FAMILY CEO

Good leadership is the key to any successful organization. The old saying that stuff (there's a more flowery word but I'll refrain) "runs down hill" applies in the area of leadership. Jim Collins, author of the book Good to Great, relates this to having the right person driving the bus. Other authors like Malcolm Gladwell and John Maxwell offer suggestions about how to become a great leader. And the reason their books are always on the best seller lists is that we ALL desire to be at least a good leader.

Today's families need great leaders. Leaders who understand God's organizational chart and then work at the part they play in it. This week we have the opportunity to look at the family and how God has called each of us to fit in it. God offers this mom and dad, "Impress them on your children" when it comes to priorities of right living. Lead your children into right living or to use a religious word, righteous living by teaching them to love the Lord with all their heart and soul and strength. Deuteronomy 6:5-6

It may be time for some parents to do a takeover and become the CEO of the family. Check out this weeks message and small group lesson and let's start living it....The Blessed Life!

HIGH DEFINITION LOVE

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him.” Genesis 2:18 GWT

Last year, Chris and I bought each other a High Definition flat screen TV for Christmas. WOW!! You can really see the difference between high definition television and regular television. As you get closer, you can see all the snow and the pixels in regular tv. But the HD set is all color and detail.

The same can be related in our relationships... especially the sacred one God established long ago, the one between man and woman. As we get closer and closer to His definition of marriage and love, it becomes brighter, clearer and more vivid. On the other hand, as we look at marriage from the world’s perspective or the way that society thinks, it’s kind of blurry. We can see the pixels and the snow and everything else clouding the picture.

As the watching world gets up close and personal to our marriages, what do they see? Let's work to insure that it is the High Definition Love that God designed it to be! Have a BLESSED week!

RADICAL RELATIONSHIP

I was listening in on a conference this week. It was called Radicalis. One of the speakers shared that the word is latin and it means "from the root". We get our word radical from that latin word so as it is broken down, we see that something radical is rooted.

Although not a botanist, I don't think plants share roots, at least I have never seen that to be the case. Each healthy plant has it own root structure. And the healthier the roots, the more stable the plant. When a plant has deep roots, it is less effected by heat, drought, wind, etc. And each plant has to have its' own root system. Likewise, each of us has to have our own faith root system. When we come to Christ, our root structure begins its' descent. The old saying, "No root, no fruit" takes on a new meaning in a believers life. Paul says it a couple of ways. "Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him" from Colossians 2:7 and "May your roots do down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love....Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God" Ephesians 3:17-19.

Do you want your relationship with Jesus to be characterized as "radical"? Me too! Let's take Paul's advise and work on our roots!! BL90X

The Blessed Life-BL90X

In my younger years, many hours in the summer were spent around a pool. Swimming was a pass time that provided both fun and relief from the heat. But to be honest with you, I had some fear and reservations each and every time I suited up. I was afraid of the deep end. It seemed that I had no control if I got in over my head. I didn’t like that feeling. But…that’s where the diving board was. The most exciting activity in the pool I played was the diving board and that thing was ALWAYS at the deep end of the pool. Over time though and through good experiences, I finally grew comfortable in the deep end.

Over the next several weeks, we are going to have an opportunity to “go to the deep end”, to dive head first into a pool, a pool deeper than any ocean and richer than Donald Trump and Bill Gates combined. And we will be challenged. It will seem scary at first…change and fear of the unknown are not things many of us like to consider. But to get to the Blessed Life that God wants to share with us, it is going to require change on our part. None of us can ever expect growth if we are unwilling to make necessary adjustments to our fragmented and busy agendas.

So…are you in? Will you take the “BL90X Challenge” to make the changes and live according to God’s design and not the world’s in the areas of your relationships, your body, your finances and your occupation? These next 50 days could be some of the most challenging you have ever experienced in your spiritual journey. But believe this, God wants you to dive deep pursuing Him and His Way as you swim through life.

That’s where this site comes in. It exists for your thoughts and discussions. Each week we want to hear from you. Our hope is that as you take the BL90X challenges and make adjustments to old habits and worldly influences, that God will bless you. And you in turn will bless us and inspire others by sharing what He has done through being obedient to Him.

Let’s get started!! Take the spiritual evaluation. How are you doing with the spiritual side of your life? What adjustments is God leading you to make? Let us hear from you!

“And I am sure that God, who began a good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.”

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)