Words

A Fungus Among Us

by Andy Wood on February 16, 2009

in Insight, Life Currency, Words

critic-4I’m about to share some relevant, important information to you – especially if you are interested in starting a business or avoiding germs.  I’m also going to show you something that’s so painful, it’s funny (or vice-versa).  Why?  Because I can!  And because The National Enquirer was right about inquiring minds.

But first, a story with a point.

I miss my old friend Randall.  During our younger years, we spent many hours together praying, talking, and clowning around.

Randall once told about a funny, yet convicting experience.  For a long time he’d been watching another highly-respected Christian.  One day he announced to his brother Leigh, “I think I’ve finally found something wrong with Greg.”

Leigh, known for his dry humor and sometimes biting sarcasm, replied, “Congratulations!  You found the mote!”

The “mote” to which Leigh referred was the old King James word for “speck” in Matthew 7:3-5.

“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me remove the speck out of your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Next time you’re in a crowd of people, Christians in particular, look around.  You will find your share of people whose “eyes” are filled with “motes.”  And you’ll be tempted to look past the pole in your own eye to notice, criticize, or try to correct the specks in someone else’s. [click to continue…]

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Speaking the Truth, Speaking in Love, Speaking Nothing at All

by Andy Wood on January 22, 2009

in Life Currency, Love, LV Alter-egos, Pleasers, Words

truth-loveThis is about the difference between creeds and deeds.  Action and diction.  Your words and your walk.

I’m assuming if you’re reading this that you want to be known and respected as a man or woman of truth.  That may be a big assumption, of course, since it’s possible that you went to bed last night with the happy memory of somebody you conned.

But if you’re a believer, God has placed a desire in your heart to please Him, and truth is one of the things that does that.  So is love.  So it’s no surprise that the Bible describes spiritual maturity as the fine art of “speaking the truth in love.”

And it is a fine art.  What do you do when words and wishes collide?  What do you say when your honest thoughts and feelings aren’t very loving?

Years ago I was sitting in a therapy group, where a couple of people were talking about their “inner child” and their “inner adolescent.”  It was a poignant discussion by some people who were sincerely seeking healing and growth.  But I couldn’t help but think, “My problem isn’t my inner child, or my inner adolescent.  My problem is with my inner jackass.”

I figured it would be better to stay quiet.  Love?  Maybe.  Self-protection?  No doubt about it.  I said it best when I said nothing at all.

The greatest love tends to show up in the fewest words.  [click to continue…]

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How to Know When It’s Time to Put Your Dog Down

by Andy Wood on January 8, 2009

in Esteem, Life Currency, Time, Turning Points, Words

(And other lessons learned from The Senior Ladies Exercise Club)

I couldn’t help but overhear.

The way I figure it, the whole block could have overheard.

I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions this year, but I did make a lifestyle change (hey, I’ve done it three days in a row – that ought to count for something).  Yes, friends, I’m back in the gym.

I’m still trying to figure out the best time of day to work out.  I think people like my associate, who works out at 4:30 every morning, need to work on a different kind of health, if you know what I’m sayin’.  So yesterday, I show up about mid-morning, to find the parking lot completely full.

Not a good sign.

Well, maybe they’re all in a class or something, I hoped to myself, as I headed to the cardio room to resume my Couch-to-5k training schedule.  To my chagrin, the place was packed.  Every treadmill taken.  And it was only when one became available and I nabbed it that I realized – I’d been sucked into the vortex of the Senior Ladies Exercise Club.  They probably have their own name for it; that’s just my name for the Twilight Zone I was in.

The last time I was this surrounded was when I was asked to speak to a room full of women-only about Things Husbands Wished Their Wives Understood.  They were a great group, really sweet and highly motivated.  Didn’t matter – I was scared to death.

Anyway, there were three ladies on treadmills to the left, and what seemed like 93 to the right. [click to continue…]

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My Favorite Personal Posts in 2008

by Andy Wood on January 1, 2009

in Following Your Passion, Life Currency, LV Cycle, Words

Okay, one last (I promise) favorites list – especially  for those of you who may be new to LifeVesting or haven’t discovered SynerJACK yet.

One of the things blogging has done for me has been to get me to write more often, and more content, than ever – something I’ve always wanted the discipline or inspiration to do.  Some of those pieces were duds.  Others were things I was really proud of, but didn’t seem to resonate with others.  And some, like this and this seemed to capture a lot of attention and imagination from others.

What follows are, in order, the ones that still resonate with me.  Taken collectively, they reflect my passion, values, relationships, and a couple of things I think are hilarious or supremely important.  I hope you like them, too.

1.  The Holy Spirit Salad
I still just laugh and laugh, and Robin still punches me when I do.  But I have to admit, God speaks to people today, and He does so in many different ways.  Still not sure about the Holy Spirit salad, though.

2.  He Had a Hammer
In response to a question about my childhood hero.

3.  Don’t Go Gently
Butch Lowery died more than 15 years ago, but his life still speaks to me today.

4.  Last House Standing
A picture-and-100-words piece about resilience, strength, and determination.

5.  The Language of Letting Go
In a year of transitions, we went from mere in-laws to empty-nester grandparents.  This came as no surprise, but it required a new level of communication and understanding – the language of letting go.

6.  Braves Lose!  Braves Lose!  Braves Lose!
A tribute to Skip Caray, one of the greatest broadcasters and cultural icons of my generation.

7.  To Prepare a Place
It had been a while – and I’d forgotten what groom-love looked like.  What I saw revealed far more than a man in love with his bride.  It was a reflection of Christ’s love for His.

8.  The Myth of the Early Christmas Shopper
Who says that just because you love somebody you have to get their Christmas gifts weeks in advance?  This is a fun look at the joys of shopping on Christmas Eve.

9.  Grace Works for Pastors, Too
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, scripture says.  This describes some of the most life-giving words I have ever heard.

10.  16001 Crosses.
This year I met one of the most remarkable men I’ve ever known.  Neville Davidson refused to accept complete blindness as the end of the story of his life.  He has found a way to give back, and in doing so, has touched countless lives.

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My Favorite Blog Posts in 2008

by Andy Wood on December 19, 2008

in Life Currency, Words

For several years, as the blogging world emerged and developed, I had an unfair and inaccurate image of what blogging was.  I imagined it to be a “running narrative of the life of my cat,” or a load of political/social rants.  I passed.

Then I actually read one – Seth Godin’s, to be precise – and I was hooked.  I discovered a whole new world of rich ideas, excellent writers, passionate people, and yes, LifeVestors.  Some people blog for money, and that’s great.  Others offer up for free ideas and expressions as an investment in the world and in their future.

As the year ended, I thought I’d collect my favorite pieces into one post of my own.  I thought it would be easy to narrow it down to 10.  Ha!  I could easily have given you my American Top 40, or my AP Top 25.  Nevertheless, here are ten of my favorite posts, from ten different writers it would pay you to read:

10.  Think Like a Millionaire
Brian Tracy is something of an icon in the personal development world.  He has spent most of his adult life researching the differences between successful and unsuccessful people.  This post, while focusing specifically on financial success, reveals one of the most important distinctions in any successful life.  AND it helps make the point for why I wrote a book and have a site called LifeVesting.

9.  The Posture of a Communicator
The burden of communication is on the communicator, Seth says.  Wow.  Imagine that.  People who talk and write and market, who actually assume responsibility for whether or not you get the message.  Want more?  Check this out. [click to continue…]

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The Strange Case of Josh Poker-Stick

by Andy Wood on October 13, 2008

in Five LV Laws, Following Your Passion, Leadership, Life Currency, LV Cycle, LV Stories, Principle of Legacy, Words

(A spiritual leadership fable.)

Hi, I’m Josh.  Pleased to meet you.

Hi, Josh.  I’m Andy.  So tell me about yourself.

I’m a poker.

A what?

A poker.

You mean, like a poker player?

No.  I mean, like a poker in your fireplace.

You’re a poker?

Yep.  Poker.

Okay, I’m steppin’ out a little here, Josh.  What does a poker do?

Pokes.

(Should’ve seen that coming.)  Okaaay.  Pokes what?

I poke people.

Seriously?

Yep.

You just walk up to them and poke them with your finger?

Naw, not like that.  That’s creepy.

Ya think?

I do for people what a poker does for your fireplace. [click to continue…]

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Leading Broken People

by Andy Wood on September 8, 2008

in Esteem, Leadership, Life Currency, Love, Words

A couple of weeks ago David Hayward, a pastor and gifted artist/cartoonist, posted this picture on his blog site, in a post titled “How I’m feeling about the church lately.”

(Used by permission)

(Used by permission)

I can relate.  For more than 30 years, it has been my privilege, my headache, my joy, and my nightmare to work with broken people or broken churches.  Prior to launching Turning Point Community Church in 2003, three of the four churches where I was senior pastor had experienced major divisions, open conflicts, forced termination of my predecessor, or some other kind of grief or pain.  Some had lived with the crud for so long, they’d arrived at the conclusion that this was somehow supposed to be normal.  “I’m sure it’s like this everywhere,” they’d intone.  “Oh, no it isn’t!” I’d scream inside, all the while smiling on the outside.

The brokenness isn’t limited to the organization.  David’s cartoon reminded me of something we used to proclaim loudly here.  Underneath the doorway leading into our rented facility, our church used to hang a banner that represented a passion and sense of calling for us.  Every Sunday, every worshipper at Turning Point walked under its message:

A Place to Begin Again.

I roughly estimated that for a long season, 80 percent of the people who arrived at Turning Point for the first time came here to heal.  Some came from broken marriages; others from broken lives of addictions or economic messes.  Many came bleeding from the most insidious wound of all – the church wound. [click to continue…]

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Exude Coolness By Dropping One of These New Words

by Andy Wood on August 11, 2008

in Life Currency, Words

I make my living with words.  Because of that, like a great cook always on the lookout for new recipes, it’s always fun to me to hear of a new way of expressing ideas.  Sometimes it’s clever and revealing; at other times it’s just dang funny.

More than anything else, however, having an updated arsenal of new vocab can give you lots of cool points at places where people gather to talk about stuff – places like water coolers, school gyms, or church foyers.

So in a humble attempt to help you exude coolness and impressiveness in your conversations, here are a few words you can toss into your next conversation.  Of course, as with any new or strenuous activity, we at LifeVesting suggest you consult with a physician.  Or at least practice in a mirror.

[click to continue…]

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Watch Them Woids!

by Andy Wood on July 21, 2008

in Life Currency, Words

Embarrassed Chimp 2Somewhere up in heaven, Aunt Ruth is probably hooting.  I know she would be if she were still around here.

Aunt Ruth (who was neither my aunt, nor was she named “Ruth”) used to love to catch preachers with their foot in their mouth; it was something of a hobby to her.  Nothing could penetrate her sometimes-sharp exterior and produce uncontrollable laughter like hearing that a prim and proper “man of God” had just said something stupid.  And she was cruel with it!  One little snafu from you-know-who, and I’d hear about it for weeks.  And between guffaws, as she would gasp for air, she’d always sound the same warning.  If I spelled it the way she said it, it would read like this:

“You gotta watch them woids!”

Rather than get offended, I played along.  We often entertained each other with stories we’d heard of other preachers.  Like the time a preacher friend of mine said three times in a sermon, “I’m praying that God would make our church a cesspool of His love! A cesspool of His grace!  A cesspool of his power!”

He was thinking artesian well.  But that’s not what his folks were smelling at the moment.

[click to continue…]

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Sticks and Stones

by Andy Wood on June 16, 2008

in Life Currency, Turning Points, Words

(A Turning Point Story) 

Angry teenager“I never thought the doors of a church would be locked,” said Danny Kincaid.  But locked they were.  So Danny spent the night on the church bus.  It was the only place he could find to put a roof over his head.

Danny was in his early 20s; I was in my early college years.  I met Danny after some other people (who weren’t exactly thrilled about his accommodations) met him first.  They introduced him to our youth pastor, who led Danny to faith in Christ.  He also offered Danny a place to stay – his own home – until he could get on his feet.  That’s where I came in. I was a youth ministry intern, and got to know Danny as he hung out with Willard and the rest of us.  Way too old for the youth group, Danny was a fixture around the youth staff as we practiced a version of “discipleship by hanging out.”

One day Danny and I were driving around town looking for him a job and place to live, and he told me a story that haunts me to this day.  When he was very young, through a series of circumstances beyond his control, he came to live with his grandparents.  I don’t remember why.  Maybe it was a divorce.  Maybe his parents died.  At any rate, Danny wound up growing up in South Carolina with a grandmother he still referred to as “Mommy.”

As Danny became a teenager, he went through the typical rebellious stages that most adolescents encounter – made all the more extreme because his generation gap was times-two.  He had a temper.  And a mouth.  And he knew how to flex both.

One day Danny and Mommy got into an argument, and it got pretty heated.  She said some things.  He said some things.  They got madder and madder.  Finally, Danny screamed out, “I wish you were dead!”  And he stormed out of their mobile home and slammed the door.

[click to continue…]

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