Would You Be Surprised To Find This In Your Back Yard?

Picture this- you live in a metropolitan city, you go out in the morning to put out the trash, and you find a bear digging in your trash.  I'm not sure about you, but if that happened to me, I would be a bit surprised. It would surprise me quite a bit in fact.

 

I'm not sure what I would do. Probably run and scream, if my past interactions with things like cockroaches is any indication. Or, I would respond like I did in the Army and was faced with a skunk. I would just freeze up and hope it went away.

 

Here's a story from the Seattle Times today- http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011898689_apwaemergingbears.html looks like there is a bear on the loose in Tacoma Washington. Amongst many other interesting things that happen in Tacoma, you can add this to the list.

 

You'll notice in the story that the 'authorities' are doing whatever they can to track the animal down, tranquilize it, and remove it from the city. They see this bear as a threat to the safety of the city. The last thing that they want is for someone to get hurt by this bear.

 

I can understand their concern. When there is something dangerous in the city, you should do whatever it takes to remove it. I just think that sometimes when it comes to things in our own lives that are destructive or dangerous, we wait far too long to remove them. For some reason we seem to think that the things in our life that are negative or destructive will somehow magically be removed. We ignore them and hide them and somehow believe that one day they will be gone.

 

That process doesn't work with bears and it doesn't work with destructive things in our lives. If there are things that you don't like about your life, or things that you think are destructive, you need to get serious about it. Get together a search party. Grab some tranquilizer guns and get after it.

 

Here's the deal- God has a lot of grace for all of us. He loves us and wants to see us living well. The last thing He wants for our lives is for us to be demolished by something that could easily be removed with a bit of directed investigation and intensive attention. Get serious about the destructive things in your life.  Ask Him to remove those things from your life that are destructive and or dangerous. Give them up to Him and release them from your life. You will find that when you give something up to Him, He'll take it, and your life will be better for it.

 

Don't let the Bears continue to roam around in your life.

 

Be Blessed today

matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

What To Do When Someone Apologizes

I'm a nice guy. Well, most of the time I think. I'm not trying to be a self promoting wind bag here, I'm just openly reflecting on the fact that for the most part, I think I'm a nice guy.

 

I don't kick random dogs. I don't throw trash out of moving cars. I put my shopping carts back. I smile at people whom I do not know. I engage people at parties.  One time I gave a ride to a guy standing on an off ramp. Yeah, I'm a nice guy.

 

Here's another thing I do that I think makes me a nice guy- when it has come to my attention that I have wronged someone, or hurt some one's feelings, I try my best to go and apologize.

 

Let me explain- with as little details as possible. Yesterday it came to my attention that due to circumstances out of my control, I had inconvenienced someone. I wish I could tell you what it was, but this detail would quickly reveal whom I am talking about, and I don't want to do that. What I did and whom I was talking to is insignificant, the action is where the significance is today.

 

So anyway, when I found out, I immediately went to the person and apologized.

 

Now, typically when someone goes to a person to apologize, you would expect that it would bring the person's guard down, and cause them to engage you in the interaction of the apology.

 

It usually goes like this-

 

Person one: Hey I wanted to apologize for (insert horrible deed here).

 

Person two: Its okay, I forgive you, I understand that people sometimes do that.

 

Person one: Thank you, again, I'm sorry, it was my fault, is there a way to make it up to you?

 

Person two: No its OK, just please don't let it happen again.

 

No such luck for me yesterday. It went more like this

 

Me: Hey, I just wanted to apologize for (insert horrible unintentional deed here). I'm really sorry. How can I fix it?

 

Them: Yeah, what happened was horrible. I'm mad. You're bad. I know you did it on purpose. Its clear that you hate me and wanted to hurt me. I'm not going to let you apologize I'm going to attack you and make you feel worse for apologizing and let you know that every time you try to apologize I'm not going to let you. I'm going to make you feel worse and loathe the day you ever hurt me. Whether it was unintentional or intentional is irrelevant, I know you did it on purpose so you don't deserve forgiveness. You deserve judgement, and I am the one to deliver it.

 

Or something like that.

 

Here's the deal- we all mess up. Either intentionally or unintentionally. When this happens, the first thing we need to do, is apologize and ask for forgiveness from those whom we have wronged. Here's the other part though- when someone wrongs you, and is trying to apologize, let them. Don't bite their head off and make them feel worse. Typically when a person has come to a point of admitting fault and asking for forgiveness, they truly are trying to repair the relationship.

 

If they are asking for forgiveness, it is because they care about you and the relationship. If they didn't care, they wouldn't say anything.

 

Forgiveness is something that God extends to us through Jesus Christ. We should forgive because he forgave us. Don't attack people who are trying to apologize to you.

 

Be blessed

matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

One Way To Improve Relationships

We were at someones house last night. My daughter had an event at school, and afterwards, we went to see some friends who were having a quasi-bbq. We ended up sitting around the fire and talking a bit.

 

I love sitting around a fire talking. There is something magical about the flames that seems to get people to open up  a bit. I'm not sure if its because of the darkness, the smoke, or the flicker of the flames, but people do open up more around a fire.

 

As we were talking, we started to discuss relationships and how difficult they are. If you're human, you probably agree that they are difficult. Its not easy being in relationship with people. Sometimes its downright difficult. Its hard to be in relationship.

 

One of the reasons that it is so hard to be in relationship, and something that hinders them most is vulnerability. People do not like to be vulnerable with their thoughts and feelings, and that is why it is really hard for some people to be in relationship.

 

What do I mean? Vulnerability is opening up about what you truly want, need and think. Its being willing to 'put yourself out there' and share what you are truly feeling. Its not bottling up. Its not holding back. Its being willing to open up who you are to the other person and risk being hurt. Clearly, most people struggle with this.

 

Its hard to tell another person that your feelings have been hurt. Its painful to let someone know that you have an emotional need that isn't being met. Its daunting to think about explaining your past to someone so they can understand who you are today.

 

Vulnerability pays the bills in relationships. If you don't pay it, bankrupt relations will be your payment in return.

 

Ask yourself- how vulnerable are you with those whom I want to be in relationship with?

 

What's the nugget? Be willing to be vulnerable. Be willing to be honest and open up to people. Yes it will be hard. Yes you will be hurt. But here's what will happen, in the process you will find that there are people out there that actually care about you. People who can handle raw emotions and aren't afraid of being real. People who will love you for who you are.

 

God never intended for us to be anything less than authentic. He desires it for us. In our relationships with others, and especially with Him. He wants us to be open and vulnerable with Him most of all.

 

Be open. Be vulnerable.

 

Be Blessed

matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

I Almost Died At The Gym This Morning

I've been going to the gym in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I meet my friend Chad there. I got there a few minutes earlier than him this morning (as it is most mornings) and was standing on the curb across from the entrance to the gym waiting.

 

As I was standing there, this person walked out of the gym, went to the back of their vehicle, and put their gym clothes in there and got in the drivers seat.  Did I mention they were parked in the 'Handicapped' spot? I was standing there, and thinking to myself  "they don't look very handicapped" seeing how they just came out of the gym and such.

 

This guy walks by me and says "You're thinking about how they don't look very handicapped, aren't you?".  I said to him, " What are you, some sort of mind reader??" and then he laughed over his shoulder as he walked away.

 

Just at that moment, my friend Chad walked up, so we started our way to the entrance to the gym. The person in that vehicle, shifted into reverse right as we were right behind the vehicle, and I thought to myself that they had to see the two 6 foot plus individuals behind the vehicle.

 

Nope. Without a look, without a pause, the vehicle came back at a high rate of speed in reverse straight at us. I jumped out of the way and hollered as they almost took me out. You'd think they would have applied the break a bit as I was hollering, nope. No such luck.

 

I wonder if I was pinned under their vehicle screaming they would have stopped?

 

The same guy who read my mind called out from the door and said "No question if they're selfish or not, eh?"

 

The whole interaction took about 1 minute.

 

In addition to immediately becoming the topic of the blog this morning, I also thought to myself what kind of life this person must lead to be so utterly concerned with what was going on with them, and in my case, completely oblivious to what was going on around them.

 

I think I may be like that sometimes. So consumed with myself that I forget those around me that may be in need also. I think its something about the human condition that we get tunnel vision when it comes to dealing with our own problems.

 

Here's the deal though- that's not what God calls us to do, or to be. Even though we may be going through something, or be dealing with something, it doesn't give us an excuse to take it out on someone else, or be oblivious to the people around us who may be in need.

 

Think about it today. You may be going through something, but that doesn't mean that you can become self absorbed. Make the choice to focus on those around you that may be in need, and help them out a bit. You'll find that your problems aren't as big, and that you bless someone else in the process.

 

Be blessed

matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

Want To Go Back To High School and Relive the "Glory Days"?

High school for me was, well, High School. Like most kids, I think that my remembrance of it doesn't quite coincide with the reality of what it was. More than likely other people's perception of who I was and the life I lived in my head in High School is very very different also. High school was what it was.

 

You have to admit that there is a certain aura associated with it though, isn't there? Countless movies about it confirm that we all, at some point, think about who and what we were in those days. Some of us, probably think about it and wish we could go back and do something different. That in someway if we could go back to that day, and do something different it would change the outcomes of our life today.

 

What's my biggest regret from high school? Not trying harder and training more diligently for sports. Especially football. It still pains me at times to think about what I "could have been" if I applied myself in sports. Would it change who I am today? Probably not. Except I wouldn't have as many regrets, and maybe a few more positive experiences to look back on.

 

I found an interesting article today about a young man in Texas. You can read it here http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Man-Posing-as-High-School-B-Baller-Arrested-93575559.html A young man in Texas who was 22 years old got found out playing for a high school basketball team.

 

Really? Sure, it was breaking the law, but my heart kind of went out to the guy. I don't know what was going on in his head, but I can assume that he was reliving something about his past, or he really didn't want to grow up. Either way, I'm not mad at the guy, I am a bit intrigued.

 

Here's the deal- we all have regrets. And none of us can go back. There is only one option- learn to live with the past, try to make amends, and move on.

 

Here's the biggest part I want to make clear in today's blog- Do you realize that you may look back on the time you are living in right now and have regrets about it in your future? You may not be in high school right now, but 5 or 10 years from now, you may look back at 2010 and think "I wish I would have done it differently".

 

What's the nugget? Live today how you think you should live so that in the future you won't have any regrets about what you have done or not done. Years from now you will not be able to come back to today and relive it. You can only live in the now. So live your life today in a way that you won't ever have any regrets.

 

Be blessed.

matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog