Category Archives: Leadership

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LTP 8- Redefining the Family and Mission (with guest Dave Rhodes)

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What’s the best way to live?  By re-defining what “Family” is and what “Mission” is and then learning how to integrate the two… for a powerful new way to live.

Here is a brief summary of today’s episode of “The Live True Podcast.”  You can use this as a reference or reminder of key things you feel like you need to pay attention to or pass on to others, in the next 7 days of your life.

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Most of us value the WHAT of our life over the WHO of our life. That happens when we make decisions concerning our WHAT before our WHO.

* Our WHO has to do with an extended family (often not biological family, but can include parts of it) given to us to experience the relational community we yearn for.  WHO is about family.

* Our WHAT has to do with the job or mission we’ve been given in the world. Everything in the marketplace has a higher purpose than what we first imagined.  WHAT is about function.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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How to Make the Most of Your Next Meeting

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Several months ago, I was driving to meet a leader who had initiated lunch with me. And, while I was on my way, I started thinking about the possibilities that might come from our getting together.

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I thought there might be some mutual benefit to a potential partnership and I started rehearsing in my mind a few things I might need to say or demonstrate for that to happen.

Then I woke up. I realized I had left the activity of actually driving my car and had slipped into a momentary “trance” that was heading toward self-serving.

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LT Podcast 3: The Arrogance of Capacity

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To listen to today’s podcast, simply click on the “play” button on the podcast player above, OR if you’ve already subscribed to The Live True Podcast then the episode can be accessed through either your Apple or Android device in your podcast app. (If you’ve received this as an email subscriber and there isn’t a podcast player showing above, then you can listen directly from our website, from your mobile device, or your itunes podcast player.)

Here is a brief summary of today’s episode of “The Live True Podcast.” You can use this as a reference or reminder of key things you feel like you need to pay attention to or pass on to others, in the next 7 days of your life.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Why I Love Podcasts

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podcastProbably my favorite way of learning these days is through podcasts. 

My playlist runs the gamut of spiritual teachers, adventurers, business leaders, recovering leaders and entrepreneurs. Each of the podcasts I listen to have a unique style and a great way of: 

* Inspiring 

* Equipping 

* Encouraging 

* Prodding 

  and

* Healing me. 

And because podcasts have been valuable and so instrumental to us, Caron, and I are excited to announce the first FREE episode of The LIVE TRUE PODCAST is available to you online at iTunes.com.  

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LT Podcast 1- Why Live True?

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David and Caron recording their podcacstToday’s brand new, inaugural “Live True Podcast” is on “Why Live True?”  It’s a conversation around:

  • Why we’ve chosen the name “Live True” and what it means for your life and ours
  • What has transpired in David & Caron Loveless’ life and story?
  • What David & Caron do with “Live True“

1. We publish free weekly, practical, gut honest blogs.  We’re passionate to

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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47 Quotes That Will Change Your Life

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IMG_1967True confession: I’m a quote hoarder.

I underline, dog-ear, highlight, copy and paste other people’s wisdom several times a day. I keep 3×5 cards in my purse and scribble quotes in the dark at the movies. I say, “Ooooh that’s a good one.”  A lot.

And I’ve been doing this for years.

So, today, I’m sharing just a sliver of the insight, advise and sayings that have caught my eye, grabbed my heart and challenged me to grow. They are changing me. And I hope these ancient/modern musings make you stop and think or reevaluate your own view of things and, like they have for me, may they give you a little more juice for your journey of living, loving and leading.

What I want you to know: 

* It caused me great pain (no torture) to limit this to merely 47.  

*Quotes appear in no certain order.  They are ALL my favorites.

*Just because I quote someone it doesn’t mean I agree with every single thing they have ever written or what they believe. (Heck, I can’t recall ever agreeing with everything ANYONE has ever said.) I like the adage, “Chew the meat and spit out the bones.”

*All truth is God’s Truth no matter who presents it.  I draw from all kinds of sources that resonate with my own life experience or with the Spirit in me. I want to be able to learn from anyone.

* Pick one quote to pass on or to tape to your bathroom mirror. 

*Read slow and… savor.

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1) The longer one stays in flight from reality, the more painful will be the landing.

Taite Adams

 

2) Your task is not to seek for love but to merely find the barriers within yourself that you have built up against it.

    Rumi

 

3) The thing about denial is that it doesn’t feel like denial when it’s going on. 

    Georgina Kleege

 

4) We become whomever we trust the most says we are.

     Bob Goff

 

5) I was born, when all I once feared, I could love.

    Rabia

 

6) Where is the Life we lost in living? 

    T.S.Eliot

 

7) We have all laid the best plans for our children, and then they go out and ruin it all by growing up any way they want to.

   Kristina Riggle

 

8) The way we treat people we disagree with most is a report card on what we’ve learned about love. 

    Bob Goff

 

9) In prosperity our friends know us. In adversity, we know our friends.

G.K. Chesterton

 

10) For although God is right with us and in us and out of us and all through us, we have to go on journeys to find him.

Thomas Merton

 

 11) When I believed my thoughts I suffered.

       Byron Katie

 

12) It’s all that pretending to be perfect that breeds inauthenticity in the church.

       Rich Mullins

 

13) All paths do not lead to God. But God will meet you on whatever path you’re on.

      Unknown

 

14) You can either practice being right or practice being kind.

Anne Lamott

 

15) Sin never introduces itself to us as pain.

      David Loveless

 

16) The lesson that has been hardest for me to learn: there is nothing to prove. 

      Rob Bell

 

17) You have power over your mind- not over outside events. Realize this and you will find strength. 

     Marcus Aurelius

 

18) You need to select your thoughts the same way you select your clothes every day. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on your mind. That’s the only thing you should be trying to control. 

     Elizabeth Gilbert

 

19) Sometimes, to be happy in the present moment, you have to be willing to give up hope for a better past.

   Robert Holden

 

20) One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.

     Bob Marley

 

21) Sometimes, in life, nothing happens. But, sometimes, nothing happens beautifully.

      Colum McCann

 

22) When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God.

     Charles Allen

 

23) We find it hard to love imperfect things so we imagine God is just as small as we are. If we expect or need things to be perfect or to our liking ( including ourselves) we have created a certain path for a very unhappy life.

    Richard Rohr

 

24) We are shaped by what we love.

      Goethe

 

25) Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

      Jessica Howell

 

26) The impeded stream is the one that sings.

Wendell Berry

 

27) No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse.

      Randy Pausch

 

28) Love is the absence of judgement.

      Dali Lama XIV

 

29) I was changing my outfits, my looks, my wig, sometimes several times a day. That’s when I know my soul is restless. 

     Lady Gaga

 

30) Sin is unwillingness to trust that what God wants for me is only my deepest happiness.

Ignatius of Loyola

 

31) There are three things we have to let go of. The first is the compulsion to be successful. Second, is the compulsion to be right—especially theologically right. (That’s merely an ego trip, and because of this “need” churches split in half, with both parties prisoners of their own egos.) Finally, there is the compulsion to be powerful, to have everything under control.

    Richard Rohr

 

32) The truth is everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find out the ones worth suffering for.

  Bob Marley

 

33) The way you measure the difference between being blessed or being spoiled is the degree to which you feel entitled to it. 

    Mike Breen

 

34) Be with those who help your being.

    Rumi

 

35) I will learn to love the skies I’m under

      Mumford & Sons

 

36) Someone’s therapist knows all about you.

       Dominic Riccitello

 

37) None of your sins survived the cross. 

Clark Whitten

 

38) You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.

       Pablo Neruda

 

39) How will you know if you are at the end of your journey if you take the road to another man’s city?

      Thomas Merton

 

40) He has great tranquility of heart who cares for neither the praises or the fault-finding of men. You are not holier if you are praised, nor more worthless if you are found fault with. What you are, that you are. And no human opinion can alter who you are in the sight of God. 

Thomas ‘a Kempis

 

41) It’s never about “them.”

      Byron Katie

 

42) If you don’t love the life God has given you then you’re not seeing the love God has for you. 

Francis Anfuso

 

43) Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.

      Carl Jung

 

44) Suffering is a privilege. It moves us toward thinking of essential things and shakes us out of complacency. Calamity cracks you open, moves you to change your ways. 

Pico Iyer

 

45) Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to help mom do the dishes.  

Unknown

 

46) If you do not transform your wounds you will transmit them. 

Richard Rohr

 

47) Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. 

    Thomas ‘a Kempis

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48) BONUS Freebie! 

Whatever comes, God comes with it.

Caron Chandler Loveless

 

 

You can reach me at [email protected]

***And THANKS FOR SHARING THIS BLOG with someone you think may be interested.

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What I’ve Learned In The Desert

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I’ve spent some time in the desert. 

One August friends loaned us their home in Palm Desert. Daily temperatures were around 114 degrees. When I went looking for a tennis partner I was told no one played past 11:00am. Just breathing was a chore in that kind of heat. We drove up into the mountains nearby and as far as you could see the land was brittle, barren and forbidding. I think all we did that trip was sit in the pool.

I’ve spent time in gardens, too.

A few weeks ago, Caron and I went to a little town in north Florida and spent a day biking through some of the most beautiful landscape we’d seen in awhile.  Giant, moss-draped oaks lined the streets.

Deep shade kept us cool in the heat of the day. Everywhere you looked there were flowers and miles and miles of lush coastal marshes.  Just a few hours there and we felt refreshed and renewed. 

All relationships and leadership seem to flow on a continuum

between garden and desert experiences. 

It’s interesting to me that our spiritual story begins in a garden in Genesis 1… and our biological story begins in a garden-like womb. Everything we need to thrive and grow is there.  We are fully provided for.

But, look where we’re first introduced to the ministry of Jesus ––in the desert.  God’s Good News Tour doesn’t open on top of a scenic mountain or in a palatial garden.

It starts from a place of isolated emptiness. 

In the beginning of John’s gospel a voice called people to the desert.  The desert is a deeply evocative place in the scriptures, because we’ve been there, metaphorically, in our own lives.  In the Old Testament the desert speaks of leaving, losing, wandering, struggle and preparation. And it’s where people first hear the promise of a promise land… the promise of a messiah

Years ago, after decades of what felt to me like relentless sacrifice in loving and leading, I got increasingly resentful whenever I was forced into “desert time.”  I didn’t deserve to be there. I had worked so hard to get to the “promise land.”

I never said it, but I know I felt that after all I’d done,

I didn’t  deserve ‘no man’s land.’

Know what I’m talking about?

What is your desert of difficulty or temptation or hardship where you feel most discouraged? 

Out in the desert John the Baptist preached,  “Prepare the way for the Lord.  Make straight paths for him.”  

God seems to be saying: make a straight path for me to walk in the desert places of your life… let’s walk straight into it… and straight through it.  You don’t have to stay there, but let’s not miss there.

I’m writing today from the ‘outback’

of the greatest desert experience of my life.

It’s been a couple of years now. And,, as much as I initially agonized in it, over time, I’ve actually grown fond of much of it’s unique terrain and monastic qualities.  

Here’s how I think I got here:

  1.  I had to ‘get straight’ in my mind, that God had led me into this desert experience. I was fully responsible for what got me here and yet, it was God who brought me here. And though there have been many times of extreme loneliness, we know we are not alone.
  1.  I had to ‘get straight” in my mind that this path, while difficult beyond description, was going somewhere profoundly good-and it wasn’t to hell.  God promises that ALL things end up bringing us to where we began- home. And God’s home always has a garden.
  1. I had to ‘get straight’ in my mind that this path, wasn’t going to last forever…. even though I could see no other road ahead. There is a time and season for everything.  And there’s a reason time passes in seasons.God is always creating, redeeming and resurrecting. So this thing IS actually going somewhere. Somewhere really good.

Jesus came bringing good news.  

And a part of what makes it so good is that

it stands up to the heat of even the most difficult places.

Where is your desert?  

Where do you feel you don’t have enough?  Where do you feel hungry for approval?  What are you lacking? What’s always missing? Where is it you don’t deserve to be? What is it you don’t have enough of? Must you always have a next hill to climb, another mission impossible to accomplish?  What things are you using to ‘medicate’ yourself?

* We can get pretty desperate when we think we’re in a desert.*

Wherever that place is for you, God says let me walk with you THERE, because I’m not ashamed of it anymore than I am ashamed of you.  I’m good news to you in the desert, as well as the garden.  I love you. I’m with you…wherever you are.

…Wilderness and desert will sing joyously, the badlands will celebrate and flower—Like the crocus in spring, bursting into blossom, a symphony of song and color.  

Energize the limp hands, strengthen the rubbery knees. Tell fearful souls, “Courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on his way to put things right And redress all wrongs. He’s on his way! He’ll save you!”

Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, streams flow in the desert. Hot sands will become a cool oasis, thirsty ground a splashing fountain.

The people God has ransomed will come back on this road. They’ll sing as they make their way home to Zion, unfading halos of joy encircling their heads,  Welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night.

Isaiah 35 (Message)

This is what I’ve experienced in my current desert.  In the midst of all the pain and loss, a symphony of song and color have emerged that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

You can reach me at [email protected]

***THANKS for SHARING this blog with someone you think might be interested.

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Don’t Take This Personal, but… -Part 1

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Our last blog was a sweet little take on 8 Ways to Give Better Feedback. Getting good at giving feedback is a significant life skill we can all use whether we’re an employer, parent or …a heat-seeking HOA president. (more on him below)

Giving feedback is easy.

But what does it take to receive feedback…

without embarrassment, anger, tears, defensiveness, sharpening your ninja blades,

or bingeing on double chocolate cake? 

Well, I’m working on that. Most of my life, I’ve been horrible at this.   

When some of us hear we’re missing the mark in anything, even if it’s done in the sweetest, most tender way, it feels like an all out personal attack. We are the ultra sensitive lot and we hang out on the far end of what I’ll call the FSM. (Feedback Sensitivity Meter.)

At the opposite end are The Few, The Proud, The Brave who cannot wait to get their job performance review because:  a) they’re sure they’ve knocked it out of the park   b)they can’t wait to take the next hill in their personal development.

Can we just agree not to like those people? 

On a scale of 1-10 where would you put yourself on the Feedback Sensitivity Meter?

 

>———————————————————–<

 

(1– you’re oblivious to criticism, 10-you need serious meds before any corrective encounter)

 

* What might your direct report say about the number you chose?

* Your friends?

* Your siblings?

* Your roommate?

* Your spouse?

 

If you think you’re between a 1-4 —ask some of the folks above to confirm

your impression and give yourself a high-five.

If you think you’re between a 5-10—keep reading. 

 

First thing we always hear when someone has correction to offer us is…

“Don’t take this personal, but….”

In the famous words of Kathleen Kelly to Joe Fox in You’ve Got Mail, “All that means is that it wasn’t personal to you. But it was personal to me. It’s personal to a lot of people. Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.” 

 

you've got mail

 

Many of us already spend a lot time in our heads in self-criticism. Some of us lived in critical, abusive or unsupportive homes as kids. We are always on alert, reactive to the sting of even well-intentioned feedback. Deep inside, we believe we are flawed and any confirmation of this, like someone suggesting personal improvement, can feel humiliating.

So, how can we open ourselves up to constructive feedback about

our work, our habits, our communication style…our flaws?

A number of significant shifts need to happen in the core of our soul. Our foundation is cracked. Our anchor is loose. The honest truth is some part of us needs to be spiritually and emotionally re-parented.

Oh great, you say. I’ll just add THAT to the calendar for next week.

 Yeah, that needs to be seriously looked at, but in the meantime start here:

– OBSERVE the way you filter information coming toward you.   

Each of us has a personality pattern that receives incoming comments through a uniquely constructed, subconscious filter.

You can say all day long that the grass is green but if I’ve got amber sunglasses on I’m going insist the grass looks gold.  Our unique personality style colors everything we see and hear.

There are nine different personality filters and in our LIVE TRUE Personality & Relational Styles Workshop we teach the beauty and the distortion each type brings to the table.

Once we see the predictable filter we use to hear feedback 

we can better adjust our reactions to other points of view.

 A view point is simply a view from a point. If I am at one place on a mountain in Switzerland I can see a whole lot of the landscape. But, I only see what my view point allows me to see.  Someone else on another spot on the same mountain will have different vistas to report.

When we learn to receive feedback in an undefended way it opens us up to so many (at least 8 other) ways of viewing our life, our work and our relationships. Each persons view is valid. And each of us is convinced our view point offers the best perspective.

But, it’s just our view from our point on the mountain.

To map the whole mountain we need other eyes on the topography. 

When we argue, often it’s because both parties are seeing the same mountain from two different points. We both see it correctly. Perfectly. And we spend enormous energy trying to convince each other our view is the best. 

True spiritual and emotional maturity is learning to seek and

accept the valid perspective of others. 

They help us see and complete “The True Picture of Us.” They see us from their spot on the mountain. They report to us what we cannot possibly see on our own.

 And it helps if they do this in love.

A few months ago I was coming home from an errand with two grandkids in the backseat. Taylor -seven.  JD-five. Because I firmly believe every car ride with a child must be educational, conversational or recreational I proposed a game as we pulled into our subdivision.

“I bet I can make it into our driveway before you can count to ten.” 

Always up for a challenge the kids start counting, and after seeing no oncoming cars, I take a quick short cut, a left turn onto our street….instead of going all the way around the appropriate roundabout at the intersection.

For ten delightful seconds there was great fun in the car

and I pulled victoriously into our driveway right at the shout of “TEN!”

Then a car screeched to a halt in front of our house and a man bolted up our driveway. And without so much as a ” Good afternoon, ” he burst out yelling,

“Do you know what you just did back there?!” 

“uhhh..I’m sorry..” (What in the world– I think- my blood hitting boil) ” and you are….?”

“Do you realize that was against the law?! You must use the roundabout. Someone could have been hurt back there.”

“Oh for goodness, sake!!!  There were no other cars in sight. And, who, sir, might you be?” 

“I am Helmut Weinerhowzer- President of the Homeowners Association. We are trying to run a nice, respectable neighborhood here. We can’t have people breaking the law! 

Adrenalin is now shooting out my pores, “Well, I assure you, sir, I AM a respectable neighbor and….”

At this point, David hears commotion outside and comes to investigate. And after seeing the man’s outrage he says in his best imitation of Solomon,

 ” I see. And was anyone hurt in this incident?” 

“Well, no. But, they could have been…it’s my job to see that things are done right.  I even pick up the trash on the tennis court. We just want a nice, decent neighborhood.” 

 “I’m sure you do a great job at that and I can assure you that’s the kind of neighborhood we want as well. I don’t believe you’ll have any trouble in the future with illegal driving from us. Thanks for stopping by.” 

“Ok, well. I’m just trying to do my job.” 

They shake hands like two guys after a pick up game.

I barely tag the man’s hand, my heart racing, my eyes blazing hot. 

Our local neighborhood watchdog just dropped by that afternoon to offer me a bit of constructive feedback from his unique point of view. And he truly had one —I never even saw his car because he was driving right behind me.

I stand corrected.

* Whose perspective have you been discounting? What have you observed about the way you filter correction directed to you?

If you could use a little help seeing the bigger picture, a larger perspective of your church, staff, team, marriage or yourself, we’re here to help you.

You can reach me at [email protected]

or

CONTACT US @youlivetrue.com for a FREE CONSULTATION.

SCHEDULE US TO SPEAK youlivetrue.com/schedule-us-to-speak

***And THANKS FOR SHARING THIS BLOG with someone you think may be interested.

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8 Ways to Give Better Feedback

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I was standing in the lobby of our church one Sunday morning feeling spent but pretty satisfied after teaching my heart out in multiple weekend services.  People were walking by, being generous with their comments about my message and I was grateful that it seemed I hit the target I was after.  Then a guy walks up and says,

“ Good message today pastor, but did you get a chance to hear

Joel Osteen on tv last night? Now THAT boy can preach!”

You can imagine that feedback put the joy of Jesus in me.

Today is Mastering Mondays where we tackle an issue that could make a substantial difference in the way you lead and love others.

Whether you’re coaching your staff, a volunteer team or making constructive comments to a friend or family member here are eight things I try to keep in mind when it comes to offering feedback. 

1) Check the clock: Is this the best time for this person or group to hear your observations? You may have some really great thoughts to offer but if the timing is off they won’t hear a thing you have to say.

What’s the best time for this person?

2) Take your temperature: Avoid giving feedback when you’re angry. There’s no way you can come across objective or communicate in a tone that will be helpful or memorable. Cool down first. Wait at least 24 hrs if you’re feeling hot under the collar.

And, whatever you do, don’t fire off a terse email. (That has always come back to bite me.)

 3) Know their personality style(s). The more you understand what drives and motivates the person you’re trying to advise the better connection they will make with your comments. Each personality style reacts in a unique way to criticism.

Some thrive on it. Some can only see it as a full on personal attack. When you know their Enneagram Personality Style you are better equipped to tailor your approach in a way that will be the most beneficial and effective. 

(*Do you know the nine unique Enneagram styles?  Click here for more information about bringing our” LiveTrue Personality & Relational Styles Workshop” to your office or group.) 

4) Question your motive. Why is giving feedback at this time to this person so important to you? Maybe it’s part of your job description or you may realize you have another agenda.

5) Who is the best person to give this feedback? Maybe it’s you. Maybe there is someone else who is better situated or suited to comment on the situation. Be open to the thought that you aren’t the best person for the job. Are you seen as the person in authority to offer this feedback?

6) Who’s asking? Unless it’s a scheduled job performance review, or the person has asked for your comments, hold your tongue.  Uninvited negative feedback is asking for conflict and friction.

7) Know yourself. If you are easily offended by criticism you may soft pedal what really needs to be said to someone. On the other hand, if you are generally insensitive to criticism you may be oblivious to how your direct delivery is crushing the person you are trying to help.

Get a good handle on how you receive feedback and adjust your approach to compensate for

your strengths and weaknesses in empathy for your listener.  

8) Go in asking questions. Before bringing in your comments, suggestions or expert, sage advice ask questions like:

* How do you think you’re doing these days? On a scale of 1-10 where would you put your attitude, performance, teamwork, etc?

* What do you like most about what you do here?

* Where have you felt most supported? Where could you use more support?

* Who do you best relate to on our staff and why?

* What improvements would you like to suggest for me &/or our team that would make the overall working experience/goal we’re trying to accomplish even better for you?  

There will always be defensiveness and hurt feelings when we offer feedback to some people.

It’s our job as leaders to attempt as much as possible to understand and balance

the need for improvement with the heart of the individual. 

If you could use some “fresh eyes” on your staff or team, business or ministry contact us. We offer three plus decades of experience in leading at every level.  CONTACT US @youlivetrue.com for a FREE CONSULTATION.

You can reach me at [email protected]

***THANKS for SHARING THIS BLOG with someone you think may be interested.

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Seeing The Possible In The Impossible

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Here are three questions I’ve asked myself a lot, over the years. See if you relate: 

  • Do I have ‘enough’ to successfully live the life I think is possible?
  • Do I have ‘enough’ to successfully love, the most significant people in my life?
  • Do I have ‘enough’ to successfully lead, the business or ministry initiatives I think might be possible?”

As I asked myself these questions many times I answered, “No. Not enough.“  Depending on the situation, it seemed  I didn’t have enough energy… time… finances…compassion…wisdom… understanding… talent… opportunities, power, you name it.

Some part of a plan or dream I was working on

seemed impossible. 

And that’s when I started learning:

To do the impossible,

we must access the invisible.

It seems most of our impossible situations involve either :  

Relationships: 

Where most of the emphasis seems to be on things like:

* Doing more for our significant others

* Getting the communication right

*  Working more on being selfless

* ETC.

OR

Responsibilities: 

Where most of the emphasis seems to be on:

* Making things happen

* Getting the right things done right

* Developing strategic plans

* Building great teams

* Taking the next hill

* Having enough money

 

When we’re challenged in relational loving or responsible leading,

we initially see the impossible. 

But we are designed to look into the invisible.

1.  Face the impossible but don’t focus on it

Back in the ’70’s I was a member of the USF Sky Diving Club.  I remember the first time I jumped, out of an airplane.  (Even now as I write this, this doesn’t sound like such a smart thing to do.)

I had been given the following instructions: 1st-  jump when you are told; 2nd- count to 10 and pull the ripcord; 3rd- in the unlikely event that it doesn’t open, pull the reserve chute open; and 4th- when you hit the ground, a truck will take you back to the jump center.

So jump day came and after the plane ascended to the proper height, I jumped when I was told. I counted to 10 and pulled the cord, but the chute failed to open. I then proceeded to the backup plan. The reserve chute also failed to open & at that point I said. “Oh boy, When I hit the ground, I bet the truck won’t be there either.”  

 Yes. I really did skydive and thankfully the chute actually opened.

But, sometimes, when we think a situation looks totally impossible it’s because we’ve limited our focus to us, our circumstances or the other people involved.  

Jesus knew we would do this and He taught us a better way, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ( Matthew 19) 

 Right now, what is your “this is impossible?” 

2.  Focus on the invisible so you can do what seems impossible

Often our default ‘fixation’ is on what we can actually see… what looks problematic.. .what looks limiting… the problems are plain as day.  God seems to want us  to ‘fix’ our focus on the True solution.   His unseen provision of abundant resources.

Some years ago we took our kids to the Shark Encounter at Sea World.  We were led into a dark, circular room, where a guy stood lecturing on interesting shark facts, the most memorable being that (apparently someone has counted) there are more sharks than there are people on the planet.  He told us sharks are everywhere.

And just as I started to think, Ok buddy, let’s get a move on. We came to see sharks not to talk about them, someone hit a button and all the panels raised to reveal we were actually standing smack in the middle of a humungous shark tank, with giant sharks swimming all around us. 

They had been around us the entire time and we didn’t realize it.  

That day marked me.  I’ve never forgotten it.  I sensed God saying: “David, this is a picture of Me and all My Resources that constantly surround you in true spiritual reality. Remember, there is always more here than what you can see.” 

2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.   

I was sitting on my back porch early this morning, looking up at the trees, sky, and the sun thinking  how most of what we really need, we can’t see.  I couldn’t see the massive amounts of oxygen the trees and plants were producing for me.  I couldn’t see the powerful energy the sun was giving to the earth and to my body.  Yet, I was totally benefiting from their affects.

God has surrounded you with enormous spiritual resources like energy… love peace…joy…strength…hope…power, freedom, wisdom, grace, relationship…blessing… and favor.  These and more are flowing all around you for the taking right now.

 Once you see the invisible you can do the impossible.

3.  Love and lead by faith until you see the possible emerge

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

2Corinthians 5:7

      *  WALK: make your way toward what needs to happen; use whatever opportunity is presenting itself to you right now. Choose the one that gives you the most peace. I’ve found as I continue to walk in the direction I’ve been led to go, something good will always happen. It may not be all I need to accomplish this thing, but it’s enough to go on for now.  

      * WAIT:  know there is probably going to be lag time between the time something is impossible to when it becomes possible.  During that lag, continue to fix, to focus the eyes of your heart on the invisible realm of life where the greatest, truest change happens… and keep walking in full trust that you always have ALL you really need in this moment.

What impossible situation are you currently facing? 

 Where is your focus?

If it remains on you, others, or your circumstances it will always look impossible.

* What unseen resources are you counting on? 

*  Do you need to keep walking until the next good thing happens?

* Or do you need to wait in faith, with trust filled patience, knowing that you’re just simply in the lag time between what is and what surely will be?

To do the impossible,

we must access the invisible.

 And sometimes we need a little help learning  to view our life situations with as much confidence as God does.  That’s why we’re here. 

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