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Why Christmas Isn’t About Peace

As we step into the Christmas season we find ourselves caught up in the hustle and bustle of shopping to fill that space under the tree, making plans to be with our loved ones in the coziness of our homes to enjoy a nice dinner…and we ponder the joys this time of the season brings.

Christmas trees, white Christmas, Santa Claus, nativity scenes and all the symbols one would find on some card we pick out in the card aisle of our favorite store. Then there’s the yearly conflict on what to call the company party; a holiday or Christmas party. Can I say ‘Merry Christmas’ without getting fired? Is it a holiday tree or a Christmas tree? Is Jesus really the season or is it a pagan holiday? Is it a Christian holiday or is everyone included like on the coexist bumper stickers?

…the conflict of Christmas!

So let me ask you something, do you really think that Jesus traded Heaven for Earth to come and bring peace? Let’s see what the Bible tell us.

What The Chicago Bulls Can Teach Us About Pride

Recently at our company weekly seminar we invited a guest speaker who lead a conversation about ‘The Pros and Cons of Keeping Score’. The core of the presentation focused around the idea that keeping score is something we all do whether it is comparing ourselves to some ideal or to others around us. There are pros and cons of keeping score with a thin line between moving forward positively and moving forward at the expense of self and relationships with others. It was a solid message that and got me thinking about a leadership story I heard using the events of the 1994 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. The topic was pride and leadership. I’m not talking about the pride that aspires us to become better people, I’m talking about that insidious thing inside of us that keeps us from: celebrating others, admitting when we’re wrong, acknowledging when we need help, opening up, fill in the blank _____.

The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility…According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison.

—C.S. Lewis

Let’s roll the tape back to the year 1994 during the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. The Bulls, already down two games of the best-of-seven series, were trying to prove that they could pull out a win without Michael Jordan, who had retired at the end of the previous season.

Is Going To Church Absolutely Necessary?

Sunday is coming and going to church is looming on the horizon.

Let me know if you can relate to this. There’s allot going on and the tug-o-war begins on how to make everything happen — including going to church. Then it happens…you’re subconscious, a well-meaning church friend or a pushy pastor begins to woodpecker you that you need to go to church.

For many of us, Sundays without church can bring a tremendous amount of guilt! Church can be a wellspring for spiritual development and growth, but it’s not the only place for this to happen. People really buy into the narrative that we can only find our spiritual life within the walls of our church and if we look elsewhere, we’re doing it wrong or the experience is somehow “not real”. If you can’t or won’t find your way into a building called “church” on Sunday, be encouraged because you can fully walking it out and love Him without perfect attendance.

So, is going to church absolutely necessary? The short answer is no, but keep reading…

Why Mentorship Is A Solution To A Fatherless Generation

I believe one of the most valuable tools a man can possess in walking out this adventure called life is a mentor.

Have you sought out a mentor to help you navigate your personal and professional spheres? Maybe you found your mentor at church, in a professional setting, during your first job search or perhaps it was when you transitioned careers. Either way — your mentor was that valuable compass that most likely provided much needed guidance helping you overcome challenges and life’s obstacles. And if you’re fortunate to link up with a solid mentor, they inspired you along the way.

I’ve been blessed to have had a handful of mentors that took the time to walk with me on my journey. Not seeing the value of a mentor early on in life, I wish I better understood that having someone older and wiser than me speaking into my life would have saved me from many pitfalls. Definitely would have helped me navigate the road of life better too.

I can count my life mentors on one hand and my most recent mentor helped me through some of the toughest trials of my life. He helped me walk out of some really tough circumstances, he helped me get my book out there and is always available to walk with me as a life coach if needed. Entering into a place of accountability with someone who you trust, who can share life experiences with and provide the much needed wisdom to navigate it — is invaluable.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

—William Arthur Ward

Pause for a moment and consider your own need for a mentor at this place in your life. Many people I talk to, convince themselves that they can navigate life in their own strength and it’s sad to watch them stumble and fall. I’m not saying that a mentor will prevent all stumbling in your life, but they will definitely help you avoid some landmines along the way if you listen to them. I recommend mentors for men and women, but I’m speaking to the guys here because many boys have had fathers who were not involved or just absent. A boy without a compass is like an explorer without a map!

Consider the following story.

Worship In The Midst Of A Secular Culture

Matt Redman singing his worship song “10,000 Reasons” live in Times Square, New York. The advertisements in the background are flashing, promoting different products and services, while the crowd sings praises to God.

During a time of such global turmoil in a growing secular culture…it’s just awesome that worship to the one true living God can happen in such a place as Times Square!

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. -2 Chronicles 7:14

Why Christmas Isn’t About Peace

What The Chicago Bulls Can Teach Us About Pride

Is Going To Church Absolutely Necessary?

Why Mentorship Is A Solution To A Fatherless Generation

Worship In The Midst Of A Secular Culture

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