RonParrs.com: Notes from My Desk...

The Desert is a Good Place

All of us are on a journey through life and each journey is different.

Although different, our journeys may seem similar as we travel along. It's as if we're walking paths that can see each other and at times these paths parallel or intersect each other.

Keep in mind that no two people traverse the exact same course.

For the past five or six years I've been on a journey that I honestly have not liked. At all. Nor would I have dreamt it; but God had a much different plan.

It has been hard and at more times than I want to admit, even heart-breaking. Thankfully, I belong to small group of men that come together every Saturday morning at 7 o'clock to study the Bible, pray and share in each others lives.

I thank God for these men because when the going got really tough and all kinds of stuff was hitting the fan from the middle of 2014 through almost all of 2015, these men - these Christian brothers - were there for me.

In the words of the Apostle Paul to his son in the faith Timothy, my brothers "[Did] not rebuke an older man but encourage him (me) as you would a father, younger men as brothers, in all purity." 1 Timothy 5:1-2. These men came along side me and loved me for who I am; for the man traveling this particular road in life.

Commitment and Ownership

It is said that the United States has become a nation of consumers.

When our economy was doing well in the 1980's, 1990's and even into the middle 2000's before the "great recession", we Americans consumed. Depending on the item, we consumed like locusts devouring almost anything we wanted almost to the point of becoming gorged.

The problem with that kind of consuming is that you eventually run out of stuff to consume and or you are paying too high a price to get what you want to consume. At some point the consuming must stop or you will burst. How many times have we gone to a one-price buffet only to find out on trip number five to the bar that our eyes have been much larger than our stomachs. That's probably why the ancient Romans came up with the (in my opinion) twisted idea of "vomitoriums" where you could "relieve" yourself and continue gorging. That's far from healthy either. Like it or not we may come back to this aspect later.

But I'm not here to discuss food. I want to discuss life and how we are supposed to live it. When we consume, we're not necessarily committed to the product or service that we are consuming. I'll explain in a little bit.

Discipleship: When is enough enough? - The Resurgence

There comes a time in every teacher-student relationship when it is time for the student to head out on their own as it were.

In almost every aspect of life, we all have to grow up. The parent can no longer hover around their child wringing their hands and fretting how that child will get along without them. There are various and continuous stages of "release": after nine months of gestation, the baby is born and the umbilical cord cut; the child's first day at school; the dreaded day when your child drives off in your car alone for the first time; high school graduation; marriage.

All of these are tremendous steps and hopefully we as parents/teachers have been properly preparing our children to be released so that they can succeed - or possibly fail, but recover - on their own. That's maturity and the maturation process. The same can be said of people who come to Christ. They are babes and have to be nurtured, but for how long? How do we as spiritual parents know when it's time to cut that umbilical and yet retain the relationship? After all, that relationship has changed and matured as well so that hopefully it is a more "filial" relationship; true brothers and sisters in Christ.

This article from "The Resurgence" helps give us clues and guideposts:

"How can leaders tell if they are making mature disciples? Paul gives us three places to look: the heart, the head, and the hands of disciples...."

Continue here via theresurgence.com

5 Ways You Can Bomb a Sermon to Young People

Whether you're a preacher or teacher of God's Word, we need to understand a couple of things.

Over the past several years I've been blessed with the opportunity to teach adult Sunday school classes in our church. Teaching God's Word is not only fulfilling and rewarding, it is also challenging and life-changing as God often needs to work in the teachers life to fully bring out the lesson.

In 2013, I was given the opportunity to co-teach the senior high school Sunday school with our Youth Pastor Mike Kraft. This young man (almost half my age) is a real blessing to me, the kids and so many others in our church. This young man has a passion for souls in general and young souls in particular. Pastor Mike has helped me come to understand that there is a difference teaching young people (although slight, it is significant) as opposed to adults. To start with, you have to be really real. Teens can smell phoniness or insincerity a mile away. Take heed teacher, God has called you to not only a high calling, but an interesting challenge.

What follows is a great article from the website "The Resurgence", a ministry of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA, USA:

 

Finding your own voice, style, and rhythm as a communicator of God’s Word is a journey that takes a lifetime. However, you can get a head start by learning to avoid these common mistakes preachers make.

 

When I sat down after preaching my first sermon, I felt like I had done a pretty decent job. In reality it was about as smooth as a circle of white guys on the dance floor during happy hour.

Fail #1: Give good advice instead of Good News

By far the most common mistake I see early on in preachers is telling your students what they ought to do, without showing them again and again what Jesus has done. Any sermon that does not connect the commands of God to the cross of Christ is a damnable moralism that is devoid of the power of the gospel. Your good advice might temporarily change your students’ behavior and raise the moral standard in your church, but it comes with the side-effects of moral superiority or despair.

continue reading here via theresurgence.com

Philippians: Pressing On

Life is often described as a series of "mountain top" experiences.

When you think about it, that makes sense and is an appropriate visual of life.

We travel up and down the mountains (perhaps mountain range is better) of our lives. Sometimes the paths are well traveled; we follow where others have trod. Sometimes the paths are rocky and tricky; we have to watch ourselves along the way. Other times, there is no trail or path; we're blazing it for the first time. We expend time and energy as we struggle toward the peak. On our way up, we really don't have a good idea of what lies ahead, but we can see where we've been. As we reach the peak, there is a sense of accomplishment and relief; we have made it (at least to this peak) and we can see more of the oncoming journey. Often times we can rest on the peak.

Going up is arduous, but on our way down, the trip can be just as tough. We may be headed "down hill", but we still have to watch the path. We could slip and slide, and just because it's "easier" we may not take as much care in watching our steps.

Philippians: Shine

Are you an older brother or sister? Are you in some way a leader – be it a family, company or some other type of organization?

If you are, you’ve probably heard the admonishment to not only be an example for others, but to be a “shining” example for others.

The word shining connotes the idea of being attractive or something to strive for: to be the “best” of whatever it is that you are exemplifying. That’s not easy. It’s not easy having to always be the “best”. What’s worse is that over time, some people actually disdain you. You get called names like a “goodie two shoes” or “teacher’s pet”. You know who you are. You may not have minded it, but let’s be frank, sometimes it was not fun; it was tiring. You felt like you were always under a microscope or that others were constantly holding a checklist up to your life.

Duty Calls

This week I had the opportunity of a lifetime!

I didn’t have an audience with the Queen or an appointment with the President. I didn’t witness the birth of a new child (although I can’t wait for more grandbabies some day). It wasn’t a sunset or a sunrise. It was just something that we non-military civilians rarely, if ever, get to see let alone participate in.

This week my son in law and a portion of his company were deployed to a place half a world away; away from friends, family, loved ones, children. They were a relatively small contingent, but they were headed off because duty calls.

And I had the opportunity to be a fly on the wall just before departure.

Billionaire Dropouts: Five School Dropouts Who Made a Fortune

So, who really needs a college degree?

In my own personal opinion, not many.

"Book smarts" may be good, but often times, wisdom and creativity are not part of the educational experience. Based on my own college experience from 30 years ago, I could count on one hand the professors who encouraged thinking outside of the box, let alone critical thinking. In fact the professors who were the most dogmatic in their ideologies (especially philosophy and political science) were those who you would think would be the most encouraging. Instead, college was more often than not a time "towing the line".

Even in business courses, entrepreneurship was not encouraged. It's not that it was discouraged, but it was definitely not encouraged. As students we told that we should look a good large institution to work for and plug in and work up the corporate or institutional ladder. The amusing side to all of this was that whenever corporate "suits" and local entrepreneurs would come to speak to us senior, the bulk of the banter and post-event discussion was decidedly geared toward the entrepreneur. There is something exciting and daring about being an entrepreneur. We are almost captains of our own destinies.

Where is William Penn When We Need Him?

Everybody needs a grandfather!

Grandfathers and grandmothers - sometimes more than moms and dads - are the secret to a solid family. We just love being around grandparents for who they are. They may be "old" (have to watch what I say since I'm a grandfather), but there's just something that is satisfying about their presence.

More than knowledge, grandparents have wisdom. Wisdom is an acquired attribute. Wisdom is acquired through trials, errors, tribulations, and applied knowledge. They understand history because of a better perspective.

As we look toward another season of elections, we need to examine history. And we have to look at history with both eyes and ears open, putting aside personal prejudices.

Read this great article originally published around the Fourth of July.

"His first book got him arrested. When the jury refused to convict him, the judge put both him and the jury in prison. Later, the writings of this radical man became foundational for the Constitution of the United States. If George Washington is the 'Father of our nation,' then William Penn is the 'Grandfather'."

via www.foxnews.com

The Heart of Innovation: 34 Awesome Quotes on Leadership

Leaders come in all shapes, sizes, and capacities.

They have been instrumental throughout history in the raising and forming of great civilizations.

Leaders don't just lead people, they spur us on to do great and amazing and even seemingly impossible things.

The terrific thing is, almost anyone CAN become a leader. Often times, the most unlikely person ends up being a great leader! I've seen it many times. They're not necessarily the smartest (college degrees and such) or strongest or most handsome or beautiful. There's an intangible quality about them, however, that is attractive.