Are you Leader? Are you having fun? Why Not?  Some where along the lines some one told leaders that if you lead you can’t have fun. You need to be serious, straight laced and boring. Like a boarding school teacher with hair net and a really long ruler. This week we will  look at Leadership and Fun and how they can coexist.

What do you think can Leadership and Fun coexist?

What defines a need? If you were to look at your life and separate the things that you need, from the things that you want, what would that look like? What would be on your list of needs?  Food, water, shelter?  I’m sure these are the basics we can all agree on. Most people would ask, what is considered food? Or what is shelter specifically?  So, if you have 3 kids you need a house with at least 4 rooms. In order to make this happen you need to go to college. Then you need to get a good job so that you can provide for these basic needs. Right…………I think we would all agree with this.

Now that we have established what the basic needs are, and can all agree to some standards, what do we do when those around us have basic needs that aren’t met?  I believe most would say we should meet those needs or at least find a way to help those in need help themselves.  So if we agree what basic needs are, and that everyone’s basic needs should be met, what are we doing to meet those needs?

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39 ESV)

So if we meet our own needs and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves then in some way or another make sure their needs are met as well. Just something to think about.

God bless!

Pretty simple question right? Why did you do that? Why did I do what is probably what you’re thinking. See I find myself asking this question from time to time…. See as we walk through our day to day lives we make choices and decisions. Each one just as important as the next.  Yet seems like sometimes we do things without thinking. Then we ask “why did I do that”. So what if we asked the questions before we do something. What if we lived our life as a before thought and not an afterthought. So that next you go “Why did I do that” you already have an answer.

Apple just delivered its big keynote at the WWDC and it got me thinking. Every year companies are working hard at improving upon what they did the year before; to present a better product, strategy or service. Now whether you love what they do or hate it, they’ve been putting in work.

So what are we doing each year to improve who we are? What are you doing to get better at what you do? Whether it’s your family, job, hobby or ministry, if you had a keynote coming up what would you present? Everyone may not like it, or they may love it. The point is, you are doing something to improve where you are every year. We can’t just stay comfortable where we are; we should always try to improve.

Summer time is the time for kicking back, relaxing, and  hanging out. Kids are out of school or maybe you’re out of school. Pretty much every industry is slowing down unless you live in tourist city.  It’s summer time- the off season of your life!

What would it look like if we look at summer a little differently? Instead of time to just relax and chill we use it as a time to get better and to prep for the next season of life?  Abraham Lincoln once said, “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.”

Don’t get me wrong I’m not telling you not to enjoy your summer. But why not take some time and prep for the next season of your life? A couple a years ago I learned the difference it makes to be prepared for the next season.  So this week I’ll be sharing some ideas of what you can do to sharpen you ax for the next season.  Until then comment and share some of your season prepping ideas.

If my life was a credit report and I was trying to obtain salvation, based on my score I wouldn’t get it.
My history shows that I’ve been delinquent in praise, past due in prayer, my worship has been in collections and I’ve missed a few payments (tithes) or only paid half (you know how we put $20 in the basket and feel like we’ve done God a favor).
Not to mention that my debt (sin) to income (blessings) ratio is too high.
BUT I thank God that I was able to file bankruptcy (repentance) and it cleared me of all of my debt (sin). Now I have a co-signer (Jesus) whose score is FLAWLESS….. Not one blemish (sin) on his report.
So now…. I QUALIFY for EVERYTHING! Most importantly I’ve inherited eternal life and I didn’t have to put one penny down.
All of my closing costs were covered when Jesus laid down His life for me!!!! I hear that my future home has all of the upgrades too.
Hardwood floors? Please!! I’ll be walking on gold! : – )
Thank You Lord for Your unmerited mercy, grace & favor!!

So I’ve had a MacBook now for 24hrs and let me just tell you that it has changed ………….nothing. Now before you call in the Apple Swat team and go all apple this, apple that on me.  Don’t get me wrong the MacBook Pro is a nice piece of hardware. I don’t need to tell an apple fan like yourself that.

What I need is your help. Let me know what I need to do or not  do to make jump for joy over my MacBook pro besides the fact it loads fast and looks better than any pc I’ve seen. So post you comment, speak up help me step my Mac game up.

Also for you help I will randomly pick from the helpful comments and send you a Starbucks gift card. Thanks in advance for the help.

• 42.7% of Internet users view porn
• 20% of men say they view porn at work.
• 53% of Christian men consume pornography.
• Breakdown of male/female visitors to pornography sites: 72% male & 28% female
• 17% of all women struggle with pornography addiction.
• The average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is 11 years old.
• 90% of 8-16-year-olds have viewed porn online (most while doing homework)

From May 23-28, LifeChurch.tv and XXXChurch.com present ThePornEvent.com, a 25-minute
interactive experience focused on the real-life effects of pornography. ThePornEvent.com has
two segments, one for men and one for women; more details and the schedule can be found at
ThePornEvent.com. During ThePornEvent.com we will examine the effect porn has on our lives
and relationships, and look at next steps for those who are struggling. Expect a non-threatening
environment featuring stories, helpful answers, and an open conversation with people whoʼve
traveled a similar path. ThePornEvent.com is for anyone who is interested in what it looks like to
live a life beyond pornography.

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.”

Have you ever thought about how willing Mary must have been? She was willing to risk everything, her reputation, her engagement, her family, her name…simply because an angel told her she would give birth. The entire city would look down on her; also, the threat of being stoned for not staying faithful to Joseph was a possibility too.

I wonder what would happen if we were that willing. Would you be willing to risk everything you had to do something you knew God had planned for you, knowing it might cost you everything? I’m not sure I would have been willing.

“Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed.” Luke 1:48

And I’m pretty confident that this would not have been my immediate praise to God after he told me I was going to bring His Son into this world, knowing everything I had planned and built for my life could disappear with this news.
She had some faith.

By My Good friend Mandy McKeown