bob thoughts

vacation

Sorry for the lack of posts lately but we are in Texas seeing some family and hanging out by the lake. You can check out my twitter feed to keep up with all the vacation happenings.

financial advice

I read a lot of blogs and from time to time I will read something and wish I could have said that because it is true and good. In those cases I will just re-post their thoughts here because they said it better than I could. Shawn Lovejoy is a pastor in the Atlanta area and today on his blog he posted some financial advice.

As I've mentioned before, my family and our church is not exempt from the challenges many people in our community and world is facing. Our giving has been affected some. However, I have to tell you that we are weathering the financial tsunami better than just about any person or church I know of, right now! One of the reasons our church is weathering the storm more effectively is because of a Biblical financial principle we have practiced since we  launched Mountain Lake 8 1/2 years ago. We call it: "Balancing Faith with Wisdom." And we talk about it ALL THE TIME!
        First of all, did you know that the Bible talks about WISDOM in regards to our finances WAY MORE than it talks about exercising FAITH in regards to our finances? In fact, when the Bible talks about faith in the Bible, it often has NOTHING to do with money. However, almost every time God speaks about wisdom in the Bible, money and possessions will be mentioned somewhere around it!What does this tell us? That wisdom should be the driving factor in our financial decisions as Christians and churches. However, I have to be honest with you in saying that I've heard many Christ followers and church leaders talk about their financial decision making process, and by their words, I could tell they were emphasizing FAITH at the neglect of wisdom! For instance, I've heard people say: "Well, the numbers don;t add up, but we're stepping out on faith," OR "Well, we are not meeting budget, but somehow, God will provide," OR "We're just praying for a miracle." While these phrases may express our desire to trust God, we have to be careful we don't abdicate our responsibility to exercise WISDOM by being GREAT MANAGERS of the resources God has already entrusted to us!
        I believe far too many Christians and churches have overemphasized the idea of faith in regards to our budgeting and spending practices, at the neglect of exercising wisdom by practicing the Biblical principles given to us in black and white (and red and white) in the Bible!

For example, in the Bible God teaches us that we should:

• Seek lots of counsel before making financial decisions.
• Gain as much knowledge on a subject as possible!
• Pray before financial decisions.
• Estimate the full cost of a project before we start.
• Know where ALL of our money goes.
• Store up savings for tough days ahead.
• NOT co-sign on a note with a family member.
• Avoid debt where possible.
• Make financial plans.
• Not only have a plan, but be diligent to live by that plan.
• Discern the times and adjust our plans according to them.
• Foresee danger and take action.

Are you and your church balancing faith with wisdom? If you ARE, you'll be OK! That's the promise from God! If you're not, start today!

P.S. For your reading pleasure, here are some snippets from God's Word that emphasize wisdom in regards to our finances:

Proverbs 24:3-6 (NLT) A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables. A wise man is mightier than a strong man, and a man of knowledge is more powerful than a strong man. So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many counselors.

Proverbs 27:12 (NLT) A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

Proverbs 6:6-8 (NIV) Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

Proverbs 21:20 (NIV) In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.

Proverbs 21:5 (NIV) The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

Proverbs 12:15 (NLT) Fools think they need no advice, but the wise listen to others.

Luke 14:28-30 (NLT) “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at you! They would say, ‘there’s the person who started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!’

attributes

I'm not sure you get to pick and choose the attributes that people use to describe you, but if you did I know one that I would like to be described as.

Tenacious -
1. holding fast; characterized by keeping a firm hold (often fol. by of): a tenacious grip on my arm; tenacious of old habits.

2.	highly retentive: a tenacious memory.

3.	pertinacious, persistent, stubborn, or obstinate.

4.	adhesive or sticky; viscous or glutinous.

5.	holding together; cohesive; not easily pulled asunder; tough.

Say it - TENACIOUS. No really say it. Doesn't it sound cool? But more than that I like what it represents - the ability to keep getting up no matter how many times you get knocked down.

In a recent conversation with a very successful business man I asked him to describe some of his biggest failures. His response has bounced around in my head ever since. He said that he had no failures. Maybe a few setbacks here and there but not failures.

I've had a few set backs in my life but I want to be TENACIOUS!

What attribute would you like people to use to describe you?

vanagon

We just bought a 1982 VW vanagon. It's partly for me but mainly for me and DJ to work on because it's going to be his first car. It's in pretty good shape and I think it will be a lot of fun for us to drive around.

I think this counts as a funny Monday post because every time I look at the van it makes me smile. I think it is so ugly that it makes it cool.

Give me a call if you want a ride in the van. We are charging $1 per ride to raise money for some new wheels and paint. Just kidding - well about charging but if you want a ride just give us a call.

I know a lot of you think I'm crazy and now you have proof. But at least I can have fun while everyone is laughing at me.

uncertain times

Seth Godin writes a blog that I read every day. He writes about a lot of business and marketing principles and he is so smart that he frustrates me.

Today  on his blog he said this: (check out his blog to read the entire post)
Growth is frightening for a lot of people. It brings change and the opportunity for public failure. So if the astrological signs aren't right or the water is too cold or we've got a twinge in our elbow, we find an excuse. We decide to do it later, or not at all.

But uncertain times, frozen liquidity, political change and poor astrological forecasts (not to mention chicken entrails) all lead to less competition, more available talent and a do-or-die attitude that causes real change to happen.

If I wasn't already running my own business, today is the day I'd start one.

From my perspective there is no better time for the church then now. We have a great opportunity to partner with God and have a huge impact on our community and our world. If I wasn't already pastoring a church, today is the day I'd start one.

How can you partner with God to make a huge impact. God wants to use you to change the world and there is no better time than now!

focus

I'm having a hard time focusing this morning because there are so many things running through my head. I thought I would give you a glimpse inside my mind.

• I wonder what will happen in the stock market today?
• I love fall weather - the leaves changing and the temperature
• I was bidding on a vw vanagon on ebay and I lost - I'm sad
• I love my iphone
• Got a lot of work to do in the basement to get the church ready for Sunday
• Speaking of Sunday I'm super excited about the Hostage series
• Travelocity is not my favorite company right now - spent 1 hr and 15 min on the phone with them last night
• Chinese finger cuffs are cool
• Monday night football was great!
• Thankful for guys like Steve Walton (he's helping at the church again)
• I love my job - what an honor to work at LifePoint
• My sunglasses are in my wife's car - arrrr
• I wish I were a faster reader
* I have a great wife and great kids
• Maybe Quizno's for lunch
• I drink to much soda

I could go on but that might get boring or scary and neither would be good. Thanks for reading.

LifeShare

Coming up this next Wednesday, September 17 we are starting LifeShare, a 7 day online challenge for all of us with blogs, friends in social networks, and in online communities to put our love and faith into action…Check it out! or Sign up now to get started!

I've been intrigued now for awhile about the possibilities with on-line communities and how that could possibly impact our spiritual journeys. When you get a chance please click on the above link and let's see how this little experiment goes.

a day to remember

I hesitate to post about 9-11-01 because I'm not sure exactly what to say. It's a tradgety that all Americans share but I wasn't there on that day so I don't want to pretend I know what it was like. I know what it was like for me as I sat down that night and watched tv but I can't imagine what it would have been like if you lived in New York City.

I think everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing on that day. I'm not very good at numbers and dates but that day I will never forget. It was my first day on the job at New Horizon Church in Durham, North Carolina. We kept getting phone calls asking if we had heard. We all gathered around a little portable tv to see what was going on.

I remember that night feeling so overwhelmed. I was trying to deal with it on a personal level but at the same time trying to think through how to help people as a church deal with this issue.

Take a moment today to think about where you were when you heard the news. How did you feel? Take a moment and pray for those families that deal with the loss of family and friends. Pray for our country as continue to move forward. And pray for churches today - pray that churches not only help in a time of crisis but help daily to make the world a better place.

dear future

I'm super pumped about Friday night. LifePoint wanted to do something to welcome back the SIUE students for another semester so we are hosting a concert with dear future. The concert will be Friday night at 8:00PM and the cost is $3 at the door. The concert will be at the church - 129 Steiss, Glen Carbon.

Take some time to check out this band - they are very good and I am glad they're coming to LifePoint. If you get a chance you can check out their myspace page and you can buy their album on itunes (well worth the $5).

things to do before you die

Procrastination is a habitual pastime for many of us. In fact, many would agree with the statement, "Why do today what you can do tomorrow!" Others live by the motto, "Don't get in a big rush-there's always tomorrow."

Do you have a list of things you want to do before you die? Dave Freeman did.

Dave Freeman, co-author of "100 Things to Do Before You Die," died after hitting his head in a fall at his home. He was 47.

"This life is a short journey," the book says. "How can you make sure you fill it with the most fun and that you visit all the coolest places on earth before you pack those bags for the very last time?" He did not get to do everything on his list!

Tomorrow is not promised so if you leave this earth today are you pleased with how you lived today? You can't change the past but you can make today a great day.

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath.” Psalms 39:4-5 NLT

So if you could only do one thing today what is the one thing you’d do?

Can you narrow down what’s most important to you or what you are most passionate about to one phrase? Take some time to ponder that idea and you might surprise yourself. Now, it’s time to take action – make an impact.

Today you could change the world!