This weekend I was blessed to watch the discipline of 1,000s of people played out.  I participated in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon as a spectator – see last sentence in paragraph above.  Over 27,000 people ran, walked, jogged and/or slogged (slow jog) their way from Epcot Center, through the Magic Kingdom and back to Epcot – a distance of 13.1 miles.   And there were also quite a few wheelchair racers who blew through that course – several of them multi-amputees.  Still brings tears to my eyes and can cause me some level of shame! Check this out to “feel my pain.”

What is amazing is that 99% of the athletes did it just to do it.  Now they did get a medal – and since this is a Disney event it was a VERY nice medal….suitable for mounting, for sure.  And I would say 90% of these folks spent LOTS of time preparing for this single event.  It took much discipline to go from the couch to the treadmill or to the street and get moving.  Well, the first time it might have been based on some emotional decision but later as the going got rougher – whether that was rainy weather or achy knees or the finances to purchase new shoes – discipline is what kept them going.  Self-discipline.  I am reminded of the verse from I Corinthian 9:27 – I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. (New Living Translation)

Discipline is setting your mind to doing something and then buffeting your body to do what your Spirit, soul or mind want to do.  And many ways, it is not punishment because we are WAY more than just flesh and blood.  We can believe, desire and think about doing something all we want but if our body doesn’t engage it is not happening.

So what is your “something?”  Run a half marathon – or a FULL?  Lose 20 pounds?  Clean out the garage?  Have a daily quiet time?  Get out of debt?  Write a book?

Over the next couple of days, I am going to spend time determining what my “somethings” are for 2012 and then I am going to go about disciplining my body to make it happen.

What about you?  Would love to hear what your somethings will be in 2012.  Let’s embrace what we LOVE about discipline – the results and not focus on the part we HATE – the pain of getting the results!

Part of my reluctance to blog is often because I don’t think I have that much to say.  Who am I?  What do I have to write about that is worth anyone’s valuable time to read?  Nobody probably reads it any way, right?  Ok do you see the downward spiral I can talk myself into without much effort?

As has been my tradition for the past 7 years, I went to Andrea and Bowdie Jenkins home for Christmas.  This tradition started the first Christmas I was in Texas when Bowdie called and said, “I always want my boys to wake up with Aunt Beck on Christmas morning.  Will you come here?”  It still brings tears to my eyes and now he has three boys!  My time there was delightful and Andrea, the consummate gift giver (and a gifts lover herself), blessed me with many wonderful gifts one of which was a book by Renee Swope entitled A Confident Heart.

What does my Christmas and blogging have in common?  A lot, when you consider the subtitle of the book:  How to Stop Doubting Yourself and Live in the Security of God’s Promises.  From the very first page, I was overwhelmed by how this book was speaking to me and how my doubts, insecurities, etc. have kept me from living out the promises God has for me.  Even the forword by Lysa TerKeurst, president of Proverbs 31 ministry, captured what is so true in my heart.  Let me quote a few lines:

I carried around a little heart-shaped cup and held it out to whatever or whomever I perceived might fill it.

I presented the cup to my education:  “Will you fill me?”

I offered it to my husband:  “Will you fill me?”

I held it out to my child:  “Will you fill me?”

I extended it to my material possessions:  “Will you fill me?”

I presented it to each of my jobs:  “Will you fill me?”

…The more I offered my emptiness, hoping something could fill it, the more inadequate I felt.

I have only gotten through a chapter and a half but I sense this will be a well worn book that I will refer to and re-do for many years to come.  If you get the chance, head to Amazon and check out A Confident Heart’s “Click to Look Inside” and at least read the forword…if you are at all like me, you will be adding it to your cart in no time.

Let me know if you do….that is if anyone reads this.

Our lies will always find us out.  (19:5)

Lies for a time seem good.  (20:17)

Lives built on lies will crumble.  (21:6)

Lies are the root of all pain.  (25:18)

The Lord hates lying lips. (6:17)

What is so wonderful is that the opposite of lying is freeing and life giving.  Lies destroy but truth will set you free.  Oh it may be painful at first but in the end truth is the best course of action..in the small things of life – “You have a bit of spinach between you two front teeth and each time you say the ‘th’ sound it flaps just a bit” as well as in the big things of life – “You need to end your engagement because your fiancee is in debt up to his ears and is not anywhere near ready for marriage.”

In my life, I was blessed to have people speak truth to me that uncovered the lies I was believing.  Those truths were painful to take at times but because of the love for me of the truth speaker it made it just a bit more palatable.  And in the end, those wonderful truths brought freedom and life.

Why don’t you take some time today and examine your life to see if there are any lies that you are believing?  Or why not ask a trusted friend if he or she thinks there are lies you are acting on in your life?  Of you are really gutsy, why not ask God?  It may be painful at first but in the long run it will set you free!

Since becoming a Christ follower in 1992, I have the joy of being welcomed into many families as if I were their blood kin.  The first family was the Jones’ which then extended to their daughters’ families, the Jenkins’ and the Strickland’s.  The next family that really embraced me, and it happened at almost the same time, are the Riley’s and their daughters’ families, the Warbington’s, Deagle’s and Kirkland’s.  What fun memories come flashing through my mind as I think of the weddings of four of these five daughters!!  I was honored to serve the families at these events.

After moving to Houston, I really began to realize how true it was that I was a part of their family.  Many children have been born into these families since my move, I think six out of seventeen, but they all call me Aunt Beck.  While in Houston, God brought even more families to welcome me into their fold, the Smyth’s from Brandon, Manitoba, the Heath’s from Edisto Beach, SC and the Hulzebos’ from Lakeland, FL!

All of these families are my families.  I would not hesitate, regardless of the hour or the issue, to call any one of them and say I need your help.  I know that they would be there for me.  I could show up at their doorsteps unannounced and they would welcome me in and ask, “Can you stay a long time?”  They have prayed for me, counseled me, rebuked me, supported me and loved me.

During my time in the Middle East, I had much time to reflect on my life.  (Reading Who Are You and What Do you Want? has really helped in facilitating this reflection.)  While there, I missed several “now or never” moments with these families and I don’t want to do that again.  Also, living alone in a culture that is so familial and relational has only increased my resolve to do all I can to develop even deeper relationships with these folks as well as with my biological family.  Having the freedom to live in the Tampa Bay area is such a gift as I am able to spend quantity as well as quality time with my mom, dad, stepmom and brother.

Are you solitary?  Trust God and begin asking Him to settle you in with families.  And don’t be afraid to do life with them.  Are you a family?  Reach out to those who are solitary.  Extend invitations to welcome them into your home for dinner, for ballgame watching or just hanging out.  Be the tool God uses to settle the lonely into families.

To see my “family” as well as some friends, check out this photo album.

for Part 1)

Oh, I had very little faith that it could really make a difference – I had no life changing experience or revelation that called me to pick it up.  I was just so desperate that I was willing to try anything.  My years of church attendance had taught me that living the Christian life is not complicated – an aerospace degree was not necessary to figure this out.  Three simple actions that needed to be taken on a regular basis:  #1 pray, #2 read the Bible and #3 fellowship with other believers.  That was it.  Doing these three things with your whole heart for an extended period of time is the definition of a Christian walk.  But really, could something so simple take the mess of my life and turn it into anything good?  Since I had nothing else to lose I might as well try it and being an all or nothing kind of girl I went all out.

It is interesting now to look back at those early years – 1992, 1993 – and read my journal entries.  Every time – and I mean 100% of the time – God revealed something to me in His Word.  It was not necessarily some profound theological concept but it was a slow realization that this book – this Bible – was something special.  Here is an entry from November 24, 1992:

II Peter 2:  v. 9 The Lord can and does do what is right and what He wants to do.  He has the power to do all things.  v. 19 No matter what, all people are slaves to that which masters them – it could be God, money, sex, people, satan, etc. but they are all slaves.

Or February 13, 1993:  Luke 10:  v. 37 Jesus Christ had mercy on him – not giving others what they deserve – the homeless person may have brought his troubles on himself but we cannot throw him in the “ditch.”  We must give mercy unto him.  v. 18-19 Jesus saw satan fall from heaven like a lightening bolt; He has been with the Father since the very beginning.  Thank you, Jesus!

Despite the fact that I had been to church hundreds of times and was even on the cradle roll at First Baptist Church, St. Petersburg, Florida, I was clueless to actually were the books of the Bible were located.  I was so thankful for the Table of Contents in my Bible and used it without shame and regularly.  Since I am a bit challenged, phonetically, the first few times I had to turn to Psalms was a bit of a struggle because I kept looking for the book of Salms.  What a relief when I looked on the person Bible next to me and I realized the “p” was silent!

It was at a Metro Bible study that I learned a truth that today still rocks my world.  II Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”  What this verse is saying is that the Bible is able to answer these four questions:

What is right? (useful for teaching)

What is wrong?  (useful for rebuking)

How to get right?  (useful for correcting)

How to stay right?  (useful for training in righteousness)

If we add in verse 17, “So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work,” the Bible even shows me what I am equipped to do – every good work!!

I don’t know where you are – is your life a wreck or are you just coasting along nicely.  Either way, the Bible is a book that is able to guide you in all areas of your life.  Will you just take a risk and try it out for yourself?

Or maybe the Bible is a big part of your daily life, would you please share with me some of the cool things you have learned or experienced as a result of being in the Word?

You see I grew up in church.  For many years, when the doors were open we were there – Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night and every night of the annual spring revival.  Dad served a term as chairman of the deacons.  My parents taught a Sunday school class.  The church used our swimming pool as the baptism until one was built at the church.  We participated in marathon gospel hymn sings and I even broke my arm one Wednesday night while doing a cartwheel in the church’s courtyard.  But going to church and doing all the activities does not translate into a transformed life if the Bible is not a part of one’s day-to-day life.  The Bible had been a small part of my life but I never cognitively came to the understanding that the Bible – God’s thoughts, written by man, inspired by the Holy Spirit, condensed into 66 books – could have such a huge impact on my life.

Well, at least no personal impact on my day-to-day living.  The Bible does impact us at a corporate level because so many of the laws of the United States were founded on the commands of the Bible.  Who doesn’t want to live in a society were stealing, killing and even lying are not punished by the governing authorities?  But to think that this book that was written 1,000s of years ago, could help me live my life today was a foreign concept.

For me to study the Word, memorize the Word, apply the Word, to believe the Word, to take the Word as being the final authority on life in my own personal life, no way.  It is just another book, right?  Like Aesop’s Fables or the Koran or the Old Farmer’s Almanac – a book with stories, guidelines for living and some sage wisdom.

I remember many Sunday mornings searching for my Bible before church and then remembering that it was right where I left it last Sunday – the back seat of my car.  And there it was – a little sun bleached and full of the previous weeks bulletins because I never picked it from one Sunday to another.  It just sat there…waiting…not being used…available but ignored as I went about making decisions based on man’s wisdom and my own experiences.  Until this decision making lead to a wreck of my life and finally, as I came to the end of myself, I reached out to it.

See next week’s blog for the rest of the story.

Technology – I always want the latest and greatest phone, computer, apps, etc.

Seating – I will chose to leave an event if I do no have a great seat.  Some of that is because I am so easily distracted but a lot of it is because I am a snob.

Ink Pens – If it does not flow smoothly, it is in the trash.  Won’t find any hotel pens in my purse.

However, I did not think that I was a coffee snob.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am definitely a coffee lover (read addiction here) and I will bellying up the Starbuck’s bar with the best of them but I will also drink McDonalds, Waffle House or Bob Evans coffee without any problem.  So when I was making plans to come to the Middle East and knew that coffee pots were rare, I thought, “I can do Nescafe for six weeks. How bad can it be?”  Well, it was pretty bad…but I run ahead of myself.

The first sign that maybe this was not going to work was the fact that I had to put so much real sugar and real cream into it to be able to drink.  The next sign was the time about three days into my first week that I thought, “I think I will have a cup of coffee” and then I thought, “On second thought, I don’t think I want one.”  Me not wanting a cup of coffee? This was getting desperate!

I shared my concerns with my fellow Americans – who also happen to be coffee lovers and lived in the home with THE coffee pot and a solution was found.  I would have a pour over every day (actually several of them)!  “What exactly is a pour over?” I hear you asking.  It is basically my own automatic drip coffee maker that is not automatic.

Mark grinded me up some coffee beans.  (Of course, they not only had THE coffee pot but only whole beans – no, I wasn’t bitter – I had the swimming pool at my house.)  Found a filter that would work and voila  my own personal coffee maker. 

The next morning when I made that first cup I thought this is not going to work at all but when that hot, aromatic coffee touched my taste buds for the first time not only did it make me want to slap my mama but also made my tongue slap my brain!!

Now, despite the fact that it takes about 5 minutes to make each cup of coffee, I never hesitate when my brain says, “How about a cup of coffee?”

I guess the point of this whole story is how stinking spoiled I am!  I was whining about coffee while living in a city where the slums are like a scene from a Mad Max movie and the compound in which I live has a humvee at the entrance and the guards I speak to each morning are holding M-16 rifles.  Get some perspective here, Becky!

What about you?  Are you whining about something when it really might not be that bad?  Do you need a perspective adjustment like I did?

Once seated it was not long before the waitress had brought their drinks and were awaiting their orders.  Dad, mom and son were Johnny on the spot but the daughter was really struggling.

“Just pick something, Amy.”

“But, mom, there is nothing I really want very much and I am not that hungry.”

“You have to get something.  It doesn’t matter.  Just decide.”

“Ok, I guess I will take the chicken fingers.”

We have all been there, seen this and have played the role of Amy and mom in this story.  Just pick something.  Anything will do.  It is really not that important.  Average or just above will work.  It is good enough.  Settle on something.  And in many ways what Amy chose for dinner would not propel her down the path of destruction or happiness but there are many times in our lives that the choice will greatly affect us.

Or how about when others settle for us?  “This is what you are going to get – be satisfied with it.”  Now don’t get me wrong…there is a level of truth in that statement and we can’t complain and be disgruntled about everything that comes into our lives.  But, when fine is good enough all the time or when we are afraid to wait out for the best – for the promise land of God – and chose to settle for the ordinary, our lives will be impacted.

When I think about settling, I can’t help but think about a house settling.  As a home is being built, the foundation is poured, the framing is done, the roof is laid and the walls are established.  In five or maybe ten years, the home settles into the ground and the cracks in the walls begin to appear.  The foundation of the home is hard as a rock but the ground under the foundation is sifting sand.

When we settle and are content with mediocrity, day in and day out, we limit God’s blessings in our lives.

Is there an area in your life that you have already settled?  “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…”  Joel 2:25

Are there areas in your life were you are tempted to settle?  To not wait on the best?  “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him!”  Lamentations 3:25

In your work, do you have an attitude of settling?  “B- work is good enough.”   “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Eventually the silence is broken as overhead a helicopter flies by as another dignitary is being taxied into the safe area.  (It is cheaper to hire a helicopter than a personal security detail.) The haunting sounds of the noon call for prayer are beginning to wander into my room.  The guard has gone and switched on the generator and all is humming again.

However, the wonderful thing is that the Peace remains as I continue to be still before Him.  I am so grateful for the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in my life as it was not too many years (maybe even months) back that I would have panicked, literally, with the thought of having to spend so much time alone.  So much time not being entertained by the television or not hanging out with friends or not having a long list of to-dos done or not being able to go to a gym and work out.

You see, I am writing this while in the Middle East teaching English at a language institute.  Because of some peaceful religious activities, there were extensive road closures and the institute shut down for three days.  My cancelled classes and the subsequent three days of NOTHING on the calendar became a blessing rather than a curse.  I do think that He is teaching me to enjoy the moment.  To live in the present.  And I am thoroughly enjoying it!

Who would have thought it would have required a trip to a foreign land to bring about this change?  But some lessons are only learned on field trips.

How about you?  How are you doing being “present?”  How are you doing enjoying the moment?

A friend of mine is a wealth manager – he manages or stewards his clients’ monies and does it based on their preferences.  If my friend were to say to one of his clients, “I know you wanted to invest that money in Coca-Cola but I decided to spend it on my son’s college tuition.  I hope you don’t mind – you have plenty,” he would be fired and I am sure that some ethics committee somewhere would be calling.

The management of one’s estate goes beyond just finances but includes hiring and firing staff, building and remodeling facilities, land usage, etc.  This is true for believers as well.  Often we think of just our tithe or financial gifts when discussing stewardship.  But it goes so much further than that to include our time, talent as well as touch (or sphere of influence.)  As believers, we have an obligation to the Owner of the estate to manage His affairs well.

The Barnabas Group, where I am blessed to be the managing partner, is all about helping people be good stewards of the estate that they have been given.  Our mission is to leverage the time, talent, touch and treasure of marketplace and other Kingdom leaders to help ministries transform lives worldwide.  We are all about connecting leaders and changing lives.

We have an abundance mentality and desire to see the release of generosity in our communities with the utilization of everyone’s unique gift of time, talent, touch and treasure to God’s service.  We do this through quarterly breakfasts in which three to four pre-vetted ministries are able to present their organization as well as their needs to our membership.  When their mission connects with someone’s passion, then we have been successful.

How are you doing on your stewardship?  Does The Barnabas Group sound like something you would be interested in being a part of?  I would love to have you at our next breakfast.