"Yeah Bay-beeeee!!!" — Dick Vitale
Yesterday we kicked off our March series called
"Madne$$." We're taking a topic EVERYONE is dealing with right now…the "full-court" economic pressure our society is under.
Yesterday's topic? "Survive & Advance" — How can we deal with the FEAR that every headline, news story, market update & office rumor seems to send our way???
Here are a few thoughts from week 1.
- The Story — I LOVE the story of Mark 4:35-41. I love how much I can RELATE to those guys. I love how WEIRD Jesus seems to act…at the same time showing us what should be considered NORMAL. I love how those guys were TOTALLY changed by Jesus. It's an awesome story.
- The Rest of the Story — If you want to see how the other writers capture this story, check out Matthew 8:23-27 & Luke 8:22-25.
- Fear Suc…errrr…Stinks — Guys? There's a SERIOUS reason that "Do not fear" is the most-mentioned command in all the Bible. We all struggle with it.
- Fear torments you – 1 John 4:18
- Fear eats you up – Psalm 73:19
- Fear doesn't come from God – 2 Timothy 1:7
- Feedback — One of our members grabbed me & said their "God-moment" was when we talked about Jesus promising to get the PEOPLE to safety, but NOT the boat!!!
- $20 Billion Oops — Speaking of the economy, did you see the "Whoops! 'My Bad' for taking $20 Billion from the Government" statement by Bank of America?
- The Bricklayer — I shot some baskets at the start of each service. Horrible. I have now named myself "The Bricklayer." Went great in practice, but need that in the game! 🙂
Next week's topic? A PERFECT topic for March Madness… "Cinderella Story" — How can we flourish in our careers in the middle of this market chaos?
Perspective means everything. Remember when $20B was a lot of money…now it’s a mistake…like dropping some loose change. When we don’t keep the right perspective it skews our thoughts…the same is true with personal finances. We buy more and spend more when perspective, like cash, is not kept in context. Besides the limitations that debt brings it creates an emotional burden which can keep us from being who we are created to be. Bottom line perspective keeps things in context. Without context we dig holes that surprise us when clarity sets in – II Cor 4:18. OK…time for me to go get some clarity of my own. Great series.