Life Currency

Pride: Four Signs You’re Headed for a Fall

by Andy Wood on April 17, 2014

in Gamblers, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Protecting Your Investment, Words

Marbles

It’s one of the most haunting verses in the Bible.  Sad, because it actually happened.  Haunting, because it could also happen to you and me.

The verse:

Then all the disciples forsook him and fled (Matthew 26:56).

What’s interesting is that a few verses earlier, they all had chimed in with their spokesman, Peter:

“Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you” (Matthew 26:35).

Wow. I think that may still be a record turnaround.  So what went wrong?  Are there any lessons to be learned? Any warnings to be heeded for our moments of testing?  I think so.  Put in proverbial terms,

Pride goes before destruction; a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

And on any given day, for any reason, you and I are just as capable of setting ourselves up for a blowout as Peter and the gang were.

Looking back on Peter’s attitudes and expressions, it’s easy to do a post-mortem on his ego trip.  To be fair, it isn’t quite as easy when we’re the ones doing the strutting.  See if you can related to any of these symptoms: [click to continue…]

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Perfect Love

by Andy Wood on April 14, 2014

in Five LV Laws, Following Your Passion, Life Currency, Love, LV Cycle, Principle of Abundance

Love Waits

Love…

Such a simple word in English,

made complicated by the fact

that it can mean and refer to so many things.

It’s often cheapened

by reducing it to something resembling selfish pleasure…

It often generates cynicism

among those who gave their hearts to someone or something,

and were crushed by the experience…

It creates confusion

because the same word can be used for

Readers Digest,

Mom’s lasagna,

old movies,

and your newborn infant.

Yet even in the face of the frustration of finding the right way to express ourselves,

I still believe in the promise and the reality of a Perfect Love… [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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11 Qualities of a Compassionate Leader

by Andy Wood on April 4, 2014

in Five LV Laws, Leadership, Life Currency, LV Cycle, Principle of Increase, Protecting Your Investment

Compassionate Leader

After surveying more than 10,000 people, the Gallup organization learned that people want four things from their leaders: trust, compassion, stability, and hope.  Whether you consider yourself as the “touchy-feely type” or not, you can greatly influence others by showing you care and are willing to take action on the concerns and joys of somebody else.  In short, regardless of your position, your influence rises and falls with the level of your compassion.

So how’s your level of compassion?  Here are eleven questions to help you explore that: [click to continue…]

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The Place He Has Prepared

by Andy Wood on April 2, 2014

in Five LV Laws, Life Currency, Love, Principle of Eternity

We’re in an interesting season and it has me thinking a lot about – and working a lot on – home.  In a couple of months we’ll be moving from this…

Windmill Sunset

To this…

Mobile Bay

At times the process has felt a lot like David’s famous whine: “How long, O Lord?”  At other times we’ve found ourselves wondering how in the world we’ll get it all done.

All the details.

All the work.

All the thinking and buying and selling and meeting and planning and more meeting…

To prepare a place called Home.

In between all those details, plus the daily joys of work and service which go on regardless, I’ve been thinking about another kind of Home. One that’s more lasting.  One where I have a place, but don’t have the task of preparing it… I just have to partner with the Lord to prepare me for the place.

Sometimes, like the Whiner-in-Chief, I look at this hope and ask, “How long, O Lord?”  And sometimes I get this sense that it’s sooner than I think. [click to continue…]

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People of the Promise

by Andy Wood on March 31, 2014

in Executing Your Plan, Five LV Laws, Insight, Life Currency, LV Cycle, Principle of Increase, Waiting

Leap of Faith

One of the most charming words in the English language is the word “promise.”  Do you realize that so much of what we experience, of what we know about God, of our spiritual maturity, and of our success or failure in the Christian life has something to do with how we respond to the promises of God? Check this out:

Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God (2 Corinthians 7:1, NLT)

We do not want any of you to grow slack, but to follow the example of those who through sheer patient faith came to possess the promises (Hebrews 6:12, Phillips).

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires (2 Peter 1:4, NLT).

To put it simply, we are People of the Promise.  So let me get nosey a minute.  What are you trusting God to do today that only He can do?  Where is the evidence in your life that God is keeping His word to you?  What is there about your life that can only be explained by the faithfulness of a loving God?

The original card-carrier for People of the Promise was a man named Abraham.  And we can learn some things from his example.  [click to continue…]

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Before the Gaze of God

by Andy Wood on March 28, 2014

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

Dark and Light

“For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light” (Mark 4:22).

It’s amazing how much we live with the quiet assumption that we can have secret lives.  There’s no such thing.  There are only those secrets that are known today, and those that are discovered later.

The illusion of secrecy springs from the illusion of control and avoidance of consequences.  I want to do what I want to do, without having to face the consequences of my actions should they be negative.  I also want to hold on to my insecurities my false beliefs – those things that keep me tethered to a fear of failure or a fear of rejection.

Good luck with that. [click to continue…]

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Six MORE Signs of a Life-Giving Leader

by Andy Wood on March 26, 2014

in Five LV Laws, Hoarders, Leadership, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, Principle of Abundance

Leadership Light

In the last post I shared six signs of a leader who breathes life into organizations and followers, as opposed to those who have a way of sucking the life out of them.  Definitely worth a review if you missed it.  My guess is, you have probably experienced both types on a personal level, whether it’s in your workplace, your church, or your community.  We’ve certainly seen both types on a global or national scale as well.

What I’m more concerned about, however, is the leadership you show, even if you don’t think of yourself as a leader.  Everybody influences somebody, and you’re no exception.  And all of us can learn from the example of the ultimate life-giving leader, the Lord Jesus.  Here are six more signs of a life-giving leader. [click to continue…]

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Six Signs of a Life-Giving Leader

by Andy Wood on March 24, 2014

in Leadership, Life Currency

Firstborn

I didn’t know how to describe it at the time. I was only in the eighth grade, for crying out loud, and a “lost church member” at that.  But on that February day so long ago a new leader – a new pastor – showed up at my church.  And for the first time in my life a preacher held my attention throughout his message.

I didn’t know that the adults in the church had been argumentative and divisive.

I didn’t know that we had been through months of spiritual lethargy, coldness and conflict.

All I knew was that there was something completely different about this man, this preacher, who to this day I consider my pastor.  What I know now is that he was and is a life-giving leader.

Compare that to a Christmas card I received from a church a few years ago.  This church had also had a new leader come to town.  And the impact was just the opposite.  For months people on the staff of this megachurch had jumped ship at the first opportunity.  And those who remained were desperate to be the next.  I’ll never forget is the hollowed eyes and prisoner-of-war expressions on the faces of the staff and employees of this church – not just one or two, mind you, but the entire staff.  The message was clear:  Merry Christmas! Sweet Baby Jesus, get me outta here!

What I suspected then, and know now, was that this church was being led by a life-sucking leader.

Regardless of the venue – Church World, Business World, even Disney World – every person in a position of authority or leadership has a choice. You can be a life-giving leader or a life-sucking leader.  Life-giving leaders create energy, enthusiasm, passion, and loyalty.  They have a contagious way of infusing a sense of purpose, motivation, and confidence in those who follow them.

Life-sucking leaders?  Just the opposite. In their wake you’ll find dispirited, defeated, discouraged people, divided organizations, and a general spirit of fear or powerlessness.  What’s scary is that on the surface, many of these leaders and the organizations they front appear successful, at least for a season.

How can you tell the difference? How can you know to what degree you are a life-giving leader?  The best way I know is to turn to the ultimate life-giving leader – the Lord Jesus Himself.  Based on His impact and leadership, I have discovered twelve ways to recognize a life-giving leader when you see one.   Here are the first six. [click to continue…]

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To the Ends of the Earth

by Andy Wood on March 19, 2014

in Life Currency, Love

Leaning on Cross at Sunset

How alone would you stand against a threatening environment or a hostile world to embrace someone who doesn’t stand a chance against it?  I’ve met Someone who loves you like that. And He’d go to the ends of the earth to show it.

How patiently would you wait while shadows lengthen and sorrows deepen to hold someone who has nothing left to offer but brokenness and tears?  I’ve experienced Someone who loves you like that. And He’d go to the ends of the earth to show it. [click to continue…]

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