You’ve heard the old saying “There’s no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.”
That is absolutely true.
Yet, in every realm of life there are, unfortunately, occasions when things do not get done because some are unwilling to support it because it wasn’t their idea. Why is this a problem?
Sometimes it’s someone “new” making a proposal and they are perceived to be a threat to someone who has been there for some time. The person who has been there for a while is unwilling to support a good, new idea because they are threatened by the new employee. Instead of feeling threatened, be a team player.
Nobel Prize winner Charles H. Townes illustrates this well. He comments, “It’s like the beaver told the rabbit as they stared up at the immense wall of Hoover Dam, ‘No, I didn’t actually build it myself. But it was based on an idea of mine.’”
Be willing to share the credit for ideas.
Ask the Lord to give you the peace to be open to new things God may want to do.

“He’s a junior.”
That thought hit me recently as I thought about our second child, Will.
It just kind of came out of the blue. “He’s a junior.” That means… this time next year, my stars, he’s a senior.
I guess everything I’ve heard is right… time does fly. It seems like yesterday that he was playing Dixie youth baseball, eating chili cheese “fwies” after the game and getting cheese stains all over his ball shirt. His mom used to say that she could tell what he had been eating because it was all over his clothes. Ha!
It seems like yesterday that we were going to “Shucky Sheese” (Chucky Cheese) for birthday parties and he and his little buddy, Brian Blank, were “exploring” in the woods. Lord, time has flown.
Over the past 16 years we have spent some money on happy meals, pizza, ball game hamburgers, cleats, jerseys, etc… There was a time I guess was bemoaning the money we had to shell out as parents. My dad gave me some good advice; “Don’t ever begrudge a penny spent on these little fellas.” He was right.
Today, happy meals would be nice. Now, when we go out to eat, he normally orders the largest steak on the menu and looks at me as if to ask, “Is that all right?” Happy meals don’t fill him up any longer.
Will plays baseball for Paulding County. During the off-season he is doing a drill called “long tossing” to strengthen his arm. Recently, I was throwing with him. As we threw, he was burning me out. My mind went back about 12 years when we were in the yard and I would gently toss the ball to him trying to teach him to catch. Now, he’s throwing it harder and farther than I can. He has grown.
We have two years and then, he’s off to college. Two years. Two years for him to be a high school student. Two years to be the parent of a high school student. I want to make them right.
You know, when my life is over, it’s not going to matter what size church I pastor. What will matter is what kind of dad was I? I want to do well in that department.
Parents, spend time with your kids. Time does fly. Thank the Lord, I still have some time left.
I’m reminded of Harry Chapin’s song;
“The cats in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue with the man in the moon.
When you coming home son, I don’t know when,
But we’ll get together then, Dad.
We’re gonna have a good time then.”
Those lyrics are real. They grow up just like us. Spend all the time with them you can and teach them to love the Lord and His work.

(This is a weekly column I write for the Dallas New Era)
Are you a competitive, ambitious person?
Many of us are.
I read about a very competitive athlete who went to the Doctor. The Doctor said “You have a temperature of 103.”
The athlete responded, “What’s the record?”
Hopefully you are not that competitive.
There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition and a little ambition, but
at times, our ambition can become a hindrance in our lives if we are not careful. For example, an ambitious or competitive parent can push their child too much in athletics or in dance or even in academics.
Or, a person who wants to climb the ladder of success rapidly may take some shortcuts in their career to achieve their goals.
There is nothing wrong with some ambition, but we need to be careful that unbridled ambition doesn’t control our lives.
Jesus wants to bless us. None of us has to prove anything to anyone. Jesus wants us to take the gifts He has given us and use them for His glory. So, be yourself. Rest in your ability. Do your best on your job and trust the Lord with the rest.

In 2004, thousands of Christians went to theatres to view the movie The Passion of the Christ. Churches across the country even purchased tickets for entire viewings of the movie and then, gave those tickets away to people hoping they would view the movie and then, receive Christ as Savior. I have seen the movie three times and it was very, very strong. It led me to re-dedicate my life to Christ.
The movie was directed by Hollywood star, Mel Gibson. Gibson is Roman Catholic. I gained a greater appreciation for Mr. Gibson as a result of his desire to go “against the grain” in Hollywood and produce a film like The Passion Of The Christ.
This past week, Mr. Gibson made headlines with news of his arrest by Los Angeles police for drunken driving and some other charges. And, as if that wasn’t enough, evidently, during this experience, Mr. Gibson supposedly made some anti-semitic remarks to the police officer.
By now, you may have seen pictures that have circulated on the internet showing Mr. Gibson partying in a Los Angeles bar just prior to the arrest. Mr. Gibson has apologized twice to the Jewish people for his anti-semitic remarks and has announced that he will undergo treatment for an alcohol problem he has dealt with throughout his adult life.
So what is the Christian to make of all this?
My initial thought was “Man, this is not good.” It’s sad that a man that was so visible in the media two years ago during the release of the Passion of the Christ made this kind of mistake. It really gives the secular news media and non-Christians another reason to attack the church as just a group of “hypocrites.” That’s unfortunate.
Then, I was moved that Mel Gibson admitted he had a problem with alcohol. It touched me that he was willing to say “I have a problem with this.” As Christians, all of us have various problems. We all face various temptations. Mel Gibson admitted he has a problem with alcohol.
I am also glad that he is seeking treatment and that he has apologized to the Jewish community. And, he has seemed sincere in his apologies.
So, how is the Christian to view Mel Gibson?
A fake?
A farce?
I don’t know the man but I don’t think so..
Was he wrong in what he did? Certainly.
Getting a DUI and the remarks he made about Jewish people are wrong. Very wrong.
But, he also admitted that he made a mistake. Will he be punished for his mistake? He is already being punished. It’s realistic, that in the eyes of many people he may never gain the respect back from them that he has lost with this incident.
He’s getting help. At least that’s what the news reports have said.
My heart is a bit torn. I really appreciated Gibson’s production of the Passion of the Christ. It was an excellent film. It was wonderful to think that there are some Christians in Hollywood.
Then, this happens.
How should the Christian respond?
Well, this is one Christian who believes in grace. All of us have made mistakes. I have. You have. Mel Gibson has.
Does Jesus still love him? Absolutely!
Can he be forgiven? Most definitely… if he asks for it.
What he did was wrong. Very wrong.
However, Jesus said, “he who is without sin, cast the first stone.”
Before we start casting stones at Mel Gibson, let’s examine our own lives.
Several years ago, I made a statement in a sermon that in decision making, if I had to come down on the side of “law or grace”, I was going to come down on grace.
I’m coming down on the side of grace in my feelings toward Mel Gibson.

Do you feel un-loved today?
Do you feel like no one cares?
We can occasionally feel like we are insignificant and our life really doesn't matter.
We can feel like the man who tried to become member of the "lonely hearts club" but was rejected!
Now that hurts!
Well, the scriptures tell us that Jesus loves us.
I am beginning a study of the book of Revelation in the church I pastor. As I was reading this book this morning, a verse spoke to my heart that reminded me of God's love for us. In Revelation 1:5 the Bible says, "and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood--."
Look at the words, "... who loves us..." John is reminding us that Jesus Christ loves and releases us from our sins. You may feel that you have made a mistake that is unforgivable. You may have slipped in life and you feel you can't get up. The scriptures repeatedly tell us that regardless of what happens in our lives, Jesus loves us, forgives us and helps us get up.
You may feel Jesus doesn't love you because you don't think you have achieved anything great in life. Someone has said, "Jesus doesn't love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because He loves us."
So, if you are feeling down today, if you are feeling like no one cares about you... take heart! Jesus loves you right where you are!