Initiative
The Power of Initiative
The Book of Ruth
I’m drawn to the initiative of Naomi and Ruth. It reminds me of a difficult time in my early 30’s when I made a challenging transition from church youth ministry into the business world. Despite hard work and diligence, my first couple of years in sales were very lean financially and overall, quite difficult, to say the least. But after a couple of years of failures, I was given a job opportunity by my old college roommate that helped turned our life around. I worked very hard and persevered through a lot of obstacles.
It was during this time in my life when I spent some considerable time setting long range goals and plans for my life. I remember the tension I felt between setting lofty goals in very specific terms and knowing in my heart that I should be willing to surrender to God whatever happened to me. I wanted to be successful very much. But I wanted it to be God’s way, not mine. So, I prayerfully took the initiative and set a very specific long-term plan for my life. Read more
The Plan
Over the Christmas break, while we were in Bulgari visiting my daughter and her family, I worked on a book I am compiling from some of my past writing. For some of the book, I will be using the book of Ruth. The next couple of posts are from Ruth and I thought I’d post them as they pertain to planning and taking initiative to improve one’s life. I thought it would be good as we start the New Year. The key caveat is taking initiative within careful, prayerful introspection.
The Plan
The Book of Ruth
She (Ruth) gleaned in the field until evening...Her mother-in-law (Naomi) then said to her, ‘Where did you glean today and where did you work?...the name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.’ Naomi said to Ruth, ‘The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives.’
Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, ‘My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. It shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.’ She said to her, ‘All that you say I will do.’
The story of Ruth, a Moabite, is a story of redemption and rescue. Ruth needed both; she was in a tough place in life. But she didn’t just wait and whine about her sad state, hoping for someone to rescue her. She took action! More specifically, this posting is a calling to Prayerful Action & Initiative! That is, acting under the careful and prayerful guidance of God. Read more
It’s Simple
It’s Simple
Proverbs
In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, ‘Ask what I shall give you.’ Solomon said to God, ‘You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and have made me king in his place. Now, O Lord God, You promise to my father David is fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people for who can rule this people of Yours? 2 Chronicles 1:8-10
God plays the magic genie and offers to grant Solomon whatever he wants. Solomon refers to God’s lovingkindness which is a particular reference of God’s faithfulness to fulfill His covenant with David. In the Davidic covenant, God promised David a son that rule after him as the next step in God’s ultimate promise to David that from his heirs, the Messiah would come. And that his kingdom would last forever. Read more
Someone’s Praying
I know where you can get a Christmas sweater! Some how, I resisted the temptation to buy it myself. :)
Someone’s Praying
John 17
Have you ever heard someone pray and you knew immediately that this person and their prayer was something special? I heard a woman pray several years ago at our Wednesday prayer service and I was mesmerized. She was intimately acquainted with God. That fact was crystal clear from the moment she opened her mouth. There was nothing routine about this prayer. She was passionate, intense, humble and worshipful.
In this chapter Jesus is praying to the Father, out loud and with great detail. It is a wonder! It gives us a picture into the intercessory prayer ministry of Jesus. Other passages tell us that Jesus is going to the wilderness to pray, that He prayed all night or in others sections, Jesus teaches us how to pray. But here in chapter 17, we see the actual content of His prayer. It is Jesus praying. There is not another portion of scripture like it. Read more
So That
Merry Christmas from the Bennett's. They are our life-long friends from Northern CA.
So That
John 17
Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You. John 17:1
Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that Scripture would be fulfilled. But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. John 17:11-13
That they may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent me. John 17:21
(Please note that Jesus used the words "that" and "so that" in His prayer. I’ll refer to it later in this post). Read more
These Things
Today, Leigh and I fly to Bulgaria to spend Christmas and New Years with these guys!
These Things
These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full, John 15:11
These things I have spoken too you so that you may be kept from stumbling. John 16:1
These things I have spoken to you so that you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
What are these things? I want to know what these things are. Why? Because whatever these things are, they bring what everyone in this world is looking for. Jesus said these things will bring you and me: Read more
A Grain of Sand
A Grain of Sand
In Ben Bergeron’s the book, Chasing Excellence: A Story About Building the world’s fittest athletes, a young world-class athlete recaps the critical aspect of the training process that Bergeron took her through leading up to winning the 2015 and 2016 CrossFit Games. There was, of course, the relentless dedication to time in the gym, building strength and stamina, repetitively focusing on the fundamentals. But the real difference was the grueling application of training in the area of mental strength and mental stamina. Read more
That’s Not Nice
My daughter, Beri, sent this picture and said, “This is Nate at International Basketball camp (the shorty). He kept getting moved up to more advanced groups. My friend’s seventh grader said to her, “it’s weird guarding Nate because he’s so tiny but if I don’t guard him, he scores.” Nate is in 3rd grade. I’m kinda proud.
That’s Not Nice
John 15:18-26
If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you...But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hate Me without a cause.’
These things I have spoken to you so that you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
In my apartment complex in Houston there is a coffee room with a couple of machines that can create all manners of coffee. As I was leaving the room with both an espresso and a regular cup of coffee, I noticed that some careless person had spilled their coffee on the floor. Down the hall a worker was mopping the floor. I mentioned to him that someone had spilled coffee just outside the coffee room. As I said it, I gave a smirk as if to say with my facial expression, boy, some people are just careless and sloppy. He smiled and walked toward the spill. Read more
We Have a Theme!
Picture from a Christmas party for one of my departments, the Business Development group led by Nate Olsen!
We Have a Theme!
Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:13
If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:14
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7
You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. John 15:16
I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I noticed a pattern here in Jesus’ upper room, 2-minute warning pep talk. Read more