want to be a hero?

Posted on June 21, 2011 by terry morgan

Julien Tromeur – stockvault-superhero113321

Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. Spider-man. Have you ever dreamed of being a hero for someone?

Webster’s Dictionary defines a hero as: A person of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude in suffering; a prominent or central personage in any remarkable action or event; hence, a great or illustrious person.

A hero is also described as someone regarded as a model or ideal, or someone who fights for a cause.

Walt Emerson said, “Each man is a hero and oracle to somebody.”

Being a leader today provides us with many opportunities to be a hero. There are enemies and suffering in this world of all types; there are battles to fight, needs to meet, people who hurt… God has called us to make a difference in this world and there is so much to do.

Being a leader “hero” today requires:

COMPASSION – God has given us the ability to care deeply about people and situations. I get a an aching pit in my stomach or energetically pound the table because I feel strongly about something… What is it that causes you to want to DO something? …lost souls, abused children, human trafficking, orphans and widows, injustice, pollution, teamwork?

Think about it… consider it… it doesn’t matter what it is, but if God has put the passion in your heart, I have learned that He will also give you the opportunity to get involved, and you can be a hero to someone (or many!) in that area.

ATTITUDE – Phil Collins describes a “level 5” leader, one who will leave a legacy, as one who has the right combination of humble modesty and confident will and resolve. Our world needs more people who are willing to give, to serve, and to go… and who can work hard and hang in there to get the results needed.

Most superheros didn’t go looking for their job; some tried desperately to avoid the responsibility… but eventually yielded their own desire for a quiet life of anonymity to meet the needs of others. I want to be the kind of leader who does not “lord-it-over” others, but who is strong in character and willing to persevere to get the job done. I want to honestly evaluate any growth area that might get in my way. How about you?

POWER – All superheros have a special source of power… and so do we! God has promised that when He calls us to something, He will also enable us with all that we need. We have His Word; we have His Spirit; we have an amazing variety of resources in His people. We have no excuse!

The trick is relying on His power and not my own, working together with His people and not alone. I remember that the hero usually gets in trouble when he forgets to use his special power – I need to remember who is in charge.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE – Superheros take on the enemy and trans-form their world. Nothing is too big, too scary, or too hard for them. They know that people are “worth it” and that people can make a difference. We are created for a purpose; when we let God work through us – even in seemingly small ways – we can make an eternal impact in someone else.

I want to see challenges from God’s perspective and remember that He put me here for a reason. I think there are too many negative role models in our world today and too many huge needs for any of us to sit on our thumbs and not get involved in the supernatural adventure of being a “hero”.

What do you think? Do you want to be a hero with me?

false temptations “for sale”

Posted on June 12, 2011 by terry morgan

Do you ever feel like you “need” something? Do you ever feel that Satan knows just what that need is and knows to use it to tempt you?

The message at church this morning was based on Jesus’ time in the wilderness in Matthew 4. We looked at how Satan tempted Jesus. The verse that really moved me was Matthew 4:9…

And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

Satan was offering Jesus the kingdoms of the world and their glory, if Jesus would just worship him. The irony in the temptation is that Jesus ALREADY owed all the kingdoms – He created them! Jesus ALREADY was worthy of all the glory! What a foolish temptation… “Just follow me, and I will give you… what you already have” and yet…

I realize that Satan often uses that same kind of temptation on me. He offers me fulfillment for my “need” when God has ALREADY taken care of it.

Satan offers me love – in unhealthy relationships… but God has ALREADY loved me with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3). Satan tempts me with temporal monetary and material security… when God has ALREADY provided all I need (Eph 3:20). Satan tempts me with false promises of recognition and worth, when God has ALREADY proven His value of me by Christ’s death on the cross (Rom 5:8) .

When I feel “needy”, I hope to first consider if God has maybe already met that need for me, and I am just not seeing the provision or not remembering the truth. I don’t want to give in to a false temptation and “sell my soul” for something I already own!

Is there a need that Satan uses to tempt you… that God has already taken care of for you?

a time for every season

Posted on June 9, 2011 by terry morgan

photos from morguefile.com

We all go through change. We grow up; we get older. We have babies; our children leave home. We meet new people; we lose loved ones. We upgrade; we scale down.

Some changes are our choice; some changes are forced on us. Some changes are excitedly anticipated; some are greatly feared. Just as the seasons continually change every year, so are “seasonal” changes inevitable in our lives.

With every new season, something ends in order for something new to start. I am going through a change now – a transition in my job. It is actually a planned change, and mostly I am looking forward to it. I started reading Henry Cloud’s book, Necessary Endings, in order to prepare for the change, but now I wish I had read it a long time ago.

Henry Cloud writes that necessary endings in our lives are like pruning for plants – a requirement for living and thriving. Pruning can cut away dead wood that is only taking up space, sick or damaged wood that is draining energy from the plant, and even healthy wood that is just too much for the plant to sustain. I know pruning is positive and important for plants… this book is helping me to see that necessary endings hold the same benefit for me.

I am learning that it is “ok” – even good – to help a non-performer “move on” to a different job; it is helpful to re-distribute resources to the vibrant and growing areas of the ministry; it is healthy for me to leave certain responsibilities of my job to others, so that I can focus and flourish in new endeavors.

Necessary Endings has convinced me of the normalcy, the expediency, and the purpose of change.

What about you? How do you feel about change? Do you struggle to make necessary endings in your life?

coffee as a way of life

Posted on May 29, 2011 by terry morgan

Yum!

As I started researching for this blog, I learned a bit about coffee… and I’ve decided that I want my life to resemble a robust and rich cup of coffee.

Getting the beans to the cup is a process. The coffee berries must ripen on the bush, just as I must “ripen” or mature (hence the name for the blog 😊). Since the coffee plant and berries are often attacked by numerous pests (over 900 beetles, mites, snails – yuck!), care is essential – special treatments, environment management, and pruning. I, too, often experience attacks during my maturing process and need to alternately take care, change, and cut some things out so I can grow. It is an investment in the final product.

Workers harvest the seeds (picked – traditionally by hand, fermented to remove the flesh, and dried) and then roast them. This reminds me of God choosing me and taking me through my life’s trials and “fires.” Roasting is done using different methods at varying degrees depending on the desired flavor. Isn’t it interesting how God has individually designed our lives? We are each a unique creation.

The berries are next ground (a burr mill uses revolving elements to shear the bean; an electric grinder smashes the beans with blunt blades moving at high speed; and a mortar and pestle crush the beans… sometimes, I feel like I am in a burr mill or mortar!), and finally brewed. Don’t you find that the most authentic and attractive people have often been “broken” and “washed” through their life experiences?

Finally, the coffee is prepared and enjoyed in a variety of ways – often together with others -bringing energy and pleasure to many. I, personally, like mine black and bold.

How do you like your coffee?

What is it that you want to represent your life?