Preach it Bill

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Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school.

Rule 1: Life is not fair – get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world won’t care about your self-esteem.
The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school.
You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity.
Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now.
They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were.
So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT.
In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer.
This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters.
You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF.
Do that on your own time..

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life.
In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds.
Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

Sui Ren Zhi Shi, Jie Ren Zhi Li

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I have spent some time studying martial arts in my day. Recently, I saw some very interesting Tai Chi combat principles…typically known for it “non combative”/healthy benefits, it principles can teach us some amazing things about our faith. Enter Sui Ren Zhi Shi, Jie Ren Zhi Li…translated Following His Posture, Borrowing His Strength. In battle this is referring to your enemy, in spiritual adaption, this is referring to Jesus…when we give in and follow his posture of humility, prayer and my personal favorite…saying only what the father tells you to say…amazing things can happen.

When you wake up tomorrow, remember… Sui Ren Zhi Shi, Jie Ren Zhi Li…Follow His Posture and Borrowing His Strength!!!

Stay tuned for more…

I have a confession to make!!!

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So, I was channel surfing the other night and my interest was drawn to Monday Night Raw (go ahead and laugh). I actually watched it for about 30 minutes.

Another confession…I have watched and followed professional wrestling on and off since I was a kid, but this time it was different. It was a special retirement ceremony for the one and only Ric Flair.

I watched for about 30 minutes while he cried like a school-girl as the ring filled with his old wrestling buddies (like the 4 Horseman and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat). Towards the end of the ceremony, they brought out his family and he totally lost it. Next thing you know, the dressing rooms empty out and dozens of rising and current superstars flooded the runway. For what seemd like the next 5 minutes both the wrestlers and the thousands in attendance shouted, “Thank you Rick! Thanks you Rick!”

Over his 35 year career, he won 16 world heavyweight championships. He has made millions and helped other make millions. He is a living legend, trailblazer and founding father of professional wrestling. He actually coined one of my favorite quotes, “to be the man you have to beat the man!”

Now at this point you might be thinking, what are you on Flanders and why are you telling me this…

Becasue Ric Flair is leaving a legacy. How amazing it would be to have our life’s work celebrated with dozens of your closest friends and in front of millions and millions of people.

By no means do I want to be rolling on a mat with a bunch of sweaty guys when I am sixty (actually ever). But I do hope that my kids get to celerate and reap the benefits of the trail that I have blazed…

“Ab imo pectore” Julius Caesar
From the bottom of the chest. (from the heart)

Part 2 – 7 Things God Expects

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7 Things God Expects

1. Now arise and go!!!
John 5:8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

2. Be strong
Deut. 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you

3.Have courage
Deut 21:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Part 1 – 7 Things God Promises

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I spoke to the Lebanon High School this morning and here are the notes from part 1 of my talk…enjoy

7 things God promises
1. Every place the soul of your feet treads is yours
Deuteronomy 11:24 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea,shall be your territory.

2. No man can stand against you
Deuteronomy 11:25 No man shall be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you.

3. As I was with Moses, so shall I be with you
Exodus 17:8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua,

Be angry and sin not?!?!?!?

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Eph.4:26 says to “Be angry, and sin not”. There has alway been a discussion in my mind about this topic. I ask the question, How in the world do I do that? Is it what anger leads to? Receently, I saw these questions you should ask yourself if you are about to lose your temper…

1. Am I at fault? I hate to be criticized or to be in the wrong. Often, I’m angriest when someone is chiding me about something that I am guilty of. When I’m about to hit back, I remind myself to accept criticism politely.

2. Will this solve anything? I often snap when I feel like I’m confronting the same annoyance over and over. Fact is, people often have irritating habits that aren’t going to change. Failure to meet deadlines, failure to return phone calls, etc. I try to remember that snapping isn’t going to make any difference, but will only make me feel bad.

3. Am I improving the situation? This is particularly important when dealing with kids. If I lose my temper with a child, the problem just escalates to a whole new horrible level. It’s far more effective to stay calm.

4. Should I be helping you? Often, I lose my temper because I’m actually feeling guilty about my own unhelpfulness. I don’t know about you, but my guilt makes me crabby and often others in a place where they cannot hear a word I am saying…

5. Can I make a joke of this? Using humor is extraordinarily effective, but I usually can’t find the humor at an annoying situation. A distant goal for which I’m striving.

It’s tempting to dwell on questions like, “Whose fault is it?” or “Why am I upset?” but in the end, these tend to stoke my temper ieven more.

I like the way Elliot Larson puts it, “Anger always comes from frustraded expectations”…more on that later.

People-ology

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One of my favorite scripture is I Samuel 16:7 “…Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

I know that this scripture is true, but recently I have come to look at it a little bit differently. Here is what I have learned…God looks at the heart, but we are not trying to reach God, we already have Him(through Jesus). We are trying to reach man and they DO look at the outward appearance(our motives, actions, attitudes and character).

When we are representing Jesus at school and work remember that people are always watching you and they are probably looking for you to mess up. So make sure your motives, actions, attitude and character are representing and honoring Him!!!