I get it, that last line wasn’t very warm and fuzzy.  But in the core of you, you know it is true. At least, I know it is true for me.

DAY ONE

There is something critical about day one. It is that day when you decide enough is enough. You commit and determine to finally overcome, achieve, or move to a new reality. Day one is the day where your path shifts and the future you emerges. The most famous of all day ones is New Years Day. It is also the most effective days ever to deceive you into believing that you will do something different and live out the goals, dreams, and changes that have been haunting you for years.

That is why today, must be your day one.  Today is so much better than any other day that just crept into your mind. You have to decide that you aren’t going to wait until the 1st of the month, or your upcoming birthday or even until the end of this year.  Today is the perfect day for you decide that you must lock in on that . . .

• Action
• Dream
• Goal
• Obstacle
• Addiction
• Project
• Decision

And once you decide that today is that day, you must take one step.

ONE STEP

The first step is critical. It breaks procrastination’s controlling grasp and moves you forward. So today, take one step forward.  If that is a project that seems too difficult, take one step.  Maybe it is a dream that has been swirling in your mind for years. But fear has bested you, and the possibility of failure has stopped you. Today, take one step towards that dream.  Is it a health, fitness, or weight-loss goal? Today, take one step to experiencing the new you.

Whatever you do, stay focused on today’s step – the one step that you can accomplish today. The one step that moves you from where you are towards where you want to go.  The one step that catapults you from what has you stuck.

And whatever you do, don’t think about day 98 and step 98.  That decision will destroy your forward movement, and procrastination will suck you right back in.  So once you accomplish Day One – Step One, then move to the invigorating Day Two – Step Two. And before you realize it, you will be at Day 98 – Step 98, and you will be amazed at how far you have traveled.

So now –> Day One Step.

Go.

The post Day One Step appeared first on Chris Trethewey.

My name: Christopher Loren Trethewey

There is something powerful with a name.  You might have been given a name handed down from generation to generation. Your name might include a significant person from years past or from a television show that your mother loved watching.  No matter the storyline behind your name, you have a name and it is your name.

Moses, probably still in a state of shock and absolute bewilderment, asked a simple question. The answer he received, was anything but simple. Moses said, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” (Exodus 3:13) God replied with three variations of the same name. 1) I am; 2) I am who I am. 3) Yahweh.  The name Yahweh and the name I AM are built out of the same Hebrew word (hayah). (Read more here.)

God’s chosen name is relational in nature and all encompassing. His name draws you into the essence of His love and deep care. And at the same time, paints a descriptive picture revealing who He truly is.

I AM is CREATOR

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20

I AM is not OVERWHELMED

I AM is IN CHARGE

“From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.” Isaiah 43:14

I AM is LOVE

The Reality of Today

The post My Simplistic view on this Complex day appeared first on Chris Trethewey.

The reality is that your life is intentionality racing towards an ending. Morbid? Maybe. But you know it’s true. You will cross the finish line at some point. So when you cross, what impact will you have made?

The Intentionality Factor

• You will intentionally lace up your shoes and go for a run. Or you will intentionally kick up your feet and turn on the TV.
• You will intentionally attack your day with precision, focused on impact. Or you will intentionally choose to let hours slip through your fingertips.
• You will intentionally seek moments to encourage and empower those who you lead. Or you will intentionally discourage and micro-manage those your lead.
• You will intentionally turn off your cell phone during dinner to focus on your family. Or you will intentionally check and respond to your messages.
• You will intentionally serve and love your spouse. Or you will intentionally focus on yourself and your needs.
• You will intentionally give with a spirit of generosity. Or you will intentionally hold on to your resources and spend with a spirit of consumerism.
• You will intentionally have an ongoing conversation with God throughout your day. Or you will intentionally ignore His active presence.

Every moment of every day, you are living intentionally. The question is not, “Are you Intentional?”.  It is “What are you intentionally doing?” And you must ask the next  follow-up question: “Are you intentionally doing the right things?”

#1: Clarify Your Purpose

Several years ago I had the opportunity to go through a Life Plan process. To say it was a life-clarifying process is the understatement of the century.  The two-day process circled around my life uncovering truths that reflected exactly how I was wired.  The skeptic in me was quickly silenced as a simple and profound statement emerged on the oversized piece of paper taped to the wall. My life’s purpose is this:

Maximize every day by leading myself and others to live out their
God-given potential and purpose.

This statement, which I placed as the wallpaper on my computer’s desktop, has guided my decision-making process as it comes to how I leverage my time, where I focus my leadership energy, and the type of organization I work for.

So let me ask you a question. What is your purpose? It is imperative that you have a great grasp on this. If not, intentionality will push you from path to path causing you to wander through life.  And you don’t need a two-day Life Plan to get clarity on your purpose.  (Now I do highly recommend it.)  First, block out an afternoon. You need a block of time that is distraction free. Think through what you like to do and what gives you energy.  Next ask yourself, “How do I take what I like to do and leverage it to positively impact people?”  And then share what you write with people that know you and you deeply respect. The more you circle around the question, the clearer you will be about your purpose.

#2: Choose what NOT to do.

You are living life on purpose, right now, in this very moment. You are purposefully reading this and investing in yourself.  And when you are done in a few moments, you will purposefully do something else.

I just started a new job, which doesn’t really feel like a job at all.  Right after I finish writing this, which I have been working on for several weeks, I am developing a six-month plan focused on connecting with people (staff, influencers, volunteers, and community leaders.)  If I don’t schedule time now (purpose) to schedule my time (purpose) then my time will be used in other ways (purpose).  By being highly focused on what I will do in the next six months, I will purposefully choose not to do a list of things.

#3: Commit to Your Plan.

There are strong, unrelenting, and manipulative forces being applied to knock you off purpose. If you don’t think so, just take 5 minutes and look at last week.  What were your goals? And what did you actually accomplish that was the priority? Did you allow anything on your calendar that shifted your focus? (And I realize that flexibility is key and you have to adjust to accommodate a boss, a friend, or other life/work realities.) What about your New Year’s Resolutions? How are you doing with those items?  No one is going to fight for you and your purpose. Yes, there are well-intentioned people that will say the right things to you, but then will be the same people that will also shove you off course.

John Maxwell phrased it this way:  “Wanting to win isn’t enough. You have to go through a process to improve. That takes patience, perseverance, and intentionality.”

If you are not intentional with your life, other people will intentionally live your life for you.  Either way, intentionality is going to guide your steps. Today, intentionally choose to live with intentionality!

The post 3 Actions to Adjust your Intentionality appeared first on Chris Trethewey.

The List

Some of the questions are light-hearted, almost on the verge of comical. For instance, “God, what were you thinking when you created the platypus? Were you having an extra creative day? Did you intentionally create the platypus to look like that?  Or did you sneeze when you were creating it?” Another question is this: “Why did you create the mosquito?  Is there some great cosmic reason? Or was it solely to test our patience?” I have numerous questions like this, but I will spare you the absurdity that wreaks havoc in my mind.

My longer, and definitely more complex list, focuses on thoughts, questions, and doubts that seem not to possess any helpful answers or perspectives here on earth. They are questions that scientists have done their best to give helpful insights but have fallen way short. The smartest philosophers have circled around these questions for thousands of years, never really gaining any meaningful ground. Deep questions, which if you are not careful, will send doubts surging through your veins. These questions usually start with “Why” and “How”. The structure of the questions are simple in wording, but the answers are complex and usually leaves you confounded.

I have a list of “those” questions that do not seem to possess any great resolve within my spirit, at least not here on earth. The emotions attached to my questions and the void that is created by the lack of any good, soul quenching insight can spread a sense of apprehension throughout my body.  As I have navigated through this life, I find myself coming back to a place that I must . . . embrace.

Embrace God’s Sovereignty

Your faith journey must, at some point, embrace the Sovereignty of God.  And the use of the word “must” is not an overstatement or exaggeration. It simply . . . must. If your foundation does not rest in the Sovereignty of God, then Genesis 1 starts to crumble,  Exodus 14 is reduced to a classic Hollywood movie, and Daniel 6 is an epic fairy tale made for a child’s imagination.  It’s the heroic step of faith that places your trust in an all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere loving Father. (Read more about trusting God here.) That decision, which I am not sure if it is a singular moment or a constantly evolving movement, must try to grasp the true nature of the mind expanding concept that wraps itself around that one word, sovereign.

Embrace Your Purpose

There is a lot written about purpose, destiny, and gifting.  And all of that is fine, and at some level, important. What I am sharing next isn’t to dismiss the importance of those three things.  My heart is simply to reorder the priority.  It feels good, personally, to talk about “My Destiny”, and ask “How am I gifted?”, and focus on discovering “My Purpose”. But all those thoughts have the same focus . . . “Me”.

And if you are like me, you have become an expert in wrapping those thoughts and conversations with a statement like this: “I am honoring and serving God.” There is a slippery slope, and if you are not careful, you will slide down that slope.

Ultimately, if you are a Christ-follower, your purpose is to point people to Jesus. Period. Now, that can be done numerous ways. But the purpose of your life shifts when you grasp the depth of love God has for you. It is this unconditional love that was put into motion when Jesus chose to die and radical grace was extended. This act of amazing grace and unrelenting love is what shifts your purpose. It is in response to Jesus that shifts your purpose. And that purpose is now solely focused on joining God in his great pursuit: For all people to experience eternal life with Him.

Embrace the Unimaginable

There is a powerful prayer from the first church.  It is recorded in Acts 4. In the midst of overwhelming persecution, isolation, and fear of the unknown, this group of people chose to focus on the Sovereignty of God. And because of that, they knew that everything was going to be okay. Not easy. Not without its challenges. But if God is truly sovereign, then everything, and that is a literal everything, is in His grasp.  The prayer that erupted from a moment of intense fear quickly turned into a prayer of promise. A prayer of hope. And a prayer of expectancy, knowing that God was present and willing to do the unimaginable.

Embrace

I do not know what you are facing right now. No matter what, I encourage you to embrace God’s sovereignty.  He has this. He is with you. His peace is unending, and his strength is consuming. His love is unconditional, and His grace is encompassing.  As you embrace God’s sovereignty, your eyes will start to see what He sees. Your heart will feel what He feels. In a powerful step, your purpose starts to be less consumed with yourself, and you will start allowing God to use your story, right where you are, to share with other people the depth of Jesus’s love.

And when that happens, just sit back and watch with anticipation . . . . the unimaginable.

The post Embrace appeared first on Chris Trethewey.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. What is, is now gone. And what will be, is now. But as suddenly as it finds itself in the now, it quickly is shoved back to make way for the new.   

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.  The sleight-of-hand tactician has a way of speeding up when you desperately desire it to slow down. And in the moments where you beg it to move rapidly, it decides to gear down to an ever grinding halt.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. If you steward it wisely, good things emerge. If you consume it like there is an endless supply, regret pounces.

Time is Swift

The older I get, the more I realize the incredible responsibility I have to steward the time placed in my hands. The reality is etched on my heart and consumes my thinking.  Because of that, there is an urgency that surfaces as I grasp how swift time truly is.

A.W. Tozer put it so well in his devotional classic The Knowledge of the Holy:

The days of the years of our lives are few and swifter than a weaver’s shuttle. Life is a short and fevered rehearsal for a concert we cannot stay to give. Just when we appear to have attained some proficiency we are forced to lay our instruments down. There is simply not time enough to think, to become, to perform what the constitution of our nature indicates we are capable of.

How are you going to maximize your time?

Today, you have an opportunity to embrace the rhythm of time, maximizing each moment and savoring its fleeting, yet constant gift.  So what can you do? Here are several ideas to engage your mind and move you into action.

• Send a message to someone you haven’t connected with in a while. Offer words of encouragement and thankfulness for what they mean to you.
• Instead of grabbing dinner to go, grab the people around you and enjoy the journey to make your own dinner. Even if the oven destroys your well-intentioned recipe, the memories will last a lifetime.
• Crawl into your child’s bed and tell a long, meandering, story that engages the imagination and illuminates the mind. (Yes, even if you are exhausted and don’t feel like it. Shove the excuses away. They take up too much time anyway.)
• Turn off your phone, well make it all the phones, and eat dinner at the table enjoying the rambling conversation from a day filled with ups, downs, twists, and turns.
• Go for a walk and focus on God’s majestic creation.
• Sit on a porch swing allowing the cadence of the weather-worn chain to fill the silence. Focus on the many things that you are thankful for in life. And if the area of ‘thankfulness” is a deserted landscape, focus on God’s constant presence in your life. There is quite enough to be thankful for there.
• Start, right now, on that dream – that project – that goal – that is bracketed with “one day”. And choose to begin now.
• Share your chaotic, doubt confused, question driven, guilt riddled, faith with a friend that needs to hear about a God, who so loved the world, that he gave . . .
• Reach out to someone with a heart of unending grace and unconditional love and pave the way for a restoration to emerge.

Time is Precious

Twelve years ago, today, Caden passed away. He would be in his first year of Jr. High and I would be actively focused on helping him mature into a man.  Twelve years have gone by and I miss him every day. Our family has a hole that can’t be filled. Through his loss, God has taught me more than I could ever attempt to articulate and express. God has expanded my heart and intensified the urgency around how I live my life. What I fully realize is that time is something I have a choice to maximize and embrace its ability to suddenly cease.

Time. You have it now. But you don’t know if you will have tomorrow. So live your life, now, with passion, reflecting God’s unrelenting love in every moment.

The post Do You Really Have the Time? appeared first on Chris Trethewey.

The preacher concludes the message with one of those succinct, and Pinterest quality quotes.

The Bible never once says, “Go figure it out.” But over and over it says, “Trust God. He’s already got it figured out.”

You think to yourself, as you walk to your car, “That was so good. I’m going to post that.”

And then life happens.

The phone rings
A person whispers
An email pings
Your calendar reveals
Sin stings
Reality surfaces
Anxiety circles

And in matters of moments, the once motivating and invigorating words “Trust God” are shredded into gazillions of fragments leaving you standing in complete bewilderment. Now what? 

Redefining Trust

There is this murky and misleading understanding creeping in the shadows of the Christian subculture around the concept of “trusting God”. Trust has mostly been relegated to just an emotion or feeling. And one of the issues with that is feelings rapidly fluctuate and emotions are convoluted with insecurities, self-esteem issues, childhood upbringing, and countless other factors. Trust is not momentary, fleeting, or even convenient. One of the go to Bible verses when it comes to the subject of trust is Proverbs 3:5. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

I constantly hear people say, “I Trust God.” And with their next breath say, “But. . .” But I don’t feel Him. But I don’t sense that He is with me. But why is He allowing this to happen? But why am I experiencing this? It is easy to relegate trust to only an emotion or feeling. And that is part of the heart component. But the heart represents more than just the emotions. The heart is about your complete being – the entirety of your existence. Trusting God with all your heart sets a clear and concise trajectory for the next 21 words.  

And lean not on your own understanding

Built right into these 7 words is the fact that you will experience moments in life that will perplex your mind. The construct that fits your perfect, storybook life is going to look significantly different. When you trust God, you embrace that the life He has in mind for you will more than likely look vastly different than what you have so imperfectly designed.  God has made it clear that our thoughts and ways are not His. (Isaiah 55:8). Trusting God must include a radical commitment to not rely on yourself – your own wants and desires. When You do that, then you can move to the much more difficult step.

In all your ways submit to Him

Submission requires demands action. It is the deliberate decision to relinquish your own plans, desires, and direction in order to follow God’s path.  Submission starts as soon as you choose to step away from your path and onto God’s path. Trust expects you to actually move behind God and walk in His footsteps. And when you submit to God, something powerful happens to the path you are on.

And He will make your paths straight.

Way too many people sit around waiting for God to do something – to say something – to act. I have this mental picture of God, sitting on a big white throne in heaven, leaning over screaming, “Get off your backend and start moving!!”  God has always been a God of action.

One great picture of trust in action is when God said to Abram, “Go to the land I will show you.” And Abram went. Abram didn’t have a five-year-plan. He didn’t have GPS coordinates for where he was heading. God didn’t reveal one component of His plan other than to ask Abram to trust Him. And in that one act of trust, Abram submitted and stepped off his path and moved onto God’s path.  Was the journey ahead of him easy? Not at all. Did Abram’s decisions complicate the journey? Absolutely! Was God faithful? Every step of the way.  The depth of our trust in God is revealed when the path does not make sense, and yet we still go. It is when our human construct is obliterated and we face the choice to trust in God or not.

Trust Demands Action

Trust is the absolute resolve that God, the sovereign creator, is guiding your steps. It is embracing that His pathway for your life is always better than what you would design for yourself.  Trust is embracing that the path God has you on, with all the twists, turns, dark valley moments and mountain top views, are there for you.

How do you trust God? Wait for it. You trust by trusting. (Yes, that was deep.) Think about it for a moment. You trust God by believing that whatever direction He takes you in life, that it is the best path to walk down.  And when you truly embrace that reality, anxiety dissipates and God’s peace rests within your soul.  You trust God by taking steps forward anticipating God’s gentle hand (or sometimes abrupt slap up the side of your head), to guide your direction.

Years ago I read a book that collided with my heart at the perfect time. God used Brennan Manning’s words to explode my entire idea of trust and then redefine it.

“Unwavering trust is a rare and precious thing because it often demands a degree of courage that boarders on the heroic.  When the shadow of Jesus’ cross falls across our lives in the form of failure, rejection, abandonment, betrayal, unemployment, loneliness, depression, the loss of a loved one; when we are deaf to everything but the shriek of our own pain; when the world around us suddenly seems a hostile, menacing place – at those times we may cry out in anguish, “How could a loving God permit this to happen?” At such moments the seeds of distrust are sown. It requires heroic courage to trust in the love of God no matter what happens to us.”

I have no idea what you are navigating in life right now.  What I hope you embrace is this: Trust God. Move into action. Submit. Follow His steps. The journey will be difficult. Life will not make sense. The future might look murky. Questions might run rampant through your mind. Your heart might ache in fear. But one day, you will look back and you will see God’s perfectly constructed path.

And at that point, you will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.

The post But do you really trust? appeared first on Chris Trethewey.

The first hour quickly ticked by.  It was the combination of the insane driving skills you must possess to drive in NYC (Do you remember the game Frogger? Driving in NYC is just like that.) and the thoughts, ideas, and excitement for the local church that were pulsing through my mind.

I had just spent time with the staff at Centerpoint Church. God is doing something so significant on Long Island! And it is because of churches like Centerpoint and The Bridge, who commit to leading with passion and excellence, that people are reached, and God is changing lives.

The four-hour drive was clicking by at a rhythmic pace. Each mile-marker melded together in a stream of numeric patterns. ESPN radio was playing in the background, filling the dead space in the car. I drifted back and forth between the philosophical world of church growth and multisite strategy, and to the meaningless world of sports analysis.

And then it happened.The two worlds collided.

Herm Edwards on ESPN Radio

Herm Edwards, former NFL player and coach, and current NFL analyst started to talk. His intensity and passion for the game caught my attention.  I turned up the radio and began to actually lean into the conversation.  At first, the conversation was the standard NFL Q&A as they dissected the games and player performance from week two of the season. And then in a moment, Herm unleashed a 90-second leadership rant that stretched my thinking.

90 Second Rant

“Two things in Life. Not only in football. Two things in life – if you have an occupation. Are you interested? Or are you committed?  A lot of people are interested. But are you committed? When you walk into that huddle . . .I never missed a practice. From Highschool. College. Professional football. Never missed a practice. Period. And the reason for that was real simple: When I walked into that huddle I wanted those other ten guys to go, ‘That guy right there. He is committed to this, man. I’m all in with that guy.’ So if you are having a bad game, them players are like, ‘Hey man. He is here every day. He’s workin. We trust this guy. We trust this guy.’ You got to be committed, man. That is what life’s about. Go commit to something.

People are interested until they figure out what the score is. Oh then I will commit. No – No -No! You commit first. Go commit to something. Football is about commitment, man. You walk in that huddle and in the end, I have always said, My greatest accomplishment in football is when I walked into that huddle those guys on my team said, ‘I trust this guy, man. Whatever he got, he is going to leave out on the field.’ When you get a huddle like that, now you have a chance. Now you got a chance . . . to win! That is the most important thing, man. I used to stay in the huddle with players . . .  as a Coach, I would look them in the eyes  . . . are you committed or interested?

I want guys that are committed. And some are not the best-talented players. That is what makes the team so great.Talent? Talent is a gift. It’s God given. Give me some guys that commit to something. Now you got a chance!”

If you want to listen to it, here it is! Just realize that I recorded it on my iPhone, off the radio, while driving. So the audio quality isn’t that good. But listen to it anyway. You will get fired up!

A New Leadership Insight

Over the next two hours, Herm’s words consumed my mind. I have heard a lot of leadership conversations centered on the concept of commitment. That wasn’t new.  What captured my attention was his use of the word interested.   You see, there is such a significant difference between the two. And yet, they can look similar. Interested people are usually passionate people, that have perfected the art of talking.  They talk about vision and about how to accomplish the vision. They talk about sacrifice and all the different components of sacrifice like hard-work and taking pay cuts. They talk about “what could be” and lofty dreams. They are charismatic and can engage large or small groups of people.

You find yourself listening to them saying, “Yes!”  At this point, from their words and excitement, you think they are committed. But the true test is to look intently at their actions. Actions, what they actually do and don’t do, are always the litmus test that separates interest and commitment.

INTERESTED VS COMMITTED

Interested people will convince you that they are committed by their words.
Committed people will reveal their commitment by their actions.

Interested people talk about the sacrifice required to accomplish something great.
Committed people actually sacrifice significantly in order to accomplish something of significance.

Interested people get excited about an idea until it passes their “pain threshold”. And then they move on to the next idea.
Committed people are excited at the beginning. And the excitement intensifies as they push through the obstacles and setbacks.

Interested people stay busy doing stuff. But accomplish very little.
Committed people work hard, focusing on the objectives critical to moving the idea forward.

Interested people gather groups of people around them, not recognizing that the committed will drift away.
Committed people quickly separate the interested from the committed. And then they build a team of only committed people.

Interested people talk about everything they are going to do one day.
Committed people will one day talk about what they actually accomplished.

Interested people are numerous and commonplace.
Committed people are few in number, but are changing the world.

I could keep going, but I know you get the point.  So let me ask you two questions.

Q1: Are you interested? Or committed?

The answer is quite easy to reveal. Look at what you have done today, this week, this past year.  Your actions will reveal the answer. The obstacles you choose to face and overcome will reveal your commitment level. The hard work, not the fun, surface, quickly get noticed type of work, will reveal who you really are.

Q2: Is your team interested or committed?

This will be a lot easier to answer. Why? The team always, and I do mean always, reflects the leader.  So if your team is filled with a bunch of “interested” people, well then you have the answer to question #1.

The post Are you Committed or Interested? (And the difference is significant.) appeared first on Chris Trethewey.

I have. Especially the last two months.

The meandering conversation between God and me, over the past two months, has twisted, turned, moved, and paused. Lengthy bike rides have been filled with a mix of non-stop chatter and miles of silence. Early morning quiet, holding a cup of coffee (Really good coffee like Intelligentsia!), where deafening silence intersects with a holy insight that ushers in an overwhelming peace.  The faith churning conversation has impassioned my heart and expanded my mind in ways that I am still trying to put into words.  Even though our conversations have been life stretching, there has been one word that seemed to always avoid my detection. One word that would bring everything into focus. A word that would encapsulate this season of life. A word that would make me go, “Ah Ha! – That’s it!”

The frustration that once was undetectable, seemed to quickly increase in its intensity as my attention was affixed on discovering that one word.  Every time, and I do mean every, I got close to identifying it, God, the Illusionist, slipped it out of one hand and into the other leaving me guessing again.

And then it happened. It was a moment when I was least expecting. And yet it was part of God’s beautiful story-line that he is poetically scripting.

My day was filled with hours of traveling, last minute supply shopping and multiple leadership conversations. The August heat made the setup process a little more challenging and a lot less enjoyable. But the team of people, all with a heart to serve, filled the atmosphere with laughter and joy.  The doors opened, people came, and the service started. Before I knew it, the last chord filled the stained-glass, old stone, building. And voices shifted from melodic notes to energetic conversations.

The team kicked back into action with intentionality, tearing down the equipment and making sure everything was put back to its original landing space. I was mindlessly rolling up mic cables as my mind drifted back some two decades, to the time where I was a young intern leading the Tech Team. Where has time gone?  As I rolled cables, I entered into a conversation with one of our volunteers. It was one of those shallow and scattered type of conversations that quickly dove into the deep-end. We talked about the journey God had us both on. We shared about how God was expanding our faith and revealing new insights.  It was like we were navigating parallel, God orchestrated, paths

And then it happened. God, the master illusionist, decided to show me the word that he was holding in his hand. It was the one word that had avoided my grasp and left me guessing. It was the one word that would bring into perspective this path God was (and is) leading me down. The word . . .

Available

“Chris”, God whispered, “Just continue to be available.”

Is there a need to roll up chords? Be available. When you are asked to drive three hours to meet with a church staff, be available. If there is a need to have a strategy brainstorming session, then be available. Be available to sit and have a non-directed conversation.  Be available to give direction to a church-planter. Do you need to figure out how to use WordPress? Be available. (No seriously.) And always be available to encourage people. No matter what is asked of you, just be available.

Make the shift from a Question to a Statement

Have you ever asked God, “What do you want me to do?” This is a question that I have asked numerous times, and in of itself, it isn’t necessarily a bad question. The danger with this question is that it has the propensity to lean towards inaction.  You see, it positions you as a passive bystander, waiting for God to clearly reveal to you what he wants you to do.  And we choose to forget that God is action oriented with a driving desire to draw all people to Him.  This is a constant strategy that God is relentlessly executing. But if we are not careful, when an opportunity arises to join Him in doing something that you don’t want to do, you can easily dismiss it by not just saying, “God, what do you  want me to do? But this time, you add scapegoat word, “REALLY”. What do you really want me to do?

But when you make the emphatic statement, “God, I’m available!”, it leans you into God, positioning your heart to move into action no matter what direction God points you in.

• Being available says “I will” instead of “maybe”.
• Being available trumps competency and gifting. God is willing to close that gap.
• Being available doesn’t just reprioritize time. It refocuses the urgency in which you live your life.
• Being available engages you with what God is already doing.

The Move into Action

Availability creates tension at the point of action.  You will not only sense this tension, but you will feel it at the core of your being. It is a gravitational pull that demands your attention and a decision. Will you move into action, following God’s direction? Or will you move away from God’s direction following your desires?  You won’t stay in the tension. It is way too uncomfortable.

When you actually decide to rest in a place of availability for God’s movement in your life, the tension will not just surface once. It will be constant. Why? We all have a selfish and inward leaning side.  We don’t often admit that outwardly, but we all know it is there. It is easy to see in the 14-month child who has mastered the word, “mine”. When the teenager complains about the one shirt, out of the dozen that you purchased for school, you see it. The school loan that you chose to help pay isn’t quite enough.  And then we think that at some point we just grow out of it.  But is that really the case?

Let me ask you a question: What percentage of your time praying, when you actually do pray, is focused on your needs, issues, problems, or desires compared to other people and even God?

Think about it.

Write down a percentage: ___________ (Now be honest.)

Try to sway your prayers from a “What’s in it for me?” to more of a “What can I do for you?”.

The Revealing Lesson

Here is what I am learning in this season.  The more that I am available, the more I am aware of great opportunities surrounding me.  Did you catch how I worded that sentence?  Opportunities to link arms with God are always there. God is always desiring to leverage you, his creation, in partnership with him to impact lives and change this world.  The question isn’t about an opportunity. It has everything to do with availability.  When you position your life to be available to whatever – and I mean whatever – God asks, opportunities swirl around you in a mosaic of

There are opportunities, right now, swirling around you to join God in what He is doing. When you position your heart to be available, you will start to see them. And when you see them it will force you to make the next decision. Are you going to move into action, or revert back to the more comfortable question? “What do you want me to do?”

The post The Illusionist and the Hidden Word appeared first on Chris Trethewey.

We were stuck and only had two options. 1) Start walking. 2) Figure out how to get unstuck.  We quickly realized that option #2 was the only real option. Why? The rental car company, more than likely, wanted their vehicle back.

There is nothing like the feeling of being stuck.  There is certain degree of helplessness as any good options, or even semi-mediocre options, are limited in availability. The reality of the situation, and what you did to contribute to it, keeps reminding you of failure. With all your strength, you try to get unstuck. But that has left you exhausted. Ignore it and it will go away? Yes, you have tried that too.  How has it worked? Ignoring your situation only exacerbates it.

Are you stuck?

• Are you stuck in a job that is not fulfilling or is at a dead-end?
• Are you stuck in an unhealthy relationship that is emotionally stifling?
• Are you stuck in an addiction that is consuming everything about you?
• Are you stuck in self-doubt, never thinking you are good enough to accomplish something significant?
• Are you stuck in negative thinking – constantly seeing the cup as half-full?
• Are you stuck in a guilt-inducing vortex because of your past actions?

Maybe a better question is this:  Where are you stuck? Go ahead, write it down.

I have developed a tool to help you get unstuck.  (Click the image to download.) Use it as you make your way through these five steps. (Begin with “I am stuck . . .”)

Now that it’s written, look at it. Face the reality that you are stuck in an area of your life.  Once you have identified specifically where you are stuck, use these five steps to help get you unstuck.

1. Remove “I want to”

Stop and think about these three limiting words: I want to. How many world-changing dreams have crashed into the mountain of “I want to”? There is an enormous chasm between these two phrases: 1) I want to lose weight. 2) I will lose weight. The word “want” leans towards self-doubt and disbelief. The word “want” sounds like you are half-hearted, pessimistic, and if any obstacle surfaces, you will cave.  The word “want” has built into it a 10% chance that you might accomplish what you set out to do. The toxic combination of self-doubt, lack of commitment, and fear makes up the other 90%.

Instead, start using these powerful, forward moving, fear-conquering words: “I will”.  I will face the future. The past won’t keep me captive. Today, I will take the needed steps to face my addiction.  I will forgive.  This will eliminate the bitterness that is ravaging all my relationships. Procrastination? I will wake up and put on my running shoes now. I will eat to live. Not live to eat.  I will embrace that I have more to offer this world. Because of that fact, I am going to start plotting a course to change jobs and start doing what I was made to do. I will!

Action: Envision the future of not being stuck.  “I will ________________”

2. Engage the +1

Say this out-loud: “I can’t do it myself.” No, seriously.  Say it now. (Don’t worry about the people sitting beside you. They will get over it.) This culture is screaming that you don’t need anyone else except for you. You have the will-power. The determination you posses is powerful. You are wise. And there is some truth in that thinking. But we also know that we, as human beings, have self-destructive, limiting, and fear driven limitations.

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, has been vulnerable and transparent about his journey over the past 4 years. He has talked about the people in his life that has helped him get unstuck. People like Ray Lewis who gave him the book Purpose Driven Life.  His mother, the constant source of encouragement, love and support who continues to speak into his life.  Bob Bowman, his long-time coach, that stayed committed to him even when he didn’t want to get unstuck.

Embrace the reality that you need a +1 (or +2 or +3) in your life to help you get unstuck.

Action: Write down a name (or two) who is your +1.

3. Take one step

Being stuck is an overwhelming experience.  “How did I get here?” and “I should have known better.” consumes your mind.  You try to see what life is like when you aren’t to stuck, but the convoluted collage of what life might look like after you are unstuck emerges and begs you to throw in the towel.   Hold on to this: Perseverance is not about the finish line, but the next step.

Perseverance is not about the finish line, but the next step.
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Today, take one step. Tomorrow, take another step. When you get tired and discouraged because the step is too exhausting, you have your +1 to link arms with you.

Action: Write down in box #3 one specific step that you are going to do today to help get unstuck. 

4. Repeat #3

Take another step. Then take an additional step. Don’t stop until you are unstuck. And when you are unstuck, don’t stop taking steps. Don’t stop engaging your +1 and always say “I will”. (Because if you stop, you just might get stuck again.)

Action: Use the additional space to plan out your next steps. 

5. Make it Visual

Whatever you do, don’t skip this step. One of the most powerful steps in any goal setting process is to write it out and then look at it every day.

Action: Print and hang it in a visible place. (Or save it on your computer’s desktop.)

It is up to you whether or not you want to get unstuck.  They journey might have ups and downs, twists and turns.  You might find yourself wondering if you will ever get unstuck. Just remember that life is so much more about the journey than some specific destination. And like the great philosopher Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

You have great places to go. You have lives to impact. You have so much to offer this world. So don’t stay stuck.

The post STUCK? 5 EASY STEPS TO GET UNSTUCK appeared first on Chris Trethewey.

The Ominous Presence of the Page

The blank page invites you to write something of significance – enticing the heart to move into action. But at the same time whisper’s caution because people will question your words. The blank page begs your heart to be vulnerable, revealing in lurid detail thoughts thriving down deep. But it quickly counter-attacks giving a warning: “Judgement will be levied if you reveal too much.”

The blank page supercharges the creative intellect’s driving desire to capture an audience and move them into action. But it reveals that no matter the depth of passion inserted into the writing, people might just ignore you. The page dares you to step out on the edge and make a statement – create a ruckus – ignite a fire within the soul.

So you sit there. Staring at the blinking cursor. The decision is yours.

The Opportunity of the Page

Every morning you have a blank page staring at you. Words, ideas, actions, thoughts, interactions, comments, and encounters just might fill the page.  At the end of the day you will lay your head on the pillow, drift off to never-land and wake up the next day with an unadulterated blank page.

And the cursor will be blinking.

Write something of significance today. You might fail. You might overstep. You might be mis-interpreted. You might want to take it back. You might be attacked. You might be labeled. But you never know, you just might say or do something that makes an eternal difference. You might do something that changes a life. You might do something that shifts perspective. You might do something that actually matters.

And the amazing truth is that tomorrow, you will have the opportunity to start over with a blank page.

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