Ability

Wait in the Stillness

by Andy Wood on July 28, 2014

in Ability, Five LV Laws, Life Currency, LV Cycle, Principle of Increase, Time, Waiting

Long Road

Dani has her days and nights mixed up.  She’s driven to finish her degree and excited about the possibilities of life after school, but her brain and body are also fatigued.  She feels like sleeping when she’s awake, but can’t quite shut it all off mentally when she’s supposed to be sleeping.  Dani has a weary soul.  And her weary soul is receiving the call to Wait in the Stillness.

Allen is on the verge of something great.  His ministry organization has experienced a funding breakthrough, which has made it possible to launch an entire new division overseas.  He’s doing Kingdom work, and for months he has lived at the glorious intersection of waiting and working – where anticipating collides with diligence.  So why does this mid-40s man, who is otherwise in such good health, find it so easy to well up with tears for no apparent reason?  Allen has a weary soul.  And his weary soul is receiving the call to Wait in the Stillness.

Teresa is grateful for the progress.  Day in and day out, working with little Pauley, she has seen such growth in her little son with special needs.  Compared to this time last year, both of their worlds have dramatically changed for the better.  But driving home from the latest meeting with Pauley’s case worker, Teresa catches a heart-glimpse of how far – how very far – her boy and she have to go.  And something inside her screams, “Give it up!  You’ll never get there.”  Teresa has a weary soul.  And her weary soul is receiving the call to Wait in the Stillness.

To live in a broken world, teeming with peril and possibilities, is to shoulder a load that defies your own strength.  You may look at somebody else’s yoke and feel sorry for them, or feel sorry for yourself.  Either way, your own life challenges are enough.  And at some point, assuming you care at all, you will find yourself pushing against your own weariness of soul. [click to continue…]

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You Have a Keeper

by Andy Wood on July 25, 2014

in Ability, Five LV Laws, Life Currency, LV Cycle, Principle of Freedom, Protecting Your Investment, Waiting

Anchor

In a world that’s fall-down-drunk on the idea of self-everything I have some good news that may not come across as good news.

You have a keeper.

Not like keep-you-in-a-cage, though I’m quite sure that’s how some people would interpret it.

More like faithful protector, watcher, provider, attender.  And keeping for your Keeper is as natural as being human is for you.

The Lord  keeps all who love Him…( Ps 145:20a).

I love Psalm 145 because it contains a long list of the practical attributes of God, as His followers experience Him.  Things like gracious and merciful and righteous and sustaining, to name a few.  But here’s one I’ve never paid much attention to before now.  It is the Lord’s nature and faithful character to keep those who love Him. [click to continue…]

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Had Any Opposition Lately?

by Andy Wood on July 18, 2014

in Ability, Enlarging Your Capacity, Five LV Laws, Life Currency, LV Cycle, Principle of Freedom

Different

Made an amazing discovery the other day.

Did you know that not everybody is filled with joy when you decide to step out in faith, or take your relationship with God seriously?

Did you notice that the whole world seems to push back when you decide to make a major change for the good in your life?

That spiritual excellence irritates religious people?

That our slip-ups, foul-ups, and whassups are nothing new – we’re even creatures of habit with the devil?

That your biggest enemy is often yourself?

Opposition (pause here to sigh).  Come on, Lord!  Why can’t something be easy?

Truth is, some things are.  [click to continue…]

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Hope for the Fallen

by Andy Wood on July 9, 2014

in Ability, Enlarging Your Capacity, Five LV Laws, Life Currency, LV Cycle, Principle of Increase

Falling 2

Okay, so you bit the dust.

Or somebody else rubbed your face in it.

You zigged when life or the economy or the whole dang world zagged, and now you’re in the soup.

As a 55-year veteran of falling, regardless of the reason, let me take on the role of Captain Obvious:  It hurts.  And it’s way past scary to try and get back up.

And that’s exactly why you’d better have a Source beyond your own willpower to make that happen.  Check this out: [click to continue…]

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Lord of All the Moving Parts

by Andy Wood on June 16, 2014

in Ability, Executing Your Plan, Five LV Laws, Life Currency, LV Cycle, Principle of Abundance

icebergs

These are the days of a thousand moving parts.  Things will settle soon, as much as things ever actually “settle” for me, but for the last six months we have been in the process of a major interstate move.  We have moved a household, moved a business, and moved more than a few boxes.

Sometimes there are seasons of “transition.”  That doesn’t even begin to describe this.  And what makes it even heavier is that in the past there have been teams of people – people by the dozen – to help with the process.  This time it’s been the two of us, aided by some herculean efforts of some friends and family.

And should I mention today’s news flash?  I ain’t gettin’ any younger.

All of this on top of a regular work schedule that hasn’t waited for anyone or anything.

We all go through seasons like that – thankful that they’re just seasons.  We move.  We welcome new babies into the family.  We change jobs or careers.  We face upheavals at work.  We take on more than we think we can handle.  We are confronted with a fire or destructive weather event.

And all the parts start moving – some of them groaning all the way. [click to continue…]

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What Do You Do With This Thing Called Balance?

by Andy Wood on April 23, 2014

in Ability, Allocating Your Resources, Five LV Laws, Insight, Life Currency, Love, LV Cycle, Principle of Freedom

Balance

You can get yourself in serious trouble for using the “B” word in some places.  Easy girls, I don’t mean that one.  I’m talking about balance.

I know several people, in ministry of all places, that come out with guns blazing when people start talking about the search for life balance or balancing the demands of ministry vs. family and all that.  “It’s compromise!” they declare.  “You give all you’ve got to everything that’s important,” or something like that.

I know some other people who sincerely are trying to keep all the plates spinning.  They’ve given up on excellence (sadly) – they’re just looking for survival at work, avoiding bankruptcy, and keeping their kids out of Juvenile Detention.  “Balance” for them would be to somehow crawl out of those holes and get back to ground level.

Soon after I wrote that last post on diligence in leadership, I was reading some assignments for a class I teach, the subject of which was life balance.  About 90% of them lamented something to the effect of “I stink at this!”  Some of what I read broke my heart.  Most of these people are mid-life, mid-career professionals who are in – or are headed for – ministry.  They have kids, parents, congregations, a full-time masters-level school load, and usually a full-time job to go with it.  And here, on Easter week, for crying out loud, we were asking them to write about balance.

All that has my wheels turning and my mental oven preheating.  When something’s still in the oven I like to advertise it, so consider yourself warned.  What follows is half-baked and still in the oven.  But if you’re struggling to find some balance to your life and its multiple demands or feeling guilty because you just can’t seem to keep all the plates spinning, then call a time out.

Stop.

Put these ideas in your oven and let ‘em bake for a while and tell me what comes up. [click to continue…]

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What to Do With Those Anxious Thoughts

by Andy Wood on April 6, 2014

in Ability, Five LV Laws, Hoarders, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Principle of Freedom, Protecting Your Investment

Anxiety2

Found myself making a list the other day.  It was really helpful, and I suggest you do the same.  It’ll be good, clean fun. So grab that pen or loosen up those fingers and let’s brainstorm.

Ready?

Make a list of all the things you still don’t know.

Okay, from the sound of those crickets, I’m assuming that may be a bit too broad.  So hone in on one specific area.

The economy? That’s a good one.

Your kids of family?  Excellent.

Your work situation?  Awesome.

Regardless of the venue, when you allow your mind to focus on what you still don’t know because the future is uncertain, you’re giving yourself a heart-engraved invitation to be anxious in the purest sense of the word.  We experience anxiety whenever we are pulled in different directions.  That’s literally what the word means.  Anxiety certainly includes worry, but it isn’t limited to that.  Any emotional impasse can be classified as anxiety.

Recently I was reading the prayer of a really anxious man, and got a whole new perspective on what to do when I’m feeling anxious. [click to continue…]

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That Once-in-a-Lifetime Kind of Day

by Andy Wood on March 7, 2014

in Ability, Enlarging Your Capacity, Five LV Laws, Hoarders, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Principle of Increase

(Get Out of the Boat, Part 2)

Boat in storm

There’s a 92% chance that nobody will ever criticize you for playing it safe.

There’s an 11 out of 12 probability that when all hell’s breaking loose, it won’t be advisable for you to throw yourself headlong into something even more stressful.

There’s only an 8% likelihood the circumstances, life, people or even God would ever ask you to do something completely unprecedented, electrifyingly dangerous, or humanly impossible.

So you can probably just skip this post and resume your normal activities.

Unless…

Unless today’s that one-in-twelve – or once-in-a-lifetime – kind of day. [click to continue…]

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Grace: It’s Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

by Andy Wood on February 19, 2014

in Ability, Allocating Your Resources, Five LV Laws, Life Currency, LV Cycle, Principle of Freedom

Grace

What comes to mind when you hear the word, “Grace?”

Assuming you’ve moved past the former Princess of Monaco or a description of Fred and Ginger (disclaimer: they were before my time), most people with any exposure to the Bible or Church World will mention the cherished hymn.

Or, of course, what the cherished hymn refers to:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.

And there it is… grace served for breakfast in the Christian walk.  Where would we be without the marvelous, infinite, matchless grace of the Lord Jesus?

For a lot of people, however, that’s where the conversation ends.  God in His grace sent His Son to die so that I could be forgiven for my sin – and once I turned away from that sin and received Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, I experienced the beauty of God’s grace.

See what that all has in common? Vital as it all is, it’s all pointed toward the past.

Do a little digging in your New Testament – especially Paul’s writing, and you’ll see a different story.  Check this out: [click to continue…]

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The Ditch

by Andy Wood on February 12, 2014

in Ability, Five LV Laws, Gamblers, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Principle of Freedom, Protecting Your Investment, Turning Points

Wreck

This is about the time I tried to climb a tree.

In a car.

I did not succeed.

I walked away (literally).  Neither the car nor the tree were very appreciative.

Fayette, Alabama, early 90s. I was minding my own business when…

What?

Oh.  OK. Starting over…

Fayette, Alabama, early 90s.  I wasn’t paying attention.

(How was that?)

I was making the little run from my house to the office – something I did every day at least twice a day.  In between one neighborhood and another was a stretch of about half a mile that was sort of woodsy and country.

And there was this little ditch.

I’d never noticed it before.  But you can be sure I never ignored it again after this day.  The ditch was just wide enough for my right tires to slip right in.  And slip they did.

What I’m describing to you happened at about 30 miles per hour in a matter of seconds.  The car slipped off the road and the wheels slipped into a ditch as if I were in an oversized slot car game.

I should probably point out here that while my car, like most cars, had two foot pedals, I always figured the big one was mostly for decoration.  So like most oops-the-road situations, I didn’t hit the brakes – I just tried to wheel my way back out of the ditch.

That wasn’t happening.

What was happening was the sudden appearance of this massive oak tree. Y’all, it just jumped out of nowhere.  It saw me coming and the acorns went to work. Next thing I knew the ditch forced me to introduce myself to the tree.  I swear I had nothing to do with it.

That what I explained to the insurance company anyway.  They sorta looked at me like I left my brain back at the oak tree.

Anyway, rewinding… still moving along about 25 mph, I kept trying to wheel my way out of my slot-shaped ditch.  The thought didn’t occur to me – not once – to hit the brakes.  So yes, I wound up ramming my car into the tree and actually fender-climbing it a bit.

Nothing hurt but my pride.  Well, and the car, which I never drove again.                                            

This real-life experience has become a metaphor for me for what can often happen in life.  I’ve seen it happen to people’s careers.  Their influence.  Their personal lives at whatever level. Their relationships.  Somewhere, somehow, without wanting to, they hit the ditch.  And they’re stuck, and powerless, and a bit wrecked or hurt, and they’re halfway up a tree and without help, they ain’t going nowhere.

Yes, I’ve seen it happen to me.

Nobody sets out to wreck their lives or loves by hitting the ditch.  But in a state of mass humanization, it can happen – easily – to the best of us.  With a bit of a rewind and post-car-mortem, maybe there are a few things we can learn about that experience. [click to continue…]

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