Advice from the dead

Brad Pitt is seeking counsel from a variety of religious leaders--among them the Dalai Lama. What has all of this spiritual advice led to? Well, Brad has taken up the practice of "deep-trance channeling" in hopes of getting life advice from those already dead.

Brad's wife, Angelina Jolie, is worried that hubby's new mystical bent could hurt his public image.

Ummm Brad, channeling the dead could hurt a lot more than your public image! When King Saul consulted a medium to bring the Prophet Samuel back from the dead it had disastrous results. (See 1 Samuel 28.)

Lookin' for advice in all the wrong places . . .

Buyology

The book, Buyology, is subtitled, "Truth and lies about why we buy."

If you have any interest in marketing or in understanding why you are frequently compeled to consume--this is a must read for you.

Author, Martin Lindstrom, makes the case that marketers are beginning to understand that 90% of our decisions to purchase are made at a subconscious level. Ummm, that's a bit frightening. So how do we combat the onslaught of propaganda that propels us to purchase? We become aware. Aware of product placement in programs that subtly (or not so subtly) promotes a brand. Aware of sensory branding that uses not only printed messaging but also sight, sound, taste and smell, to prod us to buy. Aware of marketing that promises emotional satisfaction that really shouldn't be sought from "stuff."

In the end, we are responsible for the purchases we make. And to be responsible we have to be educated about what we're being sold, how we're being enticed to buy and the damaging results of living a wholesale consumeristic lifestyle.

44

Our 44th President has taken office.

I was in a meeting this morning. More than half of those in attendance happened to be African American. It was a wonderful time of enjoying a celebration of what God has done to bring about equality in the United States of America. One older black man stated, "This is the greatest day in history!" Another said, "I only wish my momma could see this."

As I watched President Barack Obama repeat the oath of office, I was holding my ten month old son, Elijah John--who happens to be black. Tears welled up in my eyes as I was reminded of how far this nation has come . . . how far we still must go.

God, may your blessings be upon President Obama and his family. May you place wise advisors around him. May he seek wisdom not from within but from You. May his strength not stir from military might but from the quiet confidence that comes from walking in Your ways. May he lead us by following you. Lead by kneeling. By serving. By trusting that we as a nation have been blessed for one reason and one reason only . . . to be a blessing to the world.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

What fills your "tank?"

There are times when my "tank" is full. I seem to have a high level of creativity . . . ideas that rapidfire . . . I wake up and can't wait to jot some thoughts down.

And there are times when my "tank" is empty. I slip into mild depression . . . become irritable . . . overall, not very pleasant to be around.

I'm becoming more aware of what fills my "tank" and what leaves me on E.

What fills my tank:

*Plenty of rest. I try to get 8 hours of sleep per night.
*Lots of input. I mean input into my tank. Watching movies. Reading good books (this includes a healthy dose of fiction). New experiences. Etc.
*Hanging out with people who jazz me. I love interesting, thought-provoking conversation.
*Hanging out by myself. I need times of solitude. It's good to be comfortable with being alone.
*Adventure. There's nothing like doing something or seeing something for the very first time.
*Spiritual food. Bible reading, prayer, serving others . . .

What sends me to E:

*Too many days in a row of pouring out.
*Too many conversations with people who are downright challenging--maybe we could call them "joy-suckers"--people who suck the joy of life right out of you.
*Boredom.
*Mundane tasks. Isn't that why autopilot was invented?
*Lack of challenge. I was born for battle.

What fills your "tank" and what sends you to E?

The Winner's Manual

The Winner's Manual is Jim Tressel's new book. A friend of mine gave it to me for Christmas. Jim Tressel has been one of the guys I would love to spend some time with. For those of you who are not huge college football fans . . . Jim is the coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. His ability to lead teams to winning records as well as develop individual players' character is incredibly admirable.

Some quotes from The Winner's Manual:

*Success is the inner satisfaction and peace of mind that come from knowing I did the best I was capable of doing for the group.

*Regardless of what we write, from books to articles, they should never simply be about something. They must always be for the purpose of something.

*If we lose a game, we're not losers--that's not who we are. And by the same token, if we win a game, that doesn't make us wonderful people. We achieved a goal, and that has its place, but that success--or any failure--doesn't define us.

*If you're in paradise where you are--not wishing you were someplace else--that's the right attitude.

*I don't find it uncomfortable at all to live out my faith in a public setting. But I do think it's important to go the extra mile with people who don't necessarily believe what I do. I want them to think, "Hmmm, he treats me better than some people who believe what I do." I think that's a little of what Jesus did with his life.

*Wherever we work . . . we should work as if we are going to be there for the rest of our lives.

Jim Tressel's approach to not only developing winning teams but also his wholistic approach to developing winning team members is exemplary. If you are a coach in any area of life . . . as a parent, business leader, or sports . . . The Winner's Manual will benefit you on your journey!

A prayer of St. Ignatius

Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve:
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wounds,
To toil and not to seek for rest,
To labor and not to ask for reward,
Save that of knowing I am doing your will.
Amen

A bit embarassing

Thank-you for your responses to "How many shoes do you own?"

It's an interesting exercise to actually go and count. Just as a point of reference . . . most sources in the U.S. state that the average female owns between 20 and 27 pairs of shoes. The average male? 3. No male in our response said they had only 3 pairs.

Ummm, I have a confession to make--I own 32 pair! When I counted my golf shoes, flip flops and went through all of my closets it became more and more embarassing. I found shoes I didn't even know I had! The crazy thing . . . I received two new pair for Christmas.

Why do most of us have more shoes than we need? In a nutshell: We are consumers. We are programmed to purchase--even things we don't need--especially things we don't need.

What do we do about it? Well, it's up to each of us as individuals. I plan on making a deposit to Good Will Industries. I also plan to stop buying new shoes simply because a marketing complex tells me my old ones (which are perfectly fine) are no longer fine.

What will you do?

How many shoes?

I'm starting a new teaching series at RiverTree this weekend. The title is Consumed. The general premise is to ask the question, "Are you a consumer or are you consumed by the things of God?"

So, to kick this off, let's start with an interesting survey. How many pairs of shoes do you own--please include boots, sneakers, house slippers, etc. When you respond, please feel free to do so anonymously but let us know if you are male or female. Of course we already know that men own more shoes than women . . .

Looking forward to hearing from you! I'm off to count!

2008 and 2009

And now it's 2009.

I've spent a great deal of time reflecting on 2008 and dreaming about 2009. It's strange how a "drop of the New Year's ball" seems to bring some things to a close and others to a fresh beginning.

2008 really was quite the year . . .

Here are some of my personal highlights.

*I celebrated my 15 year wedding anniversary!

*We adopted Elijah John Dominic Nettle!

*I visited Graceland. (Okay, not quite as momentous as the first two highlights.)

*I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (My climbing partner, Tom and I, raised $48,000 to open two new homes for children who have been orphaned as a result of the AIDS pandemic in Tanzania).

*I visited three of our Compassion sponsored children--Bakari and Godfrey in Tanzania and Darwin in Peru.

*I baptized Grant and Austin McClain (Young sons of two of my closest friends).

*I baptized Brandon Blood and Norm Jackson in the ocean of Peru--complete with 8 foot waves!

*I was bit by a Copperhead snake (Still trying to put that behind me).

*I attended the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade in New York City with my family.

*I read 62 books.

2008 was quite a year. But with all of the highlights come the most important questions . . . Did I become more like Jesus? Did I grow in my generosity? Am I becoming a more authentic person? What did I learn? What difference did my life make?

As for 2009 . . .

*I hope to learn to sail (It has been a dream of mine for years).

*I'm looking forward to a spiritual pilgrimmage to Israel (I'll be going with 15 other Pastors at the end of May).

*I'm excited, and a bit terrified, to deepen my relationship with God.

*I'm hungering to hear from God about His vision for my life and RiverTree (the church He has entrusted me to lead).

*I want to have a date with my wife, Julie, every other week. (It's been a challenge since we adopted Elijah.)

So, it's New Year's Day. Have you spent time reflecting? Time dreaming? Asking questions? Celebrating? Mourning?

God, may we all build upon the past that you have given us so that we may fully live for You in the future You have entrusted us. Amen.