Category: Living Deep

On October 13, 2007 — a sunny Saturday afternoon — 59-year-old Mike Flynt took the field for the Sul Ross State Lobos … not as a coach or trainer, but as a player. He was their starting linebacker.

Flynt had played for this Division III team back in 1970, but was forced to quit before his senior year. He never quite got over the regret of not getting to play, so 37 years later, when he discovered he still had one more semester of eligibility, he sold his house, moved back to Texas, enrolled in school, and tried out for the team.

Sports Illustrated called him “the ultimate college senior.” A grandfather, an AARP member, eight years older than his head coach … and capable of playing against guys one-third his age. Mike Flynt earned his spot on the roster like all the other players.

He said, “This opportunity is just a testament to what you can do at any stage of your life if you’ll just take a few minutes every day to prioritize your health and take better care of yourself.”

Maybe the most amazing detail of Mike’s story is that, as a 59 year collegiate linebacker, he didn’t set the record. There have been a couple of others even older than him.

We need to remember that many of our limitations in life are self-imposed. God never says you’re too young, too old, too weak, too limited, or too anything to be used by him. One qualification eclipses all limitations: a willingness to jump in and try.

God promised through the prophet Joel that the old would continue to dream dreams. I encourage you to claim that promise. Decide today that you’ll never let the number of candles on your cake prevent you from dreaming new dreams … and pursuing them.

George Muller said, “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”

We have a choice between worry and belief, between fear and faith.

That’s why Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (Luke 8:50)

Fear and faith are incompatible. One always works to crowd out the other.

We don’t always call it fear. Sometimes it’s just a little worry, a little anxiety. But these are only fear diluted.

So, what are you worried about today? Which anxious thoughts are chipping away at your confidence in God’s ability to provide?

You have a choice between fear and faith. The direction you take eventually eliminates the other, so choose your path carefully.

Stephen Covey (7 Habits of Highly Effective People) said …

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

Effective leaders make that which matters most the top priority, each and every day.

No doubt you already have a long list of items today that must get done. But what about those things that need to get done? When and where will they fit in?

When Jesus visited his friends in Bethany, Martha spent the morning doing what had to be done: cooking and cleaning (and then complaining).

Mary, however, did what matters most: she spent the morning sitting at the feet of Jesus.

When Martha objected, Jesus said, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

We all have Martha-type chores to do. They can’t be ignored forever, or even for long. Eventually, they must get done.

But don’t forget that which is needed. Today (and then tomorrow) before you get to what must be done, get to what needs to be done.

Consider doing first that which matters most. Schedule your priorities. You do so with a promise: it will never be taken away from you.

In the frigid waters surrounding the island of Greenland there are countless icebergs, some tiny, some gigantic. If you watched them closely you would see that the smaller chunks sometimes move in one direction, while the larger ones move in another direction.

Why is that?

Small icebergs are driven by surface winds; the large are directed by deep ocean currents.

Of course, you can’t see the currents, but they’re there. If an iceberg has sufficient depth, it can be carried by the current, in spite of which way the wind is blowing.

It’s the same for people like you and me. Those with sufficient spiritual depth aren’t swayed by the breeze of public opinion or ideological fashion. Neither are they driven by any gust of random circumstance.

Instead, they’re directed by the deeper current of God’s Word … by faith in his promise: “I am with you always.”

For this reason, the goal of the believer is to become firm in their knowledge of Jesus Christ …

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. (Ephesians 4:14)

This means that job one each day is to take steps in knowing him more: Spending time in his Word, spending time with him in prayer. This is where spiritual depth begins.

This daily routine, more than any other, establishes the believer in the Christian life, enabling them to be directed by the deeper current of faith, not the ever-changing winds of chance.

Today’s post was updated from a previous post.

An ancient proverb says…

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.
The second best time is today.”

Looking back twenty years, it’s easy to see all the trees that should have been planted: Where we should have invested more and saved more; studied more, prayed more, laughed more; spent the day with the kids more and appreciated others more.

Just to name a few.

Today it’s easy to see all the trees we failed to plant back then. And it’s tempting to dwell on all the potentially good things that were left undone.

God, however, has forgotten them. Your sins of omission have been cast into the same sea of forgetfulness as all your other sins.

And so we must be about the business of planting trees today … starting today.

Paul said, “Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT)

Yesterday will never be any different than it was, but today’s pages are still blank.

Today is the day of salvation; today is the day to plant a tree.

This memo, Starting Today, is taken from Steve’s book, It’s All in the Dailies.

Centuries ago, William Law wrote:

“Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world?

“It is not he prays most or fasts most, it is not he who lives most, but it is he who is always thankful to God, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.”

In 1 Chronicles 16 David sings a hymn of thanksgiving. As I read these words, I think of the Andre Crouch song, My Tribute, which begins:

How can I say thanks for the things you’ve done for me?

This Song of David in 1 Chronicles 16 suggests some ways we can say “thank you” for God’s goodness — things that we, in the midst of keeping busy in the work of ministry, sometimes forget to do.

• Give him praise today. (v. 9) “Remind” him (and yourself) of all the wonderful things he’s done in your life.

• Make him part of your conversation today. (v. 24) The most compelling Christian I have ever known was a man who talked continuously about God — not about himself, not about his church, not about your sins and mine — but about the goodness of God. It was irresistible. No wonder his spiritual life was so dynamic, and no wonder he made such a difference in the lives of others.

• Give something back today. (v. 29) Though the idea of burnt offerings is obsolete, the idea of presenting an offering to God will never go out of date. Whatever we give back to him — our money, our time, our hearts, our lives — may seem so small, but they are pleasing to him.

What kind of offering can you give to him today? A good place to start: look for someone to serve.

These small steps begin to answer the question we would do well to ask each and every day: How can I say thanks?

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. (1 Chronicles 16:8)

Today’s post was updated from a previous post.

Several weeks ago I decided to update my planner for the coming year, so I went to that big website everyone uses, made a quick search, clicked on the first result, and was this close to completing the purchase when I realized that something wasn’t quite right.

It was the date. This was a daily planner for the year 2021.

No wonder the price was good.

It made me wonder: Why would a merchant think there’s a market for a 2 year old planner?

Maybe the merchant knows us that well — and our inclination to dwell on days gone by.

Can you imagine purchasing this planner and filling each page with the items you could-have and should-have done back then? How futile would that be?

Actually, it’s not so hard to imagine, because we’re all somewhat inclined to do it…unless we make it our determined intention to do otherwise.

The Apostle Paul, who wasn’t exactly proud of his past, said this…

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

This must be the determined intention of each new day: To put the past behind and fully focus on what lies ahead.

God has a plan for your life in the coming year, and it won’t be found in a calendar long out of date. It will be found and can only be fully experienced in the day you’re facing this day, and in the days that lie ahead.

So let’s put the past behind us, just as God has exhorted his people to do…

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Before you invest your life in any day, check the date. Make sure it’s today.

A good thought from C.S. Lewis to begin the New Year…

The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it.

It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals.

And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.

And so on, all day. (Taken from Letters of C.S. Lewis © 1966)

Jesus said…

A kernel of wheat of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone — a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernel — a plentiful harvest of new lives. (John 12:24)

As we begin the New Year, we need to remember this principle: Each new day must begin with a death: our own, to self. We must do the hard work of putting aside the things we want, and set our minds on that which he wants.

From there comes the plentiful harvest.

In the movie Clean Slate, Dana Carvey plays a private detective involved in a murder investigation.

The problem is that he has anterograde amnesia and is unable to remember any details of his life from the day before. So each day, as he wakes up, he listens to a cassette tape reminding him of who he is and why he is here.

Just like Carvey’s character, sometimes it’s easy to forget day-after-day just who the real “you” is.

It’s not a bad idea to pick up his habit — to begin each day with a reminder of who you are and why you are here.

It’s a reminder that you don’t get from a cassette tape machine. You get it from the Word….

Who are you, then?

• A child of God.
• A friend of Jesus.
• A new creation.
• Whole and complete.
• Forgiven.
• Accepted.
• Chosen.
• Renewed.
• Alive.

And that’s just the beginning.

Each new day is a clean slate, another chance to live the life God called you to live, to be the person he called you to be.

Forget yesterday. Remind yourself today of who you are in Christ, and who Christ is in you.

Let this be your identity. Let this determine who you are and what you do.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:23)

This memo is taken from Steve’s book, It’s All in the Dailies.

Bernard Baruch said, “Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.”

This is true not only in the workplace, it’s true in the spiritual life, too.

Many think that prayer consists only of talking to God, but there is more to it. The most transformational part of prayer is the time spent in silence, listening.

In silence, we learn.  As a friend once said to me, “Silence is not empty. It’s full of answers.”

Maybe this is why King David said. “My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.” (Psalm 62:1 NASB)

The first step to take when you get in God’s presence is be still.

The second step is to be still some more.

Then you begin to listen. Then you begin to hear from him.

And then you begin to experience his powerful presence.

The best thing? You can take it with you all day.

This memo is taken from Steve’s book, It’s All in the Dailies.

In his book Aspire, author Kevin Hall talks about Gerald Bell, a professor at University of North Carolina who conducted a survey studying the lives of 4000 retired executives.

One of the questions he asked was: If you could live your life over again, what you do differently?

Their top response, Hall writes, ranked far ahead of all the others. It was: I should taken charge of my life and set my goals earlier.

(By the way, in case you’re interested, the other answers in the survey were:

2) Taken better care of my health.
3) Managed money better.
4) Spent more time with family.
5) Spent more time on personal development.
6) Had more fun.
7) Planned my career better.
8) Given more back.

Also by the way, Gerald Bell co-wrote the best-selling book with Dean Smith called The Carolina Way, about UNC basketball.)

Back to the survey. What can it teach us?

Maybe one of the eight most common responses resonates with you. Or maybe you’ve got your own number one answer.  Either way, it’s not to late to correct your course.

You can start taking better care of your health today.

Or giving back more.

Or putting greater focus on those who are closest to you.

Or taking charge of the life in which God has made you a steward.

No point in waiting until after retirement to identify your life’s greatest should-have … unless, of course, you’re already retired — and then there’s no point in waiting one more day to begin living each day according to what matters most.

One more by-the-way: This phrase, If I Had It To Do All Over Again, is best summarized in this song by Dallas Holm.

In his teaching series on the Biblical tradition of lament, Michael Card tells a story about his friend, Alec, who was paralyzed from the neck down after a collision with a drunk driver in the 1990s.

In his quest to understand the why of it all, Alec struggled through seasons of doubt and confusion, sometimes shaking his fist in anger, other times attempting to bargain for a miracle.

He also spent much time pouring out his heart before God and praying the psalms of lament.

Later, Alec told Michael about a life-changing experience that had taken place.

One afternoon, in the midst of his prayers, he began to experience the presence of Christ in a profound and powerful way.

Of course, Alec already knew (in a theological sense) that Christ is present always in our lives, but this time he experienced Christ’s presence like never before. He could feel it. Jesus was there, in the room, by his side.

Alec said that in response to this experience of the nearness of Christ, his prayer became: “You don’t have to heal me. Just don’t leave me.”

This is the nature of lament. Sometimes circumstances don’t work out the way that we want, but we discover that God is present in the midst of our suffering… and his presence is more meaningful than any change of circumstances ever could be.

For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:5)