Sermon Illustrations on Focus

I Will Not Be A Loser

Mark 8:36

Interview with Jimmy Johnson, head coach for the Dallas Cowboys. The most important thing in his life is the 3 championship rings he has earned in sports.

There are some key ingredients for NFL head coaches: #1: Jettison all influences and experiences that don’t have to do with winning. Johnson divorces his wife, Linda Kay, after taking the Cowboys job because they’d grown apart and because he didn’t want family stuff getting in the way of the biggest job of his life. “My nightmare is to sit at some three-hour dinner party between a couple of coaches’ wives, making small talk.” His ideal dinner: Heineken on ice, nachos, salsa. He doesn’t remember birthdays, not even his two sons’, and doesn’t do Christmas. But he’s stern about it. Don’t tell me how to live my life, his glare tells you, and I won’t tell you how to live yours.

“Look,” Johnson said, his eyes pointing lasers. “I’ve prepared my entire life - 48 years, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - for 16 Sundays. Everybody out there in the world judges whether I’m a successful human being based on how I do on those Sundays. If we lose, I’m a complete bum, a worthless human being. If we win, I’m a success. That’s the way this business is. I will not be a loser.”

Somebody mentions how bad Johnson must feel for Ricky Blake. Blake, a backup running back, was helping the team run out the clock on the last play of the game when in a freak accident he sheared a leg bone from a hip socket, possibly ending his career. Now the team probably would have to use a valuable roster move to bring Curvin Richards, a rookie, onto the roster, or risk putting him on waivers and exposing him to the league. But poor Ricky. Hard worker, great kid, really wanted to play in the NFL. “Well,” Johnson shot right back, and here came the truth, “as bad as it is for Ricky, all I’m thinking about is: Can I get Curvin through waivers without losing him? And how are we gonna beat Houston?” He saw the look of disbelief in his questioner’s eyes. A kid is on his way to the hospital, his career may be over, and this guy, his mentor, can’t spare a few minutes of melancholy for what might have been. “Hey, the crisis is not the issue. The issue is how you handle the crisis. Is feeling sorry for Ricky gonna help us win? No. And remember something: My whole life revolves around us winning.” Understood.

"The Art of Positive and Negative Preaching"

Joel 2:17

In his sermon “God Is an Important Person,” John Piper used a negative approach to help listeners see their need to honor God:

“I’ve been to church-growth seminars where God is not once mentioned. I’ve been to lectures and talks on pastoral issues where he is not so much as alluded to. I have read strategies for every kind of recovery under the sun where God is not there. I have talked to students in seminaries who tell me of manifold courses where God is peripheral at best. I have recently read mission statements of major evangelical organizations where God is not even mentioned.

“I admit freely that I’m on a crusade, and I have one message: God is an important person, and he does not like being taken for granted.”

Focus

Mark 14:29

Warren Bennis in "Why Leaders Can't Lead", writes:

"The flying Wallendas are perhaps the world's greatest family of aerialists

and tightrope walkers....I was struck with (Karl Wallenda's) capacity for

concentration on the intention, the task, the decision. I was even more

intrigued when, several months later, Wallenda fell to his death while walking

a tightrope without a safety net between two high-rise buildings in San Juan,

Puerto Rico.... Later, Wallenda's wife said that before her husband had

fallen, for the first time since she had known him, he had been concentrating

on falling, instead of on walking the tightrope. He had personally supervised

the attachment of the guide wires, which he had never done before."

Often the difference between success and failure, life and death, is the

direction we're looking.

#3151

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Auto-focus Your Christmas

Luke 1:46

Sermon #2 in Advent Adventure 1997. Luke 1:46-55

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AUTO-FOCUS YOUR CHRISTMAS

=========================

I. Are you focused?

A. Everyone wants Christmas to be wonderful.

B. Are material things the secret?

C. Most people are not good at doing what God wants.

II. God's plan began with a virgin.

A. He tells her exactly what's going to happen.

B. Mary displays a remarkable degree of understanding.

C. Mary is a model for all true Christians.

III. Mary's focus.

A. She shows a deep knowledge of the Bible. 1 Samuel 2:1-10

B. She acknowledges God as her Savior. Luke 1:47

C. Against hope, she believes God can do great things.

IV. What do you really want this Christmas?

A. Spirituality is required to experience the miraculous.

B. Learn to get a focus on what's truly God-honoring.

C. Ways to honor God this season.

(What is an idea YOU have?)

V. Majoring in the majors.

Christian Classics: Forgetting God

John 14:26

"Forgotten" is an intense and awful word. It surely expresses the final issue in human alienation from the Divine. Open and deliberate revolt against God shows, at any rate, some resect to His power. And even formal prayer, empty though it be, offers some recognition of God's existence. But to forget Him, to live and plan and work as though He were not, to dismiss Him as insignificant - this is surely the last expression of a separated life. People are never really dead so long as they are remembered. The real death

is to be forgotten. How, then, do we come to forget God? In what sort of conditions is this appalling forgetfulness brought about?

1. The fear of man.

2. The pride of strength.

3. The vagrant soul.

4. The opiate of abundance.

5. A promise of remembrance.

________

J. H. Jowett was a British clergyman who served as pastor of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City from 1911 to 1918.

Handling Life's Disappointments: God's Antidotes For Poison of Anxiety

Philippians 4:8

REJECT NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

An antidote for anxiety is to REJECT NEGATIVE THINKING. In Philippians 4:8, Paul mentions some positive things upon which we should focus our thoughts. He says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

What the world calls positive thinking is what Christians call faith-thinking. If you fill your mind with negative, stinking thinking, you will continually be a victim of gnawing worry. If you always concentrate on negatives, you will be as frustrated as a termite in a yo-yo. Your emotions will go up and down constantly. However, if you will reject negative thinking and focus upon positive thoughts, you can have victory. In Proverbs 23:7 the Bible says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Our thoughts are important to our emotional health because we really do become what we think about the most. I recall hearing about a fourteen-year-old boy sitting in a Sunday school class as his teacher expressed this principle. The teacher said, “Boys, whatever you think about the most, you will become.” One of the teenage boys responded with a look of horror, saying, “You mean I’ll become a girl?”

Worry operates within the arena of your mind. Your mind is the battleground in the war between faith and worry. Worry is like a drip that slowly begins, one drop at a time. If it isn’t shut off, it gradually becomes a constant trickle, then a steady flow that can’t be stopped. The drip of worry causes a crack in your mind which may become a crevice, then a gully. It soon develops into a valley or even a grand canyon of fear. Thoughts of fear rush through your mind like white water rapids. If you don’t guard your mind, this torrent of worry will carry away logical thoughts of peace. It all starts with what you are thinking.

Have you noticed that when you are busy in some activity, worry seems to be crowded out? But when you are sitting alone or lying in bed at night, worry creeps in and begins its devious task. It is necessary for a Christian to take control of his mind and surrender it to the Lordship of Christ. “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV).

How well you control your thoughts will determine the proportion of worry in your mind. If you are experiencing trouble, you DON’T overcome it by NOT thinking about that problem. To put it another way, you overcome worry not by not thinking about the wrong thing. The thing you’re trying not to think about will fill your mind. For instance, if you have a problem with lust, and you are constantly saying to yourself, “Don’t think about lust; don’t think about lust, what will you think about? That’s right, you will usually think lustful thoughts.

Let me demonstrate this by asking you to participate in a brief experiment. In the next few moments I want you to try not to think about something. At this moment, don’t think about ice cream. Don’t think about vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and a cherry on top! Don’t think about ice cream! Chances are, unless you are pretty strong-willed, you had trouble not visualizing ice cream! That demonstrates that you don’t overcome something by trying not to think about it.

Instead, overcome negative thoughts by replacing them with positive thoughts. Our brain can only latch onto one image at a time. Let’s continue the experiment. In your mind’s eye, visualize Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. See Him there with nails in His hands and feet, a crown of thorns upon His head, and a spear in His side. See Him as people are ridiculing and scorning Him. Notice the love and compassion in His eyes. As you pictured this beautiful scene, chances are you were unable to think about much else except Jesus. Focusing on Jesus is the key to overcoming worry about your problems. As we run the race of life we are to be “looking into Jesus” (Hebrews 12:12).

Philippians 4:8 is actually a one-verse biography of Jesus Christ. Jesus is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Think about Him. When worry tries to captivate your mind, remember the words to this beautiful chorus,

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim.

In the light of His glory and grace. –{4}

Many people are kept in bondage to manifold worries that really should have no power over them. Have you ever seen an elephant outside a circus tent? You often will see that huge animal restrained by a small chain around his leg, attached to a wooden stake. It is obvious that the elephant could simply lift his foot and pull the stake out of the ground. However, he is not tied down by that stake; he’s tied down by his mind.

When the circus elephant was young, he was heavily chained to a stake driven deep into the ground. The young elephant tried to pull free, but couldn’t, and he remembers the pain of those attempts. Over a period of time he becomes conditioned to the belief that he can’t escape. As a result, a small wooden stake is all it takes to keep him in place. The stake doesn’t hold him in place; his mind does.

Has that happened to you? Your worry is in your mind, and you may be chained to it, thinking you cannot escape. You can pull up that stake that is limiting your life! You CAN replace worry with faith!

~~~~~~~~~~~

4. Helen H. Lemmel, © Singspiration 1922, renewal 1950

#4367

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Handling Life's Disappointments: God's Antidotes For Poison of Anxiety

Luke 10:40

Did you hear about the clock that had a nervous breakdown? One day it began thinking about how often it would have to tick in a year. Figuring two ticks a second, 120 a minute, 7,200 an hour, 172,800 a day, and 1,209,600 ticks every week, the clock suddenly realized that it would have to tick nearly 63 million times during the next twelve months. The more it thought about this, the more anxious it became. Finally the clock became so distraught that it suffered a nervous collapse.

Confiding in a clock psychiatrist (a “clock doc”), the clock complained that it didn’t have the strength to tick that often. The doctor responded, “But how many ticks must you tick at a time?”

The clock answered, “Only one.”

“Well, simply tick one tick at a time and don’t worry about the next one”, advised the doctor. “You will get along fine, Im sure.”

That’s exactly what the clock did, and as is true of all good stories, it ticked happily ever after.

What Is Your Focus

Luke 10:38

Personalities of the Passion sermon series. Luke 10:38-42

WHAT IS YOUR FOCUS?

===================

I. What was your busiest day this week?

II. Martha was a commendable person.

III. Where Martha went wrong.

A. Her service became slavery.

B. Distraction soon mushroomed into worry.

1) Little urgent things can gain a life of their own.

2) Martha's worries exploded in a storm.

IV. Doesn't Jesus care?

A. Jesus appeared to be oblivious to her situation.

B. It is amazing how sin can skew our perspective.

V. Choosing the best.

A. What did Martha need to learn from her disastrous day?

B. Is contemplation superior to action?

C. Listening to Jesus does not always require contemplation.

VI. Learning the lessons.

A. Don't let the little things distract you.

B. Don't let worry fester and become a rage.

C. Choose what is best, every day and in every situation.

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18 Holes In His Mind

18 HOLES IN HIS MIND

Major James Nesmeth had a dream of improving his golf game - and he developed

a unique method of achieving his goal. Until he devised this method, he was

just your average weekend golfer, shooting in mid- to low-nineties. Then,

for seven years, he completely quit the game. Never touched a club. Never

set foot on a fairway.

Ironically, it was during this seven-year break from the game that Major

Nesmeth came up with his amazingly effective technique for improving his game

- a technique we can all learn from. In fact, the first time he set foot on

a golf course after his hiatus from the game, he shot an astonishing 74! He

had cut 20 strokes off his average without having swung a golf club in seven

years! Unbelievable. Not only that, but his physical condition had actually

deteriorated during those seven years.

What was Major Nesmeth's secret? Visualization. You see, Major Nesmeth had

spent those seven years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. During those

seven years, he was imprisoned in a cage that was approximately four and one-

half feet high and five feet long.

During almost the entire time he was imprisoned, he saw no one, talked to no

one and experienced no physical activity. During the first few months he did

virtually nothing but hope and pray for his release. Then he realized he had

to find some way to occupy his mind or he would lose his sanity and probably

his life. That's when he learned to visualize.

In his mind, he selected his favorite golf course and started playing golf.

Every day, he played a full 18 holes at the imaginary country club of his

dreams. He experienced everything to the last detail. He saw himself

dressed in his golfing clothes. He smelled the fragrance of the trees and

the freshly trimmed grass. He experienced different weather conditions -

windy spring days, overcast winter days, and sunny summer mornings. In his

imagination, every detail of the tee, the individual blades of grass, the

trees, the singing birds, the scampering squirrels and the lay of the course

became totally real.

He felt the grip of the club in his hands. He instructed himself as he

practiced smoothing out his down-swing and the follow-through on his shot.

Then he watched the ball arc down the exact center of the fairway, bounce a

couple of times and roll to the exact spot he had selected, all in his mind.

In the real world, he was in no hurry. He had no place to go. So in his

mind he took every step on his way to the ball, just as if he were physically

on the course. It took him just as long in imaginary time to play 18 holes

as it would have taken in reality. Not a detail was omitted. Not once did

he ever miss a shot, never a hook or a slice, never a missed putt.

Seven days a week. Four hours a day. Eighteen holes. Seven years. Twenty

strokes off. Shot a 74.

=================================

Author Unknown, from A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Copyright

1995 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

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He Didn't Go Up There To Read

There is an interesting story that is told about the legendary baseball players Hank Aaron and Yogi Berra. Hank Aaron was new to the Major Leagues but was already one of the best homerun hitters in baseball. Yogi Berra was the colorful catcher for the New York Yankees, and they were playing each other in the World Series.

Yogi Berra was famous for distracting batters with his constant chatter. Hank Aaron steps up to the plate -- it was the first time he and Yogi Berra had ever faced each other. Berra starts in on him: "Hank, you're holding the bat all wrong! You're supposed to hold it so that you can read the label."

Aaron ignored him. He then proceeds to hit the first pitch over the fence into the left field bleachers for a homerun. He runs around the bases, comes back to home plate, and says to Yogi: "I didn't come up here to read."

Problems

One of the classic baseball television shots comes from the 1975 World Series, in which NBC captured Carlton Fisk, jumping up and down, waving his arms, trying to coax his hit to stay fair. It did - for a home run. That colorful close-up would have been missed had the cameraman followed the ball with his camera, as was his responsibility. But the cameraman inside Fenway Park scoreboard had one eye on a rat that was circling him. So instead of focusing the camera on the ball, he left it on Fisk.

Sometimes we encounter problems like that rat. We have no idea how they will be resolved, but because of them, we may see God work in a way we never would have without the problems.

(Written by Richard C. Kauffman, Jr., Tionesta, PA)

What Whistle?

Golf great Ben Hogan stood over a crucial putt. Suddenly a loud train whistle blared in the distance. After sinking the putt, Hogan was asked if the train whistle bothered him. "What whistle?" Hogan replied.

Cited in More of...The Best of BITS & PIECES

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Look! Up In the Sky! It's ... !

Psalms 22:12

Charles Stanley tells of a time when he was surrounded by the Bulls of Bashan [Psalm 22:12]. He relates how a little old lady in his church kept insisting he visit her. He reasoned he had enough to do fighting off the gnats of necessity, together with wolves in sheep's clothing, without having to listen to a frail old woman who probably only wanted her own pound of flesh.

Eventually he gave in, and arrived at her house as planned. She greeted him at the door and escorted him to her living room. Once there she pointed to a picture of Daniel in the Lion's Den, which hung prominently on a wall. She said, "Young man (it was early in his ministry), what do you see"? Stanley recounts that he was caught off guard and so stuttered a recitation of what the picture showed: "Well, there's Daniel. And, well, there's the lions."

"No! No!" she insisted. "Look closely, what do you see"? Stanley looked closely but did not know what she was after and following the beating he'd received from his flock recently he was somewhat suspicious. Embarrassed, he said, "I'm sorry. My mind is just not focusing today. What is it you want me to see?"

This sweet little old lady said, "Brother Stanley, look closely at Daniel. What is he looking at?" Stanley tells how it hit him like a ton of bricks just before comprehension took another ton of bricks off his shoulders. Daniel, you see, was not looking at the lions but up through and opening toward the heavens. [Paraphrased from In Touch Ministries, January 2000.]

Application: Pastors, get your eyes off the lions (lions defined: your circumstances and those who cause them). Get them on God. And get back to your calling.

________

Source/Attribution: © Sermon-Illustrations-Each-Week 2000

What Good Thing Happened To Me This Week?

Some years ago, I attended a service conducted by my friend, Rabbi Leonid Feldman of Palm Beach, Florida. Before it began, he asked if anyone in the congregation had good news that had occurred over the preceding week which he or she wished to share with others. People stood up and announced engagements, anniversaries, the first words spoken by a child or grandchild, a book's publication, a visit by a family member or friend whom they hadn't seen in many years, the completion of a degree, and more.

I was moved. The question, "What good thing happened to you this week?" motivated people to remember the good things that were going on in their lives, and not just their problems.

My wife decided to bring this ritual into our home. At the beginning of each Friday night Sabbath meal, she asks family members and guests to share something good or memorable that happened to them during the week. Usually, everyone, even those who have had difficult weeks, can think of at least one pleasurable moment that occurred. In the rare instance someone cannot summon up even one positive recollection, family members or friends generally remember something good that the other person has forgotten. Even during hard times, we all have experiences or interactions for which we are grateful. It's important to focus on these happy memories even -- perhaps particularly -- during hard times. How fitting, therefore, to start today by asking and answering the question my friend posed before his congregation: "What good thing happened to you this week?"

The Postage Stamp

The Postage Stamp "Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there."

-- Josh Billings

[see also HolwickId #16214]

The World Is On Fire and We Are Just Straightening Pictures

"If I straighten the pictures on the walls of your home, I am committing no sin, am I? But suppose that your house were afire, and I still went calmly about straightening pictures, what would you say? Would you think me merely stupid or very wicked? The world today is on fire. What are you doing to extinguish the fire?"

-- Corrie ten Boom, Amazing Love, 101

Reflections of Significance

John 7:38

English author Owen Barfield, who was a longtime friend of C.S. Lewis, once stated that somehow, what Lewis thought about everything was secretly present in what he said about anything.

No doubt Barfield did not mean that Lewis went about giving the same tired message in everything he said. On the contrary, he was paying this prolific thinker one of the greatest compliments. Namely, what Lewis said about Christ with the utmost of passion was somehow present in the way he discussed his love for long walks or medieval literature, or in the way he stated his distaste for helping with the dishes. (Lewis once acknowledged that he found it was easier to pray for his wife than to help her with the dishes!) Humor aside, it was this honest observation of his own logic, and in certain cases lack thereof, which ultimately led him to faith in Jesus Christ. And of course, what Lewis “thought about everything” was that “mere” Christianity, that is, the faith which is the center of the gospel, the truth of the person of Christ, is something that no reasonable or responsible mind can ignore.

What he thought about everything was secretly present in what he said about anything. Could something like this be said of you or me? Today it seems that such singleness of mind is a rarity. In a world where we have carefully drawn boundary lines around religious thought, around the name of Christ, it has become easier to accept the categories: Thinking about God and thinking about work are conducted from two separate frames of mind, loving God and loving your spouse are two different kinds of love. But is this true? Is this possible?

We would do well to be attentive to one of the most vocalized reasons for rejecting Christianity - the hypocrisy of Christians. And where it is not sound reasoning to reject a religion by its abuse, the thought is perhaps a legitimate expression of confusion. When what we think about God does not inform what we think about politics or child rearing, business or pleasure, how can we proclaim the eternal importance of the message? Doesn't it follow that something of eternal significance is significant enough to permeate every moment of time? It is like operating as if the underpinnings of a house have nothing to do with the shape or characteristics of any of the rooms. When the wind blows would we feel the same?

Our daily life is a reflection of what we hold most significant. I believe it was G.K. Chesterton who aptly declared that there are no partial philosophies. That is, a philosophy by its very nature cannot merely inform the parts of life we want it to. There are well-formed philosophies and there are poorly formed philosophies that either knowingly or unknowingly govern all of life. In this sense, what we think about everything is present in what we say about anything. What we think about God, how we answer the deepest questions of life and meaning, informs what we think about work, how we love our spouse, and respond to the driver that cut us off. This is a sobering thought!

In Christ we hold a promise that commands a singleness of heart and mind, and a faith that thoroughly informs all of life, for He has flooded all of life with a message of eternal significance: “Whosoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:38). May our lives reflect the magnitude of this invitation and the hope and satisfaction of one with streams of living water flowing from within.

____________

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[Original illustration at this number was added to HolwickID #5374]

Four Resolutions Worth Making

Mark 12:30

While researching the subject of New Year’s resolutions I came across the following quote: “He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; He who makes one is a fool.” The person from whom this quote flowed is obviously as much a pessimist as a cynic when it comes to making a fresh start on Jan. 1st.

“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes,” wrote English author G.K. Chesterton. “Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.”

In recent years, the making of New Year’s resolutions -- or rather the breaking of them -– has become fodder for late-night comics. That said, I agree with Chesterton that there is something noble about seeking to better oneself with the making of resolutions.

Once a person reaches the point that he or she sees no value in seeking to become better by resolving to change, that person has given up on living life and has settled on simply existing. This, if you think about it, is in and of itself a resolution –- a resolution to settle for mediocrity.

The problem with too many resolutions is they lack imagination. It seems everyone makes the same resolutions and some make them year after year. According to a federal government website the following are some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions:

• Lose weight.

• Eat right.

• Manage debt.

• Save money.

• Get a better job.

• Quit smoking.

When it comes to making New Year’s resolutions, I have found that less is more. By making only a few resolutions, I am able to concentrate on two or three aspects of my life that I really want to change. As a result, I give myself a much better opportunity to follow through.

Trying to make wholesale changes to your life in a year’s time is difficult at best. However, making only one or two changes annually, over time, you can change almost every aspect of your life. If you altered two things a year for 10 years, you will have changed 20 aspects of your life. And that, my friend, is significant change.

I recently came across something titled “Wisdom for Life” written by business and ministry consultant Bobb Biehl. It is short and to the point. In it, he quotes author Stephen R. Covey.

“I have ... found that by making four simple assumptions in our lives we can immediately begin leading a more balanced, integrated, powerful life,” Covey wrote.

What are these four assumptions? They are as follows:

1. “For the body, assume you have had a heart attack; now live accordingly.”

I found the first assumption sobering, because if I don’t change certain aspects of my life, I could well be a candidate for a coronary. So by assuming, or pretending, I have had one, I simply need to ask, “Will this help or hurt my health?

2. “For the mind, assume the half-life of your profession is two years; now prepare accordingly.”

Being an editor of what currently is primarily a print publication, this is not a difficult assumption for me. As a result, I must constantly be looking to the future to not only seek to retool my publication, but also my own knowledge base and skill set.

3. “For the heart, assume everything you say about another, they can overhear; now speak accordingly.”

The third assumption also is a sobering one and reminiscent of Jesus’ words, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Enough said.

4. “For the spirit, assume you have a one-on-one visit with your Creator every quarter; now live accordingly.”

As a believer, I don’t have to wait three months to visit with God. I can, and should meet with Him constantly. However, the thought of scheduling a regular “performance review” with the Lord could and should have an impact on my daily decisions and thus my life.

As a result of Covey’s wisdom, I have resolved this year to make four “New Year’s assumptions.” And while I likely will fail from time to time, I believe the effort will pay off and I will be better for it this time next year -- which makes me no weakling and certainly no fool.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #17090]

(untitled)

Faces Beside the Road

The 13.1 mile Mini Marathon winds through Indianapolis each

May, and you see an incredible variety of people along the

way. Many of them seem to be there out of curiosity

"Honey, let's walk over and see what kind of weirdos can't

find anything better to do than run for two hours."

Others are clearly there to support a friend, and they hold

up signs saying "Go John" or "Run Forest Run" or "Don’t

throw up now- just 6 miles to go". Some just happen to live

along the course, and since they are basically trapped at

home for the duration of the race, they bring out a

lawn-chair and watch.

Along the way are also thousands of volunteers. Some are

there to hand you a cup of cool water. Others are trained

in First Aid and rush out onto the course whenever a runner

falls or starts to get dehydrated. Some are there to

entertain you and help you pass the time (like the polka

band and a man in a kilt playing bagpipes).

But not everyone along the way is there to help you. The

strangest group I saw on the course this year were three men

standing in front of a liquor store. Just as the volunteers

stand and hold out cups of cool water, these men were

holding out bottles of liquor and cans of beer to the

runners. I am sure many of the runners enjoy drinking beer

at home. I heard two men talking about how they were going to

have some after the race. But not a single runner stopped

for a drink that day. In fact, many runners laughed at the

sight, because we all knew a simple fact: distance running

and beer just don‘t mix very well. And the runners had

invested too many hours training to jeopardize their race

for a few minutes of distraction.

Along the course of the Christian race are many faces. Some

are there to help you. Some are there to hurt you. Still

others are offering you things that seem good, but in the

end will slow you down or get you off-track.

You’ve invested too much in the Christian race to give it

all up for a few minutes of distraction. When Satan calls

you off to the side of the course, set your eyes on the goal

and just keep running.

So Big, So Far, So Doable

Luke 13:32

Each winter, certain parts of America get hammered with monster snowstorms. And when it's our turn, we all have stories about how we survived the winter of whatever year it is. Well, no one's got a story like a Norwegian explorer named Boerge Ousland. For 64 days, he saw little more than white. He recently became the first person to ever cross the continent of Antarctica alone and unaided. It took him 64 days to cover those frozen 1,675 miles. He harnessed Antarctica's fierce winds by strapping himself to this parachute-like sail. With the winds in his favor, he could ski as much as 140 miles a day. All the while, he's towing a sled carrying about 400 pounds of supplies, enduring monotony and even temperatures that dipped to 40 degrees below zero. After his incredible journey, Ousland talked about the huge mental challenge of facing seemingly endless fields of snow. But here's how he did it, in his own words, “It's so big and so far - you have to keep concentrating on the near future and make every day a victory.” Wow!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “So Big, So Far, So Doable.”

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 6:25 and following, “Do not worry about your life ... look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?’ or 'What shall we drink?’ or 'What shall we wear?’ Your Heavenly Father knows you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Jesus' orders here are real clear - repeated three times, “Do not worry.” What makes us worry? Things that are, in the words of that Antarctic explorer, “so big and so far.” In fact, right now you may be facing a situation like that - maybe several of them. They look as huge as the vast expanse of Antarctica must have looked to that explorer. You're looking at or maybe you're worrying about an overwhelming challenge in your finances, or your family, maybe your health, your responsibilities, or a relationship. But your anxiety is contributing absolutely nothing to managing this situation. If anything, worry is actually paralyzing you, or distorting your judgment, or robbing you of the energy you need for this challenge.

Listen to the teaching of your Master - don't keep dragging your tomorrows into your today. Worry is trying to live your tomorrow before you get there; before you have the grace for that day that God only issues in 24-hour increments. Jesus is saying, “Just do today!” That's how one man handled the seemingly endless winter of his Antarctic journey. He said, “You have to keep concentrating on the near future.” Yes, like today!

He said, “Make every day a victory.” That's how you deal with a child who's taking everything you've got as a parent. It's how you beat a sin that's conquered you for so long. It's how you dig your way out of a mountain of debt. It's how you manage the unmanageable. “Make every day a victory.” And on those days that don't exactly turn out to be victorious, put that day behind you and start fresh on that next new day. Remember, the Bible says, “His mercies are new every morning.”

When you stop worrying about tomorrow and you focus on today - and on your Heavenly Father who knows what you need - what seems so big and so far becomes so doable.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #1865]

Looking Unto Jesus

Many people have heard of the outstanding exploits of Blondin, the tightrope walker. Blondin amused and amazed thousands of people as he made his way over Niagara Falls on a slender rope stretched from shore to shore. He never faltered or failed. But Blondin had a secret. As he made his way over the rope, he would keep his eyes fixed on a large silver star which he had erected at the far end. The star was the center of his attention and guided him to the other side.

In running the heavenly race the believer must look to his Star -- the bright and morning Star, the Lord Jesus. He has run the race and now bids his followers to run the race, keeping their eyes fixed on himself as the goal.

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Purposely Losing the Way Out

When Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Britain with his Roman legions, he took a bold and decisive step to ensure the success of his military venture. Ordering his men to halt on the edge of the Cliffs of Dover, he commanded them to look down at the water below. To their amazement, they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel engulfed in flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat! Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent, there was nothing left for them to do but to advance and conquer! And that is exactly what they did.

Kept In the Position of Confidence In God

Richard Fuller, the 19th-century Baptist preacher, told of an old seaman who said, "In fierce storms, we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there." Said Fuller, "This, Christian, is what you must do.... Reason cannot help you. Past experiences give you no light.... Only a single course is left. You must put your soul in one position and keep it there. You must stay upon the Lord; and, come what may -- winds, waves, cross seas, thunder, lightning, frowning rocks, roaring breakers -- no matter what, you must hold fast your confidence in God's faithfulness and His everlasting love in Christ Jesus."

Do you feel overwhelmed by your troubles? Fix your mind on the Lord. Ask for His help. Trust Him. Let Him give you peace in your storm.

Seeing Clearly

2 Peter 1:9

I went to an eye doctor the other day to see if I was a candidate for a particular surgical procedure that would correct my vision. The surgeon was quite a character. He was very funny and talkative, which I wasn’t expecting. With my medical chart in hand, he asked about what I had written under “occupation,” mentioning that apologetics intrigued him. We then briefly but enthusiastically discussed various topics ranging from the new atheism to religious syncretism. Then he told me the disappointing news: “I’m really sorry, but you’re not a candidate. You’re a very high myope.” Thinking he may have just hurled some sort of insult at me, I was relieved to hear him explain that myopia simply means nearsightedness. Unfortunately, my vision is just too nearsighted. Oftentimes, so is my faith.

The Greek word “myopazon” from which the word “myopia” comes occurs only once in the New Testament. In Peter’s second letter to the church at large, he writes: “But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted...” (2 Peter 1:9). But if anyone does not have what? Just prior to his diagnosis, Peter lists various virtues that are necessary for avoiding spiritual myopia: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).

Peter offers no explanation or description of this long list of virtues. He simply notes them and says, you either have them, or you do not; you either can see, or you cannot. He then exhorts us: make every effort to see! For Peter, knowing Jesus most fully means working diligently to internalize and exhibit Christ-like characteristics on a daily basis -- and in “increasing measure.” In other words, we never arrive on a spiritual peak from which we have nowhere higher to climb. There is always room to grow; there is always more to see.

All of us are afflicted with shortsightedness at times. We focus on the struggles right in front of us because faraway promises appear so blurred. We focus on a nagging worry or a superficial frustration because the bigger picture is so much harder to fathom. Interestingly, Peter does tell us to stop looking close to home into order to see clearer visions of the future. (Of course, he would tell us not to worry, as this is not focusing on anything helpful.) But instead, he reminds us that focusing on our union with Christ and our own internalizing of Christ’s qualities helps us to keep the bigger picture in focus and our overall knowledge of Christ most effective. Nobel prize-winning poet Nelly Sachs similarly urges us to widen our gaze and fix our eyes on the transcendent by looking right in front of us.

“In the evening your vision widens

looks out beyond midnight–

twofold I stand before you–

green bud rising out of dried-up sepal,

in the room where we are of two worlds.”

Perhaps the place where we can see hope blossom -- no matter how dark and distant it may seem -- is closer than we think. Looking at the world through the eyes of Scripture, the hope of the gospel, and the presence of the kingdom provides us with corrective lenses through which we can see who Christ is, who we truly are, and indeed, who we can become beside him. Take a look and see for yourself.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #6353]

Epidemic of Fear

Colossians 3:1

Title: The Cross Divides the Vertical from the Horizontal!

000306-5

Subject: Focus; Rebirth; Regeneration; Sanctification

Reference: Colossians 3:1

Illustration: In Bible study the dependent or conditional clause of a conditional sentence is extremely important. For example, "If it rains" is the conditional part of the sentence, "If it rains, the game will be canceled." "The game will be canceled" is the main or independent clause. Mark Twain wrote, "If we get left on this wreck, we’re in a fix."

Application: Paul writes, "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above ... ." The condition is quite literally: IF YOU ARE SAVED? The main point of the condition is: Then KEEP YOUR EYES ON HEAVEN WHERE GOD IS! The importance is this: if one condition is met, the other will follow. It has the sense of "if this holds true, then this will result."

One has to ask, in the light of the surveys we’ve seen in recent years, if so many of our people are "born-again," why do so many seem to have a horizontal focus rather than a vertical one?

Source/Attribution: John Gillmartin

Focus On What You Can Control

Joe Torre has learned to focus on his obligations regardless of what’s going on around him. His brother Rocco, a retired cop, died in June at age 68. Rocco had just watched the first game of a Yankees-Indians double-header on TV. Torre was in Cleveland, and his sister, Sister Marguerite, a Catholic school principal who gave Torre one of his first baseball gloves, wasn’t sure he’d been notified. So she turned on her TV. “I wanted to see Joe’s eyes, to see if he knew Rocco had died. I knew by his face. He knew.”

Torre was crushed, but decided to stay for two more games before heading home for the funeral. It was too late to help Rocco, he says, but he could still help his team. “My players needed me. If there’s nothing you can do about something, focus on what you can control.”

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Jeffrey Zaslow, Win One At A Time, USA Weekend, March, 21-22, 1997, p. 6.

Walking Like A Pigeon

Have you ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny? According to an interesting article in the Detroit Free Press, a pigeon walks the way it does so it can see where it's going. Because it can't adjust its focus as it moves, the pigeon actually has to bring its head to a complete stop between steps in order to refocus. This is the way it walks: head forward, stop; head back, stop. Don't laugh -- that's how it goes!

In our spiritual walk with the Lord we have the same problem as the pigeon. We have a hard time seeing while we're moving. We also need to stop between steps -- to refocus on where we are in relation to the World[*] and the will of God. That's not to say we have to stop and pray and meditate about every little decision in life. But certainly our walk with the Lord needs to have built into it a pattern of “stops,” which enable us to see more clearly before moving on.

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[*] Some versions have "Word".

Quotes On Concentration

"Life is short - stay awake!"

-- advertisement for Starbucks Coffee

"What you concentrate on largely determines the quality and quantity of the results that you get and the success that you enjoy."

-- Brian Tracy

"When every physical and mental resource is focused, one's power to solve a problem multiplies tremendously."

-- Norman Vincent Peale

"Every great human achievement is preceded by extended periods of dedicated, concentrated effort."

-- Brian Tracy

"It's the constant and determined effort that breaks down all resistance and sweeps away all obstacles."

-- Claude M. Bristol

What Barry Manilow Is Passionate About

"I am a musician. My passion for music has obliterated everything in its path for my entire life. Whenever there was a choice between music and anything else, music won hands down every time. No one person or material thing could ever come close to the feeling I get when the music is right. I am totally committed to my music and my fans." - Barry Manilow

Stabilizing Your Aircraft

Psalms 73

Now, I'm a passenger on airplanes, not a pilot. And that's a good thing. But I have a lot of friends who are pilots - and they've taught me a lot about my attitude. They tell me that "attitude" is actually a pilots' word. As they've explained it to me, the attitude of your plane has to do with its relationship to the horizon. Other things are variable - terrain, weather, even the pilot's perceptions. But the horizon is the one thing that doesn't move. So you want the nose of your plane properly aligned with that horizon. When it isn't, problems can develop - like friction, for example.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Stabilizing Your Aircraft."

OK, enough about airplanes. Let's get down to what really matters to you and me today. How's my attitude? How's your attitude? It probably depends on how well you're lined up with the horizon. That's "horizon" as in the God you belong to - the fixed point in the midst of all the variables in your life.

In our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 73, we can literally watch the psalmist's flight going into a tailspin - and then suddenly stabilizing as he corrects his attitude. In the first half of the psalm, the writer says, "My feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold." Later, he says, "All day long I had been plagued; I have been punished every morning." He's feeling like a victim, like he's going down. He's focused on himself, his hurt, his frustrations, his vacillating feelings.

With everything spinning in his cockpit, he finally corrects his downward spiral. Notice the dramatic turnaround - you're about to hear the secret of stabilizing a sinking attitude. In Psalm 73:16, the psalmist says of his struggles, "When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me until I entered the sanctuary of God."

Now listen to his renewed perspective. "When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant ... Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart."

How do you pull out of the tailspin that you're in? How do you avoid a tailspin in the first place? Make sure your eyes are focused on the horizon of your anchor relationship with Almighty God. Hope is ultimately a matter of focus - as is hopelessness. When your attitude is focused on anyone or anything other than your awesome Lord, you start to forget the big picture of all the good things you've got and you start to magnify out of proportion the negatives. And as your attitude slips from God-centered alignment, friction starts developing - people and circumstances just start getting to you.

So, in your earliest waking moments of the day, consciously start praising God right away, first thing, for good things that He is and for good things that He's doing. Focus your heart on Jesus as the only One you're doing things for, as the source of your joy, as your reason for living. And aggressively look for Him all over, all through your day. As long as your attitude is lined up with the holy horizon of the God who has your life, your flight will weather any storm and arrive home safely.

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The Problem With Looking At Yourself

1 Kings 19

It was one of those early spring days when we look out the window and see all kinds of beautiful birds. I saw this one that was actually pretty funny to watch. I'm not sure it was funny for him! I think it was a bluebird and he was hovering near a rear window on our car, just fluttering back and forth, running into the glass over and over again. Now, he was obviously confused and disoriented, he was going nowhere, just fluttering, chattering, and crashing into the window. My wife said, "You know, I'll bet he sees himself in the glass - and that's what's got him acting crazy."

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Problem with Looking at Yourself."

Poor bird. When he just kept looking at himself, he got confused and disoriented - and he kept running into things. Just like us - when we get all focused on ourselves, that is. And maybe that's where you are right now - the stress, the hurt, the load has gotten you all focusing on yourself, maybe without your even realizing it. And you may actually be fluttering around emotionally, feeling disoriented and discouraged, even crashing sometimes.

God's given us a picture of what this looks in our word for today from the Word of God in 1 Kings 19, beginning with verse 3. The great prophet Elijah has just come off the most powerful spiritual victory of his life - his showdown with 450 prophets of the idol Baal, where God proved who is Lord by consuming the sacrifice on the altar with fire from heaven. But now the wicked queen Jezebel has ordered a "hit" on the prophet - and, man, has he changed.

The Bible says, "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba ... he went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die." Now, how does such a strong spiritual leader get so low so fast? Here's a clue in what he says to God: "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have ... put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too." Suddenly, it's all about me.

Now, this is in sharp contrast to Elijah's focus when he prayed on the day of his showdown with the false prophets. There he said, "O Lord ... let it be known today that You are God ... that I am Your servant ... so these people will know that You, O Lord, are God." See, when it's all about God, I'm on top of things. When it's all about me, things are on top of me.

Fear, discouragement, being all stressed - those aren't signs of being focused on your Lord. That's a bird who's looking at himself or herself and fluttering all over the place, crashing into things. Isaiah 26:3 says that God will keep in "perfect peace" the one who is "stayed on" Him.

Self-pity, self-centeredness, self-promoting, self-reliance - the harder it gets, the more that "self" stuff starts to take over and the more out of control we become. If you've been looking at yourself too much, it's time to fly to a higher place where you can get your perspective back - to refocus your eyes away from your great load and back to your great Lord.

________________

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Fulcrum and Fascination

Consider two intimately related questions: First, what is the center of your week, the fulcrum of your activities? And second, what captivates you? What do you spend your best resources on, your deepest emotions, the majority of your free thoughts?

These two questions are intimately connected for we need the fulcrum of our activities to captivate us. When it does not, the result is frustration. Dryness and boredom set in, as disparate activities lose cohesiveness and become just a series of things to be done.

How do we make the fulcrum captivate? To begin, we ought to recognize that what captivates us could properly be called the object of our worship. Freely giving our time, our money, our thoughts, in short, ourselves to something, this is nothing if not worship. Choosing what this something is, is a profound matter, for the danger of idolatry is always present. And we must also consider that what we worship determines the quality of and fulfillment in our worship.

Simply put, the only object of worship that assures fulfillment and avoids idolatry is God. Sadly, many of us choose otherwise. The result is emptiness, and oftentimes pain and judgment. The emptiness results because we were made to worship God, and whether we recognize it or not, we deeply yearn for meaningful, powerful, and intimate worship of God. Trying to meet this need with thrill seeking, or busyness, or success, or learning, will only leave our soul hurting.

True worship is our deepest source for joy. It is the dispenser of the balm of Gilead. It will take our hearts aflight on wings to the Father's bosom, and our thoughts astride the deepest things. Our worship, personal and corporate, can and should be the most powerful thing we do. Annie Dillard gets it right when she says, “Why do we people in churches seem like cheerful, brainwashed tourists on a packaged tour of the absolute? Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? It is madness to wear ladies straw hats...to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us to where we can never return.”

Worship well on Sunday, and all through the week.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #16664]

Avoiding A Fall

Hebrews 12:1

Their name calls up some of the most breathtaking spectacles in circus history - the Great Wallendas! This world famous circus troupe has amazed circus-goers with their high wire act for oh, about three generations. I was interested to read in Decision Magazine about Tino Wallenda's commitment to Jesus Christ. Tino described what he's done for a living - walking on a cable that is 5/8ths of a inch thick, suspended between 30 and 100 feet in the air, at times suspended over dens of lions, between buildings and even over a pool of sharks! This is not what I want to be when I grow up! Tino said his grandfather, Karl Wallenda, started him out on a wire just two feet off the ground. He taught Tino how to hold his body rigid and how to place his feet on the wire and how to hold the pole with his elbows close to his body. But this great performer writes that “the most important thing that my grandfather taught me was that I needed to focus my attention on a point at the other end of the wire; a point that was unmoving and would not shift.”

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about “Avoiding a Fall.”

Tino Wallenda says that he has found that his grandfather's secret for not falling off the high-wire is also the secret for keeping your balance in life - concentrating on something that never moves. For him, that is Jesus Christ. He's made the right choice.

Our word for today from the Word of God, Hebrews 12:1-2, reinforces this secret of stability. “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Notice, perseverance - hanging in there no matter what hits you, finishing safely. How do you do that? It says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”

So, don't look down at the risks below you. Don't focus on the people around you. Don't look back at what's behind you. Don't focus on how much farther you've got to go. That's how you fall. Focus on one unmoving point - on Jesus Christ, who, according to a verse that follows in the next chapter, is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Right now, you may feel that you're suspended in mid-air with lots of uncertainties, lots of scary possibilities. You may be worrying about falling. Maybe you're experiencing some major shaking that is really throwing you off balance - you've been betrayed, you've been disillusioned, you've been laid off, you've been hit hard with bad news, you've been overwhelmed or wounded, you've failed.

Well, don't take your eyes off Jesus. If you focus on people or feelings or pressures or problems, you're going to lose your balance, and it's a long fall. But God's instruction is to “fix your eyes on Jesus.” When you don't feel like being in His Word, that's when you need to be there the most. When it's hard to pray, that's when it's most important to pray. When you feel like giving up, that's the critical time to trust and obey. When your mind and emotions are all over the place, remember, God will keep “in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on Him.” (Isaiah 26:3) Several times a day, at the most difficult moments, say those three words that change everything - “Jesus is Lord.”

When Corrie ten Boom and her beloved sister were imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp for harboring Jews, they lost everything. Corrie even lost her sister. But she spent her life traveling the world telling anyone who would listen this liberating lesson that God had taught her in the midst of unspeakable evil and unimaginable loss. She said, “With Jesus, the worst may come, but the best remains.” Focus on the one you can never lose. Focus on Jesus.

________________

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The Burning Torch

Among ancient Greeks the runner who won the race was not the man who crossed the line in the shortest time, but the man who crossed it in the least time with his torch still burning.

We are so often so busy with life’s activities that we are in danger of allowing the torch of our spiritual life to become extinguished.

A good woman once said that in the rush and hurry of her life she felt in danger of being “jostled out of her spirituality.” There is a real danger of being too busy to be good, of running too fast to keep our torch burning.

(untitled)

John 8:25

Focus!

Read: John 8:25-32

He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him. --John 8:29

John P. Robinson, often called America's "time guru," claims that people today sleep more than they think they do. He says that though they have more leisure time than ever, they still report feeling "stressed, rushed, and crunched for time."

Robinson calls this problem "overchoice." It's caused by the sheer number of options available to fill our time and the wearying realization that no matter what we choose to do, we are leaving something undone. If our identity is defined by activity, we operate on the principle, "The more we do, the more we are." We are exhausted, and we are the reason.

If Jesus hadn't focused on doing His Father's will, He too could have been overwhelmed by all the needy people and demanding tasks He faced. But instead of frenzied activity, Christ personified the focused life in everything He did. He said, "He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him" (Jn. 8:29).

Each day, Jesus sought to know His Father's will as He moved purposefully to the cross. There, He finished all that God had given Him to do. Today, our heavenly Father invites us to focus on Him for the wisdom and strength to complete the work He has given to us. --DCM

God's will is peace and plenty and the power

To be and have the best that He can give,

A mind to serve Him and a heart to love Him,

The faith to die with, and the strength to live. --Waelty

Keep focused on God and you'll see clearly what He wants you to do.

Quotes On Priorities

"To do two things at once is to do neither."

-- Publilius Syrus (c. first century B.C.), Greek writer, Bits & Pieces

"Not everything that can be counted counts. Not everything that counts can be counted."

-- Albert Einstein, scientist, Messages from the Masters, 2/1/02

"To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right."

-- Confucius, Chinese philosopher, Quotes from the Masters, 5/3/02

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Momomaniac With A Mission (or - the Curly Principle)

"Any time I have seen someone accomplishing something magnificent, they have been a monomaniac with a mission. A single-minded individual with a passion." - Peter Drucker

You may recall my coverage of the idea of "monomania" in a previous e-letter regarding, "The Curly Principle." In the movie City Slickers staring Billy Crystal, we observed the story of a man who (going through a mid-life crises), decides to go out with some buddies and rustle cattle for a week. The trail boss they report to is named Curly (played by Jack Palance).

Curly really seems to have his head together and Crystal's character keeps asking him what the secret is. Curly's only reply is to hold up his index finger and say, "One thing."

Finally in frustration Crystal asks, "Well, what is that one thing?" To which Curly replies, "That is what YOU have to figure out - no one can do it for you."

The Curly Principle teaches us the same lesson that the renowned management consultant Peter Drucker has observed in highly successful people. Monomania - in other words, a single-minded focus and passion for that "one thing."

Jesus taught us, "If your eye be single...your whole body shall be full of light." (Light meaning truth and power).

What are you singularly focused on?

Frequently, I meet individuals who want to have their dreams and yet are not willing to give up anything to achieve them. This is self-deception. Choosing to become great in any area means choosing to not be great in something else. There will always be a price to pay - there will always be a sacrifice.

You can only ride one horse really well at any one time. Yes, you may be able to ride two, but nowhere NEAR as well as you can ride one. Nowhere near as agile, responsive, quick. Understand the difference?

"The secret to success in life is making your vocation your vacation." - Mark Twain

Last weekend I was in LA with some good friends attending an Elton John concert. I was asked a frequent question, "What do you do for fun and recreation?"

This is always a difficult question for me to answer, because I know there is an expectation that I come up with a whole list of activities I am involved in. Bottom line...I am a monomaniac. My work is my passion as well as my re-creation (notice the true meaning of the word). When asked the question, "How is work?" I honestly answer, "Work is play."

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE what I do. I can think of nothing more fulfilling and re-creating than to meditate, study, read, learn, write, create, help and coach others, talk with you and share insights.

Yes, I do hike, workout, ski from time to time, go to movies, and play golf poorly once in awhile; but these are not the things that make life meaningful for me. Many see their work as a "means to an end," for the monomaniac their work is an end unto itself. Not just a job...a meaningful, passionate mission.

"Your work is your passion and your love made manifest through action."

Is this the right approach for you? I am not qualified to answer that question. What I am qualified to do is to check my own observations and experiences and agree with Drucker and Curly.

To accomplish anything of consequence...anything magnificent and great, you must be willing to literally trade your life for it. To be so passionately focused and committed that nothing will divert you. Nothing and no one can stop you.

My wish is that you find that "one thing" in your life. Your white-hot-passion that brings you tremendous meaning and purpose.

=======================

A version from 3/29/2003:

Are you a light bulb or a laser beam?

I remember several years ago seeing the movie “City Slickers” starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance. Seems Crystal's character was going through the proverbial mid- life crisis, and he and some buddies decided to go out and play cattle rustler for a week. Remember this one?

Well, in the midst of Crystal's confusion (and life-search), Palances' character “Curly” seemed to have it all together. Crystal asked him, “What is the secret to life?” At which point Curly would always hold up his index finger and say, “One thing” before riding away.

In frustration Crystal finally asked, “What is that one thing?” To which Curly answered, “That is what you have to figure out.”

You see, if we are not careful, we live our life like a light-bulb versus a laser beam. Never finding and deciding upon our “one thing.”

A light bulb gives off diffused light -- it can illumine a large area...but a laser beam can cut through steel!

You cannot serve two masters, you cannot ride two horses at the same time. The great teacher told us, “If your eye be single...your whole body will be full of light,” (light = truth and power).

In what ways are you living your life like a light-bulb? Becoming a jack-of-all-trades but a MASTER of NONE? Very few individuals ever master anything -- they don't find and commit to their own “one thing.”

What do you need to let go of? Where do you need to refocus? What do you want to accomplish with the rest of your life?

I encourage you to practice “The Curly Principle,” to find your one thing and commit to focus with laser intensity! Then exploit your one thing in the service of others and you absolutely MUST win.

Keeping Your Eye On the Ball

Luke 12:31

There's this little bare spot in the grass in our backyard. It's been there since our boys, Doug and Brad, were little. That was the first home plate they ever knew. Yes, that's where I taught them their first lessons in how to play baseball. Now our backyard isn't very big, so we had to start with a plastic bat and that little white plastic ball called a wiffle ball. But as I pitched and Doug and Brad learned to swing, there was one lesson I tried to permanently tattoo on their brain. It was the lesson my father taught me, that his father probably taught him, that somebody has taught every person who ever picked up a baseball bat - the most basic secret of success in sports ... keep your eye on the ball!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Keeping Your Eye On The Ball."

Actually, that's more than just the secret of success in sports - it's the secret of being a champion in life. In fact, there is a Father, your Heavenly Father, who is trying to coach you, His son or daughter, to keep - or get your eye back on - the ball. To train your energies on what really counts in this game.

In our word for today, Jesus makes it very clear what ball you and I need to keep our eye on and what's going to make us look away. Here's what He says in Matthew 6:31. "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things (that's where they think the ball is!), and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

The problem with this is that there's so much pressure, so much pull to seek first the kingdom of earth, isn't there? But we strike out on the things that really matter, the things that truly bring fulfillment when we start swinging at what almost everyone else is swinging at. Jesus said that the best of your time, the best of your energies, the best of your resources should be going into His agenda on earth ... developing your love relationship with Jesus, reaching the lost, helping the hurting and the poor, building His Church, and building the congregation you've got right there in your family.

But maybe you've been distracted by other pursuits in the stadium and you've taken your eye off the ball. It could be that your career, your material success, your work has become your primary passion and preoccupation. Business conquests, financial conquests, material security are the conquests you battle for the most - and frankly, there's not much left for the eternal conquests of Jesus' Kingdom work. Maybe your money is largely tied up in a house, a car, a wardrobe, your retirement, your toys - instead of laying up for yourselves treasures in Heaven. Perhaps ego pursuits and material pursuits have become the arenas where you're seeking your fulfillment more than in running for your Master's pleasure.

Today it may be that your Lord is saying, "My child, you're putting so much effort into climbing the wrong mountain." And you can't really win this way - not if you've taken your eye off the ball. Maybe you're playing hard, but you're not focused on the only thing that really counts - the Kingdom of God.

Like a father leaning over the child that he's coaching, your Heavenly Father is saying, "You're missing it, my son, my daughter. You've taken your eye off the ball." But the game isn't over and there's still time to turn this around.

You only get to play this game of life once. If you want to hit a grand slam home run with the rest of the life you've got, listen to your Heavenly Coach: "Keep your eye on the ball."

________________

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Thought Seeds

Mark 7:15

"The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears; it reaches the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of its unchastened desires. Every thought-seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own furtive of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit; bad thought, bad fruit."

-- James Allen

NASA's Chosen Few: A Higher Calling in the Heavens

The weather was perfect on that January day in 1986 when the space shuttle, Challenger, exploded into a cloud of smoke and debris. Millions watched in horror and disbelief (via television) as expectation vanished into confusion. At this very critical stage of NASA's propulsion into the future, the space program was crippled, and in that paralyzing moment, it was as if time stood still. It would be two years before another shuttle would be launched in these United States. Since the space program began, Americans have been intrigued, amazed and inspired by the exploits of astronauts, and those who have helped to send them into space. It's no secret that the selection process used by NASA is rigorous and intense, producing an elite team of the best of the best. Little known, however, is the fact that many of these individuals associated with the space program are far more in awe of something they view more important.

Astronaut Joe Tanner monitors shuttle systems in space where the typical work day is 16 hours. He says that going to space was everything he expected it to be and more. Back on earth, Tanner and his wife Martha, apply themselves to infinitely greater tasks. "It's very important to be a part in a local church" says Tanner. Together with their two children, the Tanners attend a local Baptist church. "We realized we needed to serve as well as to attend," added Tanner. Today, he teaches the 10th & 11th grades at church, and together with his wife, he visits schools where he unashamedly confesses playing with his food in space and having a relationship with Jesus Christ.

His wife Martha proclaims, "We are living up to the potential of being who God created us to be. We are His hands. We are His only means of reaching some people."

In a nail biting event, astronauts Charles Duke, and John Young landed on the moon in April of 1977, with fuel for only 100 seconds of hover time left. "It was a blast! I had a great time," the jovial Duke exclaimed. However, life was not a laughing matter for him or his family. Duke humbly confesses that, at that time, his job was his god and that it had caused problems at home.

"I hardly knew my kids when I went to the moon. We looked the All-American family on the outside, but inside there was a lot of troubles. In 1975, Duke's wife Dottie gave her life to Jesus. Over next two years he noticed "amazing" changes in her life. One day Dottie invited him to a Bible study, and when he gave life to Jesus, she couldn't believe it.

It's been a long time since Duke spent 71 hours on the moon. Today, he and Dottie spend their time sharing their secret for a successful marriage with church groups and at marriage seminars.

"We go around the world sharing our story and our testimony about Jesus," said Duke, "If we concentrate on Jesus, he brings us together."

Astronaut Gary Ross has flown on the space shuttle 5 times, and has walked in space 4 times. "Flying in space is great, but walking in space is like having your cake and eating it too," explained Ross.

A veteran of 850 hours in space, Ross has had many memorable moments. In November of 1995, his shuttle docked with a Russian space shuttle. As they shared each other's food, including American ice cream, he was surprised to see two Christian icons on the wall above their eating area.

"I don't know how anybody could go through life and not have Christ as their Savior and not have the hope of eternal life," says Ross.

Ross believes he is responsible to help spread the gospel of Jesus. A member of the United Methodist Church, he recently volunteered with his church to help out at another church in Costa Rica. "I get involved in mission projects because it's something Christ said we should do," explained Ross.

Alexander McCool is the manager of the space shuttle projects office at the Marshall Space Center. Involved in the American rocket program since the mid 50s, he has helped send the first rocket into space, helped John Glenn become the first man in history to orbit the earth, and helped Neil Armstrong become the first man to walk on the moon.

Two years after the Challenger became a fiery grave in the Florida sky, NASA was prepared to try again. In the control room on that day, Alexander McCool warned co-worker Gene Thomas, that he was going to take his hands and pray with him just before lift off. Initially, Thomas was concerned about what people might think if he was seen holding hands with McCool. But when the time came, both Thomas and McCool laid aside all pride and sought God's favor together in prayer. The launch was a success and NASA was back in business.

Gene Thomas will never forget the saddest day in his life. He was NASA's launch director when the Challenger exploded just 73 seconds into its flight. Although an investigation cleared the space center of all responsibility for the explosion, Thomas suffered great pain at the loss of his friends on the flight. He was close to all of them. "The Lord spoke to me and said, "I'm still Lord, I'm still in control," recalls Thomas. "Without Christ in my life, I couldn't cope with it." Thomas also said that, "Without the Lord's hand in anything a Christian does, there is no future." Today he is the Deputy Center Director for NASA.

On Christmas Eve, 1968, as the Apollo 8 made history orbiting the Moon, Americans sat by their TVs and radios listening to the crew read from Genesis, Chapter 1, which describes how God created the heavens and the earth. The soul-stirring reading finished with this sign off: "God bless all of you ... all of you on the good earth."

The Encyclopedia of Theological Ignorance

I am the proud owner of "The Oxford English Dictionary," which contains every word in our language. Instead of the 20-volume version that retails for $3,000, I got a special one-volume edition for only $39.95 by joining a certain book club. It contains the full text of the dictionary, with the drawback of typesetting shrunken too small to read. Next, I purchased a splendid magnifying glass, the size of a dinner plate mounted on a swivel arm with a fluorescent light built in. When I train the magnifying glass on a word, the tiny marks show up crisp and clear in the center, or focal point, while the edges grow progressively distorted.

In an exact parallel, for me Jesus has become the focal point of faith, and increasingly I am learning to keep the magnifying glass of my faith focused on him. In my spiritual journey I have long lingered in the margins, puzzling over matters like the problem of pain, the conundrum of prayer, providence versus free will. When I do so, everything becomes fuzzy. Looking at Jesus, however, restores clarity. For example, the Bible leaves many questions unanswered about the problem of pain, but in Jesus I see unmistakable proof that God is the God of all comfort, not the author of our pain.

I admit that many orthodox Christian doctrines bother me. Will hell really involve an eternity of torment? What of those who live and die without hearing about Jesus? I fall back on the response of Bishop Ambrose, mentor of Saint Augustine, who was asked on his deathbed whether he feared facing God at judgment. "We have a good Master," Ambrose replied. I learn to trust God with areas I do not understand by getting to know Jesus-and if that sounds evasive, I suggest it accurately reflects the centrality of Christ presented in the New Testament. With Jesus as the focal point, we let our eyes wander with care into the margins.

I have often wondered why the Bible does not give clearer answers to those questions at the margins. God had the opportunity to address the problem of pain in his speech at the end of Job and yet avoided the topic entirely. The Bible treats other issues - free will, infant salvation, annihilation - with clues, not direct pronouncements. I have a theory why.

On a shelf near my dictionary sits another book titled THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF IGNORANCE. Whereas most encyclopedias compile information that we know, this book outlines the areas science cannot yet explain. Perhaps God has fenced off an area of knowledge, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THEOLOGICAL IGNORANCE.

Consider infant salvation. Most theologians have found a few clues that lead them to conclude God welcomes all infants "under the age of accountability." The biblical evidence, however, is scant. What if God had made a clear pronouncement: "Thus saith the Lord. Every child under the age of ten, I will welcome into heaven"? I can easily see crusaders of the tenth century mounting a campaign to slaughter every child under the age of ten in order to guarantee their eternal salvation-which, of course, would mean that none of us would be around a millennium later to contemplate such questions.

In view of the mess we have made of crystal-clear commands-the unity of the church, love as a mark of Christians, reliance on God's grace and not our works, the importance of personal purity, the dangers of wealth-I tremble to think how we might act if some of the ambiguous doctrines were less ambiguous. We dare not repeat the error of Eden by assuming prerogatives in realms we cannot fathom.

Take the doctrine of God's sovereignty, taught in the Bible in such a way that it stands in creative tension with human freedom. The perspective of an all-powerful being who sees all history at once rather than unfolding second by second will always baffle theologians because that point of view is unattainable to us, even unimaginable by us. A humble approach accepts the difference in perspective and worships a God who transcends our limitations.

Hyper-Calvinists take on the prerogatives that no human can bear. Thus Malthusians opposed vaccination for smallpox because, they said, it interfered with God's sovereign will. Calvinist churches discouraged early missionaries such as William Carey, ignoring the obvious fact that we are the ones chosen by a sovereign God to carry the good news worldwide. On the other hand, in their doctrine of "perseverance of the saints," Calvinists correctly expressed the biblical tension between eternal security and the need for God's followers to persevere in their faith.

Obviously, we must and should investigate some of the issues in what I have called "the margins." I have been greatly helped, for example, by C. S. Lewis's depiction in THE GREAT DIVORCE of hell as a place people continue to choose even when they end up there. As Milton's Satan put it, "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." Still, I must insist that the most important questions about heaven and hell - who goes where, whether there are second chances, what form the judgments and rewards take, intermediate states after death - are opaque at best. Increasingly, I am grateful for that ignorance and grateful that the God who revealed himself in Jesus is the one who knows the answers.

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Preparing For the Last Sermon

There was a sense of anxiety as our seminary classmates gathered that day. To a person they had been surprised when the professor announced that there would be a final exam. Everyone was asking, "How can you have a final exam in preaching?" How could one prepare? What sort of questions might be asked? Throughout the year there had been lectures on sermon preparation and style, but mostly it had been a course of practice and critique.

Finally, the professor, who was himself a splendid and engaging preacher, strode into the room and a quiet fell. The familiar blue books were distributed.

"Gentlemen," he began, "you may use your Bibles for this exam. You have three hours. There is just one question and it has three parts. Here it is: You have one last sermon to preach in your ministry. It's your last best shot. Choose your text and theme, explain why you have chosen them, and give a full, detailed outline for the development of that sermon." That morning and that question have left lasting marks upon this preacher's life and his ministry!

Today brings us that one last shot in this church year. Today the church brings to conclusion all that has been revealed and celebrated in the gospel story of God's work for our salvation since that story began with Advent's hope a year ago. Today it must come together for us into one concluding proclamation about Jesus Christ who is "King of kings and Lord of lords." And today we must address that ultimate question about Christ's lordship in our lives and in our world.

________________

Theodore F. Schneider, Until The King Comes, C.S.S. Publishing Company, 1991.

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Losing Focus In the Calm

Amos 6:1

Some time ago, Harry Pidgeon sailed around the world ... in a 14-foot sloop ... ALONE! After the trip a reporter asked Pidgeon, "What is the most dangerous thing for a lone sailor on the open sea?"

He told the pundit: "It's not the storms or other vessels which endanger the solo sailor, but the clear, calm weather accompanied by a gentle breeze. The sailor loses focus and becomes careless under such conditions."

So too the Christian. It's the calm of the Christian walk which poses the greatest danger to the lone believer, causing a loss of focus on things above and careless living.

Perhaps that's why the Lord's brother, James, admonished us to "consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." [James 1:2,3]

And perhaps that's why the writer of Hebrews tells us to "consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together ... encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near." [10:25,26] There is little room in the Body of Christ for fear ridden Lone Rangers ... members who go it alone.

Yet in the midst of our foolish pride all believers have His promise, "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." [Matthew 28:20] Even so, we are never truly alone!

Looking At Something Better

Deuteronomy 11

Some friends of ours were recently at the Universal Studios Park in California. They wanted to see behind the scenes of TV and movies - so they went on the tram that takes you on their backstage tour. They had their pre-schooler with them - and they weren't too excited about him being terrorized by King Kong and the shark from "Jaws." So, when King Kong appeared on one side of this dark tunnel, they just turned his attention and to the tunnel - "Ooo, look at this dark tunnel! What's this inside your hat?" It worked. He never saw King Kong. Same with "Jaws." As the shark was jumping out of the water near his father's back, the little guy was studying the scenery on the other side. Never saw the shark.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Looking At Something Better."

Now, we could discuss whether this couple should have taken their preschooler on that tour or not. But they did do something smart - when there was something their child shouldn't experience, they creatively turned his attention to something else. That's not a bad strategy for parents who are raising their children in a world that is increasingly filled with monsters that could hurt them and destructive things they should never experience.

It is a strategy actually directed by God in our word for today from the Word of God in Deuteronomy 11, beginning with verse 16. Like us, these parents were trying to raise their children in a culture where sin was cool and temptation was everywhere. God says, "Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods ... Fix these words of Mine in your hearts and minds ... teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up ... so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land."

God is calling godly parents to play offense, not just defense, in a spiritually hostile culture. Don't just try to keep your children from touching wrong things - help them look in the other direction and find better things to experience - God's things! You can't just say no to everything - you have to offer alternatives and positive reasons. For example, sex is something that's too beautiful to ruin by taking it out of the Creator's fence called marriage. Heavy dating can be morally dangerous - but why not be for guys and girls having some great times as friends in mixed groups? In fact, why don't you help set some of those up - maybe at your house?

If you don't want your kids listening to destructive music, invest in music they can listen to. Invest in constructive interests and constructive friendships they have. Make your house a fun and welcoming place for their friends - so they don't have to go to other homes where it's easier to get into trouble. Have great parties for your kids and their friends. And maybe you can give them the two words I gave my kids as they left for school each day - "GO MAD!" That's "Go Make A Difference!" I wanted them to see they didn't have to follow their friends down roads to nowhere - they could lead their friends to experiences that leave no scars and no regrets.

We need to show our children that what we're against is because of what we're for - things like living without guilt, relationships without regrets, the specialness of sex, the value of life, a good reputation, protecting the worth God gave you. We can't just be against the monsters and predators that are around our children - we've got to redirect their attention to all of God's good stuff!

________________

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Dead Coyotes and Soaring Hawks

Lamentations 3

Several of our team members were driving together to ministry events in a nearby state. We were in two cars, but we stayed in touch by means of walkie-talkies. At a couple of points, one of the men in the car behind me pointed out a hawk he spotted soaring gracefully above us. We saw several of them, actually. Now, when you see a hawk or eagle, it is always an event for a city boy like me. But as my friend - who was not driving at the time - pointed out one of those hawks, the man who was driving said, "Well, I just saw a dead coyote on the shoulder." As our walkie-talkie conversations went on during the trip, that wasn't the last hawk the one man saw - or the last roadkill that his driver saw.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Dead Coyotes And Soaring Hawks."

I guess whether you see soaring hawks or dead coyotes depends on where you're looking. And some of us have this amazing ability to miss most of the beautiful things going on around us and to only see the ugly things. Some folks see mostly what's right with people and with their situation - others just can't help focusing on what's wrong ... the dead coyotes. And it really does depend on where you choose to look - up or down. Because if you're walking through your day close to your Lord, there are always goodnesses to see!

The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah knew what it was to see the dead coyotes - until he chose to look up and see the soaring hawks. Both perspectives are evident in our word for today from the Word of God in Lamentations 3, beginning in verse 19. Here's the dead coyotes: "I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me." Now, when you focus on your frustrations and failures, the bad news and the negative feelings, you're going to be discouraged and depressed.

Now, here come the soaring hawks. "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will await for Him." When you focus on all the evidences of God's love and God's care in your life ... when you look for the blessings He has sown into this day, your load is lightened and your heaviness turns to hope. Same situation - two different outlooks. You choose.

Could it be that you've allowed too much negativity to blind you to God's blessings that are all around you? You've allowed your frustrations and hurts and stresses to dominate your view. Maybe you've tended to be cynical, sarcastic, accumulating negatives, looking for things to criticize. You've allowed yourself to get stuck in a negative rut - and the trip gets to be drudgery when all you're looking at is the dead coyotes.

Maybe it's time to say, "Lord, would you forgive me for letting the negative take over - for missing so many of the beautiful things that You put into every one of my days. I've been looking the wrong direction. Would you help me see the positive? Would You help me see Your new mercies every morning? Would you help me see Your love in action?"

Out the same window, you can see the majesty of the soaring hawks up there, or the mess of the dead coyotes. What you choose to focus on is going to determine the kind of journey you have.

________________

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Living Right Now

"If I look back at my first forty years on this planet, and take away all the times I was living in the past or the future, I'd say I really existed for maybe a month."

Al Franken

"I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It,

People Like Me!" (Dell)

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Stay Focused and Hang On

Luke 18:1

Rulon Gardner keeps defying the odds. Earlier this year he survived a plane crash in Utah. He swam for more than an hour in 44-degree water before reaching shore and then spent the night without shelter. In February 2002, he had a snowmobile accident. After falling in a Wyoming lake, Gardner was stranded for 17 hours in temperatures of 25 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. In March 2004, Gardner, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, suffered cuts and bruises after he was tossed off this motorcycle.

Perhaps Gardner’s greatest feat of defying the odds came on September 27, 2000. That’s when the “Miracle on the Mat” happened. He pocketed a gold medal after defeating the world’s greatest wrestler of all time, Russian Alexandre Karelin, at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Mind you, this Russian had never lost in international competition. He’d never even been scored on in 10 years! He pummeled opponents despite broken ribs, torn muscles and opposing coaches who would spend years designing strategies just to beat him. Karelin was considered the most intimidating athlete in Olympic history, so feared by opponents that two prior finalists essentially quit on the mat rather than keep absorbing the pounding. And, according to legend, the Russian once carried a refrigerator home from the store and up seven flights of stairs.

So no one expected the American to win. In fact, the International Olympic Committee chairman even showed up at the match in order to present the Russian his fourth gold medal - the medal he wouldn’t get.

After the historic match, reporters swarmed around Gardner, “When did you think you could beat him?” they asked.

“When did I think I could beat him? About 10 minutes ago,” Gardner replied. “I kept saying, I think I can. I think I can.’ But it wasn’t until it was over that I knew I could.”

Turns out that Gardner used a simple strategy to counter Karelin’s dreaded lifts and relentless pressure. He said he approached the match with only two things on his mind: to stay focused and hang on. And for nine excruciating minutes, that’s exactly what he did.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #4385]

Beyond Cooperation

When a group of soldiers found themselves locked away in a German prison camp during World War II, they easily could have waited out the end of the war there. Or, they might have made a few small attempts to free one or two people.

At one such camp, however, the goals were much bigger. These prisoners organized themselves around the collective goal of freeing 250 soldiers in one night. Their story became the basis for the 1963 movie, “The Great Escape.”

Imagine the teamwork required to pull off such an ambitious goal. Groups of prisoners had to engineer and dig tunnels, build supports from wooden slats, dispose of dirt, create bellows to pump air into the tunnels, and light the tunnels.

According to one list, the supplies included 4,000 bed slats, 1,370 battens, 1,699 blankets, 52 long tables, 1,219 knives, 30 shovels, 600 feet of rope and 1,000 feet of electric wire.

In addition to finding materials for the tunnels, each escapee would need civilian clothes, German papers, identity cards, maps, homemade compasses and emergency rations.

Everyone had a job, from tailors to pickpockets to forgers. There were even teams that specialized in distracting the German soldiers.

“It demanded the concentrated devotion and vigilance of more than 600 men - every single one of them, every minute, every hour, every day and every night for more than one year,” John Sturges, who directed the movie account, once said. “Never has the human capacity been stretched to such incredible lengths or shown such determination and such courage.”

To pull off such an elaborate mission, the soldiers moved beyond cooperation and into collaboration. You see, there's a difference between cooperation and collaboration.

Cooperation is working together agreeably. Everybody sits down, and they're agreeable. Collaboration is working together aggressively; and there's a world of difference between those two.

There are four changes needed to become a collaborative type of a player:

Perception. You need to see teammates differently; you need to see them as collaborators, not as competitors.

Attitude. As a team player, you need to be supportive, not suspicious, of teammates, because if you trust others, you'll treat them differently - you'll treat them better.

Focus. A collaborative type of team player concentrates on the team, not himself or herself. Cavett Roberts said it right: “True progress in any field is a relay race and not a single event,” so the focus is different.

Results. You begin to create victories through multiplication.

One is too small of a number to produce greatness. In fact, nothing can be accomplished in a great way without help. You have to learn to collaborate. You have to learn to come together.

When you're developing a team that collaborates, it begins to be aggressive, not just agreeable. And it begins to accomplish a vision that mere cooperation never would allow.

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Slipping Out of Focus

Matthew 14

Well, I'm not much of photographer, but I'm married to one. So, a few years ago I was able to open doors to minister to our local football team by being on the sidelines and shooting slides of them in action. Now, Karen gave me this crash course in photography, and one thing I had to learn fast was how to focus my lens. See, I was shooting from all different angles, all different distances. If I said, “Well, I'll just focus my lens on this first photo, and then I'll leave it like that,” I would have had a pile of blurry pictures and not many friends on the football team. See, the picture kept changing, and I had to constantly refocus for each new situation.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Slipping Out of Focus.”

Now what you focus on in any given situation will determine your attitude and ultimately your response. It's important that you fill up your lens with the right thing, that you ultimately, of course, focus on Jesus, not on the circumstances. But your heart and your mind are a lot like my camera: you can't just focus once and leave it set there and think it will stay there - the picture keeps changing. You have to get back in focus for each new situation.

There's a memorable example of this in our word for today from the Word of God in Matthew 14 beginning in verse 25. The disciples were out on the lake in a sudden, violent, life-threatening storm. And then, the Bible says, “...Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 'It's a ghost,' they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.’ 'Lord, if it's You,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to You on the water.’ 'Come,' He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”

Wow! Man, Peter had his mental camera focused completely on Jesus - and he was unsinkable. But then things slipped out of focus. The Bible says, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink cried out, 'Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' He said, 'why did you doubt?”

Well, there I am. There you are. Focused on Jesus, walking where we could never walk otherwise. And then focused on the storm, the circumstances, our fears. Going under. That's why we need to constantly refocus on Jesus - because we keep slipping out of focus. We get halfway there, and we start looking around. We lose our focus on Jesus.

Let's say you start your day praising the Lord, really hanging onto Jesus. But throughout your day, there are so many distracting problems and temptations and emotions and people. And it's so easy to focus on those stresses, those issues. And suddenly Jesus is just a blurry figure in the background.

Over and over, we need to stop and get our eyes back on Jesus - to take a deep breath and say, “Jesus is Lord.” “Jesus is first.” “Jesus is in charge here.” Often I will find myself stopping several times a day when the winds have suddenly picked up and I'm saying those three peace-producing words: “Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord.”

Satan's great strategy for sinking you is to get your eyes off Jesus because he can beat you, but he doesn't stand a chance against Jesus. So keep readjusting your focus. Keep Jesus always in the foreground, clearly in focus. Remember, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

__________

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A Matter of Focus

[My friend Marge had an experience] aboard a plane bound for Cleveland, waiting for takeoff. As she settled into her seat, Marge noticed a strange phenomenon. On one side of the airplane a sunset suffused the entire sky with glorious color. But out of the window next to her seat, all Marge could see was a dark and threatening sky, with no sign of the sunset.

As the plane's engines began to roar, a gentle Voice spoke within her. “You have noticed the windows,” He murmured beneath the roar and thrust of the takeoff. “Your life, too, will contain some happy, beautiful times, but also some dark shadows. Here's a lesson I want to teach you to save you much heartache and allow you to “abide in Me” with continual peace and joy. You see, it doesn't matter which window you look through; this plane is still going to Cleveland. So it is in your life. You have a choice. You can dwell on the gloomy picture. Or you can focus on the bright things and leave the dark, ominous situations to Me. I alone can handle them anyway. And the final destination is not influenced by what you see or feel along the way. Learn this, act on it and you will be released, able to experience the “peace that passes understanding.”

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“Touching the Heart of God”, Leonard Lesourd, Catherine Marshall, Fleming H Revell Co., December 1, 1988, Source: The Inspired Buffalo, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the-inspired-buffalo/

70 Sermon Illustrations on Focus