GaryMo Monday - How I Handle Negative People

How do I handle negative people? The short answer is...not well.

The truth about me is that deep down...really deep down...I am a negative person. I don't think most people would say that about me, but I believe that those closest to me would say that I can definitely be negative at times. A grouch.

I hate that about me.

I've worked really hard to change that...to be more positive. To look on the bright side. To take pleasure in the little things. To not sweat the small stuff.

And to remember to turn things over to God because as Paul says in Philippians 4:7, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I know that peace. I've felt that peace.


It's glorious.

Our pastor at The Crossing has been doing a series on Philippians since January. Last weekend his message hit me right between the eyes. It was about anxiety...worry. One of my biggest weaknesses. I sometimes worry to the point of paralysis. I let myself get so overwhelmed with anxiety that I don't know what to do next.

So...I often do nothing.


Except worry.

Paul tells us that we should not be anxious...we should pray...giving thanks to God and turn over our requests to Him. I realized last weekend that I haven't been doing that. Sure, I've been praying, but not the real, raw, from-the-gut prayers where I tell God what's really weighing on me...what I need help with.

Those are the prayers that bring wisdom, discernment, comfort...peace.

When I'm in that place of peace with God, I'm not negative...I'm not worried. I know God's got my back. I know He'll lead me and use me.

When I'm in that place, I handle negative people well. I don't let them pull me down into the hole...I instead lift them up out of it. I'm a light in a dark place.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Paul's reminding us to be positive...to think excellent thoughts. To find joy in every situation...'cause it's there. Always.

Our attitude is a choice that we make. We can choose to see the crap in the world and let it pull us down or we can choose to see the glory of God in everything and allow Him to raise us up above the crap.

Which will you choose today? I'm going to choose to pray hard, think excellent thoughts and let the peace of God guard my heart and mind.


I hope you do too.

This is the 7th of 20 posts that I'm calling GaryMo Mondays.

For more background on this series, read this post.

This or That

I love this...



That is all.

GaryMo Monday - The Intersection of Art & Leadership

I spent the first part of this week at the Gurus of Tech conference in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. It was at the Willow Creek Community Church McHenry campus. It was a great 3 days spent with lots of other technical artists from churches all across the country. It's always good to connect with people and to take my online relationships offline and spend some face time.

One of the keynote speakers was Harvey Carey, the senior pastor from Citadel of Faith Covenant Church in Detroit, MI. He really had an encouraging message for all the technical artists in the room. But there was one question he raised that really resonated with me:

What would happen if you took your talents and asked the Holy Spirit to get behind you with your spiritual gifts?

I think this is the intersection of art and leadership.

I wrote several months ago about the difference between talents and spiritual gifts. Talents are the things we are naturally good at...things we have a proclivity for. Spiritual gifts are given to us when we surrender to Jesus and accept the Holy Spirit. They're different...and we all have different talents and gifts.

I have talents that I bring to my job with the production team at The Crossing. My creativity, my photography, my attention to detail, my technical skills...to name a few. My key spiritual gifts though are leadership, helps and administration.

When I let the Holy Spirit guide me, my talents become tools that allow me to use my spiritual gifts to serve the Kingdom and suddenly my job becomes my ministry.

I could use my talents in a lot of other places...and probably make a LOT more money. But I wouldn't be advancing the Kingdom, seeing hearts opened and lives changed. I'd just be doing a job.

I am CALLED to ministry.

I am called in this time and this place to use my art (my talents) to serve the Most High God (to lead His people).

The intersection of art and leadership.

This is the 6th of 20 posts that I'm calling GaryMo Mondays.

For more background on this series, read this post.

UPDATE - Katie Wins!

Back in November, I asked ya'll to check out a contest that Advent Conspiracy was having and to vote for my friend Elizabeth's daughter's video. I don't know how many people saw that post or how many were led to vote from my request, but I'm excited to tell you that Katie won...she may get to go with Living Water International and dig  a fresh water well.

Way cool.

Here's her original video:



And (I'm not sure if this will work, but...) here's a link to a video posted on Elizabeth's blog where she tells Katie the news of her winning the contest.

So AWESOME!

Thank you to all of you who voted for Katie. I am so excited for her and to see the work that God will do through her with this little video contest.

He is SO GOOD!

GaryMo Monday - What the Kingdom of God Really Looks Like

I took a couple of weeks off from GaryMo Mondays. I'm not sure why, but the words just wouldn't come.

February has been weird in the Lou'. There was the Snowmaggedon that wasn't, but it was COLD...really cold on Groundhog Day 'cause we spent the day with no heat in the house. It's fixed now. And now we don't need it because we're having unseasonably warm temperatures.

Oh...and my mother passed away on Groundhog Day too.

I don't mean to be flippant about it, but that's just kinda how it happened.

It just...happened.

I knew she had been sick. I knew it could be serious. But...I haven't spoken to my mother in over 4 years. And I just didn't know what to do. I was paralyzed. Numb.

Then I got word that she died.

I'm still generally numb.

I've been struggling with feelings of guilt and regret for the last two weeks. Some might think "Good...you should feel that way." But hold on...I'm not feeling guilty for the reasons you might think. I feel guilty because I don't feel...ANYTHING.

NUMB!

Maybe it's because we hadn't spoken in so long. Maybe it's because there were also 2000 miles that separated us. Maybe it's because my relationship with my mother changed dramatically over 10 years ago and I've dealt with the loss already.

I don't know.

Why am I writing all this under the heading "What does the Kingdom of God really look like?" Because while I've been dealing with this, my friend Katie posted her take on that question. As I read it, this quote struck me:

Quite simply: the Kingdom of God is His presence. It is a Holy God choosing to dwell in the hearts and lives of unholy people. It is love. It is grace. It is relationship.

She's right. I am surrounded by unholy people with the God of the universe dwelling in their hearts. And they have loved on me so well...and shown me the Kingdom of God.

In all my brokenness, with all my faults, whether they agree with how I've handled my relationship with my mother or not...they still love me. They still accept me. They've reminded me that guilt and regret are not from God. They've spoken truth to me about what I need to do now and how I stay true to the person that God has called me to be.

THIS is love. THIS is grace. THIS is relationship.

THIS is the Kingdom of God.

And I'm so thankful to be a small part of it.