Thankful

in no particular order...

I am thankful for second chances.

I am thankful that God continues to love me even though I continue to fall for the same struggles sins, time and time again.

I am thankful for the sound of The Edge's guitar mixed with the voice of Bono.

I am thankful for the beautiful art of a perfectly run pick and roll, and that I am healthy enough to still play the sport I adore.

I am thankful that I outkicked my coverage and have been married to my beautiful wife for 13+ years now.

I am thankful for parents that took me to church and modeled what faith is about.

I am thankful for the work of contemporary Christian thought leaders like Rob Bell, Donald Miller, Mike Foster, Eugen Peterson, Timothy Keller and Francis Chan.

I am thankful for weekly a.m. coffee talks with my brother in faith and my Silas along my journey.

I am thankful for two beautiful children and what they inspire me to be.

I am thankful every time I hear Johnny Cash.

I am thankful what Bruce Pearl and Lane Kiffin are bringing to Rocky Top.

I am thankful to live in freedom in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

I am thankful for whoever came up with the www.iamsecond.com campaign.

I am thankful every time I see Steve Nash play.

I am thankful I survived college, and the night of February 12, 1994.

I am thankful for less than I should be.

I am thankful for you, and the fact that you've read this far. Many blessings to you and yours this Thanksgiving.

Quote o' the day - Warren Buffet

"Every saint has a past, and every sinner a future." -Warren Buffet

Rob Bell 2.0

Here's a very cool interview with Rob Bell about what he's working on next. Sounds like there won't be any more new Nooma videos, but he's got some exciting ideas in the works. Can't wait!

Faith Requires Hiking Boots

Excellent post this a.m. from Knox Media Powerhouse, Hallerin Hilton Hill. (Triple H, Holla!!!) Enjoy as you strap on your hiking boots!


"This morning I was stopped by a 3-verse miracle in Matthew 15.

This miracle is a quickie on the way to the feeding of the 4 thousand.

Here's the passage:

Jesus Heals Many

29 Jesus went on from there and walked s beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

Ok, so that, at first blush it looks like a run of the mill miracle.
(Think about that. Jesus was working miracles on the way to work miracles. BTW there are no "run of the mill" miracles)

Look closer.

I saw 2 things in this passage this morning that I had not seen.

1. Jesus was a mountain climber.

2. The people CLIMBED the mountain to get to him. They were willing to make the effort to get to him.

Not only did they CLIMB to get to him, they took some broken people with them. I imagine some people had to CARRY other people up the mountain to put them in front of Jesus.

WOW! That challenged me.

Had to ask myself a couple of big questions: "Am I willing to make the CLIMB?"

Reality: Sometimes faith requires hiking boots.

What about the broken people I know? Am I willing to exert the extra effort to guide or CARRY them up the mountain and put them in front of Jesus?

Truth is, I've been CARRIED up the mountain.

Bottom line: make the effort.

If He's on the mountain don't wait at the base for him to come down. Put on your hiking boots and get to steppin'. And take someone with you."

It's Not What You've Been...

I caught one lesson from the always excellent Jim Flemming over the weekend at Church Street. He always brings it (this was the 12th year in a row that our church has had him back for a lecture series) but there was one thought he shared that stood out the most to me.

He said it's not about what you've been (i.e. a liar, a thief, an adulterer, an addict, etc.) but rather through Jesus Christ what you can become.

You can become forgiven. You can become joyful. You can become the person God created you to be.

I like the sound of that.

Second Serve

Like these guys, I'm a big believer in second chances. That's why I applaud Andre Agassi's new revelations from his book Open. He also shared his powerful story last night on 60 Minutes.

Among other things he talks about how he hated tennis. He feared his father. He didn't want to be married to Suddenly Susan. He was depressed. And, oh yeah, he did crystal meth and lied about failing a drug test.

Plus his famous locks were really a hair weave (!!!)

Seriously, watch the 60 Minutes interview for a new look at this sports icon. I can't wait to read the book.

While many cynics have come out now and said Agassi is just saying this stuff now to sell a book, I don't buy it. (no pun intended). Watch his reaction and plea for "some compassion" when told about what some (very famous) tennis players are saying about Agassi's story. I think this is a man who was a child prodigy that made mistakes but has turned things around and wanted to come clean. And you can't argue with the work his foundation has been doing for education in his hometown of Las Vegas.

Quite a turnaround from a guy who once known for saying "Image is Everything."

Clean Your Window

Clean Your Window
The smudges and stains from your past will only cloud your future if you don't wipe them away

by Roy S. Johnson

They're there, and they're not. Windows. They stand between us and the world, offering a view. We see what we want and ignore what we want.

We all possess our own figurative window, too. Like the glass version, it stands between us and the world, offering a view. We see what we want and ignore what we want.

Your view shapes your perspective, your attitude about the world outside. It determines how you treat others, how you approach the challenges of each day. It also shapes how you see yourself and how you perceive your own prospects for the day, the week— for your life. When you don't like what you see outside, it drags down your attitude, your personality, your spirit. It drags down you.

It makes you resentful and critical, of even the smallest things. It makes you look for flaws everywhere—at work, at home, and even in people you first meet. Makes you frown at every encounter. Makes you perceive every challenge or opportunity as yet another chance to fail. It drains your confidence. In a word, it makes you miserable.

No matter your goals—for today, tomorrow, or for the rest of your life—they're unattainable when your view is clouded, gloomy, and critical. Misery loves company, not success.

Think about the miserable people around you every day—people who are always critical, always mumbling and blaming someone else for their frustrations or their setbacks of the moment. If you're waking up each morning with a critical, resentful attitude, waking up mad at this person, mad at that situation, mad at work, just plain mad, try this: Clean your window.

That's right. Scrub off the soot of past failures. Hose away the dinginess of broken relationships. Take some elbow grease to the splotches of betrayals, losses, and bad breaks.

Then, take a look. Suddenly, the world outside looks much different. Things are clearer, brighter. It's almost as if there's no window there at all.

You might even decide to throw the sucker open and step outside, where your perspective can now be shaped by fresh air, fresh aromas, fresh opportunities.

I once knew someone whom I just dreaded seeing because no matter the topic, she had something negative to say about it. This woman could have spoiled a kid's birthday party. I said "once knew" because ultimately I had to wipe her out of my life because simply being around her was affecting my own view. I had to clean her off the window.

Progress begins with a positive attitude. No one ever got anywhere by saying they couldn't. Dreams are not made from dread.

The smudges and stains from your past will only cloud your future if you don't wipe them away. Today.

Onward,
Roy S. Johnson
Men's Fitness
Editor In Chief

First things First

The first command that Jesus gives in the Sermon in the Mount?

"Rejoice and be glad."

No matter how bad it seems or what's stacked against us, Jesus says that through him it is possible to rejoice and be glad, even in the face of tremendous adversity. Amazing.

Thanks and props to Rob Bell's Twitter pagefor this reminder. Man, I needed to read this today.