It's A Law of the Universe

January 19, 1998 – Roy Miller wrote in his Monday Morning Memo – “Moments of emotional recovery are the best times to think about problems you have not been able to solve. Great, creative insights follow times of great stress. It’s a law of the universe.”

Some of you are on the verge of some of the greatest, most creative moments of your life. Some of you have had long…trying…draining…moments of stress. Unlike anything you have ever experienced in your life or perhaps unlike anything you will ever experience again. You have to know and you have to realize that while the moment you have been enduring may seem incredibly tough…you are about to experience one of the most creative and perhaps the greatest moment of your life.

The moments that follow the stressful time you have been enduring will be one of the greatest times of your life. You’re thinking will be expanded, your endurance will be greater, and your mental stamina will be at its peak. The challenge is to keep your focus clear while enduring the challenge. Allowing yourself to dream of what you will accomplish when your through the challenge while still maintaining a clear focus on the challenge at hand.

When you begin to recognize the stress of today as a launching pad for greater success tomorrow you will no longer look at stress the same way. While it may still be tough and it may not be all that fun you begin to see it as a good training program…much like the training program that a runner embraces on their way to their first marathon. Much like the challenge that the freshman college student embraces when they leave home for the first time…living in a dorm with a stranger…taking a full load of classes and working a part-time job that involves almost full-time hours. Much like the challenge a child embraces learning to ride their bike without training wheels for the first time.

Why do we lose our willingness to embrace the challenges that will take us to the next point in our life? Do we grow up so much that we no longer want anyone to see us falling down? Do we lose our enthusiasm for growth and learning? Do we instead decide that we can somehow bypass the natural “law of the universe” as Roy Miller puts it…and find a way that we can “buy” our experience? Or do we think that we are able to forego the schooling process because of a certain family that we are born into?

The truth is that when you understand the quote above…you begin to understand that there are no shortcuts. And as long as you have a desire to experience more and to go places that you haven’t been before you will have moments and periods of stress. You will have challenges that you don’t understand because you are traveling somewhere that you haven’t been before. Don’t fret and worry about it. Instead, embrace it as a soon-to-be marathoner embraces a proven training program.

John 8:12-14 – “’When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ The Pharisees challenged him, ‘Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.’ Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.’”

Here we read of Jesus...at the point of his greatest challenge and just moments after experiencing stress to the point of sweating blood. And yet just moments away from his greatest triumph and most creative insight known to this world. A law of the universe? I don't know if it proven enough to earn that title...but then again...perhaps?

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Are You Out of YOUR Mind...yet?

I believe one of the greatest struggles we face is the struggle to focus on the right thing. The struggle to look at the process and not the reward. The struggle to look at what we were created for and NOT focus on what doing what we were created for may fetch us in this world.

As we go through life and as we face the various challenges that come our way we tend to focus on what we perceive to be the most critical items rather than considering what God tells us is the most essential. Lately…in our country, there has been one overwhelming item that has taken the forefront position in the minds of most people. The economy and the overall crumbling of our financial system has been the lead topic of most news programs. And as I have mentioned before…I believe this leaves us as Christians with an incredible opportunity to be a witness and to be a comfort to the rest of the world around us.

I know some of you are thinking that you don’t seem prepared to be a witness or to be in a position to minister to others because you have more than enough issues of your own. I understand and I know what you are talking about. But your own current financial position has nothing to do with your ability to minister and be an example to those around you. It isn’t just about the position you are in…it is about how your attitude and how you deal with your position that becomes your testimony.

As Christians we have the “mind of Christ…” and as such we have to realize that we have the ability to think and see everything around as Christ himself sees it. Our Lord doesn’t ever worry…he sees the things that would cause worry as an opportunity for us to build our faith. He never sees the lack of ability in a person…he always sees the potential the perceived inability represents. Our Lord cannot recognize lack…instead he calls us to create. There was absolutely nothing prior to first day of creation…and out of this, just seven days later there is an earth and living creatures and us. The mind that created this world out of nothing is the same mind that we have been blessed with. So when we say we are lacking or short of anything and you are complaining to God about it…it is good for you to remember that God created all of this from nothing. And we now have this same mind of Christ within us.

The thing to do when you feel you need more and when you feel you are experiencing lack…the call then is for you to create. Follow the example that we are called to follow and create. We have the ability within us. We have been blessed beyond measure. The challenge is there for us to respond to. Are you going to sit there and complain or are you going to start fishing? (See last weeks Word if you don’t get this statement.)

One of the great stress producers in our own lives is when we are living incongruent lives…when our actions don’t line up with our values. I believe we also create stress and conflict when we are striving to make decisions based on God’s word but we don’t allow our minds to operate in the Christ mode that they now have as Christians. When you switch to the worlds way of thinking for your answers, while you are praying for God to give you your answer…you are bound to run into conflict.

Proverbs 19:20-21 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Security

It is incredibly interesting to me how different people react to situations that threaten their perceived security. I say perceived only because any security that comes apart from the security we have in Christ is only perceived. It is not real…and it is not going to last.

Lately there have been many opportunities to make these observations. Every day newspapers, websites, and tv have all been screaming at us about the lack of security…the lack of financial stability, and overall failing of our economic system. The reaction of one middle-aged man was particularly gut-wrenching when he took the life of his three children, his wife, and his mother-in-law before taking his own life. In the notes he left behind he blamed his actions on his inability to deal with the difficulties he was experiencing financially.

In another survey it was found that more than 80% of Americans are now stressed over finances and the economy. Granted…it is hard to ignore. If you even look at a newspaper or walk through a restaurant that has a tv on…you are going to be bombarded with news stories and articles relating to these items.

So how should we deal with this? What should our role be? The truth is that the tougher things get for the world…the greater our ability to shine comes through. While we certainly live in this world and we are aware of what is going on around us, we do not have to succumb to the same stresses that the world experiences because our security is not actually tied to this world. Our security is in Christ.

If you find yourself seriously stressing over what the economists are saying, or what you neighbor is complaining about, or what you are hearing on TV…put some serious thought into the question of “What is your security linked to?”

John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Enjoy a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Are You Going to Complain or Fish

I recall a familiar story about a game warden that received a shocking lesson on fishing.

It seems he noticed how this one particular fellow named Sam consistently caught more fish than anyone else. Whereas the other guys would only catch three or four a day, Sam would come in off the lake with a boat full. Stringer after stringer was always packed with freshly caught trout. The warden, curious, asked Sam his secret. The successful fisherman invited the game warden to accompany him and observe. So the next morning the two met at the dock and took off in Sam’s boat
.
When they got to the middle of the lake, they stopped the boat and the warden sat back to see how it was done.

Sam’s approach was simple. He took out a stick of dynamite, lit it, and threw it in the air. The explosion rocked the lake with such a force that dead fish immediately began to surface. Sam took out a net and started scooping them up.
Well, you can imagine the reaction of the game warden. When he recovered from the shock of it all, he began yelling at Sam. “You can’t do this! I’ll put you in jail buddy! You will be paying every fine there is in the book!” Sam, meanwhile, set his net down and took out another stick of dynamite. He lit it and tossed it in the lap of the game warden with these words, “Are you going to sit there all day complaining or are you going to fish?”

The poor warden was left with a fast decision to make. He was yanked, in one second, from an observer to a participant. A dynamite of a choice had to be made and be made quickly!

Life can be like that at times. We are thrown into a situation where we have to make a decision and we have to make it now. Before things blow up in our laps. In business it could be the ability to make some extra cash by bending the rules a bit further then they should be bent. At home you are faced with a decision your spouse made and you don’t agree with it; so you lose your temper in a fit of frustration. At an office party you are caught in a group that is talking about the boss…in a not so good way. Do you join in or walk away? You’re in a business meeting that affords a great opportunity, but the people you will be partnering with conducts their business in a way that you don’t agree with…but the opportunity is huge. What do you do?

We are faced with decisions every day of our life. Decisions that often are unexpected and unplanned…yet they require an answer immediately. Putting off a decision is an answer of its own. No matter what you do you are giving an answer. How do you handle that? How do you prepare ahead of time for such situations.

The disciples found themselves in such a situation. They had gone to pray with Jesus. Jesus was facing his destiny. The culmination of his purpose was here…and it wasn’t going to be pretty or easy. He was preparing spiritually and mentally for what he was going to face. A few times he had gone back to check on his disciples, only to find them fast asleep. The last time they were awakened it wasn’t by the gentle nudge on the shoulder from Jesus it was from unfamiliar voices…well, except for the voice of the one who gave Jesus a kiss.

They had found Jesus. His moment had arrived. The disciples, with sleep still in their eyes had to make a choice. Peter made his quickly. He drew his sword, he took a swing…and a miss…he only got the ear. Jesus rebuked Peter for his actions. Now what does he do?

The others all fled.

This was an incredibly tough situation that required an immediate decision. How do we prepare for such events? What can we do to better ready ourselves to make the right decision in potentially explosive situations?

Jesus had some advice for the disciples just prior to these events.

Mark 14:38 – “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak.”

Jesus, who was talking to Peter here, knew the situation that Peter would face. He knew that the loyalty Peter had pledged would be challenged and Jesus was telling him to watch and pray so that he would not fall into that temptation.

We all need to watch our situations. We know our weak points. We know what areas are vulnerable. Jesus tells us to watch these situations.

Also, we need to pray. Keep the dialogue going between God and us. Let him know our struggles. Tell him what is bothering you. And go forward with the realization that he has already blessed you with the ability to make it through…victoriously!

Watch and pray. Let’s do it!

Have a blessed day,

RodZ


© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Confidence + Perseverance = Reward

Hebrews 10:34-39 – “You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”

“So do not throw away your confidence.” Wow…what a great statement. “You need to persevere so that…you will receive what he has promised.”

Confidence + Perseverance = Reward

When our confidence and our perseverance are aligned with the will of God we will receive our reward. That is a promise I can sink my teeth into.

What does it mean for us? How does this play out in our world today?

I think the first few sentences of this passage bring this into our own world in which we live. It tells us that in spite of the prison and confiscation of property that these people held onto their confidence. They persevered. And they never lost sight of the reward that awaited them. What reward is that? It tells us the reward is the one he promised.

How important to know what promises are given to us in scripture so that we can believe and have faith in them and not lose sight of them. Some homework for you today…study the promises given us in scripture. But for the sake of today “Word” know that the promises given to us by God are good. In fact all of them are good. A God that is only good and has no evil within him is not going to promise his creation bad things for persevering in his ways.

So why do so many seemingly miss out on these promises? Why are there good people all over living good lives, but yet struggling day after day? Let me ask you this…Paul (the presumed writer of Hebrews), was writing to people who had loved ones in prison and had just had their property confiscated…yet he was commending their confidence and their perseverance and telling them their reward was on its way. The big difference is this…these folks had not taken the victim mentality I talked about a few days ago. In fact many of them I am sure were living with the champion mentality…in spite of what their circumstances were screaming at them.

Our mindset is not to be determined by the physical circumstances surrounding us. Our mindset is to be set by the promises given us in the Word of God. Our mindset should be the mindset of God. That is why scripture tells us we have “the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:16) On the way to the cross did Jesus see himself as a victim or as a champion? When he was standing before Pontius Pilate did he see himself as one defeated or as The Champion? Even while he hung on the cross…was he a victim or was he even then still showing people the amazing life that awaited someone just moments before their physical body expired?

These are the examples of the champion mentality we are called to. These are examples of what Confidence + Perseverance = Reward really means.

Embrace it. Live it. Reap it.

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

You Need a Gear Change, Son

You know…sometimes when you’re doing something that just doesn’t seem to be working you have to be willing to make a change. This weekend I had scheduled myself for a long training run. I am contemplating a very late fall race to participate in. But…anyways…I had my support crew with me which consists of my two sons on their bikes. At about mile 5 one of them began complaining about muscle soreness…not a good thing when we are looking to cover 20-miles. As we went along I asked him a few more questions as the soreness seemed to be persisting. Finally it clicked in my mind. He was pedaling in a low gear and his cadence on the pedals was just too high. This can be good…but only to a point. If you are pedaling too quickly it will begin to wear on your joints just as pedaling too slowly will begin to fatigue your muscles prematurely. What he was thinking was muscle soreness was really pointing more towards a tiring of the joints. Well, Mike made a gear change and within a couple of miles there was no more complaints. He finished strong. And even at mile 19.5, when I was beginning to feel some soreness from the long run…he looked over at me and reached out from his bike and patted me on the back and said, “You’re going to make it dad. You’re almost there.” You gotta love it!!

The point here is this; my son had to make a gear change. What he was doing may have worked in some applications but it wasn’t working for the ground we were looking to cover on Saturday. It was actually too easy of a gear, and while that may have been fine when we were covering only 5-10 miles wasn’t going to work for 20-miles. Some of you have grown accustomed to a gear that you are used to operating in and you have switched gears for a brief moment but quickly went back to the easier, lower gear because you didn’t like the resistance you felt when you made the change. But I am telling you that if you are going to actually be successful in covering the ground that you were meant to cover you are going to have to use all the gears that you have been blessed with. And sometimes that means using some of the gears that offer a bit more resistance.

What gear have you been operating in? Are you feeling some soreness from pedaling along in too low a gear…or maybe you have switched gears too quickly and you are dealing with muscle fatigue? Whatever the case…sometimes we don’t have to change directions, we just have to keep heading the same way and all we need is a gear change.

Whatever the case may be with where you are at…keep pedaling. Keep moving. Adjust as necessary and keep the forward progress.

Psalm 112:1-2;7-8 – “Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

The Mindset of a Champion

The thing that differentiates so many is the mindset that a person chooses to embrace day after day. Every day that we wake up we have to choose how we are going to approach the day. Will we approach it with the mindset of a champion? Or will we approach it with the mindset of simply a survivor or worse yet a victim?

Champion – Someone who is in control of their future. Decisions are made by what will get them to their destiny in the most efficient and beneficial way. Champions understand that their may be challenges or people that don’t share their enthusiasm to reach their destiny but they will not allow this to slow them down or distract them. In fact…their focus on their destiny prohibits them from spending too much time on distractions.

Survivor – Is someone who has made it through simply by their refusal to give in…yet they haven’t yet embraced the focus on their destiny just yet. They have faced the challenges, they are hanging in there, but they haven’t quite yet realized that they are in control of their future. Once they take that next step they will realize that they are more than just a survivor, they are a champion that is destined for greatness.

Victim – Is someone who has taken a chance, they have stepped out but when the challenges came from those who didn’t share their enthusiasm for the greatness destined for them…they became a victim of their attacks. They stepped down from the champion ranks, skipped survivor mode, and became a victim of those that didn’t want to see someone else survive where they had previously failed.

We all start our day with a mindset that fits into one of these three categories…perhaps in varying degrees…but still very present. In what way are you going to approach your day? Which mentality are you going to take hold of today? Which role will best describe you this evening when you play the recap of your days activities?

This morning…make the decision of how you will take hold of the day…and then make it happen.

Psalm 23:18-19 – “There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Focused On The Win

2 Samuel 22:2-3 – “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent men you save me.”

Psalm 31:24 – “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.”

Mark 9:23 – “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Greater things are yet to come. Greater things are still to be done. What you have done so far? The things that you have accomplished with your life…they are only a foundation for what you are still to do with the rest of your life. It doesn’t matter what your age…your background…your occupation…there is still more to be written with your life.

One of the most powerful practices we can employ is to focus on the goal at hand. Focus on our calling. Focus on what “winning” means to you. Focus on our purpose.

When Lance Armstrong joined Johan Bruyneel’s team he brought with him many great traits. A discipline of training that inspired the rest of the team…but he also brought with him a distraction. Lance had the habit of being extremely disciplined in answering emails and reading news articles written about the competing teams on the web. While that may be admirable it really wasn’t necessary to winning the race. It was actually becoming a distraction. And Johan recognized this and he had a talk with Lance and the rest of the team and put a policy in force that said it was time to leave the laptops at home. No computers allowed when they were on the road. And Lance fully supported it and backed the policy because although he enjoyed reading his emails and answering them he enjoyed winning more.

If you’re going to win it is going to take focus. Focus first on the scriptures above. Focus on the hope you have in the Lord and promises that he has made to us. Focus then on the purpose that you have been created for and for which you are living. And then focus on getting it done.

Take some time this weekend to bring a laser-like intensity to your purpose and calling and allow that to propel you to your next win!

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Catch Me if You Can

So when you come to a point that it seems you have tried all that you know to do yet you haven’t been able to resolve the issue at hand, what do you do? Isn’t this the magic question? The one that if you somehow had the answer to…and an easy answer at that…then you would be able to write the book that would put you on the bestseller list for sure.

The truth is that there is no easy answer for this. For each person it may be different. Each person is facing different situations, different circumstances, different challenges. So what do you do when you reach what appears to be the end of your knowledge…the end of your rope so to speak? This is certainly one of the most trying and difficult spots for us as people to come to. It takes us to a point of discomfort and uneasiness. It takes us to that place where each and every day has an element of unease about it. It takes us to the place of reliance and trust in something outside of our own selves. And you know that just is never a really comfortable place to be.

So what’s the answer for us? How do we find a way to deal with the unease that we are inevitably going to run into as we tackle situations that take us beyond where we have been before? We must learn to make the element of trusting in something outside of ourselves a more comfortable place to be.

I have on many occasions helped my children jump up high into the air…and then will catch them on the way down. The first few times of doing this brought a fair amount of apprehension on their part…but as we did it several times…over and over…they grew comfortable and confident in their jumps because they knew dad would catch them. They began to jump higher and higher, growing more and more daring with each consecutive jump.

And this is the same type of experience we can and will have as we grow in our faith and trust in Christ who will always catch us and will never allow us to fall.

So when you come to that point when you really don’t know what to do…look to that place of care that puts yourself in the arms of the One who can best handle all of our needs. It may be uncomfortable at first…but with time and with practice you can actually make this the most comfortable place to be.

Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Omaha Beach

"Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount." -- General Omar Bradley

General Omar Bradley was a 5-Star General in the US Army during World War II and was witness to many of the struggles faced during that time including the invasion on Omaha Beach…one of the fiercest and toughest battles of the war. A battle of proportion that the majority of us will never have to face.

I find the last sentence of General Bradley’s quote particularly interesting. As people with incredible minds and a vast amount of knowledge we have the tendency to over-think and over-complicate things. We do exactly as General Bradley mentions here. We dissect and figure out the mystery of the atom but we dismiss the Sermon on the Mount. While there is value and great benefit to be gained by figuring out the atom it is rather useless if we dismiss the simplicity of living to be gleaned in the Sermon on the Mount.

It is rather interesting to me also that Jesus, in all of his knowledge (of absolutely everything) shared what is considered…and rightfully so…the greatest sermon ever preached, and it basically amounts to about 10-minutes at the most of talking. In these several minutes of preaching Jesus laid out the principles for living. He gave us the knowledge we need to live successfully and peacefully. He laid out a plan to live our lives on and with purpose.

I think General Bradley in his experience and with what he saw and experienced during his lifetime was able to appreciate this. Having lived a life full of passion and total commitment to what he loved to do I believe he left very little on the table. He put it all out there. I totally believe that the reason so many people get caught up in complicating simple issues is because they have not totally committed themselves to what they are really called to do out of fear instilled in them by the world.

The world has set its standards and the world has laid out how you meet their standards. When you decide to persue something that looks different than this you are bound to meet criticism and skepticism. It is much more acceptable to work hard at something that looks more like the worlds accepted model but yet may not fit your purpose…and spend your extra time creating solutions to complicated issues that really don’t need to be solved…than it is to pursue your calling that doesn’t fit in the worlds box.

Jesus summed it up in the world’s greatest sermon that lasted ten-minutes or less. It isn’t complicated. It isn’t all that profound. But it is incredibly true and applicable.

If you’re called to grasp the mystery of the atom, then by all means do it. If you are called to sweep floors then do it well. But, if you’re called to grasp the mystery of the atom…don’t do it half-heartedly while dreaming of sweeping floors. And if you’re called to sweep floors don’t do it half-heartedly while dreaming of atoms.

General Omar Bradley had one thing on his mind as he and his men landed on Omaha Beach…he wasn’t thinking of anything else. That is the only way they made it through the invasion at Omaha Beach. Through perseverance and a commitment to his calling, General Omar Bradley had 35,000 men on the shore of a beach that stretched 5.5 miles long and a ½ mile wide. While they lost over 2,500 men…it could have been many, many more if any one of them had committed anything less than there all.

While you and I may not be in a battle that consists of bullets piercing the waters around us we know that the battle we are currently facing is no less real. The thing that will get us through is our commitment to stay true to our calling, and not allow the temptation to complicate the simple calling that rests on our life.

The truth is that even a calling that seems complicated to others will be simple to you if that is truly your calling.

Matthew 7:28-29 – “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

The Market That Keeps on Climbing

It can sometimes be tough to stay positive when everything else seems to be taking a negative turn. The past couple of weeks have found the newspaper headlines and the anchormen and women on our nations news programs sharing the negative news of the day. Financial giants that were the epitome of success in the financial world have come tumbling down. Others were bought out at the last second by other financial giants just moments before they would have crumbled as well.

Now, I am no financial expert and I won’t offer you any investment tips on how to handle your money during these interesting times…other than this one. If you find yourself breaking out into a cold sweat every time a bank fails or an insurance company takes a plunge I would suggest to you that perhaps you are placing your faith in the wrong market. The greatest investment that you can make is the investment that you make through your giving. It is truly the one market that has never had a down quarter and has never failed and has never come crashing down.

We need to recognize the Lord as our true source for everything that we need and everything that we require. He will not fail us and he will not leave us without meeting our needs. While we have our fair share of due diligence that we must conduct in regards to the decisions that we make…if we operate within the realms of the guidelines that the Lord sets out for us…when we operate in faith in Him, He will not fail us. He will always take care of us and our needs will always be met.

This can be a tough lesson to learn…especially in light of the current economic conditions, but quite honestly I can tell you that while I feel for what some people may be going through, I do not fret upon reading the headlines or listening to the news. I do feel bad for those that have placed their faith in these markets and it seems as though all they have may be on the verge of diminishing to only a fraction of what it once was. But, I also recognize that many, many people actually know or have heard or have read for themselves that God desires to be our true and only source but have instead purposely made the decision to place their faith in their investments and in their own bank accounts, thereby placing their faith in their own investing strategies rather than placing their faith and trust in God.

While I would never embrace the “kick them while they’re down” mentality and I am not about to begin doing that now; I will say that the current state of our markets will certainly be an opportunity for those of us who have purposely made the decision to place their faith in God as their source for everything, to share a very real message of hope in the midst of what is despair for many people.

Stay strong and stay positive. Put your faith in God and know that he has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He is always there for us and He loves us.

Hebrews 13:5-6 – “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”


Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

New Every Morning

Lamentations 3:22-24 – “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

It is very easy for me to recall the moments in my life that I lived with regret. The times that I second-guessed my actions and decisions. In fact it isn’t just me, I’ve seen it in people that were in the worlds eyes extremely successful. People that others would never envision as having to second guess what they had done or decisions that they had made. But when you get close to them. When you earn their trust…it comes shining through loud and clear. I’ve given up living like that. I no longer choose to second guess my decisions, rather I strive to make the right decisions in the first place as guided by the Holy Spirit and if it does appear that I have moved in the wrong direction I will learn from it and move on.

Many people live their lives in regret or in guilt of previous decisions or actions. This lingering guilt prevents them from totally experiencing the joy that the Lord desires for them to experience and because of this it also prevents them being all that they could and should be. If you have been a Christian for any length of time you have heard the scriptural phrase “His mercies are new every morning.” We have to recognize the fact that God’s love never ends. It never gives up. And his mercies renew us each and every day. The failings we may have had yesterday are gone today if we accept the Lord’s mercy and his forgiveness.

The cool thing is that we don’t have to pray for the Lord’s forgiveness because he has already done everything that needs to be done. It is finished, to put it in His own words. We just have to accept it and go with it. When we fall short…accept his mercy. When we mess up…accept his mercy. When we sin…accept his mercy. It is there, just waiting for us. It allows us to continually move forward in spite of our shortcomings and sinful nature.

While I don’t want to downplay the significance that the past plays in the lives of many people, I also want to recognize the significance that the Lord’s mercy can and will play in our lives if we accept it. For some people, it may require time dedicated to overcoming and dealing with the decisions that you have previously made. But for many, it may be as simple as accepting God’s mercy and forgiveness and applying it to the areas that are attempting to bring you down.
Today, make it a priority to forget the past and look forward to all that God has for you. Learn what you can from what you have already done and accomplished…and anything else from your past that doesn’t help or serve a purpose…forget it. Put it behind you and move forward. Better and stronger from what you have learned and not at all hampered by what you may have messed up because of the Lord’s mercies that are new every morning.

What a great way to start the day!!

Have a blessed one,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Yes...I Have a Facebook Page

I have a facebook page. Yep…a few months ago I decided to set up a facebook page. My children and my wife kind of thought I was a little nuts. But…that is nothing really new. I did it because there were several good friends that I had established relationships with over the years that now lived in other states and I thought it would be a way to keep somewhat connected. And it has…and I have enjoyed it.

I have noticed something though as I have been able to see how people interact on facebook. I see people with hundreds and hundreds of friends…and there is nothing wrong with that…unless people are spending hours and hours of their time interacting through the computer to the point that they have no time for genuine relationships.

I believe that in our culture we have begun to drift away from real genuine relationships of quality to surface relationships in quantity. I have always been a person who would pick quality over quantity any day. Even as a child…I would pick the higher quality toy over a lower quality toy even if it meant I would receive less in the end. As I grew older and began to buy things for myself I did the same. I built my stereo system as a young child in pieces because I would always buy the highest quality piece I could afford…even though it meant waiting to get the rest of the pieces I needed.

Now, relationships are much different than stereos and toys…but, the point here is this…if you begin to fill your life with strictly surface level relationships that use up all of your time to the point that you have no time left for real genuine relationships, then there is a problem.

Take a real look at the time you are spending on things that are not all that important. The things that really don’t add any level of quality to your life or living. Now consider what you could really do with that time if you chose to do something that did add to your life. Facebook is fun and great…but if it is consuming hours of your time sustaining relationships that won’t ever go beyond a computer screen, I think you may need to reconsider the value of what you’re doing.

Even Jesus knew that it was wise to choose a select few to have relationship with rather than a strictly surface level relationship with many.

Luke 6:12-13 – “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:”

Have a great and blessed weekend,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

But...what are you really capable of?

I think Christians sometimes confuse the idea that since life isn’t guaranteed to be easy once you embrace your relationship with Christ then that must mean that we are doomed to a life of struggling and mediocrity. I really don’t believe this is the case at all and I am sure many of you don’t either. But, as we strive to push forward and we decide to accept our position in Christ you are likely to encounter those that have this belief and will question your motivation for more.

As I wrote several days ago…it isn’t our position to judge other people, and I am very thankful for that. So the person that decides to be satisfied with very little…I am not going to judge, just as I won’t judge the person that desires more and more. But, I also would like to see more people opening up to the idea that God desires to bless us and prosper us. For far too long it has been accepted teaching that we should not pursue more and more. And we shouldn’t…if all we are doing is pursuing things for the sake of having more things. But, if we are doing it because we have been blessed with certain gifts and abilities to produce great things…then to do any less is dishonoring to God and it is like the servant who went and hid his talent so he wouldn’t lose it rather than produce more with it.

I strongly believe that many Christians have bought into this thinking…either somewhere in the back of their mind or perhaps they are very open and honest about it. And this has pushed back the thinking of other people to the point where it has hampered the effectiveness of Christians all over. Even for those that think they are on board with the idea that it is a Christians place to be blessed; even for these people, many times they will be almost apologetic for what they have. While we certainly don’t need to boast about what we have we shouldn’t find ourselves in the position of ever having to apologize for it either.

The basic idea here today is that we shouldn’t handicap our potential to fit into somebody else’s limited thinking. If you are finding yourself producing less…in any way, shape, or form than what you are truly capable of because of what other people may think than I believe you are buying into the enemies plan to lessen your overall effectiveness for God’s kingdom.

Matthew 25:15-30 – “To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. " 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'”

Just some thoughts for the day. Let me know what you think at Word for the Day.

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Road...What Road?

“Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.” – Lin Yutang

A big part of succeeding where others have failed is the ability to see hope where others see none. Just as the quote above puts it in the context of a road that others do not see, so does hope exist for those who choose to see it where others cannot.

There are certainly those that are reading this today that are walking down a road that is currently overgrown with tall weeds, thistles, and even perhaps a few strands of poison ivy. As long as you choose to see the road that for most doesn’t quite exist you will arrive at the destination that you are envisioning. As you started down this path you could see the end. It was the very thing that spurred you on down this road that looked more than a little uncomfortable. It was the thing that caused you to keep going even though after just a few steps you were already feeling the effects of the first few thistles and weeds. It was the vision that allowed you to see the road that to others did not exist.

So what do you do when you reach a point that the weeds are so tall that you can’t see the destination any longer? You need to keep moving. You keep moving in the direction of the destination. You keep pushing through. The tall weeds won’t last forever and very soon you will again be able to see your destination. And before long there will be others following behind you, following your path, and this is how roads are made to places where roads never before existed.

It certainly is much more comfortable to walk the roads and the paths where they exist…but these roads will only take you to places that many people have been before. This is fine if “safe” is what you are looking for. But if you are looking to go where others have not yet gone…than expect to walk some roads that others cannot see.

Don’t turn back just because you’ve encountered some thistles and thorns. There will be a clearing just ahead that will again offer you a glimpse to where you are headed and what is in your future. It will again remind you of the very thing that set you down this path.

Isaiah 42:16 – “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

What Separates the Best from the Very Best?

In 1980 he was speed skating himself to 5 Olympic Gold Medals in Lake Placid. Five years later he was cycling himself to a U.S. Professional Cycling Championship. Today he is widely respected Orthopedic Surgeon. I would have to say that Eric Heiden is an ambitious guy. And I would also say that he learned some lessons along the way.

People will sometimes ask me why I pursue or why I enjoy endurance sports. They will ask me what would drive me to do an Ironman. A part of it is the quality of life it gives me. The feeling of being healthy and having the endurance to outlast your children. But the other part of it is the sense of accomplishment. The confidence that you gain when you set a lofty goal and achieve it. For me, it was easier to set a lofty goal in the physical realm and use that to spur me on in other areas. But for others, it may be quite different. They may have to use achievement in a different area to spur them on in the physical realm.

“Once I had that confidence, the sky was the limit.” – Eric Heiden

“What I think separates the best from the very best is the degree of mental toughness.” – Eric Heiden

While there may be the occasional overnight success…for most, if not nearly all…success is a process. It is a continual effort of putting forth your very best, and being unwilling to give up…ever. At some point in this process many people make the decision to give up…they cave to the pressures of mediocrity…they listen to the voices of those that have been in similar positions and gave up before they reached the success that was awaiting them. And the sad thing is that these people usually don’t want to see others succeed where they have failed. But for those that choose to stay the course and not give in to the negative thoughts and the negative words of others; they will have the opportunity to experience the success that awaits them

Take a thorough survey of your current situation…determine where you are in this process and what steps you should be taking and the steps you have already taken. Where have they gotten you? Where are you now?

God has incredible plans for you…plans to prosper you and give you a future. What are you going to do with these plans?

Psalm 33:11-12 – “But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

(Should) You Be the Judge?

How do you become the person that God has created you to be? Is it a formula or a particular track that you can take that if you follow steps a, b, and c will get you to where you want to go? I don’t really think so. I think the Bible has many moral absolutes that are purely black and white and you know exactly where you are based on the decisions you make in those situations. But outside of that I believe the Bible has very clear direction but it can vary from person to person depending on where they are in their walk with Christ.

I believe this is why God made the call that he alone would be the judge. He alone will make the call on who makes it to heaven and who doesn’t…on who is walking in His perfect will and who is not. I am so thankful for that fact. I am so thankful that God will do all the judging and I don’t have to worry about other people’s actions, decisions, choices, or words. I only have to watch what I allow into my life and think about my own actions.

We certainly need to be concerned about others and it is our responsibility to share the knowledge of what we know with those that we have opportunity to share with. But…we don’t have to think about judging their decisions or their actions. In my own life, the actions and deicisions of others will help determine what, if any place they have in my life, but I don’t expend any amount of energy judging these people.

I believe this is another area the enemy has had a undeserving impact on the Christian community. People have gotten so totally consumed with judging others that they have lost track of their own mission and purpose. This is not God’s plan…but it is the enemy’s subtle distraction that if gone uncorrected will keep you from being the person God created you to be.
The message today? Concentrate of being everything God created you to be and don’t allow yourself to get caught up in the actions and decisions of other people.

John 6:37-38 – “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

What Did You Say?

How do you talk? I don't mean how do you form your sentences or pronunciate words...I am talking about what type of talk do you regularly participate in? I have had the opportunity to be around a wide variety of people, and in all the people I have met I have never met a successful pessimist. The two words just really don't go together. They are almost polar opposites. Success is defined with words like favorable, prosperous, positive while pessimism is defined with words like negative, evil, or bad.

We must choose our words carefully. What you say is often what you tend to get. If you are continually speaking negative thoughts have no surprise when you tend to get negative outcomes. If you are speaking in a positive fashion then have no surprise when you have positive outcomes.

I continually find myself having to speak positive words into situations that seem destined for a negative outcome. It is our choice how we choose to view our situations and how we choose to respond to the circumstances around us. Every day you face situations and challenges that require you to make a decision as to whether you will accept a negative report or whether you will see the positive. What will you choose to do?

In your day-to-day situations you have to ask yourself "what outcome will glorify God?" We should always strive to bring glory to God. I know that I have made it through many different situations because God gave me the ability. It is He who gives us the strength and this is what glorifies God. Today you may face a decision, a situation, a challenge that requires you to make a choice as to whether you will see it as a negative or whether you will see it as a positive opportunity for God to be glorified. If you begin to speak in a negative fashion about the situation, you are setting your own course. Choose your words carefully. God and the enemy are always listening…what will they hear?

Luke 6:45 - "A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart."

Have a blessed day,
RodZ

© 2008 - Rodney Zimmerman - All rights reserved

Olympic Dropout

The final miles of the marathon. The descent from the mountaintop. The final ten miles of a century ride. The delivery after you’ve closed the deal.

These are the moments that really count. There have been many who have started a truly great race and showed some promise but it isn’t how you start that ever truly counts…it is how you finish that matters and it is how you finish that that brings the reward.

In the 2004 Athens Women’s Marathon, Paula Radcliffe was favored to win, and she looked the part in the beginning. She was the one setting the pace and continued to do so up until mile 17. At this point Paula Radcliffe showed signs of weakening and by mile 21 she had dropped out of the race.

Of course everybody can have a bad race or a bad day and to focus on one event for one athlete is really unfair. But history nearly repeated itself in 2008. Again Radcliffe helped set the pace early on, leading the international pack of contenders for the gold…but this time Radcliffe did finish the race…although it in was 23rd place.

Although she is a world record holder in the marathon, her performances in the Olympics are not very memorable. One has to wonder why somebody with the obvious talent and ability can’t seem to perform in the Olympic arena? And it really doesn’t matter how well she sets the pace in the beginning…there are no medals for that. It is all about who crosses that finish line first.

Many of us are running our own Olympic Marathon in one sense or another. For many it isn’t just a matter of whether we get a medal or not…it is a matter of surviving…in the sense of how we see survival. It is a matter of staying in the race, fighting for the finish.

The truth is Paula Radcliffe learned a valuable lesson in 2004. She learned the difference between dropping out of such a high profile race and fighting to stick with it and finishing. Her 2008 finish wasn’t quite as inspirational as it would have been if she had fought to the finish in 2004. In 2004 she would have been perceived as somewhat of a heroic athlete pushing through just to finish…in 2008 it was viewed as trying to avoid another Olympic dropout.

Whatever race you are in right now…if it is worth running, run it well. Don’t drop out; and keep running until you cross the finish line. Don’t let up and don’t give in.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

Visit my blog at Word for the Day

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Idleness is Not Resting

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time." -- Sir John Lubbock

God’s Word does not warn us against resting…but it does warn us against being idle. There is an important difference between the two and I believe that our refusal to differentiate between the two has been a hinderance to many people receiving the rest they need and deserve.

IDLENESS: Not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing: not spent or filled with activity; not in use or operation, not kept busy; habitually doing nothing or avoiding work, lazy; of no real worth or importance or significance; having no basis or reason; baseless; groundless; frivolous, vain; meaningless, senseless; futile; unavailing.

REST: The refreshing quiet or repose of sleep; refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor; relief or freedom especially from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs; a period or interval of inactivity, repose, solitude, or tranquility; mental or spiritual calm; tranquility.


As you can plainly see from the definitions there is a huge difference between idleness and rest. There are two common problems that prevent people from receiving the rest they need.
· They confuse rest with being idle and therefore feel guilty when they rest so they don’t do it. When you rest you are purposely setting aside time to refresh and gain the refreshing you need. You purposely don’t answer your phone or check your emails and you don’t spend time thinking about your responsibilities or challenges that you are currently facing. You set time aside to rest and to be refreshed. Everybody needs this and if you don’t purpose to do it you will eventually face burnout.
· The other common problem people face with the differentiation of rest and idleness is they think they are resting but they are actually just being idle. This is a very frequent occurrence. They really aren’t doing anything so they think they are resting but yet they are checking emails, they are watching to see who calls, they listen to their voicemails and while they are doing nothing they are pondering the issues that they will face come Monday morning. While they have been idle they certainly have not rested and they are anything but refreshed.

People talk a lot about the quality of multi-tasking. And multi-tasking can be good at the right time and in the right moment, but I believe many people live their life in multi-task mode. They are continually and constantly doing one thing while thinking about something and that has crept into our time of rest and refreshing. This is how we have turned times that used to be productive rest times into moments of idleness. It is the enemies attempt to turn something that is great into something that is detrimental.

Whatever you do…if it is worth doing…do it with purpose and with passion. There will be brief moments when multi-tasking may be necessary…but if this is how you are living your life you need to take an inventory and see what good thing has crept in and is keeping you from the greatness that God has for you.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-7 – “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you,”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Time to Get Up!

Have you ever wondered what it was like for the disciples and apostles when they woke up? Have you ever wondered what their world looked like? How they motivated themselves from day to day? What kept them moving once Jesus ascended back to heaven? Once He was gone? They had their plans of what His “Kingdom” would look like; and now He was gone. Those plans just went up in smoke…or was it a cloud?

We all have our days where we can’t wait to get going. You have plans made, deals to close, a schedule to keep and you are lovin’ it! But, then you have your days where you just aren’t feeling your game. You keep going, but getting up in the morning certainly isn’t as easy and as exciting as it is some days. You know you have to stay positive, but how?

I have had the fortunate opportunity to know enough people to realize that being positive is not an automatic for anybody. Nobody is just positive all the time. And success doesn’t just happen for anybody either. The disciples and the apostle’s accomplishments have been recorded in the all time best-selling book in history for all to read. We look to them for inspiration and we read about their accomplishments as motivation for our own lives. But, they too were just people. They were really no different than you and I. So I know that they struggled on some days just as you and I struggle to get up and face the day with the attitude that we know we should.

So, how does that person that you see as the ultimate example of attitude and success do it? They make a choice. They decide what they are going to focus on and then they stick to it. For many of us it is a matter of emotion rather than a matter of decision. We feel one way and that is what we base our current actions on. We can’t do that. Emotions can and will misguide us. There certainly are times that a change of plans are in order, but don’t do it as a reaction to some emotional feeling. Make a change of plans because it is the right thing to do.

When you focus on what is right you will win the game. When you allow yourself to be distracted, when you react to emotions, you are bound to get off course.

Philippians 4:4-9 - “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! Let everyone see your gentleness The Lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.”

I think this scripture gives us the perfect answer to our question. How do you get up morning after morning with the right attitude? You do it by being anxious…never. And trusting God for everything. And by focusing on only those things that are pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Don’t focus on anything else. Do what you have committed to do and focus only on these things.

Have a blessed day,

RodZ


© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

It's Not So Much What you Think

The Bible is full of encouraging words. It is full of promise for those who believe. It is full of powerful statements for our lives. It is full of God’s plan for our lives.

What we have to do though is turn those statements…those thoughts into reality for ourselves. We must take what was written thousands of years ago and make it a reality for our world today. It is interesting to hear Christians in churches all over talk about God ordering our steps; God’s plan and God’s purpose for our lives, that it is his will for our lives that we are seeking.

Well, it is all laid out for us in a little book called the Bible. We are able to turn all of those promises, all of those powerful statements into reality when we begin to speak what was written for us thousands of years ago. Often we tend to get caught up with speaking what seems reasonable or socially acceptable rather than speaking what is actually the truth from God’s word. And while there are ways of speaking God’s word in a way that can fit the substandard living that many people choose to accept, the truth remains that it is God’s desire that we be blessed and that we live in a way that glorifies God to the world around us. The truth is that all of us who live in America are blessed. From the richest to the poorest…we truly are blessed. But I believe that many, many people settle for a level of blessing that is far less than what God has for them.

The cause can be that people just become complacent and don’t desire to push on any longer. It can be because they don’t want the ridicule that often comes along with trusting God for more…and especially when they are trusting for much more. (Sadly this often comes from other Christians.) Or they don’t want to risk losing what they already have, even though they believe that God has more for them.

The standard isn’t the house you live in or the car you drive…the standard, which we are to measure by, is how are we measuring up against what God has planned for our life. What desires has God placed within you? Take a survey of yourself today and begin to speak aloud the plans that God has for your life…and realize the difference between what is thought and what is spoken.

1 Peter 4:10-11 – “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Give Me a Challenge

This past summer I had the privilege of coaching a couple of athletes who were competing in their first ½ Ironman Triathlon. I say it was a privilege because it was almost as rewarding to see them attempt and achieve their goal as it was for me to attempt and achieve my own goals. In fact helping them achieve their own goals was helping me achieve one of my goals.

One of the comments that I received from them was especially revealing to me about what this whole coaching relationship is about. The comment was this… “It’s because of your crazy challenges that I made it through.”

Throughout the training process and on the day of the race, I threw out some crazy challenges. And I didn’t do it half-heartedly or sarcastically…I really meant them. I knew that for these guys the challenges would mean something. They were a stretch, but for them they were achievable, if they believed and if they had a desire, which I knew they did.

Last night as I read this comment several times I began to get it. I began to get that this closely resembles what God does for us. Sure, there is more to it than just this one facet, but this is a part of it. God lays out some pretty audacious challenges. He lays out some pretty big claims for those that believe and he also gives seemingly endless rewards for those that believe and for those that have a desire to achieve.

Last night I also thought about the fact that if I can get pretty excited about seeing a couple of guys achieve the physical goal of completing this race, just think about the joy that God receives when he sees us setting and achieving goals with our life. Just as I was proud to say “Hey, see that guy, I was his coach.” So is God eager for the world to see us accomplishing big goals and giving him the bragging rights of saying “Hey world…see that guy who is out there getting it done…he’s mine!”

Perhaps this is why scripture uses the illustration of the athlete and the challenge to win and the metaphor of running the race over and over. I am all for embracing the physical challenges and taking them on…but if all the challenges in your life are tied up in the physical you are really missing it. These can help give you a balanced life and can help keep you in top physical shape. But if you don’t take on similar challenges in your mental and spiritual sides of your life you will be missing out on the fullness of life that God planned for you.

Get out there…taken on the challenge…and embrace those crazy challenges that the coach is dishing out.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 – “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

What Are You Thinking?

What do you expect for your future? What are you expecting to take place?

It really amazes me when people wonder why things aren’t really going the way they would like them to go, or when they complain about the unsatisfactory state of their existence and yet when you ask them, “What do you think your future looks like?” they have nothing positive to say.

There is a lot of truth to the old saying that you get what you expect…but it holds a lot more weight when what you expect lines up with what scripture says. It is just rather sad to see so many good people without any type of positive expectation for the future.

It is true that scripture says that in this world you will have trouble. And I can honestly attest to the fact that this is true. There is trouble in this world and we are no exception to this. But also, we have everything it takes to overcome those troubles. We have everything required to walk directly through these troubles unscathed and without experiencing any harm what-so-ever.

But, to accomplish this you must first be connected to the power God has available for us. We must tap into that and harness that power. Then we must believe in it. We must believe and have faith in the power made available to us through the Holy Spirit. And then we must act on it. When we are asked what’s ahead for us…it should be nothing but positive comments coming forth. To have anything less…or to answer with something negative is pretty much guaranteeing you that this is what you will encounter.

I don’t want anybody to think that I live under some illusion that when you become a Christian that your life is some walk-through-the-tulip-park kind of existence. That is not what it is all about. You don’t have to look any further than the life of Jesus himself or of the disciples to see that even though they walked hand-in-hand with Jesus himself, yet they still had many, many challenges.

But…they never gave up and they never gave in. In spite of all the challenges they faced they still walked in victory and they still believed for the best outcome…always.

It is extremely important that you ask yourself on a regular basis “What am I expecting for my future?” Because what you’re expecting affects what you say and how you act…and these are the things that affect what we get.

John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Better To Be Short Handed

A few weeks ago I mentioned a church I enjoy watching once in a while on the web. It is New Spring church in South Carolina. You can check it out at www.newspring.cc They have a great website and they do an awesome job making their services available online after the fact, and it appears that they have an awesome worship team.

This last week I was watching one of their services and something really jumped out at me. It was one of their guitar players and what was strange was that his face appeared almost emotionless. Now…in many settings this would not be strange at all. It would be almost normal. But here, it stuck out like a sore thumb, because in almost every other shot and in every other service I have watched every musician and every singer shows so much passion for what they are doing. They are totally into it. So when I saw this one person seemingly rather emotionless it really stuck out. Now in all fairness it was probably just this one shot or this one moment…but it was apparent.

This made me think…the higher our level of performance, the better we become at what we do, the higher our expectations, the more passionate we become about what we are doing, the more important it is that everyone that is working alongside us be totally on board with what we are doing and what we are about. Because as this one shot showed; as the standard is raised, anybody or anything that reflects less than this will stand out. The people that were once serving alongside us in unity may no longer be able to do so if they have chosen to remain at the same level that they were previously.

When Jesus first began calling his followers he had quite a crowd. But as time went on and his ministry developed and expectations were raised and the challenge was put out there those that decided to stick with him became fewer and fewer. And at one point he even looked at his disciples and asked them if they too were going to leave him and walk away.

The call to be a Christian is open to everyone. It is available to all. But at what level are you content to be at. Are you willing to settle for the just making it into heaven bunch or are you one who is going to strive to perform at the highest level. If you are going for the highest level there are those that you will leave behind. I don’t think Jesus lost much sleep over those who decided to walk away. He wasn’t busy chasing them down. Instead he was focused on what was ahead, and he continued to raise that standard higher and higher.

Take a look around you today and survey those who are willing to continue to grow in the direction you are headed and those that seem to be holding you back. If there are people who are continually holding you back and pushing you down it may be time to make a separation. Better to be short handed than to have that hand connected to an anchor that is weighting you down.

John 6:60-67 – “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

I Love Fall...Not the Act

I love Fall. Not the act…rather the season. And this past Sunday I had the opportunity to get out and ride the Door County Century ride at the very beginning of the Fall Season. It’s an organized fun ride that takes you through a good portion of Door County WI and I had an invitation from one of the sponsors to ride with them. It was an absolutely beautiful day and it was a lot of fun to connect with some of my friends from the area.

As I had the opportunity to ride and to talk with my friends I began to realize just how blessed we are in so many ways. We are really blessed…but we have to first accept the blessing and then we have to believe that we are blessed and we also have to act on the blessing. Many times people will read scripture that tells them they are blessed and then they walk away and talk about how tough and horrible their life is. And they make decisions based on worse case scenarios…basically making decisions on the belief that they will be cursed rather than blessed. And then they will wake up the next day and read some more scripture that again tells them they are blessed and they will go to church and sing songs about being blessed and yet they will walk away and make the same decisions based on worst case scenarios.

I know there are people who wonder and those who actually tell me that I am lucky or that somehow things often just seem to go my way. I have to be honest and tell them it is God’s favor working in my life. But it doesn’t just magically happen. I believe for it. I believe it will happen long before it does. I just naturally assume things will go my way…and if ever they don’t I don’t suck my thumb about it I will get back up and take another run at it…all along believing that things will go my way.

Sounds easy enough…doesn’t it? But, one of the things with this approach is that there may be times when it is months and months of believing…during a time when you want things to happen in days or at the most a few weeks. Or it may even be years of believing…when you really think you need it to happen in must months. During these moments it is critical that you do not give up. You do not give in. You never stop beleving and you never doubt.

When you allow doubt to creep in and take the place of faith you are in for a very rough ride. James tells us that it is akin to being tossed about by huge waves while on a small raft. You are definitely a bit out of control in this situation…and you are out of control when you begin to doubt. You are giving in to the thoughts of this world and of the enemy rather than the thoughts of what God has planned for your life.

Don’t just read about being blessed…know that you are and then act on that knowledge. Today…be blessed!!


James 1:6-8 – “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Just Do It!

This weekend…during the previous two years…my family and I were all down in Madison for Ironman Wisconsin. To be honest…as I watched portions of the live video stream from the comfort of my office…I really did miss being there. Seeing the athletes crossing the finish line with the look of accomplishment on their face, mixed with the look of total physical exhaustion…I really did miss it.

It is so interesting to think back to three years ago watching this same live video stream from my home in Green Bay and talking back and forth on the phone with a friend wondering if I was really going to register the next morning. The nervous anticipation of not really knowing exactly what I was committing to. Now…I look longingly and consider when and where my next Ironman will be. One thing I do know is that my frame of reference has changed to knowing that I can do it…it is just a matter of how well and where I will finish.

Every experience and every situation that we face in our lives helps shape this perception. The ability to envision and see ourselves doing something that seems nearly impossible is only accomplished by stretching the limitations that we put on our thinking.

What circumstances…what situations…what type of environment has shaped your thinking of what is really possible to accomplish in your life? What things have tried to tell you NO to what is possible when the answer really should be YES? Begin to take small steps…then bigger steps…then huge steps towards your destiny…towards the position that God has created just for you.

Dream it…Believe it…Then Do It!!

2 Corinthians 10:15-16 – “Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Drastic Change in Temps

There’s been a drastic change in the weather here in Wisconsin the last couple of days. Monday and Tuesday we experienced some of the warmer temperatures of the year. High 80’s to low 90’s. And yesterday I don’t think we even reached 60 degrees. This makes the change feel even more dramatic. And it reminds me of the changing season that is coming.

I’ve written about the changing seasons of our lives a couple of different times. And I know and realize that there is a time and a season for everything. There is a time to be born and there is a time that we will die…at least for our earthly body. A time to sow and a time to reap. A time to give and a time to receive.

We’ve all met the people who seem to be stuck in the “time to receive” mode, even though they don’t seem to be doing much of it…and we can’t see where they have ever entered the time to give mode...which explains the lack of receiving. And on the opposite side of things we see the people who really struggle with the time to receive. Oh, in their flesh they want to receive but in the spiritual side of things they really don’t know how. They are unsure how they can make this happen. And for some reason they almost feel guilty being on the receiving end.

But we need to know that it is really a part of God’s plan for our life to bless us and to give to us. He wants us to be in the receiving mode…it is part of his concept and part of his design. He created the world with abundance. And to whom do you think he wants this abundance to go to? Does he desire it for his people or for those who are walking in darkness? But his people have to learn the concept of laying hold of the treasures, laying hold of the abundance that he has purposely placed here. But…he also put certain rules and methods of operation in place to be able to receive and this is what Solomon was referring to when he said that there is a season for everything. Summer doesn’t take place without the spring and spring doesn’t happen without a winter. And reaping doesn’t take place without sowing first.

Where are you in your seasons right now? Have you been sowing for what seems to be an eternity but have yet to do any reaping? Remember there are seasons for everything. Would a farmer continue to sow where there is no reaping? Would God want us to live a life where we are always sowing but we are not reaping anything?

There is so much more to this than what I can cover in a short letter. But if you seem to be stuck in a mode of sowing without reaping I would encourage you to check a few things:

· Are you sowing in fertile ground – When you give your first fruits and your offerings are they going into a ministry that itself is producing fruit? Just as a farmer will not throw good seed on bad soil…we should not sow our first fruits and our offerings into a ministry that is not producing.
· Are you declaring a return when you sow? When you write out that check or sow that offering, are you commanding and declaring what you expect? Let the enemy know that what you are doing is more than just a ritual…you expect a return…you are promised a return and you will receive a return. It is written in God’s Word!!
· Live your life expectantly – When you do this you should plan accordingly. Expect it to happen. This is what God asks us to do. He wants us to live in faith…seeing things that are not as though they are. Live it out and live expectantly.

I don’t want to oversimplify…study this yourself. Look up the scriptures. And know for certain that just as you sow…you will reap. 30 – 60 – 100 – unlimited returns!! This is what God desires for us.

Matthew 13:23 – “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Prepared and Qualified

"To every man there comes in his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour." – Winston Churchill

I think Winston Churchill is a very inspirational man in many different ways and certainly lived out his finest hours amidst some extremely difficult and tough situations. But as I read and re-read this quote by him I wondered to myself if a person is really just given one opportunity or one chance to achieve something truly great. In some ways yes…we are each given our opportunities to go out and achieve something truly great...and yes we should strive to make sure that each and every day we are living our lives as though today is the day we will see something great happen. But I also believe that it happens not just during one moment of our life…but rather this takes place many different times during our lives.

Those moments when we miss an opportunity can be tremendous growing times for us. These are moments that should awaken us to the reality of what we missed and then realize it and learn from it. We then should move on and move ahead with a newfound readiness and awareness so that this missed opportunity situation will not happen again.

If you truly desire to live life to its fullest you will want to find yourself prepared and qualified for opportunities when they are presented to you. You will want to always be ready to take advantage of those moments so you can achieve everything that God created you to be.

When you consider Winston Churchill’s perspective you can understand what he was talking about. The moment in which he was seemingly prepared for and thrust into was a situation that most likely would not come across his path more than once during his lifetime. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime situation and he had only one chance, one opportunity to get it right.

Most of us will not be placed in the position of Winston Churchill but none of us can afford to waste an ounce of our talent. An ounce of our giftedness. The cost is too great. Look at today as another day of preparing…or perhaps today is the day that you are given the opportunity to show your preparedness and your qualifications!

2 Timothy 4:2-3 – “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

Hey Coach!!

I got an email from the coach I hired while training from my first Ironman yesterday. Reading the email and thinking back on the intensity of that training and the single-mindedness I had during that period brought back some great feelings. I never met my coach…he was in Oregon and I was in Green Bay, WI. We talked regularly on the phone and he did the rest by email and an online training program.

The relationship of a coach and an athlete is a special relationship. The balance between pushing a person to achieve their best while still keeping it obvious that you are in their corner believing in them is a special ability. And the willingness to prescribe workouts that are seemingly a punishment but still knowing that this is the best thing for them.

I never doubted my coach’s intentions when he prescribed a 6-hour ride followed by an hour plus run. He did it because he knew that this is exactly what I needed to finish the race that I was endeavoring to run. He did it because he knew that at some point during my race that I would draw strength from that particular workout. He did it because he believed in my ability to run the course that I had set out to run.

Today I look forward to my next Ironman…I’m not sure when that will be…but I look forward to it because I will once again hire this coach to help me work through the process of achieving that goal and running that course once again. And I will beat my previous best time. I know what it is like to run this race with a coach and I also know what it is like to run this race without a coach. I’ve done it both ways and I have witnessed the results of both. I did much better with a coach.

Everyone is certainly not called upon to run such races. We are all wired a little differently and we all have different passions and different areas of giftedness. But if there is something I have learned through this process is that the relationship of a coach and an athlete doesn’t have to be limited to just physical endeavors. Any challenge…whether it is business, life, relationships, or athletics can benefit from having a coach or a mentor. Be open to finding yours.

Embrace life and run the course you are on to the fullest.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

A Real Perception Shaper

Our experiences shape our perception. How we perceive the challenges we face in life is shaped by the previous experiences we have had. Ask the average American middle-school child to run 5 or 6 miles and they will look at you as though you have asked them to climb Mt. Everest. Pose the same question to a child from Kenya and they will knock out the miles like it was nothing. Same challenge – different perspective – different response.

Yesterday we attended a Labor Day Parade in my small hometown where my parents still live. It is about 20 miles from our home and my wife suggested I use this as a training run. So I did…but I prefer company so I asked my two eight year old sons if they wanted to come along. I let them know there were some pretty good hills and it wouldn’t be easy and we would be leaving the house at around 6 AM. They both said yes. And when my wife asked if they were sure, one of them said “Yes, I want the challenge and you always say we can do anything with God.”

Well, morning came and we set out and they never complained, they never walked an inch of the hills, they rode the whole distance and when we arrived they both could have kept on riding.

This experience will help shape their perception of what a long ride is. At eight years old 20-miles on the bike has now become ordinary and very doable. The bar has been raised. If you want to create a challenge for them you will have to throw out something quite a bit bigger than 20 miles.

When Jesus said everything is possible for him who believes you have to realize that what you can truly believe is possible is shaped by our perception. If you can’t wrap your mind around it how can you really believe it is possible? One way to help you enlarge your thinking is by enlarging your experiences. Does this raise the opportunity for challenges? Does it raise the opportunity for failure? Yes it does. But there is no other way to get the experience that will allow you to shape your perception that will allow you to believe for the “anything is possible” that Jesus is referring to.

One of the problems so many people have is that they want to claim this scripture for things that they really can’t believe for, nor are they willing to pay the price of the experiences that will raise their level of perception that will then allow them to truly believe. My sons raised their perception today, but it came at the cost of the experience. They were up at 5:30 AM, they pedaled up the hills, and they kept going even when they may have preferred to stop.

Are you limiting your level of perception and thereby limiting what you can truly believe is possible? If you are I would encourage you to open yourself up to some experiences that will raise that level of perception. Then you will be able to read this scripture with a newfound sense of what belief is really all about.

Mark 9:21-24 – “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved

What Have You Created Lately?

What have you created lately? Creating something doesn’t just have to come from making something, drawing something, building something, or writing something. Creativity can come in many shapes and in many forms. It is one of the things that truly separates us from the rest of creation. We have the ability to create unlike any other part of creation. We were made in the image of God who is the epitome of creating. We fulfill a portion of our purpose and we glorify our own creator when we are creating.

Unfortunately the world has done a pretty good job of stepping in and fulfilling the role we as Christians should be filling. As Christians…connected with the power of God and blessed with the mind of Christ…we should be creating more than any other group on the face this earth. We should be the ones setting the standard for which the rest of the world is left wondering, “How do they do that?”

We share an advantage that just cannot be overcome. It cannot be competed with. It is impossible to best. We have within us the mind of Christ…

Be creative today and don’t limit your understanding of what creativity is.

1 Corinthians 2:10-16 – “The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved