Braves lose! Braves lose! Braves lose!

by Andy Wood on August 8, 2008

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

Skip Caray

I was going to write a piece about words today; guess I’ll have to do that next week.  Today it’s more about a wordsmith, and a great sense of loss.

It’s hard to put into words the significance of losing a public figure whose work or life has touched yours – an individual who became something of a fixture in your life.

That’s who Skip Caray was to me.  He was a legend and an institution, and legetutions aren’t supposed to die.  But people do.

I never met the legendary broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves.  But he met me – again and again, first through radio, then through a cable channel humbly self-named The Superstation.  Skip became a companion who, like so many other broadcasters in the 20th century, made the national pastime interesting, fun, and so incredibly human.

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Could You Change Your World with a New Set of Lenses?

by Andy Wood on August 7, 2008

in 100 Words, Esteem, Life Currency

What if you could completely reframe situations or people by seeing them with a different perspective?

What if you could turn jerks into friends, or at least into sympathetic partners?

What if you could gain new courage and confidence in any situation you faced by seeing with a different set of lenses?

What if you could be greatly used by God to make a profound difference in other people’s lives, simply by a change in perspective?

You can.

Why did God say, “My thoughts are not your thoughts?”  Was it to rub it in, or to reach out?

Just thinking…

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Are You Too “Safe” to be Secure?

by Andy Wood on August 6, 2008

in LV Cycle, Protecting Your Investment, Tense Truths

House Fortress 2Tense Truth:  God promises a life of genuine security for His children.  But those who seek security by hiding behind what is “safe” have no security at all.  Security only comes as a result of bold obedience and courageous faith.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Want to experience real security?  Live dangerously.  Seriously.

No, I don’t mean being a reckless gambler.  But I do mean living with purposeful boldness and courageous faith.

Who was the guy who talked about the Lord being his shepherd, or who said with such confidence,

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid?  The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” (Psalm 27:1)?

It was David, the giant killer.  A simple look at his life, especially the younger years, reveals a life constantly protected, and amazingly powerful.  A closer look also reveals that he seemed to skip from one dangerous situation to the next.  He didn’t always go looking for trouble, but he never backed down from it, either.

Contrast that with somebody who so focuses on risk avoidance that they never really live.  Like the guy (true story) who left California to avoid earthquakes and settled in Ohio – where his house was promptly leveled by a tornado.  Or the wealthy Australian who foresaw global trouble brewing in the 1930s and decided to move to a safe place.  So he settled on a tiny island called Guadalcanal!

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Leader or King? The Answer May Surprise You.

by Andy Wood on August 5, 2008

in Leadership, Life Currency

CrownIt was one of the most significant turning points in Israel’s history.  A day when elders behaved like spoiled children – deciding what they wanted, then fitting the problem to their solution.  A day that set their course for hundreds of years.  An event that, prompted by fear and ambition, abandoned the character and calling of a nation.  And yet, compared to other great events in the family-nation’s remarkable history, this day is seldom remembered.

In a time when influence was wielded by men and women who knew and walked with God, Israel’s leaders wanted more.

They wanted to be like everybody else.

“Give us a king,” they said.

Samuel didn’t like it, and took it personally.  “Relax,” God says.  “They’re rejecting Me, not you.  But now you know how I feel.”

Human nature tends to swing between two extremes:

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The VOMOS Club

by Andy Wood on August 4, 2008

in 100 Words, Gamblers, LV Alter-egos

Sign

Some things should just be obvious.

Coffee cup contents are hot.

Sleeping pills may cause drowsiness.

People with peanut allergies shouldn’t open a bag or jar with the word “peanut” on it.

Microwave ovens aren’t designed to dry wet pets.

Silly Putty shouldn’t be used as ear plugs.

Unfortunately, what’s obvious to most, passes right by the VOMOS club (and we’ve all had a membership card in that one at some time).

And before you think somebody’s nuts for stating the obvious, remember, this is America.  We sue people here.  Shamelessly.  Once they dislodge the pointed fence from our colon.

(VOMOS – “Victim of my own stupidity”)

(Photo by  aikisenshi)

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A Product of Grace

by Andy Wood on August 1, 2008

in Five LV Laws, LV Alter-egos, Pleasers, Principle of Eternity

(This is a piece I wrote a few years ago after meditating on 1 Corinthians 15:10.  It amazed me how quickly the words came, and it always seems to get a surprising (to me) response.  I recently received a very nice note about it from someone I’ve never met.  Since I’m traveling today, I thought I’d share it with you.  I hope it’s an encouragement.  And, of course, if you are encouraged by it, I would be encouraged if you would encourage somebody else with it by clicking “Share This” below.  Most of all, I hope you can say it’s your testimony, too.)

I am a product of grace.

No measure of performance could ever achieve in a lifetime

what the grace of God performed in an instant.

No failure to perform could erase

what the Spirit of God has completed for all of eternity.

I am a product of grace.

No nod of any human’s approval could compare with the fulfillment, the joy,

the wonder of knowing my Heavenly Father has turned His face toward me.

No amount of mortal rejection can change the fact that my Lord God

has made me accepted in the Beloved.

I am a product of grace.

No sin of the past, no matter how grave,

can resist the transforming power of a Risen Lord.

No future failure can change the fact that I am an heir of God, a joint heir with Jesus Christ.

I am a product of grace.

No situation, no pain, no frustration can rob me of my hope.

No force without or within can deny or change the fact that I am a new creation in Christ –

that every old thing is passed away and everything has become new.

I am a product of grace.

And grace never sleeps.  It never gets tired or weak, old or crippled.

It’s as new as the sunrise, and as powerful today as it was the first Easter.

Grace is my testimony and I its trophy.  There is never a time when grace is not

covering my sin or revealing me as God’s work of art.

I am a product of grace.  And I have a story to tell.

Once I was lost, but now I’m found.

Marvelous!

Once I was blind, but now I see.

Infinite!

Once I was afraid, now I am at peace.

Matchless!

I am what I am.  That’s grace.

But I am not yet what I will be.  That, too, is grace.

Oh, how amazing!

Grace.

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10 Things to Pray for the People You Love

by Andy Wood on July 31, 2008

in Five LV Laws, Principle of Legacy

PrayerI want to share with you 10 things I pray for my children, all of whom are married adults now, living elsewhere.  They are listed in order, but not necessarily order of importance or chronological order.  More on that later.

I didn’t make the list up – somebody already beat me to it.  But as soon as I found it, I decided that this was a good “handle” for interceding for anyone I love.  But I’m particularly drawn to praying this for my children, and their children as they come along. Here goes…

1.  Deep personal fulfillment.  I want them to be happy!  Not in that shallow, vain use of the word, but for them to find life satisfaction – true joy – in their lives, their relationships, and their work.

2.  The success and strength of their descendants.  To use a biblical term, I pray that my grandchildren and beyond would be “mighty on the earth” because of the things my children taught them and demonstrated to them.

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Out of the Sand – The LifeVesting Principle of Increase

by Andy Wood on July 30, 2008

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

GrowthA man goes on a long journey, so the story goes.  He gives different amounts of money to three managers – amounts ranging in today’s currency from around $300,000 to upwards of $5 million.  This ain’t chump change.

One day, the man returns, and asks the three managers a pretty simple question:  How much value did you add to what I gave you?

Two of the managers had done similar things with the money.  They started making trades.  Making the money work for more money.  They took some risks, added some work and ideas of their own, and increased the value of the initial stake.

Behind door number three, however, was a guy who buried his stake in the back yard.  He did nothing with what he had been given.  Assuming that somehow the landowner would be impressed, he beamed with pride as he returned the original stake.

Bad move.

You know this, of course, as a story that Jesus told.  But some of the most important words are some of the first:  “The kingdom of heaven is like this,” Jesus said.

So, while a lot of us imagine judgment as us standing before God while he counts the cusswords and dirty little thoughts we had, Jesus presents a different idea here.  We will give an account to God for how much more value we have added to the gifts He’s given us.  This is the LifeVesting principle of Increase:

I will receive an increase on my life choices in proportion to my willingness to invest and wait.

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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?

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The Stepmother

by Andy Wood on July 28, 2008

in Turning Points

 (A Turning Point Story)

Stepmother“Reverend Wood?”

I always know two things when somebody starts a conversation with that.  First, something interesting is sure to follow.  Second, whoever it is doesn’t know me very well.

It always feels a little awkward when somebody asks, “What should I call you?”  I never have liked the “reverend” thing; the only time I put it in front of my name is when I’m signing a funeral book.  I once had a reason for that; now it’s just habit.

My Baptist heritage made me “Brother Andy” to most people.  To me, that’s a higher life form than “reverend,” but still felt a bit, I don’t know, dated or preachy or something.

Whenever my wife hears the Abraham-Sarah story, she enjoys calling me, “My lord.”  “What would you like for dinner, my lord?”  She thinks it’s really funny.  I haven’t a clue why.

Since my move to Texas, I’ve been “Pastor Andy” to most people in church.  That’s OK.  “Andy” is even better.  I’ve always liked the simplicity of just being me.  But after watching people stumble over all that title biz for a while, I finally took a cue from one of my college professors:  a simple “Your Majesty” will do.

Anyway, “Reverend Wood” is at the bottom of the list.  And on this day the conversation that followed was interesting, to be sure.

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