Tornadoes Bring Stories> Life Change

The recent devastation in the deep South from the tornado outbreak has created stories.

The story began several days before. Weather evangelists shared that there was a huge potential for serious weather that would come across the South. I remember seeing a prediction of about two hours of severe weather coming across my area and that day shared this with my night shift leaders in Operations since this would have us shelter our associates for a long period of time.

But with Twitter and what was being seen it was even more serious. That was several days before.

The Day before the warnings were louder.

Then the morning came and the serious storms were supposed to hit North Georgia around 7pm that night. I got to work early that morning and warned associates by e-mail of the serverity and reminded them of being ready to Shelter in Place if things changed.

Things changed.

Weather around 8am changed, watching Twitter, storms were stirring. Talking with Security and my Captain was concerned. She said she would stay in touch. The Weather Radio goes off about 8:25am from Peachtree City for a Tornado Warning for Chickamauga where my wife teaches and where our kids are. I call her and tell her, she hung up and got moving at the school.

Things changed quickly.

Around 8:45am My Captain called me and said we have a tornado warning and I am sounding the alarm to Shelter....I replied, "Headed that way!" { This is where training takes in and leaders in Operations and our Emergency Readiness Team in the Office come into play}

We got everyone sheltered and as went in the area I asked our Customer Service Manager to pull up the radar. We looked ok. Looked south. But Chattanooga? I could actually see the hook on the radar that was up there. Prayed for everyone in a hallway and kept moving thru the building to make sure everyone was safe in place. Walked in our biggest shelter area, people calm, trying to connect to family, following our drill protocol.

This was unexpected even the Weather Evangelists missed it. It told me that what they said was true but I had a feeling it was going to be worse than what we thought.

The Tornado in our county was toward Rome, Ga and did some significant damage. Others had hit in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The one headed for Chickamauga had done lots of damage in Dade County.

Things kept changing.

The day and ride home included hearing that the worse was to come on the radio. Schools had been released earlier {one of the best moves of the day}

My wife was home when I got there and had the kids sheltered in place at home.

We watched television for updates on NewsChannelNine with David Glenn and watch James Spann on U-stream. James was big as we watched the tornado hit Tuscaloosa, Phil Campbell, Hackleburg, Pratt City, Cullman, Birmingham (watched it over the internet go thru the city) and then head up I-59 over Lake Weiss and right towards Rome, Georgia.

By the way, there are four more cells that come thru our area. One on the south end of Catoosa and east side of Walker looked bad on the Weather Channel radar, a friend calls from the area. He has lost power, I said bad weather is on you, but it going north of you and it looks bad. All the cells that came thru our area were just severe storms no tornadoes. We were blessed.

That one was the one that laid down on one side of I-75 in Ringgold, Georgia and took out a whole exit, damage to the town, schools, and in effect shut Ringgold down for a week.

My friend in Ringgold called me back, he was attempting to get medication and he said that Ringgold on the I-75 exit is gone! Everything got hit, I reminded him to get home ASAP as there were some other cells coming from Huntsville and would be there in awhile. I would see what he was talking about the next morning as I went to work.

Listening to the Sheriff's office over the internet in Catoosa County proved to be unsettling, officers were finding bodies outside of Ringgold on roads such as Friendhip Road which heads up to Tennessee. 5 was the count at midnight.....if you followed this you know back towards Alabama this was nothing.

Back at our plant, I had been in touch with Security during this whole time because there was a tornado headed towards Rome ---remember the one that came into Tuscaloosa? Well, it is now going to go between Rome and Cartersville. I tell Security it probably won't changed and head north but you will be getting a tornado warning soon so get ready.

We sheltered our associates then and then one more time that night.

There are so many stories that started that day....Wednesday, April 27th. I am thankful that our Weather Evangelists sounded the alarm like they did earlier. I am still amazed at how many people didn't pay attention to this. I think that has changed for this area of the South. I think this generation like the ones did with the storms of the 70s that you must respect the weather and prepare for the worst.

May God Bless you and your family. Our prayers are with those rebuilding homes, businesses and cities....May God comfort you during this time and give you strength.

Here is a link to the devastation by our local paper the Chattanooga Times Free Press:

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/may/07/updated-overall-look-chattanooga-area-storm-covera/?breakingnews

What is your story?

Robert Lewis gives some wisdom on discipleship

Robert Lewis was the guest by Skype this past Thursday night of the Men's Ministry Network based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. MMN is working to address the need for intentional discipleship with men in their churches. This night the dinner meeting was held at the BX and 80 men attended.

Robert Lewis developed Men's Fraternity curriculum in the 90's at the request of the men of his church in Little Rock, Arkansas that had attended Promise Keeper events but wanted to learn more about being authentic men.

So Lewis, crafted three years of content and then also had it picked up for placement in Lifeway Stores too.

He was asked tonight to talk about discipleship.

Robert asked the question to begin, How are people transformed into authentic followers of Jesus Christ?

He said that are four ways 1) first by truth by moving from head knowledge to the heart 2) Close relationships drive it 3) Spending time with people 4) training that requires commitment and application for transformation

Is there real intentional men or women's discipling in your church he asked?

He said pastors should think of as few as seven areas where they want people to be transformed and select the right tools (the best out there) and then choose lay people who have those gifts in those areas and then train them how to use it to train others. (Equipping)

The key to men's ministry today in America is pastoral affirmation and Robert said a lot of pastors just don't get it. They don't see that so go the men so go the church. He said it is a big problem with pastors today.

His Q/A session was super and he was asked about how to just start discipling other men. He said think of areas that you love and you are really good at. Find a resource that amplifies it and then some guys around you and challenge them and disciple them. Could be money, marriage, evangelism he said this is what he calls "Slice of Life" discipleship. Everyone can disciple someone in something he said.

I shared early in the evening about using Men's Fraternity at work where we meet over lunch and watch Robert on DVD teaching. We just finished Quest of Authentic Manhood and have started Winning at Work and Home with 16 guys over a brown bag lunch group at work. (really more Chickfila than brown bags- somebody always makes a run) We have done this for two years now. Good group of men. This is probably my 3rd time thru "Winning" but it just gets better each time I go thru it. DVD's and workbooks are available at Lifeway Stores and online.

Chattanooga area Young Life helped serve dinner at this event. We hope several men signed up to disciple some of these college guys who love the Lord. Great group!

Bernie Ritterbush, of Men's Ministry Network gave a update on the intentional Discipleship mini-conferences that MMN will be offering in Chattanooga in the future called (re)think Discipleship. The next dinner is scheduled for May 19th and will debut certain discipleship classes for Pauls, Timothies and more.

Check out www.mensministry.org for more information as it gets closer and to purchase tickets to the event on May 19th and bring a friend with you. Many thanks to J-103 Radio in Chattanooga for helping promote the event.

I brought my son with me and he was fired up to begin some lunch meetings at school around the bible with some other guys. Meal was excellent and cooked by the group at the BX on campus at Brainerd Baptist.

As always we seek your help in praying for this ministry as we move from desire to engagement to intentional disciple making with men around the Chattanooga area. Love God, Love People.

Hebrews 13:8

Action Points:

So who or whom are you mentoring? Who is mentoring you? Not good to be alone. When you are alone you can be picked off by Satan. He is intent on destroying marriages. Think about whom you could ask to be in your inner circle and be more intentional of doing life with in areas where you need to grow. Pray about that.

If you aren't mentoring someone, consider it. Pray about it.

We weren't created to be doing life alone. God Bless you.

Behind The Microphone

This week I was reaching back and once again sharing stories of times gone by with a good friend over a nice meal.

The time was almost 25 years ago as I was behind the mic of a radio station doing SportSTalk in the mid-80s before it became what it is today. No internet, No Twitter, just AP wire and several newspaper subscriptions.

It was a fun hobby. I would do live cut-ins in the morning and then tape 60 second drops for the AM/FM station I worked at (10 total) and then come back that night and do a live show.

I look back on that today and wonder how I had time to do that! Especially football games each Friday night, and I was called into service one basketball season to finish the season games for a friend.

Let me say that out of broadcasting live events such as baseball, football and basketball, that basketball is the hardest to paint a picture well for a listener.

As I was reflecting this I was reminding myself how important it is for us to be where and in what God has gifted us for. When you are in a career, job, vocation or career where He has clearly gifted you, you can feel it and also it comes across in how you plan the work and actually going about accomplishing it.

Present decisions will determine future situations as John Maxwell says and the decisions you are making today about your growth or lack of it will show up in a year or in several years. If you aren't growing it can also be a detriment to your career or even for promotions.

Are you in a job where your giftedness is showing? what if you aren't? why is that? what can you do outside of your job to be in that giftedness? where do you want to be? in a different field? How will you get there? What has to change within you to get there?

Sometimes we can be our biggest roadblock. Sometimes it just isn't time yet.

With radio, in high school I wasn't voted on the high school radio show. It was tough. But after college I got a chance doing Sportsradio and it was a blast. My general manager said I had a gift...you get it in radio, Hank many don't. You have that special spark he said.....

I didn't just get into Human Resources either, I had to work in other areas that got me ready to do it.

My point today is to say that sometimes we go thru the forest to arrive at our destination. If you haven't gotten into your calling yet look at why and ask God to continue to lead you to that destination. He will open doors at the right time and introduce you to people along the way that if you are pursuing Him....the problem is He isn't on our time table.

Don't get discouraged by walls and roadblocks. They are there for a reason. Figure out why and ask Him to continue to show you the path you need to walk. Trust Him. He is worthy of that trust. He is the most inclusive friend I know.

Talk to friends about what you are going thru, form an inner circle of those wiser than you to give you counsel, seek wisdom from others that have been there done that, people are willing to tell you how they did what they did. Be curious, read books about the subject, be willing to learn new things.....but don't ever stop.....finish the race as Paul said.

May God Bless you today and your family. Pursue Holiness, Pursue Christ, Pursue the God-man that defines our timeline. (AD) Jesus

168 Hours/Social Media/Book Club

While driving to work this summer I heard Laura Vanderkam be interviewed on Fox and Friends on XM Radio about a new book she was writing called 168 Hours.

At this same time I had a goal in 2010 of starting a Brown Bag Book Club at work during lunch for people that like to read books ( High Theoreticals for you Values folks) and this sounded right to begin it since everyone struggles with managing their time. Well, at least that is one thing I am always coming across my whole organization and outside it too.

So I thought the easy way to contact Laura was see if she was on Twitter. Once I found her on Twitter, I asked her the question that I wanted to make this book club very neat to our associates...."Laura, got your book off of Amazon." When she replied to tell her what I thought, I asked her. "Laura, would you be willing to discuss your book over the phone when we finish it?"

She replied that she would love to and we set timelines.

I first sent out a promo about the "Brown Bag BookClub," nothing new here. Several companies do this already but it was a first for us. We had good response. 23 associates in our office signed up. Being in training and men's ministry I know that number would decrease as it normally does to commit to anything.

Buy the book details here: http://www.my168hours.com/buy-the-book.html

We started with 21 associates and I showed a training video on Time Management that I had in my library to begin the discussion process and so everyone could take this books home. It worked well and I asked each person to set 1 (one) goal they wanted to accomplish to improve by reading this book. Amazon was how we obtained them.

I then mapped out the chapters and scheduled a meeting place for the main places in the book to give every one time to read and then have discussion questions as we began to get everyone talking about what they have read and how it is impacting their lives. Leading small groups in church has always helped here. In fact, many leading training organizations are using small group lingo now and talking about building "community" in the work place. We met Five times total over 2 months.

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers has been a great source of growth for me in planning thru his Weekly Review and Quarterly Plans. The next two sessions, I gave these out a the end of lunch to help those also needing more application. They really liked the additions to apply even more to what they were reading and trying to get traction on their "One" goal they had set at the beginning of the club.

Here is a link to several of his great productivity posts:

http://michaelhyatt.com/getting-things-done-an-update.html

As you know when you teach something you can't but help have it teach you something. I found Laura's book full of practical time/life choices and great data, sometimes too much data, but she was showing you ----look we all have 168 Hours----get real!

For me, that was organization of my desk and things that come across it. I put her ideas into practice and have seen several months of solid work now. To the point that several associates point out how clean my desk stays!

Others as we went thru the book had major AHA moments about how much time they were wasting, how they could be better organized too and even in how they went about their jobs!?

That was one of the best....

The group shrunk to 15 toward the end {this is irony of not having time to get better at time management and shows you alot of commitment} but these folks stayed with the content and were amazed at the people that Laura interviewed and met along the way. We work in a manufacturing environment and we shared with Laura in our teleconference in our last meeting that some stories we just couldn't relate to about hiring certain people for certain tasks.

She understood and pointed out how she had to cover all areas to appeal to a vast audience and our group understood.

I think the best thing we enjoyed were meeting the people that Laura interviewed and how they managed their lives, how they dealt with issues and how Laura presented suggestions to us and was very frank in her own life at her struggles with all the things that have to get done each day.

I recommend this to any training leaders as a good book to study. It written more for females than males. At least the 3 guys that read it all felt that way but as with anything, you get what you put into it. I can personally say that I profited from reading and applying key points from the book into my life and at the end of 2010 and am better for it.

Laura told us she is working on a book on money management for publication in 2012 and I look forward to that and reading her columns in publications like The Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY.

Here is a link to her website:

http://www.my168hours.com/

Last but not least I want to thank Laura for being "social" on Twitter. Many writers don't acknowledge you even when you tell them you have purchased their writing and one author whom I had a study on his book two years ago (with 20 men) didn't have time to even teleconference with him to ask him questions and follow up over six weeks. Laura was very open, easy to schedule and very nice to take the time with our group and solidified a great learning experience for us all and I am grateful to her. Thank you Laura!

Thanksgiving

The past few weeks I have listed Update the Blog in my Moleskin on my weekend to do list and I have wondered what to write about. So much.....to be Thankful for I said this week. Well, here we go....

This time of season is when we all reflect and think about what the year has looked like. For example at work, we usually have an Environmental Audit that we work all year to maintain our system and I look back at all the training we have done for the year with our associates and I am like wow....tremendous.

Year End Review time, not a favorite for many, but it is if you have a been working all year at Creating a Better Story than your last year. If you have taken your performance to another level. If you have actions and achievements to show growth.

Next is in your family. Can you see growth in them in their understanding of where God is in their lives? Do they understand the wonderful grace of Christ? Everything else is the world comes distant second. If they have a focus on Christ it is as the bible says in Proverbs the first step to wisdom. Everything else then has it's place in their lives. School, activities, friends, enemies. etc.

And for you? Can others see Christ in you? as Jesus said in Mark 12:28-30, Love God, Love People. then it all flows from there. Making sure that you don't drift from the true message of Christ (Hebrews 2:1) because it is easy to drift. Paul lost Demas to the world. This morning in our Bible Study a brother shared about a man and his wife in the ministry and how they had strayed from the ministry, now the family is separated and the man is asking for prayer for God to repair the damage. He can but it will take time.

Are you Creating a Better Story in everything you touch that passes your desk? This year I have to tell you it has been a blessing to think that way and to think how can this get better? It has created more work but neat stuff. From projects at work around performance to starting a Book Club and actually having the author meet with our group by phone to discuss what they had learned. I set a full morning in December to prayer and then planning in my areas of responsibility and then sketch the highpoints of the next year in those responsible areas and then with family and church. It is a very good time, then revisit it in January to start dates to get things done.

I look back at the things God has brought into my life this year and am just in awe. Having accepted Jesus into my heart at Promise Keepers in 1995 has changed my life, what I consider important. God has opened doors and given me opportunities I can never thank Him enough for. I am wanting to make 2011 a better year no matter what the circumstances as it is another year that I can listen to Him and follow Him.

So here are some questions for you and I to ponder:

How do you spend more time in the word? when is the best time to study scripture? Memorize verses? Pray? How is your quiet time? Who holds you accountable? How are do you know if your pursuit of holiness is changing you? Can you tell in how you respond to people? Do you see that it is more about others and not you? That is about dying to self? What a challenge! What a great challenge! But He is worthy of helping you to do those things. He is more than able.

Back to Thanksgiving, friends started this at a church I attended years ago where we would all take a few pieces of Indian Corn and then talk about what we are thankful for from that year.

I encourage you to do to this with your family. Take time to share with each other. Take a friend to lunch and talk about it with them to encourage them. Remember as Truitt Cathy of ChickFila says," When do people need encouragement?, if they are breathing they need it!"

What are you thankful for this year? Where are you struggling in the list of things above? Let Him know what you are thankful for, then make the list and set your goals. Divide them in to steps that you can do one at a time. How do you plan to tell a Better Story of your life, a Better Story about Christ in your work? in your family? Pray and set goals for 2011 now. Be intentional. Be serious about your growth and dependency on God. He is wanting to guide you more and more if you let Him. He loves to do that. He knows this world is tough, he knows that it is fallen. He also has a better plan than you and I could ever dream of, but He can't do anything unless you let Him lead and ask Him to do that.

Reading File: Speaking of listening, have picked up Bill Hybels new book, "The Power of a Whisper," and looking forward to that. Hope to finish before Thanksgiving.

This newest issue of Fortune Magazine was excellent. So was Fast Company.

Reading thru the book of John for bible study class. "In the beginning was the word of and the Word was with God and the word was God." Thankful for my bible teacher Ed Fleming and his love of teaching the word of God.

May God Bless you. It is my hope and prayer that this blog encourages you to seek more about Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:8

Sitting in Traffic

I was on my way into work on a Saturday to shuffle some papers and get my desk clean, do a weekly review to get things planned and in order and one exit from work ran smack dab into a traffic jam on I-75.

At first the thoughts were this is great, going in to get ahead and can't do that! Then I realized I needed to pray for what was ahead. It could be anything. Lord, be with the police and fire at the scene. Please Lord be with anyone injured ahead to comfort.

About that time a BIG wrecker goes by and I knew a semi had to be involved. Then another BIG wrecker goes by. Another prayer for the driver of that truck.

Nearly 30 minutes later, I would wheel the VW Beetle by the scene where a trailer was across two lanes of the interstate, no driver seen long gone with ambulance. FOUR BIG wreckers working to get it off the road and towed.

Looked like he jackknifed. Pray he is ok. Pray that who was around him is ok as well.

It was when I got into the office and sat down I started to think about lives and the similarities of traffic jams.

When we are in a serious waiting game like a traffic jam, we are more alert as we go thru it. We are usually just looking out for ourselves in this situation.

We also see others that try everyway possible to get around even if it means going places they shouldn't. Some people are very ugly when they get in tight situations. They do things behind the wheel they would never do to your face or behind your back?

Traffic jams frustrate us. They stop the normal flow of life. People in big cities are always talked about by people in smaller cities as to not knowing how people do that each day going to and fro. We like the normal flow in our lives. A traffic jam stops life.

We usually don't think of others in a traffic jam. We think of ourselves and how it is delaying our time....It is hard to think of others when the focus is on self.

Seldom do we take advantage of this time to pray for those in the situation, I did this as I was prompted by the BIG wrecker, I don't know if I would have if I hadn't seen it whoosh by.

Seldom do we take the time in the jam just to ask God to speak to us while we are waiting.

This is what hit me that when we hit the "traffic jams" of life that come at us far from the road in places like our jobs, our families, our schools, our churches that we don't see this as maybe should.

John Maxwell has pointed out in one his books, "Failing Forward," {one of the few books I know of on failure} that when we fall down in life we don't spend much time down there on the ground. We jump right back up like nothing has happened, dust ourselves off, hope no one saw us and go right on with business as usual.

Donald Miller's book, "A Million Miles in A Thousand Years," is a great book about creating a better story. My favorite book of last year and ties into life's traffic jams as you have to have conflict to create a better story.

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing even talks about pushing through when you have a problem. Please see his post from July 27th here:

http://michaelhyatt.com/2010/07/the-most-important-part-of-your-story.html

Our desires on this earth are always going to be toward Self and Pride. Our desire is to continually pursue Christ by not following rules but understanding that it was DONE on the Cross at Calvary. That doesn't mean we have a "grace card" we play. It means that we must constantly work on our natural self to focus on others. Doesn't matter about your personality either to focus on others.

This week think first what can you do to focus on others in your family, especially your spouse.

Then your job and then as you go thru the traffic jams of life to create a better story in your own life.

If you are in a traffic jam right now in life, don't lose hope. Help is near. Ask God to help.

King David is recorded in history as having some serious yelling matches at the Lord. He was upset, he was more than mad and he knew the Lord was listening and he knew he had a relationship with him where he could share anything with Him. He had no where else to turn.

Serious traffic jam.

Ask God to show you the way and He will. Ask Him to send people to show that to you and He always does. He is the best story ever. Always will be. Tell others.

He defines our timeline.

Hebrews 13:8

Selah.

Mid Point of 2010- How Are You Doing?

Here we go another year is coming quickly to a close. It is important for us to see where we are heading right now so we can make sure we are Creating a Better Story with our lives in several areas.

First is in our walk with Christ. How is the Pursuit of Holiness going? Have you found a church home to belong to? How is your quiet time? What scripture are you studying after the service and digging in more? Have you said I don't do church or religion.

I have a good friend that has been out of church since he was seven. In an effort to keep his marriage in order and become a better man, he is back in church. It took about five visits before he found a church he likes and feels like a fit. He wants to change his life to be more about what God wants and not him.

The real difference begins for you and me when we take what we are learning and apply that in our lives. Holiness is not just a word it is a form of worship. God is wanting to have more than a casual friendship with you and I. He is wanting a total transformation from what the world is showing to what He is about.

This leads to area two where this pursuit of Christ should lead to a changed life in relationships with family, your spouse and others. As Men we need to realize that we are to lead in a loving manner for our wives so they will have no problem following. It is an honor to lead my wife and to show her that I love her.

My children need to see how I love my wife so they will see how this relationship is to look and when they get ready to marry they will know when something looks honoring or not to Christ.

Next my career or job is done unto the Lord. Our job is to join Him where He is working and our jobs are that place He has us in to do ministry. If you look as your job as a "job" you aren't thinking how our Lord wants you to. The apostle Paul taught us in Colossians 3:23 that we are to do our work as doing it for the Lord. Do you look as work like this? It means taking more time to pray, to take politics out of it, to take YOU out of it. If you believe He is in control then you should work that way. Do more than expected, Show love to those that don't expect it, Create a Better Story in your life by changing your outlook toward your work. Your career.

When you really think about what God has gifted you in and where He has you in your work as a mission field, you will look at people differently.

Next who are you discipling and who is discipling you? You can always be helping someone else in their growth in faith because it grows you. Most Christians today are "Playing Church," by alot of church talk without real action. Don't get into that rut. With Christ, you have the most inclusive good news story that was ever created. Act like you believe that!

Who is Discipling you? We all need someone, I have several, people in our lives that will speak truth in love as we do life and bounce things off of them. If we just walk thru life alone we will Always play it safe and aren't challenged. People that challenge us in our faith walk first, then our marriages, our families and our jobs. All of them tie together. Belief that they don't is a mistake. You do need people around you to tell you NO from time to time.

Take time today to first pray. Ask God...where do you want me to grow the rest of the year in my faith? Churches will be offering their fall classes soon, then how should I grown as a man in leading my wife and family.

What can I do to be challenged in growing this way? Pray for God to give you a name of someone to disciple you. Pray for God to give you a name of someone to Disciple and get busy at it.

Lord, we don't have any money in our budget to grow thru training what should I do to learn? Pick up a book on something you want to learn more about.

This summer at work, we are offering a Summer Book Club- Bring Your Own Lunch , expense to the company = the books. 22 associates signed up to read a book about time management and we will work in small groups discussing how we put things into place in our jobs and lives. Neat thing is the author has agreed to be on a teleconference at the end of our discussion to answer questions! When we finish I really believe everyone in there will have helped each other in their goal of reading this book and putting it into action.

Then next week sit down and chart by month what you are doing to do to be on your way to closing out 2010 in a intentional manner. Writing it down helps put it into action. Then place it in places so you will see it to remind you or in Outlook calendar etc.

Good luck, we will compare notes this January. May God Bless you in your walk with him.