past.
Even a stroll down the road has its terrors.
Your hair turns apple-blossom white,
Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body.
Yes, you’re well on your way to eternal rest,
While your friends make plans for your funeral.

Wow, as I read these words, I was reminded that they were not written for the aged in mind but for the young. These words were addressed to youth to remind them of what lies before them.

                     Honor and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young,
                    Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, (vs 1-2)


Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 Verses 1-7: Describe old age and are actually addressed to the youth (verse 1). The gradual darkening of the heavenly bodies represents declining vitality and joy. The approaching clouds represent the storms of old age (verse 2).

“Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is optional.” Perhaps you have heard these words or seen them  quoted on a t-shirt They are a reminder to all of us that how we age is a choice. We can see it as our enemy or we can behold it as our friend. It all depends on how we approach it. An aging body is a part of live but an aging attitude is a choice left to us. As you may know I am a classic country junkie, and the very day I called my Florida friend, I received an e-mail from a high school classmate reminding me of one who had made the right choice. Listen to the words of country singer, Alan Jackson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFpdnZzOmF4

The older I get

The more I think

You only get a minute, better live while you're in it
'Cause it's gone in a blink
And the older I get
The truer it is
It's the people you love, not the money and stuff
That makes you rich

And if they found a fountain of youth
I wouldn't drink a drop and that's the truth
Funny how it feels I'm just getting to my best years yet

The older I get
The fewer friends I have
But you don't need a lot when the ones that you got
Have always got your back
And the older I get
The better I am
At knowing when to give
And when to just not give a damn

And if they found a fountain of youth
I wouldn't drink a drop and that's the truth
Funny how it feels I'm just getting to my best years yet
The older I get

And I don't mind all the lines
From all the times I've laughed and cried
Souvenirs and little signs of the life I've lived

The older I get
The longer I pray
I don't know why, I guess that I
Got more to say
And the older I get
The more thankful I feel
For the life I've had, and all the life I'm living still

That is the attitude I want to possess as I live out my remaining years, and whether young or old, I hope it might be yours as well.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Leadership Thought: What’s the Most Important Part of Your Meeting? You Might be Surprised by the Answer.

Dear Friend,

What’s the most important part of your meeting? Most people would say, "of course, it is the agenda." It's  what you have come to the table to discuss. And while the agenda is important, and I certainly would not want to minimize or undervalue its importance, I believe there is something even more important.

A number of years ago I was a young pastor to a church of high-octane leaders. Most of the elders, and there were 24 of them, were busy executive types who were used to getting things done quickly and expediently. There was always corporate flavor to those elder meetings, where  Robert’s Rules of order was always front and center. When 7:30 came those leaders were ready to jump in, get to the business, and get home as fast as they could.

I will never forget one of those meetings. The agenda was lengthy, and it looked as if the meeting could go well past 11:00 pm. I knew the board was eager to get started, but I knew in my heart that there was something more important to be done than completing our agenda.

To the surprise of some, and the chagrin of others, I announced that I felt the need to spend the first half hour of our meeting in prayer. Now I know you might think such an announcement was not an unusual way to commence our meeting, but for this church of business first leaders, it was a major departure from the way they were accustomed to conducting the business of the church.

I mentioned to them that we had so much to do that evening, that if we didn’t first spend an extended time in prayer, we might be there past midnight. Some of them didn’t take too kindly  to my counter intuitive announcement

Having announced a departure from our standard meeting, I led them to the sanctuary where we spread out on the floor, and on our hands and knees, we spent time together praying for our church.

I was anxious, wondering what these leaders would think of their new fledgling pastor, but thanks for the strong presence of the Holy Spirit there was a spiritual breakthrough. Those leaders’ grumbling quickly turned into gratitude as we sped through and finished our lengthy agenda in record time.

It was Martin Luther who said, “I have so much work to do today that I need to commit the first four hours of my day in prayer.”  Prayer must  never be just an item on the church agenda, it should be the church agenda. It has been said that the church will only move forward if and when it moves forward on its knees.

It was S. D Gordon who said, “The greatest thing anyone can do for God and for man is to pray. You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed. Prayer is striking the winning blow; service is gathering up the results.”

Today I am still friends with a couple of those elders, who were at that meeting almost 30 years ago, and they still remember and talk about the lesson learned about the most important part of a church meeting.

Those words “I’ll open with prayer and then we will dive into our meeting, so we don’t waste anyone’s time” are long gone from my vocabulary, and I hope they are from yours as well.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. "God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it.” John Wesley

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Leadership Thought: Words an Umpire Longs to Hear.

Dear Friends,

I have been umpiring high school baseball for over 30 years, and during this span of time I have called some good games and some games where I wished I could have had a 'do over.' Umpiring can be a tough, especially in these days when there are so many would be umpires in the stands who are quick to remind you that they could have done a better job than you have done. 

But umpiring can also be gratifying, especially when you walk off the field and hear those words, "Good job blue," or "you had a good strike zone," or my favorite, "I wish you could call all our games." Those words are music to an umpire's ears, and I long to hear them every time I walk off the field.

Whether you are an umpire or not, all of us long to hear those encouraging words, "good job," "well done," "you were great." Everyone does better and feels better when working in an environment of encouragement. It has been said that encouragement is oxygen to the soul, and it is so true. Just as one needs oxygen to breath, everyone needs encouragement to survive.

I love the story of the little boy who said to his dad, "Let’s play darts." The dad responded, "How do you want to play?" The little boy said, "It's simple. I'll throw the darts and you say wonderful.”

Ken Blanchard, a popular writer, and speaker on leadership, has coined the phrase ‘Management by Walking Around’ that has become popular in leadership circles. Simply put it means wherever you are, always be looking around to find people doing something good, and then reward them with words of encouragement and affirmation.

When you find someone doing something worth rewarding, encourage them publicly, while the ‘sweat is still on their brow.' Let them hear those words great job, I’m proud of you, I knew you could do it. Children love to hear those words, but so too do grownups. People will always go farther, work harder, and perform better in an environment of encouragement and affirmation than in an environment of discouragement.

I don’t remember who it was who wrote the following words, but they were important enough for me to memorize them, “Flatter me and I may not believe you, criticize me and I may not like you, ignore me and I will never forgive you, but encourage me and I will never forget you."

Would you like to be unforgettable? I know you would, and it is so easy. Just reward people every time you see them doing something positive. And do you know what will happen? Every time they see you coming, they will be looking for ways to do something that will elicit your affirmation.

Don’t be tombstone encouragers, those who never get to say the good things about someone until there is a tombstone over their head.

One of my favorite verses, and one I memorized long ago are the words of the Apostle Paul who said, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Eph. 4:29).

Be the wind beneath one’s wings and not the anchor in their boat, and you will develop the reputation of an encourager and in doing so you will find you have a lot more friends. I guarantee it!

Yours in faith,

Tom

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Leadership Thought: A Basketball Game I Will Never Forget.

Dear Friends,

I will never forget the memory of a girls’ basketball game I attended many years ago. As athletic director at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, I would have the opportunity to attend many school sporting events. One afternoon while attending  a middle school basketball game I witnessed an event I will never forget. One of our girls was dribbling to the basket for what looked like an easy score. Her defender had tripped and fallen, and when our girl saw what had happened, she stopped her dribble long enough  to reach out with her non dribbling hand to help the girl up,  and having done so, she continued dribbling to the basket for an easy score. Her name was Sarah-forgot her last name- and I don’t remember who we were playing or if we won or lost the game, but that is unimportant. The important thing was the picture of one of our athletes exemplifying the kind of sportsmanship one doesn’t see much anymore.

I will never forget the helping spirit exemplified by Sarah’s selfless concern for another. Her actions provided me with an unforgettable example of how we are called to minister to one another. I know for me there have been all too many times when I have passed on by an opportunity to lift up some fallen brother or sister who needed a helping hand, or some kindly words of encouragement.

It is so easy to run right on by those in need. The excuses we have are legion. We are so busy, our ‘to do list’ is already two pages, I’m late for my appointment, someone else is better equipped to address the need…, and so our busyness blinds us to our call to serve. Would that each of us  be more like Sarah who wouldn’t let her own personal agenda deter her from helping someone along the way.

That is what the body of Christ should be. We are in this race together, and we really do need each other. Let us be eager to lift up the struggling, to encourage the fainthearted, and to join hands with those in need so that we can finish the race together.

Burdens to bear are burdens to be shared. “Let’s not pray for lighter loads but for a stronger backs” (Phillips Brooks).  Let's be on the lookout for those who might not be able to finish the race without our help and encouragement. There will be plenty that God will bring across our path, so get ready. And when they lie before us let’s remember that, “He stands erect by bending over the fallen. He rises by lifting others up” (Robert Ingersoll).

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Choosing a ‘Fear’ Filled Faith.

Dear Friends,


Psalm 34 is one of my favorite Psalms. Listen to some of the wisdom of the Psalmist. “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (v.4).


“The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (v 7).


“Oh, fear the Lord , you his saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.” (v. 9).  


“Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (v. 11).The fear of the Lord was so important to Solomon that he wanted to pass it on to all his family.


King Solomon put it this way in explaining his reason for writing the book of Proverbs: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” ( Proverbs 1:7). 


There is no mistaking the repeated commands in the Bible to “fear the Lord.”


What does it mean to fear the Lord? It doesn’t mean that God wants us to be afraid of Him. When the Bible talks about fearing God, it is usually referring to an attitude of reverence and respect, not outright terror.


A healthy fear of God includes the fear of the consequences of disobedience. There may be times of temptation or trial when we may forget some of the better reasons for obeying God, and that is when we really need to think of and to fear the consequences of disobedience. In Exodus 20:20, Moses exhorts his people, “Don't be afraid, for God has come in this way to test you, so that your fear of Him will keep you from sinning!”


To walk in the fear of the Lord means that we should possess a healthy respect and a reverence for our Creator. It means that we should recognize the benefits and the blessings of walking in His footsteps while recognizing the pit falls of failing to (fear) and respect Him.


Oswald Chambers was spot on when he states: “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else.”


While it is true, as quoted that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, (Pro.1: 7a), it is equally as true that “fools despise wisdom and discipline (Pro.1: 7b).


We can choose to walk the path of wisdom or the path of folly.


When we come to the fork in the road, I want to always chose the path of a “fear” filled faith, and I hope you do too.


Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Friday, April 16, 2021

Leadership Thought: What Do We Learn When You Stick Out Your Tongue?

Dear Friends,

Chuck Swindoll begins a message on the tongue with the following instructions. "There is a little gray stone in a little English countryside church yard. It is bleak and unpretentious.  I am told that if you want to read the sign that appears on the tombstone you have to bow down and look very closely. The epitaph reads as follows:

“Beneath the stone, a lump of clay, Lies Arabella  Young

 Who on the 21st of May began to hold her tongue.”

There are probably a lot of people we have met like Arabella Young. They are people that have never learned how to hold or control their tongue. Although one of the smallest members of our body, the tongue is one of the deadliest weapons we possess. 

A large family sat around the table for breakfast one morning. As the custom was, the father returned thanks, blessing God for the food.  Immediately afterward, however, as was his bad habit, he began to grumble about hard times, the poor quality of the food he was eating, the way it was cooked, and much more.

His little daughter interrupted him with, “Father, do you suppose God heard what you said a little while ago?”

“Certainly,” replied the father with a competent air of an instructor.

“And did he hear what you said about the bacon and the coffee?”

“Of course,” the father replied but not as confidently as before.

And then the little girl asked him again, “Then, father, which prayer did God believe?”

The apostle James writes, "People can take all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so, blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right.  Does a spring of water bubble out with both freshwater and bitter water? Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grapevine? No, and you can't draw fresh water from a salty pool.” James  3:7-12 (Living Bible).

The tongue is neither a friend not a foe. It is simply a messenger from the heart. So, when James is talking about the tongue, we should think of the word heart, for the tongue only delivers what is hidden in the heart. If the heart is sick, then so will the tongue be also. A heart that is yielded to Jesus Christ will be revealed in a tongue that is used to bless and encourage.

By examining the tongue, a skilled physician can tell a lot about the state of our health, but by listening to the tongue, anyone can discern the state of our spiritual health. Open your mouth and stick out your tongue. Now say “ah-h-h-h-h.” Your tongue looks healthy, but what has it revealed about your heart this past week? 

The psalmist offers good advice when he prays, Set a guard over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:30).  That’s a  good prayer for all of us to pray.”

Have a wonderful week.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Leadership Thought: If You Don’t Like What You See, Then Change Who You Are.

Dear Friends,

In his book Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, coach Wooden recounts a story he often told about seeing the good in others.

There's an old story about a fellow who went to a small town in Indiana with the thought of possibly moving his family there.

“What kind of people live around there,” he asked the attendant at the local filling station?

“Well,” the attendant replied, “What were the kind of people like back where you're from?”

The visitor took a swallow on his cherry soda and replied, “They were ornery, mean and dishonest!”

The attendant looked up and answered, “Mister, you'll find them about like that around here, too.”

A few weeks later, another gentleman stopped by the gas station on a muggy July afternoon with the same question.

“Excuse me,” he said as he mopped off his brow.  “I'm thinking of moving to your town with my family. What kind of people live around these parts?”

Again, the attendant asked, “Well, what kind of people live back where you're from?”

The stranger thought for a moment and replied, “I find them to be kind, decent and honest folks.”

The gas station attendant looked up and said, “Mister, you'll find them about like that around here, too.”

It is so true that you often find what you are looking for.

As Mr. Wilford Peterson stated in his essay, The Art of Leadership: the leader has faith in people, he believes in, trusts, and thus draws out the best in them.

Coach Wooden often quoted Abraham Lincoln’s words on this topic. “It is better to trust and occasionally be disappointed than to mistrust and be miserable all the time.”

Coach Wooden had very strong feelings about the importance of seeing the bad in ourselves: You can make mistakes, but you aren't a failure until you start blaming others for those mistakes. When you blame others, you are trying to excuse yourself. When you make excuses, you can't properly evaluate yourself. Without proper self- evaluation, failure is inevitable.

The above story and information are quoted from an internet devotional thought by Craig Impelman, one of basketball coach John Wooden’s former players. It comes from an article, “Wooden’s Wisdom-Volume 3, Issue 117”  

As I reflected on Craig’s story, I realize that what you see in life is a pretty accurate reflection of who you are. I don’t know the author of the following quote, but he was right in saying “The world around you is a reflection, a mirror showing you the person you are”

And so, if we want to change what we see, then we  need to change who we are.

Yours in faith and friendship

Tom

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Leadership Thought: Did You Receive Jesus by Works or by Grace?

Dear Friend,

In the first chapter of his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace, Phillip Yancey writes, “The world thirsts for grace in ways it does not even recognize; little wonder the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ edged its way into the top ten charts 200 years after composition. For a society that seems adrift, without moorings, I know of no better place to drop an anchor of faith” (p.13). 

Yancey, in his classic book on grace, spells out some amazing truths about this often-misunderstood word. Yesterday with a group of men from U- Turn for Christ, an addiction ministry that meets at our church, we were examining the first part of the third chapter in the book of Galatians where the Apostle Paul asks the Galatians, “Did you receive the spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith” (v. 2)?  

We discussed how difficult it is for people to understand and accept grace because of our inherent pride which prevents us from accepting  the fact  that we have nothing to do with our salvation. In fact, the Bible says all our good works, even the very best of them, are nothing more than filthy rags. They are simply a stench in the nostrils of God.

In a course on evangelism, I took many years ago, the leader reminded us that when speaking to an unbeliever, one must repeat to them a 1000 times that they are saved by faith and not by works. Now he was using hyperbole to make an important point. It is so hard for people to accept the concept of grace and that salvation has nothing to do with what they do, but everything to do with what God has done.

Anyone who thinks he has anything to do with his salvation should take 20 minutes to read through the wonderful 6-chapter book of Galatians. If you do, I am confident that you will lose any vestige of  belief that you have anything to do with your salvation. You will quickly learn that God loves you just the way you are. He loves the good, the bad and the ugly, and He loves you as you are, as well as who and what you will become when you yield your life to Him.

Those words from Amazing Grace: “I  once was lost but now I’m found, Was blind but now I see” should be an unforgettable reminder that we played no part in our salvation. If you question this, read the first three verses of the third chapter of Ephesians, but don’t stop there, for the “but” in verse 4 unlocks the truth about your salvation in verses 4-6.

We are saved by "grace alone, through faith alone, by Christ alone"-nothing more and nothing less. See Eph. 2:8-9.

Writer and speaker, Peter Briscoe sums up grace when he says “Grace is amazing- and I use  ‘amazing’ in its truest sense. When we contemplate grace, it should leave us shaking our heads in wonder, and raising our hands in prayer. In pure undiluted form, grace is stunning ...yet, I'm afraid that our flesh tends to water it down over time.” 

Yes, grace is amazing, and hard to believe. It stuns any pride within that would suggest we have anything to do with our salvation except to Admit we are sinners, Believe Jesus saved us, and Confess we want to make Him Lord of our lives. While as simple as A, B, C, is, it still can be difficult for the D of faith, the ‘Decision’ requires you to surrender your pride and trust in Jesus alone for your salvation. If you do, however, I know you will rejoice that you did.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Leadership Thought: Choose Attitude over Aptitude to Build a Winning Team.

Dear Friends,

As a former teacher and a coach, there were often times in my career when I would stop what I was doing in the classroom or on the basketball court, look straight into the eyes of a student or player and utter the words, “Attitude Check.”  Those were two of the most often used words in my teaching and coaching vocabulary. I don’t know if they were always uttered in the form of a question or an exclamation, but they always had the same intent-to help a student or a player change his/her attitude. I always sought to immediately treat ‘attitude disease’ when I discovered it, because I knew how contagious it could be.

Attitude is the difference maker for me when evaluating students, players, or staff members. If I had to choose between attitude or aptitude, I would choose attitude every time.

If you were a boss and you were interviewing two people who had similar skill sets, experience, backgrounds, and one of them had a great attitude and the other had a poor attitude, your decision would be easy-attitude would be the difference maker every time.

Attitude was always on the top of my list as a teacher, coach or pastor when assessing the potential of a student, player, or staff member. No matter how competent and experienced a person may be, he or she will never be a good fit without a good attitude.

In his book The Winner Within, highly successful NBA coach Pat Riley, who is now the  general manager of the Miami Heat basketball team, writes about the ‘disease of me.’ He says of team members who have it: “They develop an overpowering belief in their own importance. Their actions virtually shout the claim, 'I'm the one.'”  Riley asserts that the disease always will have the same inevitable result: “the defeat of us.”

The late John Wooden who was considered by many to be the most successful basketball coach of all time said to one of his players, “You are not the best player on the team, but the team plays the best when you are on it.” He was simply saying  I choose attitude over aptitude. Attitude is the difference maker.

Whether in athletics, or the classroom, or in the professional world, always choose attitude over aptitude. It is not the only thing you need to look for, but it should be the main thing.  

What better verses to sum up the quality we should be looking for as teachers, coaches, employers, and yes, parents, than the Apostle Paul's words found in Philippians 2:5-8 where he writes, "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; Rather, He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-even death on a cross." 

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. “You’ve got to have great athletes to win….You can’t win without good athletes, but you can lose with them.” Talent is never enough without attitude.” Lou Holtz, former outstanding football coach. The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, John Maxwell, p. 105

Monday, April 12, 2021

Leadership Thought: That Girl is on Fire.

Dear Friends,

Alicia Keys has a song “Girl on Fire” that I enjoy. I desire to be like the  person she describes in her song. I want to be passionate about making a difference in others’ lives. I want to be the kind of person who can’t wait to get out of the bed because they have something important to do. These kind of people are ‘difference makers.’

In life there are fire lighters and fire fighters, and as much as I love firemen, I’d rather be a fire lighter. I don’t want to douse dreams and dampen spirits. I want to set a spark to a dream and then pour on the gasoline and transform that spark into a blaze.

My first high school football coach was an example of the passion I describe. Frank Shields was passionate about football. There was a passion  within him that  was contagious. When Frank told us we could become a good football team, we believed him and it was this passion that produced our success on the football field.

I am passionate about my wife, and children, Aldi’s, the Cleveland Indians, flower gardening, coaching, and umpiring, but I am most  passionate about my faith in Jesus and my passion produces a desire to please Him for He is worthy of my passion.

Whenever passion disappears in a person, the chances of success in any aspect of life are significantly diminished. And I believe this is especially true in  evangelism. If we're not excited about our faith, then probably it is time to put a hand over our heart and see if we have a spiritual heartbeat.

The Apostle Paul exhorts the Colossian church to be passionate and enthusiastic. “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3 :23). “And in Ecclesiastes we read, “Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Why did the workers in Nehemiah’s day complete the walls around Jerusalem in just 52 days? It was because, “The people had a mind to work (Nehemiah 4 6). The workers were passionate and enthusiastic, full of zeal and ardor as they went about their mission.

Whatever you and I do today, let's do it with passion, zeal, and enthusiasm. Let's not go half speed but full speed as we complete our task. May it never be said of us that we were guilty of sleepwalking through life.

I am reminded of a quote that says it all.  “When a leader reaches out in passion, he/she is usually met with an answering passion.” People do what people see.  One who is passionate about what he/she  does is the kind of leader every team, every business, every church, and every family desires. It is the kind of person who does what he/she loves and loves what he/she does. So, let's take the foot off the brakes, and get moving or better yet get scorching, for who knows the difference we might make today in someone’s life if we spark that flame.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. For those who need that spark let me suggest that “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” Seth Godin

Friday, April 9, 2021

Leadership Thought: Are You Leading or Only Taking a Walk?

Dear Friends, 

John Maxwell writes, "the true measure of leadership is influence-nothing more, nothing less. True leadership cannot be appointed, awarded, or assigned. It comes only through influence. Leadership is different from management. Managers can maintain the direction of an organization, but they can't change it. To move people in a new direction, you need influence.

Many people think a position makes a leader, but just because a person may have a title, it doesn’t make him a leader, for as Stanley Huffty affirms, ‘It is not the position that makes the leader; it is the leader that makes the position.’”

Bill Hybels who for many years pastored Willow Creek Community Church, a mega church outside of Chicago, says that “the church is the most leadership intensive enterprise in society.” He goes on to point out how “positional leadership does not work in volunteer organizations like the church where the one in charge has little leverage, other than a title. If a leader has no leverage or influence, then he will be ineffective. In organizations like, the military you have leverage or in business you have leverage because you control salary, benefits, and perks. Most followers are pretty cooperative when their livelihood is at stake. Followers and voluntary organizations cannot be forced to get on board. If the leader has no influence with them then they won't follow."

“In voluntary organizations you see leadership in the purest sense. Leaders have only their influence to aid them. If you want to find out if people are capable of leading, send them out to volunteer their time in the community with Red Cross, the United Way, or the church and you will quickly find out if they really have influence and leadership ability.”

One of my favorite quotes is the Chinese proverb that states, "He who thinks he leads, but has no followers is only taking walk.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

The above information is taken and quoted from notes I recorded  from The Complete 101 Maxwell Collection, (What Every Leader Needs to Know) by John Maxwell pp. 193-199.

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Leadership Thought: Don’t be a ‘Good’ Listener but Be a Great Listener.

Dear Friends,

I love the Message Bible’s translation of James 1:19: "Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.” The verse reminds me of the story of the mother who came home after a long hard day at work. Her little girl ran out of the house eager to greet her. “Mommy, mommy, wait until I tell you what happened today?”

After listening to a few sentences, the mother responded by indicating the rest of the story would have to wait as she needed to get dinner started. During the meal, the phone rang, and then another family member’s story was longer and louder than the little girl’s story. Once again, she tried to share her story after the kitchen was cleared. but her brother's homework  questions had to be answered, and by then it was time for her to get ready for bed with her story still untold.

Her mother came to tuck her little girl in and quickly listened to her prayers. As she bent down to tousle her little girl’s curls and to kiss her soft cheek , the child looked up and asked, "Mommy, do you really love me even if you don't have time to listen to me?” (Stories from the Heart, Alice Gray.

One of the best ways that we can show our  love for someone and demonstrate we care about them is by listening to them. The late author and speaker Bruce Larson was right when he wrote that “one of the best ways to demonstrate God's love is to listen to people?”

How true his words were. Listening is simply another word for caring. I don't profess to be the greatest listener in the world, but I try, but there have been all too many times in my life when I have been guilty of allowing the busyness of my life to crowd out my ability to listen to another with a caring and compassionate concern.

Someone facetiously said, "A ‘good' listener is one who can give you his full attention without hearing a word you say,” and sadly, I confess  I have the ability to be just that kind of listener.

How often by just taking the time to lovingly listen to someone’s painful story, we can help heal the hurts of their breaking heart. I remember just such an incident. It was an unplanned counseling appointment that arrived in my office at the height of a very busy day. As this young girl sat across from me, tears were streaming down her face as she began sharing her story. Her life was unraveling around her, and she didn't think there was anyone who cared about what she was going through. For the next 45 minutes she poured out her life story to me. I hardly said a word. I just tried to listen and hear her heart, and at the end of our time together, she got up and thanked me, and said, “I am so glad I got to talk with you, for I really feel so much better now," and she left my office. I only wished that all my  counseling appointments turned out like this one.

But what she was saying was that she was grateful that someone had taken the time to listen to her. So many times, what people need most is not the semblance of a sermon but only the solace of some silence. I confess that I am probably much better at delivering sermons then silence.

Let me encourage you today to work on your active listening skills. Try extra hard to give people your fullest attention. And remember that one of the most lasting gifts you can give someone is a listening ear.

And don’t forget. “To answer before listening-that is folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13).

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom