I'm Going to Wash My Friend's Mom's Car

For a while now, I've really wanted to get one of my sermons typed out and get a transcript of it. I found out that my friend's mother does transcription, so I thought that would be a good connection for me to get it done. I asked him about connecting his mom and I, and he wouldn't give me her phone number and said he would take care of it.

 

Here's the problem with my friend- he has been known to drag his feet on stuff, so after constant prodding for the past few months, he still hadn't contacted his mom for me. Finally, about a week ago, he said that he talked to her, and told her that I would detail her car for her, if she would do a transcript.

 

This was not true. I told him I would pay her to do it, not detail her car. My suspicion was that my friend was trying to get me to wash her car for his satisfaction of knowing I would be vacuuming out his mom's car, and less about what she wanted. I know his mom. She's a great lady. I challenged him on it, told him I wanted to speak with her on my own, but he wouldn't give me her number.

 

I took matters in my own hand yesterday and friended her on Facebook, in hopes that we could connect about this small project. He found out that I had friended her through his mom and called me and told me she was going to deny my request.

 

Great. What have I got myself into this time? The friend deny from my friends mom? Am I losing my touch?

 

So later in the day, I get a Facebook message from his mom- and it says- "Chad told me that you would like for me to type up one of your sermons and I would be happy to. He said that you wanted to detail my car in return and that is wonderful.That is a very generous thing to offer. It means so much more than money. Let me know when you would like to come over and we can probably do them both at the same time."

 

Oh my heck. Now I'm in deep. What am I going to do? I don't want to detail any cars. I wanted to pay her.

 

I call my friend and tell him what the message says, and he asks me what I am going to do. "I guess I'm going to have to wash her car now, thanks to you". It was his fault. He told her that I would do it, and now I was going to have to do it. "it means so much more than money". Yeesh. How can I go back on that?

 

"Gotcha!" He says over the phone. He hacked his mom's account and wrote the message. She said she would do it for free.

 

That guy. He thinks he's so funny. I'm going to get him back. I'm not sure how or when, but I'm going to get him.

 

I was laughing uncontrollably over the phone last night when he told me. He got me good. Laughter really is good medicine as Proverbs 17:22 says. It was a good laugh.

 

Here's the problem- some people take life way to seriously. They can't find the humor in anything. They don't laugh and joke or have any fun. Now, would I always reccomend laughing at someone else's expense? No, but laughing at life? Yes. Laughing is fun.

 

When is the last time you laughed hard? So hard your sides hurt? The Bible is true. A cheerful heart is good medicine. Laughing is good for your soul. Look for something to laugh at today. Find the humor in something. Choose to laugh. Even if it is at your own expense.

 

be blessed

pastor matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

Matt Lauer Interview With George W. Bush

Before I even begin, I realize that writing a blog about George W. Bush could be a very polarizing topic.Here's what I would recommend- save the anti-Bush rhetoric for a different forum. This blog isn't about his policies or being a republican. Its about the interview from last night.

 

Last night, Matt Lauer interviewed President Bush about his new book "Decision Points" for about an hour, and it was a very interesting interview. I like the office of the President, I always have. Regardless of the political office, the history of the Presidency is a great history of our nation. Last night was no different.

 

President Bush is not without his detractors. First there was the hanging chads, then 9-11, then Afghanistan, Iraq, Hurricane Katrina,the bank bail-outs, and "tax cuts for the rich". Talk to anyone and they have an opinion on W.

 

In the interview, Matt Lauer hit on all of those points directly. He asked Him if he would have done stuff differently. He asked him if he thought the intelligence was flawed, if Katrina was handled correctly. He asked President Bush how he thought about the bank bailouts and how it reflected the principles of a free market economy.

 

Here's what I saw and what I loved. Right or wrong, President Bush owned every last thing that he did in his Presidency. He didn't pass the buck. He didn't criticize. He didn't blame someone else. He didn't say 'the previous administration'. He didn't hide behind his words. His message was clear- what happened while he was President was his doing. He made the decisions and he stood by them.

 

I respect that a lot.

 

President or not, there are a ton of people today that refuse to own up to what they did, or take responsibility for their actions. Its always someone elses fault, and never their own. They live in a world of circumstance where they are powerless to affect the situations around them. Frustrates me. I like it when people take responsibility for their actions.

 

It made me think of what Jesus said in the 12th chapter of Matthew. "But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 

Words say it all. Its all we've got. We all make decisions every day, and when faced with them, we make a choice on whom we are going to place the responsibility of our actions and words.

 

Do you pass the buck? Do you blame others? When faced with a bad situation, do you grab a mental list of who to blame, or a mirror? Think about that today. Don't blame others when faced with the decisions you have made. Own up to them. Sure, you're no President, and Bush isn't perfect, but we all can own up to what we do and say.

 

Be blessed

pastor matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

Could You Give Up Showering?

Could you give up taking a shower everyday? I know some people who do that already, but that's not for me. I absolutely love to shower. I look forward to it in fact. I don't know what it is, I just feel more human after taking a nice hot shower with a bunch of soap. It's the best.

 

Interesting story out of the UK about not taking a shower http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/nov/02/give-up-washing-showering . The article talks about how some people, in order to help the environment, are foregoing the daily shower. Apparently its supposed to have some long lasting impact on the environment, if you shower less.

 

I'm not so sure about it. Here's the indirect impact on the environment if people don't shower that I think they may have missed.

 

1. Depleted ozone from the stank above your head.

 

2. Driving around looking for different friends who don't care if you stank.

 

3. Taking a longer shower on the second day, washing off your stank.

 

4. Other people having to shower after being around you and your stank.

 

I'm a clean freak. I can't stand bad odors. I can't find a Biblical reference for the daily shower, but there is something ungodly about being stinky. I know there is. Shower up.

 

If these people really want to change the world, I've got some things they can stop doing that will have a greater impact on the world than not showering. Here's a few-

 

1. Stop cutting me off in traffic.

 

2. Stop honking at me if I'm not moving fast enough through the parking lot.

 

3. Stop saying mean things.

 

4. Stop doing mean things.

 

5. Stop talking bad about people.

 

Simple things, but I think they will have a better impact on the world than less showering. There are things you shouldn't do, and there are things you should do. You need to shower.

 

Here's the deal- I know that there are people in this world that want to help people and the world, but the reality is that it is the relational aspects of this world that are ruining our planet. I'm no eco-terrorist, I can appreciate taking care of the environment, I'm just a bit more concerned with how people treat people. If the world focused on that instead of the eradication of the Wheat Weevil, I think we could change the world a bit more.

 

Here's what I recommend- continue to shower, but find other things in your life that you can cut out that will help the world. Cut out a drive, recycle a bit, do something. But most importantly, find some ways to take some of the negative relational things out of your life that are hurting other people. Work on that.

 

Be blessed

pastor matt

 

be blessed

pastor matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

Anyone Can Change. Anytime.

As a societal norm, people like people who are nice. People like people who are loving, caring, forgiving, and fun to be around. Most people enjoy the company of someone who has a positive attitude and an outlook on life that looks for the best, not the worst. In my short 35 years, I've yet to meet someone who is mean spirited, has a negative attitude, a poor work ethic and is vindictive that people like. No one says "Man, I sure love Mr. McClatchy he's such a sour existence of a man". It just doesn't happen.

 

No one likes mean people. They may tolerate them, or allow them into their lives because of circumstance, but seldom does a person seek out relationship with these types. Typically, they are stuck with them, not choosing them.

 

I've never understood sour people. I can appreciate that during a time of mourning, or a difficult season of life that a person may not feel on top of the world. I get that. But when a person lives a constant lifestyle of self loathing and negativity, I struggle to see what the deal is.

 

As a Christian and human being, I realize that these people need love and that I am called to love them, regardless of their disposition. The Bible says I have to love them. It doesn't say I have to like them.

 

I think what sour people don't grasp is that they can choose to make a change in their life whenever they are ready. I think they just don't realize it. Somehow they are stuck in the muck of their own despair to the point of pulling others down into their emotional hole of destruction.

 

I've seen change in people's lives I've never thought possible. People who used to be mean who are now nice. People who used to hurt that now help. Those who used to destroy that now build up. Its possible!

 

Here's the key to the sour turnaround- quit being sour. I know, big huge spiritual idea isn't it? But I think its true. Today, you can choose to smile all day long. No one will force you to do so, you have to choose to smile. Here's the greatest part- with God's help. he can turn any one's life around, if they will let Him.

 

The ability that God has to make someone into a new creation is amazing. He is in the people changing business. He changes mourning into dancing and pain into joy. He takes the wretched of the Earth and sets them up on a pedestal. He changes lives, but, you have to let Him. You have to spend time with Him and allow Him to influence you in such a way that it changes your persona and your outlook. He will do it, if you will let Him.

 

Are you sour? Stop it. Decide today to allow God to change you into a person who influences the world with love and joy, not hurt and sadness.

 

blessings

pastor matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

Man, 73, Rides 3 Miles In Wheelchair To Save Sister

Did you catch this story? In Oregon, a man, 73, got stuck in the snow with his sister, and he went for help on his wheelchair for 3 miles until someone found him and help. You can read the story here- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101030/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_wheelchair_rescue its a pretty amazing story.

 

The story isn't that long. The headline says it all.

 

I think that most of us if we were in dire circumstances like that we would be willing to do it also. Wheelchair or not, if I was stuck in the snow, I would find a way to get out. If it cost me my life I would die trying to save my family.

 

Makes me think- are there other areas of our life that we should be willing to fight that hard? Sure, its easy when there is a burning building, or a car wreck for the fight or flight instinct to kick in and cause us to act. But what about those things that we know would greatly benefit us or others, that we don't do, either out of apathy or laziness.

 

I know that there are things in my life that I need to change. I know there are things in my life that I need to attack.I know there are people I can love and help. But, many times, I constantly put these things off for days weeks and months, why? Because they appear to be things that are not life or death circumstance. Or are they?

 

Let me explain- I wont have a heart attack today if I eat some fried food and don't exercise. What may happen is that if I never exercise, and constantly eat fried food, it could contribute to health problems later in my life. Because the impact of the decision today, is so far off, it lessens the likelihood that I will be influenced by its effects.

 

No one drinks poison because it immediately kills them. People act in dire circumstance because if they don't someone will die.

 

The trick is to treat things that seem benign as if they were dire, so that you will be prompted to act now, versus later.

 

The Bible says "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act" (Proverbs 3:27). I think that's a powerful scripture. We can choose to act. We can choose to do good. We can make an immediate impact in the lives of others and our selves if we would act now.

 

Choose today to act. To not put off. To treat the day as if someone you knew or yourself were trapped and act immediately. Don't put it off.

 

If a 73 year old man can go in the snow in his wheelchair for 3 miles, you can do something, can't you?

 

be blessed

pastor matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog