Marc Estes

One of my favorite authors is John Maxwell. He always has a way of inspiring you to greatness. A few weeks ago, I came across a blog post of his that I just couldn’t help but to pass on to you. It is just a great approach to dealing properly with criticism. If you are in any level of leadership, criticism will be close behind. Read and be inspired!

Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “Criticism is something you can avoid easily—by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” Obviously, that isn’t an option for anyone who wants to be successful as a leader.

The past year has brought extra pressures on us all. For many of us we have had to learn to live with less. This challenged has positioned us at the crossroad between thankfulness and murmuring. On one hand you might feel justified to complain about all the things you don’t have and how life has dealt you an unfair blow. On the other hand, you can also choose to look at all the things that God has allowed you to have and be overwhelmed with a sense of thankfulness. The choice is really in our hands.

Paul the Apostle sums it up in Philippians when he says, “ I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.“  The Message : The Bible in contemporary language (Php 4:11-13).

I heard a great story that gripped my heart and reminded me once again to be thankful for all the wonderful blessings that God has poured into my life and even if I have a little less, to be sure to have some margin to pass it on to others.

A harried waitress approached the table where a young girl was sitting by herself. She quickly asked the girl what she wanted. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” the little girl inquired. The waitress snapped, “A dollar seventy-five.” The girl looked at her fistful of change and then asked, “How much is a dish of just plain ice cream?” “One-fifty,” retorted the waitress. “Then I’ll take the plain ice cream, please,” said the young customer. The waitress returned with the bowl of ice cream but delivered it in rude silence. After the little girl finished her ice cream and left, the waitress went to clean off the table. To her shame, she found two dimes and five pennies. Her tip was the exact amount the little girl needed to get a sundae rather than just plain ice cream. In each of our lives, others have made sacrifices for our well being. May we be grateful for even the smallest gesture of kindness we receive.

You might consider doing a little exercise to boost your thankful meter:

1. Make a list of all the things in your life that you are thankful for.

2. Take some time to pray and thank God for his provision on your life.

3. Ask him to forgive you of any attitude of ungratefulness toward him or any other person.

4. Let all your future needs in His hands.

I recently came across a story regarding our nation’s obsession with stuff. You know, the things that we perceive we need and will do anything to obtain. It stated that there are now more than 30,000 self-storage facilities in our country that offer over 1 billion (yes, I said billion) square feet for people to store their stuff. It was only just a few decades ago where this industry didn’t even exist. America now spends over $12 billion dollars annually to store our stuff that we can’t fit into our current homes.

John Ortberg mentions the pursuit of stuff in one of his books and brings up the story of William Randolph Hearst. You might remember him as the owner of the Hearst Castle in California. William Hearst was a ‘stuffaholic’. He had 3,500 year-old Egyptian statues, medieval Flemish tapestries, and centuries-old hand card ceilings, and some of the greatest works of art of all time. He built a 72,000 square foot house to put his ‘stuff’ in. He bought some property to build this ‘house’ on which was a mere 265, 000 acres. He at one time owned 0 miles of the California coastline. He spent most of his eighty years collecting stuff, then something amazing happened… HE DIED!

Nothing went with him, it was all left behind. You might ask, and for what purpose?  You might find one worth investing some brain cells to justify, but for me, I just think of all the ways that money could have been used to help others. Don’t get me wrong, I have my stuff as well. Each of us have a way in justifying what stuff we truly need. In most cases, what we ‘need’ is a distant reach from what we  really ‘need.’ The older I get, the more I don’t need stuff to measure my worth, value, comfort or significance, quite the contrary. I find greater joy in giving away my stuff to help others in need.

Here are some sobering thoughts to consider about your ‘stuff’ mentioned by Mr. Ortberg in his book, “When it is all over, it all goes back in the Box.”

1. Stuff is not treasure – Smart players are clear on what lasts and what doesn’t. It is wise to store up treasure in what is eternal: God and people.

 

2. Stuff cannot belong to me – The Bible says, “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.”  God goes on to say, “The silver is mine and the gold is mine.” You are simply a steward of His resources.

 

3. Stuff cannot last – Go to your county dump and take a look at the piles of stuff. Stuff will lose is luster, just give it time.

 

4. Stuff cannot make you free – Getting more stuff doesn’t make you free; quite the contrary. The more you have the more you have to manage.

 

5. Stuff cannot make you happy – It may for a moment, but the reality is, the excitement wears off soon, and you just are looking for the next upgrade.

 

6. Stuff cannot make you secure – We come into this world naked and penniless; we’re going out in the same fashion. Our current economic crash has shown us one thing, our money and possessions are the place to put our security.

 

7. Stuff can help me become rich toward God – We we give our ‘stuff’ away, there is something very special that happens. We receive the very thing we wanted in the first place; joy, fulfillment, satisfaction and genuine peace. Stuff can’t give that to you, but giving it away sure can.

 

Why not do a ‘stuff’ inventory today? You might consider clearing out the storage unit, or garage and giving it to someone in need. You might even have a garage sale and donate the money to a needy charity. You never know, you just might feel a little better about yourself.

If you really want a fresh challenge, check out John’s book:

It is the third day of my ministry trip in Japan and having a great time. The meetings have been incredible and we have had a great connection with many of the pastors and leaders of the nation.  We held leaders meeting the first two nights in Nagoya with Pastor Santos and local area pastors. The turn out was encouraging and many pastors were challenged.

Today, we hopped on a bullet train and travelled to Osaka to spend the day with a great friend and pastor, Joel Kaylor. We spent the day sight seeing at a famous Buddhist Temple, shopping down town, eating at the Osaka Barbecue, and finished the day speaking to Joel’s leaders at Life Church.

I am just amazed at the speed of these bullet trains and thought I would post a picture for you to just watch how fast these trains move. Enjoy!

For many of you that read this blog, you would have some level of belief in the supernatural. The idea that miracles do exist has been at the center of discussion for centuries and has created varied opinions as to the reality that miracles do exist.  Regardless of where you stand, there are situations that you are facing currently that might propel you to believe, even if your belief system is contrary to your desperation.

This has been a major focus for me over the past few months, and I find myself frequently looking at the words of Jesus regarding this intriguing subject. I will just admit it up front, I have been raised to believe that miracles do exist and that God is passionately interested in demonstrated His power to help us humans as well as to reveal Himself to a world in need of Him.  I also must admit that believing in miracles don’t necessarily activate them in my life and that if I want to see Him actually show up and move on my behalf, there are some other factors that must be in play to see Him move.

While sitting on a plane from Portland to Tokyo, I was wrestling with this issue, reading the book of John and trying to get my head around the statement Jesus made in John 14. He is talking once again, about some promises that are available to us. He blasts off this bone-chilling promise that is still to this day, hard to grasp, He states, “The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I go to the Father. You can ask anything in my name, and I will do it… Yes ask anything in my name and I will do it!”

“Come on Jesus, greater works than you did, we can do? Ask ANYTHING and you will do it?”  I don’t know about you, but even in all my years of being a Christian and praying for God to use me, I still have to tilt my head a few degrees to the left to get that one to sink in. 

Anyways, back to the story. As I was contemplating John 14 and his words our flight attendant came down the isle with her arm wrapped in ice. She has just poured boiling water down her arm and was in much pain and hoping to land soon to deal with the situation. Her arm was obviously very read, swollen and appeared to be a very ugly burn. So I had a choice to make. Do I just read the scripture, believe it in my heart and not say anything, or do I add the other ingredients to activate the miracle? I chose option #2. Let’s go ahead and add the faith and action components and see what happens.

I stopped the lady, mentioned that I was a Christian and that I believed that God was a God that heals. I shared with her that if she would let me pray for her, that God could touch her arm right here on the plane and heal it completely. She looked quite surprised and perplexed by my boldness along with the other 5-7 passengers within listening distances.  Remembering what a good friend, Wendell Smith always says, “You do the ridiculous and He will do the miraculous, ” I took the plunge. (by the way, check out his blog)

She allowed me to pray and as soon as I was finished, she looked at me with her sweet Japanese eyes and accent and said, “This is power… Is this Jesus Power?” She walked to the back of the plane and came back up with out any ice packs and her arm and hand were completely healed. No red, no swelling, no blisters… perfectly normal.  She said quite boldly, “Look it worked, it really worked!” I hate to admit it buy I was almost as surprised as the passengers around me, but quickly reminded myself of the words just previously read, “Greater  works will you DO, because I go to the Father.”

I believe it about time for Christians to move from just believing about miracles to activating them. There are opportunities around us every day. People are sick, hurt, bound, wounded, depressed, oppressed, possessed, abused, accused and accursed. We have been given everything we need to move in the supernatural and activate God’s power in the midst of every day life.  Why don’t you take a step of faith today. Follow these simple steps and see if God will move through you. You never know, you just might start a miracle movement!

1. Pray and ask God to stir up the gifts of the Spirit within you.
2. Pray for divine appointments and that God would reveal opportunities for a miracle.
3. Take a step of action and ask the person if you can pray. State your reasoning for the prayer and Give God the credit before hand.
4. Pray and believe.
5. Let God do the rest. Your job is to be obedient, His job is to show up.
6. Give Him all the credit for what He did. If nothing happened, still give him the credit, because a healing may still be coming their way!

Why not join with me and bring back the miraculous! You just my begin to believe that miracles are for today, and they are for YOU!

It is a challenge to not allow worry to invade our lives in the pressure cooker world in which we live. It seems that there is little certainty in every sector of society which can cause us to be anxious about tomorrow.  As a leader, I attempt to get a proper perspective of the who is really in charge every morning before facing the circumstances of the day. Laying everything in God’s hands has always seemed to be a better approach to my personal challenges; He has never lost a battle yet.

Furthermore, when you really look at what we worry about, we begin to see that our worry just might be overstated. Here is a breakdown that shows the outcome of the things we worry about:

• Things which never happen: 40 percent.
• Things past which can’t be changed or corrected: 30 percent.
• Needless worry about our health: 12 percent.
• Petty miscellaneous worries: 10 percent.
• Real and legitimate worries: 8 percent.

There is a legend which says that there was a mouse who was very afraid of cats. She wished she could become a cat, her wish came true and she turned into a cat. Then she saw a dog and became afraid again and wished she were a dog. Her wish was granted and she turned into a dog. Then she saw a lion and she was terrified by his power and strength and wished she could become a lion so that she would not have to be terrified of the lion. Her wish was granted and she became a lion. Then she saw a man with a gun about to shoot her with his gun. You can imagine what happened next. She wished she could become a human and she did. But when she was sitting in her house she saw a mouse and she was scared of the mouse. The little mouse frightened her. She then realized the problem was with herself.

Maybe that’s why Jesus said, “Don’t be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  (See Matthew 6:34.) When we can learn to lean on him and not on our own undestanding, He will direct our paths.

Here are some simple, yet important steps you might consider to overcome worry:

1. Recognize God is in control – He has everything under control. He knows your needs before they existed, and he will never leave of forsake you and promised to supply your every need.

 

2. Recognize your worry will never change your circumstance – The only thing worry will give you is an ulcer. Change the way you think.

 

3. Realize prayer is the best weapon for overcoming fear – An old Jamaican proverb does a good job of summarizing the biblical view of worry and prayer. It states, “If you’re going to pray, don’t worry; if you’re going to worry, don’t pray.” Make it your aim to pray and ask God for breakthrough.

 

4. Confess your worry to a friend who can challenge you – One of the greatest ways to break the attack on your mind and emotions is to confess it and allow others to rally around you to encourage you.

 

5. Take steps in the direction you desire to go – Don’t let worry paralyze you. Get a plan for change and move torward it.

 

6. Realize that seasons come and go – You made it through the last challenges, and you will make it through this one. The best is yet to come.

 

7. Find God’s promises in His Word – God’s promises are true and will build faith in your life. Find scriptures that speak faith into your circumstance, write them on a card and recited them every time you feel yourself starting to worry.

 

8. Give Thanks to God – Regardless of your circumstance, find things in  your life that you can be thankful for. Let God know how appreciative you are for what He has done. Taking your eyes off of the negative and focusing on the positive will help you to have a better perspective of the day.

 

Let’s not waist another ten calories on a worry thought, but utilize your energies to think through the great things that are in store for you. The end result is that you will live a happier and more productive life.

It has been said that people need, “more strokes than pokes.” In a society that is filled with pressure, rage, and conflict, the antidote to soothe just might be encouragement. We all have experienced it and most long for it. Encouragement from someone you love or respect releases a sense of fulfillment that cannot be duplicated in any other way. We may not live by bread alone, but we all need buttering up once in a while. Mark Twain said, “I can live for two months on one encouraging word.”

We all the ability to give encouragement to those around us. Our tendency might be to point out the one thing we see that is wrong, while missing the opportunity to point out the ten things that are right. I don’t know what this is in all of us that leans toward criticism, judgmental-ism and hypocrisy, but it must have something to do with our sin nature. The only hope for all of us to recognize that we are all sinners and we all fall short of God’s standard. If it weren’t for His grace, none of us would be able to live another day. So why not look for ways to lift up and encourage those around you. This doesn’t mean that we live blindly to the truth or ignore wrong behaviors, but that we strive to be a modern day Barnabas; an encourager to all those within our reach.

Here is a great story to motivate you today to look beyond the circumstances and seize the moment to lift up those around you:

Miss Thompson taught Teddy Stallard in the fourth grade. He was a slow, unkempt student, a loner shunned by his classmates. The previous year his mother died, and what little motivation for school he may have once had was now gone. Miss Thompson didn’t particularly care for Teddy either, but at Christmas time he brought her a small present. Her desk was covered with well-wrapped presents from the other children, but Teddy’s came in a brown sack. When she opened it there was a gaudy rhinestone bracelet with half the stones missing and a bottle of cheap perfume. The children began to snicker but Miss Thompson saw the importance of the moment. She quickly splashed on some perfume and put on the bracelet, pretending Teddy had given her something special. At the end of the day Teddy worked up enough courage to softly say, “Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother . . . and her bracelet looks real pretty on you too. I’m glad you like my presents.” After Teddy left, Miss Thompson got down on her knees and prayed for God’s forgiveness. She prayed for God to use her as she sought to not only teach these children but to love them as well. She became a new teacher. She lovingly helped students like Teddy and by the end of the year he had caught up with most of the students. Miss Thompson didn’t hear from Teddy for a long time. Then she received this note: “Dear Miss Thompson, I wanted you to be the first to know. I will be graduating second in my class. Love, Teddy Stallard.” Four years later she got another note: “Dear Miss Thompson, They just told me I will be graduating first in my class. I wanted you to be the first to know. The university has not been easy, but I liked it. Love, Teddy Stallard.” Four years later: “Dear Miss Thompson, As of today, I am Theodore Stallard, M.D. How about that? I wanted you to be the first to know. I am getting married next month. I want you to come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have now; Dad died last year. Love, Teddy Stallard.” Miss Thompson went to the wedding and sat where Teddy’s mother would have sat, because she let God use her as an instrument of encouragement.

Take the risk and encourage someone today!

I recently read an interesting story regarding the way people in Italy are attempting to skirt around an important law. When Italy’s mandatory use of seat belts went into effect, enterprising Claudio Ciaravolo cashed in. Dr. Ciaravolo, a psychiatrist in Naples, invented a “security shirt.” It consists of a white T-shirt with a diagonal black stripe designed to deceive the police into believing the motorist is buckled up.

What is interesting about this simple story, is that these creative swindlers don’t realize that the law is established for their own safety. The government’s motive is not to evoke further controls on their lives, they are simply establishing a consequence for simply not obeying a principle that may very well save their lives. Although we might laugh at Claudio’s ingenuity, we must stop and recognize there is a little Claudio in all of us!

Our society today has lowered the bar of honesty and have allowed the “White Lie Bar” to be the excepted norm. We have even reduced the term lie, to “ethically challenged” to minimize the offense we might cause by catching someone from being dishonest.

The book, The Day America Told the Truth, came out in 1991. In this work, research showed 91 percent of Americans lie routinely, while 36 percent confess to dark, important lies. Eighty-six percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent lie to friends, 73 percent to siblings, 69 percent to spouses, 81 percent lie about feelings, 43 percent concerning income, and 40 percent about sex. Psychologist Michael Lewis of Rutgers University says there are three types of lies: (1) Lies to protect feelings, such as saying a gift is nice when you actually hate it; (2) Lies to avoid punishment; and (3) Lies of self-deception. Our behavior repulses others, but we lie to ourselves and blame the rejection on something or someone else. A woman gives herself a breast exam and notices an unusual lump but tells herself everything is fine. Lewis feels these lies of self-deception may be the most frequent lies. That could explain why so many people reject the gospel. They’ve lied to themselves about their need for forgiveness and God’s requirement of commitment to Christ. In this age of obsessive lying, remember who is the “father of lies” (John 8:44), and who promised to give the “truth that shall make you free” (John 8:32). C. S. Lewis noted, “We often err either by ascribing too much or too little power to the father of lies.”

How is your ‘honesty meter” on a scale of one to ten. Are you more concerned about what people think about you than what God thinks about you? Have you been so entrenched in certain lies that you have now even deceived yourself into knowing who you really are, not who you want to be?

I think it is time that we tell the truth, and aim to set the bar of honesty at an all time high. The result will be epic!

It has been a few days since I have sat down to blog as I have been on the road once again to the great city of New York. I had the wondeful privilege of speaking at New York City Church and spending time with some great friends and pastors, Ed and Heather Schefter. They have been working hard over the last two and half years establishing a thriving, dynamic, life-giving church. If you are ever in the area, it would be worth your while to stop in and see what God is doing through this great group of leaders.

On Sunday afternoon, many people from the congregation went out into the streets to share the Good News. It was amazing to see the openess and warmth of the New York people. One of the highlights of this time, was to be a part of a city project that has received national attention called, “Sing for Hope.” The city of New York distributed 120 pianos all over the city and has encouraged people in the city to sit down, share their talent and create community within the city streets and parks. So that is what the NYCC family did.

It was exciting to see the hundreds of people that gathered around us at various parks and streets in the city. The team sang, performed dances and skits and then handed out invites to the church. The response was amazing.

My hat goes off to the NYCC team. They are all amazing and doing an incredible job of bringing some light to a challenging city.

This year I will be celebrating the 30th year of being a parent. I by no means claim to be an expert and have a long ways before I could ever even spell the name, “DOBSIN” (just kidding, I know it is Dobson).  Over these three decades I must admit that I have made many mistakes, yet have also made some good decisions as well. Through it all, I have landed on some basic foundation truths that I  have instilled in my children that have produced some pretty good children that I have grown to deeply love and respect.

If you are just beginning the journey as a parent, or are somewhere along the way, you might read carefully, as each of these truths were forged through much effort on both the part of my wife and I, as well as our children. Here is my top ten list to build strong children:

1. Teach Them to Love God and Cherish His Word – The most important thing you can ever do for your child is to help them see that God is the most important thing in their lives.  If you could only do one thing for your child, teach them to love God and His Word. Make church a priority. Do family devotions. Read the Bible with them. Establish a passion for spiritual disciplines in their lives.
2. Model your Values, Don’t Preach Them – The principle of “Do what I say, not what I do” just doesn’t work. Children become a byproduct of their environment. The language you speak, the music you listen to, the shows you watch, the comments you make about others, the attitudes you carry will most likely become implanted into your children.  I tried my best to show my children certain values, not just tell them certain values. What you live is what they will get!
3. Develop Deep Personal Relationships – The balance to a home that expects high values and morals is deep, personal relationships. Your children are the most important people you could ever spend time with. Let your kids know they are deeply loved. Be honest and transparent. Ask forgiveness when you are wrong. Learn to have fun at their level. 
4. Don’t Compromise Your Convictions for their Acceptance – Learn to stand for your convictions, even if your child is upset with you. I used to always tell my daughters, “I am your father before I am your friend. You won’t like me today, but you will love me tomorrow for sticking with my decisions.”
5. Encourage them to Honor and Respect Authority – Your children must learn to honor those who God has placed over them, even if you may not agree with the leader. They need to honor and respect the position at the very least. If they can learn this in the home, they will develop a lifestyle of respecting God, their spouse, their boss, and their civil leaders. There were many times I stood with a teacher instead of my child in a conflict in order to help them understand the importance of respecting their authority.
6. Challenge them to Stand for What is Right not What is Popular – Children today must be taught to stand for what is right. Their life might depend on it. Teach them certain values before there comes the temptation to challenge them. Teach them that favor with God will always supersede favor with peers.
7. Teach them to Forgive Others – A child must learn that the sun can never go down on their anger. If an offense occurs, challenge them to confront it and deal with it Biblically. Help them to see that unforgiveness poisons the person who won’t forgive more than the one that needs to be forgiven. Help them to live life with a clean heart.
8. Inspire them to Love All People – Go out of  your way to model to them that everyone matters to God, therefore they matter to us. Don’t just say it model it. Give the guy on the street corner some money regardless of what you think. Allow someone to come live with you when they have no place to go. Make comments about those that are being ostracized by other demeaning individuals. Challenge them to invite the child who is all alone over to play. Regardless of a person’s beliefs, behaviors or perspectives, all must be loved.
9. Disciple them to Embrace a Strong Work Ethic – Don’t spoil your kids and rob them of the important lesson of working for a living. Don’t allow them to develop a mentality that they deserve something they have not yet earned. Teach them to work hard. Reward them when the do, and exhort them when they don’t.
10. Direct them to Fulfill Their God-Ordained Purpose – Help them to live every day on purpose. Every moment of every day matters to God. They will be held accountable as to how they lived each day. Help them to maximize the moment. Turn off the TV and put a book in front of them.  Help them discover their talents and abilities. Encourage them to invest their lives into helping others and building the church. Inspire them to live life to the full.