Turtle Kills Phone

There is always something interesting that happens on vacation. You can have the benefit of a chuckle at my expense.

Tricia’s mother would never let them have real pets when they were growing up. The only pets they could have were a turtle and I think her mother once went out on a limb and allowed her to have a hamster but he met a mysterious death.

Enough background, Tricia decided she would relive her childhood and bring her sister a pet turtle from Texas. We have been babying this turtle for about a month. He has a Tupperware home with a few rocks and about a quarter of an inch of water. Seemed like a nice thing to do for five dollars.

We had traveled about six hundred miles when I pulled my phone out to see if we could make find a place to stay for the night. It was after this that Murphy's Law kicked in. Coming upon a major traffic slow down I applied my breaks and my phone flew off the console like a downhill skier and of course landed in the only problematic spot in the van; the turtle habitat.

I have comfort in knowing my phone met a speedy death. Only a few flickers that reminded me of the lights on my Christmas tree and it was gone. However, the turtle is a much more expensive gift now. 

Schedule Clutter

Ecclesiastes 3:11 Weariness is often the result of trying to do more than God intends; which means I am not letting Him order my day.  Think about that for a few moments. God doesn’t intend for one to be rushed, hurried, burdened or tired because we are racing through life trying to cover more miles than we have fuel. He wants control of our entire life including our schedule. When He has control we have perfect order because we are doing exactly what he wants, nothing more nothing less.

I am not being naïve. I realize that there are situations and jobs that require us to work in a manner that is beyond our control. I also realize that 99.9% of the population is waiving their hands in the air thinking I just described their situation.

I am working at this myself.  Busy does not always equate with productive. Busy will usually obtain some praise from those watching our frantic pace but I am becoming more and more convinced that chaos in our lives should be a caution flag and well meaning friends waving the green flag of praise should exchange it for a red or checkered flag. The plumb line is our relationship with Christ and those who love us should hand out speeding tickets when we are racing ahead of where Christ wants us.

We often display weariness like a winner’s trophy. God doesn’t intend for us to burn out or rust out. He simply wants us to be dependent upon Him.

If every thirty minute slot is filled in your day timer you may want to ask yourself these questions.

1.    Am I praying about my schedule?

2.    Am I pursuing ways to eliminate schedule clutter?

3.    Am I prioritizing my schedule in this order? 1) God, 2) Family,  3) Occupation

4.    Am I seeking counsel from others? Proverbs 12:15, Proverbs 19:20

5.    Is the time I spend complaining about my schedule greater than praying, pursuing and seeking counsel combined?

6.    Am I willing to let to admit I have schedule chaos and allow God to order my day?

If the following comments or responses are part of your daily conversation you may be ignoring God’s planning for your life. Like I have time for that! I can’t add a single item to my schedule. I am running on empty. My plate is full. You want me to do what? I am up to my ears with work. I don’t have time for anything else. I can’t help myself I am a workaholic or I have a type A personality. Hobby, you have to be kidding I don’t have time for a hobby. More often than not these types of comments are used to coax someone into throwing a few complimentary bones our way.

If your schedule is so filled God couldn’t call an audible if He wanted you are running the wrong plays.  

A schedule that leaves you panting for breath is not the mark of a Spirit filled life, a fruit of the Spirit or an indication of a mature believer. It simply means that you are in the driver’s seat and at very best Jesus is riding along in the passenger seat.

If you are driving yourself at a break neck pace it might be time to pull in for a pit stop! 

Missions Poll

Don't forget to vote in the poll located in the right margin. If you are visiting the Chaordic Zone you have voting privileges. 

Forgiveness

I sometimes wonder if forgiveness has become more like a fairy tale in the minds of Christians. Something like Paul Bunyan, Cinderella, Snow White or Jack and the Bean Stalk. My guess would be that one could name more fairy tales than they could instances of actual forgiveness. If you are wondering what forgiveness look like from a Biblical perspective look through the list below. I particularly like the ones that mention your enemies. I haven’t had many enemies in my lifetime but I would have to ask myself some serious questions based on these verses.

 Proverbs 24:17 (NASB95)

17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;

Would I consider it an appropriate or inappropriate behavior if my enemy stumbles? The spirit would say, “Help your enemy up”. The flesh would say, “Cheer and rejoice. Replay the moment they deserve over and over”. 

Proverbs 25:21 (NASB95)

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 22 For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the Lord will reward you.

I laughed a little after reading this one. I realize burning coals are not literal burning coals in this passage but it appears that if you do one thing you may not want to do you get two great ones in return. You will not find this explanation in any commentary but I will continue by saying we never go wrong when we follow the Scripture! Some things may appear to be unpleasant, like forgiving your enemies, but with or without the burning coals it will solve a lot of problems even if you have been wronged. 

Take a few moments to move your mouse over the verses below and ask yourself the question, “Am I a forgiving person?” I am sure glad Jesus is forgiving! 

Ex. 23:4, Ex. 23:5

Prov. 19:11

Prov. 24:17, Prov. 24:29

Prov. 25:21, Prov. 25:22

Rom. 12:20

Eccl. 7:21

Matt. 5:7, Matt 5:39–41, Matt. 5:43–46; Matt 5:47,48

Luke 6:27–34

Matt. 6:12

Luke 11:4

Matt. 6:14, Matt. 6:15

Matt. 18:21–35

Mark 11:25

Luke 6:35–37

Luke 17:3, 4

Matt. 18:21, Matt. 18:22

Rom. 12:14, Rom. 12:17, Rom. 12:19, Rom 12:21 

1Cor. 4:12, 1 Cor. 4:13

Eph. 4:32

Col. 3:13

WKU Hilltoppers

A little off topic here but I am on vacation. Western Kentucky University or WKU has a rich history. The basketball team has had some significant achievements that you may not be aware of unless you are a basketball purist.

This is a list of Men's Division I college basketball teams ranked by the number of wins, as of the 2007-08 season. Be sure to notice the team at number 17. I have heard a couple of people in Katy mention them and say they have a decent program as well.

Rank	College	Wins	Losses	Winning percent
1	Kentucky	1966	621	.760
2	North Carolina	1950	784	.713
3	Kansas	1943	785	.712
4	Duke	1846	808	.696
5	Syracuse	1725	796	.684
6	Temple	1689	948	.641
7	St. John's	1670	850	.663
8	Pennsylvania	1647	931	.639
9	UCLA	1646	717	.697
10	Indiana	1635	884	.649
11	Notre Dame	1630	893	.646
12	Utah	1613	848	.655
13	Illinois	1585	843	.653
14	Western Kentucky	1577	771	.672
15	Oregon State	1576	1162	.576
16	Washington	1564	1038	.601
17	Texas	1563	933	.626
18	Louisville	1556	825	.654
19	Brigham Young	1553	986	.612
20	Arizona	1547	844	.647

19 NCAA Appearances

4 Final Fours

39 Conference Titles

28 All Americans

Sports teams have an immense amount of significance to those that follow them. Just think about how much significance our church has in the lives of others. I can't even begin to post the major achievements we have made. We also need to have the same kind of fervor for our church that we have for our favorite teams.

Believe You Will Get Results

A friend of mind recently pointed out this quote to me. "I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done...Henry Ford". Reminds me of the question, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” Robert H. Schuller". Which reminds me of  Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

NASB : 1995 Update 

This whole thought begs the question, "What am I doing in my life where I have to be totally dependent upon Jesus for the results?" 

If you were wondering where chaos looms large I think it is right here. Order seldom provokes creativity but chaos will send you right out to the cutting edge. Jump back to Henry Ford for a second. He was looking for men or women with an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done. Henry, sounds like he was my close friend when I only say Henry, also said, "If you think you can do a thing, you're right or if you think you can't do a thing, you're right."

It's not always easy but I want to live my life attempting new things, going new places.  I want to be a vessel that God could choose to use for something out of the ordinary. I don't want mediocrity, lukewarm, ordinary or common. Passion is the desire to make your dreams a reality. Any time that I can spend defining my passions is time well spent. 

Joshua 1:8 urges me to reflect on the Word day and night. Now if I mix an infinite capacity to not know what cannot be done (chaos) with a healthy dose of time in the Word (order) it seems that I might be able to enter The Chaordic Zone! Shouldn't we all test the waters here? "The world has yet to see what God can do through a man/woman who is totally commited to him." - D.L. Moody

Just remember the nemesis to the "Chaordic Zone" is the "Spotlight Effect". Psychologists have shown that the "spotlight effect," as they call it, is a universal experience that distorts our egocentric notion about the degree to which people in groups, like parties and work gatherings, pay attention to us. 

In other words the prescription should read like this; mix an infinite capacity to not know what cannot be done (chaos) with a healthy dose of time in the Word (order), less all of that time you spend admiring yourself in the mirror. Focus not on what you can do for yourself but on what you can to for your Savior!

—Benedict Carey is credited for creating the term "spotlight effect", "It's not all about you," Los Angeles Times, January 13, 2002