A different way to be great!

                         Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.  Mark 10:43

Shockwaves went out across the NBA horizon yesterday as Kevin Durant made his decision to transition to the Golden State Warriors.  Soundbites and social media chatter abounds as to whether or not he made the right move.  Now I must admit that I’m a bit of a NBA nostalgic.  It’s hard for me to fathom what it would have been like to have Magic, Michael  or Larry unite for a NBA season or two.  However the purpose of this post is not to give my own opinion as to whether it was right or wrong for KD to leave OKC.

     First of all I give him much respect for doing what he thought was right for him amid all the criticism that he knew would come with it. In addition, his courage has caused me to ponder a few questions which I hope you will also consider: 

Is he weak for joining a winning team?

Can he be just as great by uniting with a great team?

Obviously KD felt this move was the right move for him as a player.  (BTW remember what’s right for you may not seem right to everybody else).  I’d like to share how we like KD can make the right move and have a new definition of greatness.

1.        Can't I be great if I'm allowed to add value to a great team?  Ironically, the same Warriors fans that were hating on KD a couple of weeks ago, are now celebrating him because of what he will bring to the team.   But I submit to you that great players not only bring their amazing ability level, but also an amazing attitude that says, “I choose completing you over competing against you!”  They do not feel the need to strangle the spotlight to be a star or hog the headlines to be a hero.  What would our world look like if individuals prioritized  making things better over being bigger?

2.        Can't I be great if my desire is to develop my potential?  Is it possible that joining the Warriors will not shrink KD but actually stretch him?   In fact, KD mentioned that one of the main reasons for the move was his growth not only as a player but as a man.   We often fail to remember that great players have a need to be challenged not only by the predicaments they encounter but also by other great players.  Imagine what will arise from the daily conversations and competition among championship caliber teammates.

3.       Can't I be great if I'm willing to emphasize that the end game is what really matters?  After the colossal defeats that KD and also his new team experienced by both blowing 3-1 leads, they now have one thing on their mind- an all-out desire to win. When this desire is prevalent, it’s no longer about personal agendas or accolades but what really matters is accomplishing the goal of winning. 

      In conclusion, our culture continually emphasizes only one characteristic of greatness which is, having the ability to carry others on your shoulders.  It’s the trait that many are delighted by and can no doubt be defined as great. ( If you don’t believe me just look at what Lebron just did for the Land),  However we must also recognize that greatness can  be achieved when great players combine their efforts and sacrifice for the greater good.  We must communicate to individuals that it’s ok to team up and be terrific. Our churches, classrooms, careers, and communities need to know that when we have a synergistic perspective, the scope of our possibilities is limitless!

Peace,

Pastor Mike

P.S.- Interestingly the Warriors now have the last 3 MVP award winners.  Wouldn’t it be great if we had the first CO-MVP’s of the NBA this year?

A different way to be great!

                         Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.  Mark 10:43

Shockwaves went out across the NBA horizon yesterday as Kevin Durant made his decision to transition to the Golden State Warriors.  Soundbites and social media chatter abounds as to whether or not he made the right move.  Now I must admit that I’m a bit of a NBA nostalgic.  It’s hard for me to fathom what it would have been like to have Magic, Michael  or Larry unite for a NBA season or two.  However the purpose of this post is not to give my own opinion as to whether it was right or wrong for KD to leave OKC.

     First of all I give him much respect for doing what he thought was right for him amid all the criticism that he knew would come with it. In addition, his courage has caused me to ponder a few questions which I hope you will also consider: 

Is he weak for joining a winning team?

Can he be just as great by uniting with a great team?

Obviously KD felt this move was the right move for him as a player.  (BTW this teaches us that what’s right for you may not seem right to everybody else).  I’d like to share how great people uniting on great teams can also be the right move for us as well.

1.        When great players unite with a great team, it allows them to add value.  Ironically, the same Warriors fans that were hating on KD a couple of weeks ago, are now celebrating him because of what he will bring to the team.   But I submit to you that great players not only bring their amazing ability level, but also an amazing attitude that says, “I choose completing you over competing against you!”  They do not feel the need to strangle the spotlight to be a star or hog the headlines to be a hero.  What would our world look like if individuals prioritized  making things better over being bigger?

2.        When great players unite with a great team, it does not diminish their person, but helps develop their potential.  When great players look to add value to others, it creates a better outcome for themselves as well.  In fact, KD mentioned that one of the main reasons for his decision was the potential for his growth not only as a player but as a man.   We often fail to remember that great players have a need to be challenged not only by the predicaments they encounter but also by other great players.  Imagine what will arise from the daily conversations and competition with championship caliber teammates.

3.       When great players unite with a great team it emphasizes that the end game is what really matters.  After the colossal defeats that KD and also his new team experienced by both blowing 3-1 leads, they now have one thing on their mind- an all-out desire to win. When this desire is prevalent, it’s no longer about personal agendas or accolades but what really matters is accomplishing the goal of winning. 

      In conclusion, our culture continually emphasizes only one characteristic of greatness which is, having the ability to carry others on your shoulders.  It’s the trait that many are delighted by and can no doubt be defined as great. ( If you don’t believe me just look at what Lebron just did for the Land),  However we must also recognize that greatness can  be achieved when great players combine their efforts and sacrifice for the greater good.  We must communicate to individuals that it’s ok to team up and be terrific. Our churches, classrooms, careers, and communities need to know that when we have a synergistic perspective, the scope of our possibilities is limitless!

Peace,

Pastor Mike

P.S.- Interestingly the Warriors now have the last 3 MVP award winners.  Wouldn’t it be great if we had the first CO-MVP’s of the NBA this year?

Stinking Thinking

"We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."  Numbers 13:33

You may not be what you think you are but whatever you think, you are.  That luminous line reminds us that it is indeed our mentality that shapes our reality.  As Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."  It is problematic when we begin to let pessimistic thoughts peruse the perimeter of our minds.  In the vivacious vernacular of my father,  this is what is known as, "Stinking thinking".  What is stinking thinking?  Well the text above delineates in detail what it means to have this manner of  mindset.

In the text, the people of God are parked on the perimeter of their Promise land possession.  Because they are on the border of their blessing, they are given a vision, or a preview of coming attractions.  12 spies are chosen to check out the land and after 40 days report the results of their investigation to the rest of the congregation.  They begin by stating the enormous opportunities awaiting them in the land by saying, that it was good and "flows with milk and honey" vs. (27).  However it was at this point that stinking thinking began to surface as 10 of the 12 spies flipped the script and started talking about the eminent obstacles blocking their path.  Below are the characteristics of a stinking thinker.

1.  Stinking thinkers are pessimistic vs. (28).  In the face of something positive, 10 spies were determined to focus on what they assumed was negative.  We all know people just like this who have the tremendous talent to always believe and bring out the worst in the face of the best!

2.  Stinking thinkers are phobic vs. (29)- They report that there are fighting people in the land and since they are farmers, they are powerless to prevail.  Because of their cowardly demeanor, they lacked the courage and confidence to conquer.  People like this are always too afraid to step onto the stage of an opportunity because of "what could happen", or what "could go wrong".

3. Stinking thinkers reject the promises of God vs. (31).  Despite the assurance of success that God had already given them, they waved the white flag of surrender on their situation.  It is a tell-tell sign of a stinking thinker to say no when God has already said yes.

4. Stinking thinkers have the wrong perception of themselves vs. (33)- The text says because they saw themselves as grasshoppers, they believed others saw them in the same way.  In this case, their mindset became a mirror by which others view them.  We are quite familiar with people who project onto others what they really feel about themselves!

Tragically the stinking thinking of the ten caused them to miss out on what God had for them.

My prayer today is that you will not allow stinking thinking to short-circuit your success.

Peace!

Moving into a New Season!

Football fans are in a frenzy because their favorite time of year has come- It's football season!
The excitement is in the air not only for fans but also for the football teams for which they root. Teams from all over the nation are energized with expectation because they understand that it's a new season. This is especially true for those teams that experienced a disappointing season the previous year. They are pumped and primed to take advantage of a new season. That was the case for my Auburn Tigers last year about this time. After going through a horrific season in 2012 they were hopeful that 2013 would be a new and different season.

Have you ever been there? Have you ever had a disappointing season which was highlighted by setback and struggle? If we are honest all of us have had miserable moments and disappointing days that cause us to wonder when will we ever win?

Well if that's your current condition or if you are in need of a new season, join us at New Mt. Moriah this month as we began a preaching series entitled, "Moving into a new season!" This series of messages is tailored to teach that God is able to help us to successfully transition into brand new beginnings. Our worship service starts at 11:00. Come and let's walk into a new season together!

PEACE!

Pastor Mike

BTW- Auburn went from worst to first in the SEC so new seasons are possible!

Stand in the Gap!

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30

Is there someone on your heart but his or her situation is out your hand? If we are honest, there are people all around us who seem to be out of our reach to do anything to remedy, resolve or rectify their situation. I want to let you know that there is something you can do and it's called intercessory prayer. Today as we participate in National Day of Prayer, we must remember that everyday there are a plethora of issues that require our petitions. As we look at the conditions of our communities, cities, country, and culture, it is imperative that the people of God stand in the gap on their behalf.
The text above shows that in many cases without human intercession there will be no heavenly intervention!
Do you really want to see the earthly problems that adversely affect us addressed?
Then we need heavenly power that can only come thru actively engaging in intercessory prayer! From the scriptures, I want to share three powerful principles on intercession.

1. There is power in pleading to the Lord on behalf of others Genesis 18:20-32
After the Lord had revealed his plan to destroy the sinful city of Sodom, Abraham stood before the Lord on their behalf. He began his classic countdown of asking God to spare the city on behalf of 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, and 10. Interestingly, only when Abraham stopped pleading did the Lord move forward with His plan.
Are you willing to plead on the behalf of people who are perishing?

2. Persistently praying in faith gets God’s attention. Matthew 15:21-28
This example comes from the unexpected, for the woman in this text was a Canaanite. She came to Jesus on the behalf of her demon-possessed daughter. Initially Jesus ignored her request. Parenthetically permit me to say that there are times when the Savior also seems to be silent about our situation. These are just the times that we must persist, and keep on praying! This woman was not too proud to beg, believing that even a crumb of blessing from Christ could change her situation. Because of her great faith, her daughter was healed!
Note- One generation got to Jesus and another generation got the blessing!

3. Partnering in prayer can help deliver people from imprisoning predicaments Acts 12:5-17
In this text, the apostle Peter found himself in prison, on death row guarded by sixteen soldiers. To make matters worse, he was chained between two of them. However in this somber situation, vs. 5 says, “Peter was in prison, but prayer was made by the church”. We can learn a lot from their example. They did not call a business meeting, they called a prayer meeting. Miraculously, Peter was set free when the church came together and prayed. Regardless of what has gone down in the sentence of your situation, just add “but prayer” to it and watch God work!

Of course the greatest example of intercession comes fom our Lord Jesus Christ. He bridged the gap allowing sinful man to get back to God. The Bible even says that today He lives to make intercession for us!

My prayer today is for you to stand in the gap for our nation because one person can make a difference!

Absolutely Marvelous!

When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” Luke 7:9

When Jesus looks at your current level of faith, what does He see? Is your faith filled with great expectation or is it clouded by your current situation? Moreover, when Jesus looks at your faith what does he say? Does he commend it or does He condemn it? Does He applaud it or does he abhor it? In the above text, when Jesus saw a centurion's faith, He was amazed because this man's faith was absolutely marvelous! What does a marvelous faith look like? I'm glad that you asked!

1. Marvelous faith is willing to break out of the box. This man was a Roman centurion which basically meant he was in charge of at least 100 soldiers. He had position, popularity, and possessions. Today we would say he was a big baller and shot caller. However the text says that instead of depending on any of that stuff, he goes outside his normal network to a Jewish preacher for help. The text says he does so because he "heard about Jesus". Marvelous faith will always carry you beyond the confines of your current circumstance. What has God been trying to get you to hear that will move you beyond the borders of your current box?

2. Marvelous faith is willing to believe on behalf of others. This man sent for Jesus not for himself but because his servant was sick. One would think that someone that had many other soldiers wouldn't worry about losing one. However this man had the faith to focus on the needs of others. Today we live in a world, where in many instances, individuals have no problem believing for themselves. They name it and claim it, blab it and grab it, and tag it and bag it. My question is do you have enough faith to believe the best for your community, or your co-worker, or comrade?

3. Marvelous faith is willing to submit to Sovereign authority. Being one with authority and under authority, the centurion had come to understand that those with real power only have to speak and stuff happens. He believed that Jesus only had to say the word and the authority of his word would derail death! In response to this radical faith, his servant was healed. My friend, you need to know that everything in this world is still Word-activated! Trust the authority of the Word and watch God work in your world!

My prayer for you today is that you'll have a marvelous faith that brings forth miraculous things!

Rise, Shine and give God the Glory!

And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and amaze your bed, and he arose immediately."

Down is not your destiny! Let those words marinate in your mind, and sink into your spirit. No matter how life has knocked you down, situations have gotten you down, or people have let you down, today I decree that you don't have to stay down! That's the lesson we learn in the text above. The Bible declares that a brother by the name of Aeneas was dealing with a paralyzing predicament and had been bedridden for 8 years. He had the unfortunate experience of being stuck in the same situation year after year. Imagine the pain that he experienced as bed sores begin to develop as he lay on his bed day in and day out. To make matters worse think of how much of his potential was being aborted as he lay bedridden day after day.

I'm talking to someone and although your name is not Aeneas, you know something about feeling stuck in a situation where your potential, productivity, and possibilities have been paralyzed. If that's you, the word for you today is that you can rise up! The text is tailored to teach us 3 things that we must understand if we would rise above those things that strive to keep us down, limited, and restrained.

1. The Power of God is greater than any predicament. The text says that the difference making disciple by name of Peter, comes to Aeneas and tells him, "Jesus Christ heals you." Peter didnt use his name or insert some other individuals name, because there is power only in One name and that's the name of Jesus. I declare today that there is still power in that name to get you up and out of any paralyzing predicament. I don't care how bad it looks, if God can raise a dead Jesus, He can raise you too!

2. There is a personal responsibility connected to your rising up. Aeneas heard his name and believed in the power of God to do for him what he couldn't do for himself. However there was still something left that he could do, make his bed. God often does what we can't do so that we can do what we can do. I'm talking to some Aeneas who has grown accustomed to somebody doing for you. After all you've been dependent upon others for some time. Please understand that nobody is going to make your bed for you. Nobody is going to complete the application, submit the resume, enroll in the class for you. Do what you can!

3. Once God gets you up, you are a prime candidate to bring God glory. The text says that after Aeneas got up that the people in two cities saw him and believed on The Lord. Did you get that? They saw a changed life and trusted The Lord. My friend God still uses changed people to change the world. God is going to use what you've been thru to get glory out of it!

The famous fighter Muhammad Ali was was once knocked down early in a fight against a relatively unknown fighter. However he got up and later won the fight. Later reporters asked him what was on his mind as he lay on the canvas. He replied, he was telling himself, "Get up because the ground is no place for a champion!"

My prayer for you today is that you will realize that God has put it in you to rise because you are a champion!

Peace!