THE 42nd GENERATION

On September 29, 2011, I am going to do an inspirational presentation before at a Regional Lions Club Dinner, a group part of the worldwide Lions Club International.   This is an organization of volunteers who serve their communities.  In preparation for my session, I met with Chester, a club president.  I wanted to meet Chet and get familiar with him, his members, and the organization's mission.  As a result, I discovered something quite inspiring. In our discussions, Chet told me he wanted to know what part Helen Keller played in the development of the organization.   I said I would investigate that.  As we talked further about various things, we decided that my presentation to the group would be about identity and purpose for individuals and an organization.  I went home and came up with a message called, "Who We Are is Why We Are" , a unique perspective on understanding who we are and the purposes we could be pursuing that fit our passions and t...

There are 3 kinds of leaders:          CUITTERS , CAMPERS, and CLIMBERS.  1. CUITTERS quit. They stay where they are and become long time campers, or they go back down to where they once were. Surprisingly, some followers follow them. 2. CAMPERS either quit and stay where they are too long, or camp to rest up and start again to get to a next level. Some followers stay with them and camp long or rest with them and prepare for the next steps. 3. CLIMBERS are learners and take action, purposefully moving to the next level, always growing, always becoming someone who they were not the day before.  Let's follow climbers, and lead those who follows us. Where are we today? Are we leading in the right direction?  Don't CUIT, don't CAMP more than necessary, and CLIMB on As Christians, having Christ formed in us, we should be pressing on no matter what.  Vince Lombardi seemed to have that attitude.  Here is some of wh...

Do you remember the 1991 movie “City Slickers” ?   That's only 20 years ago. "Mitch" is a 39 year old city Slicker, played by Billy Crystal. "Curly" is an old guy, played by Jack Palance.  In a scene where both were on horseback, moving along slowly, herding cattle, they had this conversation: Curly    “Do you know what the secret of life is?” Mitch   “No, what?” Curly    “This.”   Curly holds up his index finger, representing one thing. Mitch   “One finger?” Curly    “One thing, just one thing.  You stick to that and the rest don’t mean nothin’. ” Mitch   “That’s great, but what’s the one thing. ” Curly    “That’s what you gotta figure out. ” Here is a version of the scene on you tube:  "The Secret of Life"   In February 1998, as I was going though some difficult times, I wrote down these thoughts (but let's pretend that Curly said them in the movie):  Curly...

"Oh me, oh my.  What am I to do about life's problems?"  NO!!!!!  That's not what to say about the trying times of life.  What to say is, "PRESS ON!!!!  NO MATTER WHAT!!!!  PRESS ON!!!!" I am encouraged today, greatly encouraged today.  Why?  Because I have found a few Christians who really get it and they are planting seeds in my life, and thus encouraging me to press on, no matter what.  They are speaking life into my spirit.  Encourage one another.  Strengthen one another.  That's what the Word says to do for one another, as well as about 40 other "one another phrases ".  With some things in my life, I might say that my back is at the Red Sea and Pharaoh is coming dead-on straight at me.   What shall I say?  "Oh me, oh my.  What am I to do about life's problems ?"    NO!!!!!   I am saying, "PRESS ON!!!!  NO MATTER WHAT!!!!  PRESS ON!!!!  MY GOD IS BIG!!!! " My Aunt...

Since discovering G42 on July 2, 2011 , and subsequently considering the topic of "being dead to self" , I have been reading Paul's letters to the churches in Rome, Corinth, and Galatia.  It's quite shocking to read about what he said the believers were doing in those cities .  Pretty bad things.  Then Paul talks about himself, not doing what he wants to do, but doing what he does not want to.  That makes me ask, "What was he doing that he should not have been doing?"   Maybe it's good that we don't know, because if we did, we might compare ourselves to him and say, "Well, I'm not that bad.  I should be okay" or "I am worse than that.  How can I expect to make it."  Paul gave a lot of instructions to the churches in those letters.  Some instructions related to the sins some had been committing.  It's not a pretty picture. Those letters, where Paul addresses what the believers were doing that was sinful, make we wonder , ...