A Special Message for Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day only 2 days off I thought it would be appropriate to give all the guys out there this special message. This song contains some very good advice for all us guys out there who are married, or those engaged to be married. Here's hoping you say the right things this Valentine's Day.

Undercover Boss

CBS premiered a new reality show Sunday night called Undercover Boss. I watched the last half of the show when it aired, then went back and caught the first half online. I must say I was impressed. I'm typically not a fan of reality TV, but this one is great. The concept is ingenious. The top executive from the selected company goes undercover and works various jobs within the organization to see what the employees go through in a typical day. You can check out the first full episode by clicking the link below.

Undercover Boss

In this episode, Larry O'Donnell, President and COO of Waste Management, worked alongside employees doing a variety of undesirable jobs, including cleaning port-a-potties and running a garbage collection route. In each job, Mr. O'Donnell was able to learn exactly what his employees did day after day and the challenges they faced, often caused by policies he had implemented. He saw how these policies, for example a productivity quota for the garbage collection route, actually made the employees' jobs more difficult and less enjoyable.

At the end of the show the boss brings each employee he worked with in one at a time to reveal his true identity and explain why he went undercover. After seeing how many policies handed down from the corporate office negatively affected employee morale and productivity, Mr. O'Donnell promised to make changes. By getting in the trenches and learning exactly what his people do, the boss was able to better understand and connect with his employees. What a great concept!

I am looking forward to the next episode, which will air Sunday night at 8:00 PM CST on CBS. I think every CEO in the country needs to do something like this. There are far too many bosses out there who have no idea what many of the people who are the backbone of the company do on a daily basis. Undercover Boss is giving executives a chance to really connect with their employees and create a more positive work environment. Kudos to the creators of this show for a very well thought out and interesting idea. I love it!

If you want the latest Undercover Boss news and updates about the show you can follow them on Twitter.

Our Battle is not Against Flesh and Blood

Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Ephesians 6:11-13 (HCSB)

Our Sunday School lesson yesterday was all about getting the right mindset. Set your mind on the spiritual things, not the things of this world. Part of the lesson talked about how society today views religion and spiritual matters. There was a statistic shown that just startled me.

Four out of every ten Christian parents of children between the ages of 3 and 18 said they do not face any spiritual challenges in their lives.

WHAT??? How in the world can a Christ follower claim to be that (a Christian) yet at the same time say they do not face spiritual challenges? As a believer we should be acutely aware that we are in a spiritual battle daily. "Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but...against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens." What is really scary about the statistic above is that if 40% of these parents don't think they face spiritual challenges then their kids most likely think the same way.

We talked at length yesterday about the moral decline in this country. I think the statistic cited above might be a pretty good indicator of why. Lots of folks (not just parents) don't seem to believe we are in a spiritual battle. Perhaps that's because many of the so-called Christians aren't really a threat to the spiritual forces. Our pastor touched on this yesterday in his sermon talking about how we are not persecuted for our faith, possibly because we are not a threat. I think that may be more of a reality than many of us would like to admit. If we, as followers of Jesus Christ, are living as we should and truly doing His work, then we would see and understand the spiritual battle that is raging daily all around us. Satan would and should see us as a threat.

So, I go back to the verses from Ephesians. Only when we accept our responsibility as Christ followers and put on the full armor of God will we be able to stand against the spiritual forces of evil. We need to do that daily and turn the moral values of this country around. Going back to the statistic it starts at home. Christian parents need to stand up and fight against the powers of darkness and raise godly children who will do the same. There is a spiritual battle raging. Will you stand and fight?

Rare Snow in Tennessee

We got a real treat here in middle Tennessee yesterday and last night. A rare snow blanketed the area. Here at our house we had about 3-4 inches of white stuff, then another inch of ice on top of that. Other areas in middle TN measured snow accumulations ranging from 3-10 inches. Driving was a bit tricky, but that's OK because the snow is great. Kids have been out sledding and having fun all day. Of course all our weekend activities were canceled, but that's fine. We can relax at home and just stay warm.

I got out this morning to capture the beauty before anyone had a chance to walk through the
snow covered yard. I'll share a few of the pics here.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere There's Signs

Signs are all around us. From traffic signs to billboards we see a variety of signs every day. I wonder how often we drive or walk right by some signs that, if we took the time to read, are downright funny. For this week's Friday Funny here are some funny signs. I don't know if all (or any) of these are real, but I find them amusing and hope you will as well.



Which way do I go?


Don't you see the invisible sidewalk?


Hopefully no emergencies will arise soon!


No explanation required.


Yum!!!


Don't say we didn't warn you!


I guess they're planning for your extended stay.


Really???


I saved the best for last! :-)

My Top 2 Favorite Hope for Haiti Now Performances

And now, here are my selections for the top 2 best performances from the Hope for Haiti Now benefit telethon. I think these two ladies are incredibly talented and have amazing voices. The first (my #2 choice) is Christina Aguilera performing Lift Me Up. The second (my #1 pick) is a stirring rendition of I'll Stand By You from Shakira.

More Performances from Hope for Haiti Now

As promised in Monday's post here are 2 more of my top 5 favorite performances from last week's Hope for Haiti Now benefit telethon. The first is Stevie Wonder singing Bridge Over Troubled Water. The second features Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock and Keith Urban performing Lean On Me. I hope to post my top 2 favorites within the next couple of days.

"Hallelujah" - from Hope for Haiti Now

I want to start this post by saying I am not at all a fan of Justin Timberlake's music. However, I saw this performance of Hallelujah during the Hope for Haiti Now benefit concert and thought it was wonderful. In fact, this is one of my top 5 favorite performances from that show. So, I decided to make it this week's Music Monday blog post. Stay tuned for more from my top 5 later this week.

Proud Father & Coach

For the second consecutive year I am the assistant coach for Rachel's Upward basketball team. Yesterday we played our third, and best, game of the season. The team played a great game, and I was very proud of them. As a coach you always want everyone on the team to try their best, play their hardest, and come out on top. I can say that is exactly what happened yesterday. The girls fought hard, played tough, and got their first win of the season. I can't say enough about how well they all played.

As a father, you always want your own child to shine when they are playing sports, or an instrument, or whatever they are doing. I am proud of Rachel for the way she played yesterday. We have spent lots of time in practice talking about and working on rebounding. I typically coach the defense during games and really stress the importance of good rebounding. I'm sure Rachel might be a little tired of hearing me talk about it, but I think it has sunk in. We don't keep stats on rebounds, but I would guess Rachel was in double digits Saturday. She was going after the ball both on offense and defense. Not only that, she did a great job driving to the basket and putting up shots. She went to the line for the first time after being fouled. Although she missed both free throws, both hit the rim and the second was very close to going in. Not too shabby for her first trip to the line. She ended the game with 6 points, including the final basket of the game at the buzzer. As a father I was, and am, very proud of her!

After each game in Upward basketball we present colored stars to the players. There are 5 stars...Red (defense), Gray (offense), Blue (effort), Gold (sportsmanship) and White (Christ-likeness). Rachel was presented a Gray star this week for offense. As I told her, I could have given her both Gray and Red because she played so well on both sides. Everyone on the team could have received the Blue star for effort. Every girl played hard and was worn out by the end of the game.

I am very proud of our team for the way the played this week. It makes me happy, as a coach, to see everyone working together and playing hard. I hope this performance motivates the girls to stay focused and continue to play hard for the remainder of the season. Great job Liberty!

Responding to the Voice of Christ

Today at ClearView Baptist church our pastor began a new sermon series. We are studying the first three chapters of the book of Revelation...the letters to the seven churches. Today we looked at chapter one, and something in the Scripture stood out for me. First, as this week's Sunday Scripture, I want to share a portion of Revelation chapter 1.

9. I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation, kingdom, and perseverance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of God's word and the testimony about Jesus.
10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet
11. saying, "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
12. I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. When I turned I saw seven gold lampstands,
13. and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest.
14. His head and hair were white like wool-white as snow, His eyes like a fiery flame,
15. His feet like fine bronze fired in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of cascading waters.
16. In His right hand He had seven stars; from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was shining like the sun at midday.
17. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me, and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last,
18. and the Living One. I was dead, but look-I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19. Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this.
20. The secret of the seven stars you saw in My right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands, is this: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

What stood out for me was verse 17. "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man." I wonder what my response would be if I heard the audible voice of the Lord. Would I be like John and fall at His feet, unable to speak in the presence of the Holy One? I'm reminded of the song I Can Only Imagine..."Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of You be still." How would you respond?