LV Stories

What You Can Learn from a Party Crasher

by Andy Wood on February 19, 2009

in Esteem, Five LV Laws, Gamblers, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Stories, Principle of Legacy

munutoliAwards season is in full swing.  The Golden Globes, Grammys, and Emmys are history.  The Oscars are approaching.  That can only mean one thing:

Michael Minutoli is probably close by.

Michael Minutoli is a party crasher, and without a doubt one of the best.  For more than 15 years, this man has boldly gone where few of us would dare, and he never had a ticket.  You could find him at movie premiers, awards programs, concerts, and backstage parties.  Have tux, will travel.

He moves with such congruence, he blends right in.  And he has the pictures to prove it – more than a thousand of them.  You can find disposable camera prints of Michael with his arm around the likes of Harrison Ford, Katie Couric, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, President Bill Clinton, Jack Nicholson, Sean Connery, Madonna, and Bruce Willis.  Just to name a few.

And boy, does he have stories to tell. [click to continue…]

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I Gave God Time

by Andy Wood on January 19, 2009

in Life Currency, LV Cycle, LV Stories, Time, Waiting

(For once.  Sort of.  Actually, I didn’t have much of a choice.)

The house was quiet, as it usually is at 4:30 a.m.  I was awake, stretched out on my face on the living room floor.  I’d been studying the life of Abraham.  I’d been studying my life, too.  It was Fall 1997.

Two years earlier, I’d been through a “crash and burn” experience, followed by a difficult, but amazing healing and restoration process.  Through it all, I had a more intimate relationship with the Lord, a greater marriage than ever, and an awesome relationship with my kids.  I was serving on the staff of an exciting, dynamic church.  Just one thing was missing.

“Lord,” I asked.  “When will I get to be a senior pastor again?”

There as I prayed, Abraham’s faith became mine, and I received the freedom and faith to enter into new territory with the Lord.

“You haven’t told me what kind of church you want,” I heard Him say.

The faith began to rise, and I began to write: [click to continue…]

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Ho Ho Humbug!

by Andy Wood on December 11, 2008

in LV Stories

(The Further Adventures of Eugene Davis, Sophomore Christian)

“Have you seen this?” asked an angry voice one Sunday morning.

Yep, it was Eugene Davis, sophomore Christian and resident expert on what everybody else should and shouldn’t be doing.

“Seen what?” I asked politely as Eugene shoved a Sunday bulletin in my hand.

“All these parties!” he said.

In the midst of the activities list, Eugene had highlighted three youth fellowships in one week:  the Jr. High, the Sr. High, and the All-Youth Pizza Pig-Out and Christmas Party that night after church.

“Well, there’s never a bad time to eat pizza,” I joked.  “Don’t you know the wise men caught up with King Herod at Pizza Hut?”

But Eugene was in no joking mood.

“That’s not the point,” he fumed.  “It seems like all we ever do with these kids is feed ’em pizza and take ’em on trips.  When I was a teenager, we learned to give and do for others.”

“When you were a teenager, you were lost,” I replied.  “Furthermore, when you were a teenager, Chicago was a cow pasture.” [click to continue…]

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The Language of Surrender… and Freedom

by Andy Wood on December 1, 2008

in Enlarging Your Capacity, Exploring the Possibilities, Five LV Laws, Hoarders, Insight, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, LV Stories, Principle of Freedom, Principle of Legacy

I don’t have to win.

I don’t have to lead.

I don’t have to debt.

I don’t have to worry.

I don’t have to be first.

I don’t have to survive.

I don’t have to give up.

I don’t have to overeat.

I don’t have to be right.

I don’t have to succeed.

I don’t have to be afraid.

I don’t have to get angry.

I don’t have to be served.

I don’t have to look good.

I don’t have to be noticed.

I don’t have to cradle pain.

I don’t have to have things.

I don’t have to be offended.

I don’t have to be stressed.

I don’t have to feel rejected.

I don’t have to procrastinate.

I don’t have to resist change.

I don’t have to be depressed.

I don’t have to defend myself.

I don’t have to always say yes.

I don’t have to spend all I earn.

I don’t have to hide my failures.

I don’t have to control outcomes.

I don’t have to get instant results.

I don’t have to hide from the truth.

I don’t have to hide from intimacy.

I don’t have to harbor resentment.

I don’t have to feel sorry for myself.

I don’t have to judge others’ motives.

I don’t have to blame myself or others.

I don’t have to be thanked for what I do.

I don’t have to take counsel of my fears.

I don’t have to crave words of affirmation.

I don’t have to repeat destructive behavior.

I don’t have to compare myself with others.

I don’t have to criticize weakness in others.

I don’t have to envy the blessings of others.

I don’t have to live in the shadow of my past.

I don’t have to spend money to impress others.

I don’t have to see every (or any) expectation fulfilled.

(I’m sure there’s plenty more I’ll discover.  How about you?  What does your language of surrender/freedom sound like?)

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Thinking and Thanking

by Andy Wood on November 26, 2008

in Enlarging Your Capacity, Five LV Laws, Insight, Life Currency, LV Stories, Principle of Abundance

Oh, my Father, I enter into Your presence in the name of Jesus to express my eternal gratitude to you.

Thank You for ACCESS – the unfathomable privilege of entering directly into Your presence.

Thank You for BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE – those wonderful growth experiences that look at first like obstacles or curses.

Thank You for CHILDREN – for the ways they remind us that You are big, life is good, and pleasing You isn’t all that complicated.

Thank You for DREAMERS – those who saw the possibilities when no one else did, and who risked failure to make their dreams come true.

Thank You for EXAMPLES – for people who are just as willing to practice as they are to preach. [click to continue…]

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I Live for This?

by Andy Wood on November 12, 2008

in Ability, Following Your Passion, Life Currency, LV Cycle, LV Stories

Took a trip past Oprah a couple of years ago.  She was interviewing Russian figure skater Tatiana Totmianina and her partner, Maxim Marinin.  Oprah showed a tape of the world-renowned skating champions in which Maxim, as he lifted Tatiana into the air, lost his grip. Tatiana crashed face-first on the ice.  It was horrific – all three times I saw it.

In case you missed it, here’s a video montage of her career, including the face plant in Pittsburgh:

Tatiana suffered a concussion but amazingly was back on the ice 12 days later.

“How hard was it for you to get back on the ice just 12 days after that?” Oprah asked her.

“Well, it was very hard,” Tatiana replied. “In the hospital when I woke up, I just realized how serious it was because all my life and career could be over… I wanted to get back on the ice right away because I have been skating since 4 years old. It’s my life.”

Amazing story, but when I heard that last statement, I must confess, I kicked into “preacher mode.” [click to continue…]

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A Love That Redeems

by Andy Wood on November 11, 2008

in Life Currency, Love, LV Cycle, LV Stories, Waiting

You’ll want to read this story… because it’s yours in some way.

Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;

What do you do when you’ve done everything you know to do?  What do you do when your tried-and-true system, which has worked before, doesn’t work this time?  How do you respond when God makes a promise and you’ve seen it fulfilled – but this time it doesn’t seem to be “working?”

Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

They’ll laugh when they read this, but I sometimes call Kaye and Mark, whom I love very much, Barbie and Ken.  From a distance, they have a storybook life that looks like an 8×10 glossy.  Kaye was a Baylor Beauty; Mark was a quarterback/safety for Frank Broyles’ University of Arkansas football teams. They married, settled in Little Rock, and had four beautiful children.

Delight yourself in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Mark and Kaye weren’t just church wallflowers.  [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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16001 Crosses

by Andy Wood on August 14, 2008

in Enlarging Your Capacity, LV Cycle, LV Stories

Neville Davidson

Neville Davidson

Somewhere, sometime, somebody left a simple, small, cedar cross as an anonymous gift for someone they’d never meet.

Sometime later, on a spiritual retreat, a broken, blind, and deeply depressed man received that cross, and his life was changed.  Now mine has been, too, because of how that man chose to rise from the depths of his pain.  I’d like to share his story; Neville Davidson is a LifeVestor.

If you see the glass as half-empty, Neville has gotten a raw deal.  Born in Warrenton, a small town between Liverpool and Manchester in the UK, his childhood memories are dotted with the sound of German bombs, forced relocation of himself and his siblings for their safety, and unceasing danger during World War II.  Later, at age 26, Neville was told his wife had terminal bronchial pneumonia, and would have to move to a warm, dry climate.  He considered an offer to move to Australia.  But his sister had married an American GI, and moved to Lubbock, Texas.  Neville chose family, and literally had to uproot his own household and start his life over in a place where he knew virtually no one.  A few years later, his marriage dissolved.

Neville married Jenny, his wife today, in 1971.  Just five years later, he developed a disease in one of his eyes, and lost his sight in that eye.  In 1984, he completely lost the sight in his other eye.  Neville’s world literally and figuratively became completely dark. [click to continue…]

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DeCristo

by Andy Wood on July 29, 2008

in LV Stories

DeChristo“I am created for His kingdom and purpose.  I want to fulfill what I was created for.”  That was Connie Holloway’s firm belief and determination.  Little did she know where that would take her.

Four years ago, Connie was in a marriage that ended in a head-on collision.  A believer in Christ, she carries no anger toward her former husband.  He’s a brother in Christ, she says, and she means it. She has seen her share of hurts, but Connie is the second-happiest person I have ever known.  I’ve about decided that Molly Brown would have nothing on her.  Connie’s unsinkable.  She has that crazy idea that abundant life is available here and now – not just when we die.  What a concept.

One of Connie’s major breakthroughs happened a couple of years ago.  “We were in worship, singing ‘Enough,’ and God asked me, ‘Am I more than enough for you?’”

“Yes!” she said with joy.

On that day, Connie was set free from believing that a relationship with a man could heal her.  She learned – not just in her head, but in her heart – that our completeness is in Him, not in a marriage or the things she thought she needed in a spouse.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago.  Connie was enjoying a movie with Kaylee, her daughter.  The credits were rolling, and Connie saw someone’s name and thought how beautiful it was.  There she was seized with a thought:  It’s time for a new name.  For four years she’d carried a stranger’s name, and it was time for a change.

She mentioned it to Kaylee, who just seemed to get it.  Kaylee always seems to get her mother.  So there they stood – credits still running – and they started having fun, practicing new names based on the running list.

But how do you pick your own new name?  What would you do if you had that kind of freedom?

[click to continue…]

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