visitors

i have the ability to check who looks at the blog and where they are from. so far i have hits from Florida, South Carolina, New York, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, California, Colorado, Louisiana and Italy. Italy? If you are from one of these states, please leave me a comment and let me know how you found the blog. Do we know each other?



until next

early morning

I woke up early this morning. How about 4:15 am! I knew when I woke up there was no going back to sleep. My mind was in full mode. I wake my wife up at 4:45 and ask her, "do we need milk for the baby?" i know. stupid question. what person wants to be awakened with that question. she answered as only she could, "you want to go the store at 4:30 and get milk?" YES. so i did. i showered, dressed for work, brushed the teeth, etc. and went to everyone's favorite store, Wal-Mart.

There are short lines at 5:15 in the morning at Wal-Mart.

It's now 6:11 am. The house is quiet and dark. The brightness of my laptop cascades a small light in the room. just enough to see a silhouette of things. the smell of the fireplace looms strong. it's nice this time of morning. as i sit i think of the lyrics to a song i love. they go like this (sing them to whatever tune you like),

"i'll never be the same, no, i'll never be the same.
cause i know that you're alive and you came to fix my broken life.
i'll sing to glorify your holy name, Jesus Christ.
fire fall down. fire fall down...on us we pray."

may you experience the quietness of soul and spirit today, so that if HE were to just whisper your name, you would hear it. i pray for those reading this today to experience the tenderness of God's goodness, the extravagance of His kindness and the satisfaction of His love.

until next time....

perseverance

I talked about this topic of perseverance this past Sunday at our church. It has really helped me during this time I'm in and maybe some of you will benefit from this thought.

Perseverance, in James 1.3 is not about running and enduring for enduring sake. There are some rich promises and implications associated with this word. In the Greek it is "hupomonay" which comes from two root words. 1> hupo = by or under 2> mone = remain (in place, time, condition) also to wait with expectation.

I know that is a monumental issue for me. I am waiting, but am I waiting with expectation? What kind of expectation? The testing of my faith (trust, loyalty and way of seeing) is to lead me to maturity. God does not want me to lack anything and have all resources necessary to fulfill the call of God on my life. The bridge, however, between these two is "hupomonay."

So if perseverance means that I remain in place, time and condition, what does that look like?

1. Stay Present in the story. Don't quit. Don't run from the God's pruning process. While you stay present in the story he will show what false idols and misdirected loyalties you may have. He may also tweak the way you view life. Not in the sense of optimism or pessimism, but one of faith or unbelief (Hebrews 3-4).

2. Thrive in the story. There have been days where survival was the mission. If I could survive another meeting, another pruning then I would be successful. That's probably true, but ultimately God wants us to thrive. Joseph did it. Daniel did it. The 3 Hebrews did it. Moses did it. We can do it. We live under a greater promise and with a more intimate relationship with God.

3. Stay united. Perseverance is a process, it's a path to walk, but it also carries a powerful and life changing promise. Notice I said promise. Maturity is a promise not a gurantee. I like what Bill Johnson says, "God is obligated to meet your needs, but he is not obligated to meet your potential." Read John 15 in The Message translation. Intimacy is the key. It is the foundation. Stay in "univision" not "division." James 1 goes on to tell us that division makes us deeply unstable. The test already makes me a bit shaky. I don't want division adding to my instability.

Persevere. You can do it. You will make it. You may have a few scars on the other side, but you will experience realms of God and place in God that can only be obtained through persevering.

until next time....

update...

not a ton to say really. i have all week off. i am traveling to Oklahoma to see my grandpa. i also need to prepare some thoughts this week since i am speaking on sunday.

i hope everyone has a great thanksgiving.

until next time....or until i have something more inspirational to talk about.....

a new name....

If God were to give you a new name do you know what it would be? Have you ever thought about that? I heard of a family that recently named their child after a cartoon character. I laughed. I was also disturbed by that. There is so much power in a name.

I know that Darlene and I have tried to hear what God wants us to name our children. We feel like their name is a reflection of their identity and purpose in life.

1. Matthew (currently 14) - "man of God", "gift of God"
2. Sara (currently 13) - "princess"
3. Lucas Ian (almost 2) - "revelation,light" "grace of God"

Matt is and will demonstrate what it is to be a man of God in a society that is confused about real masculinity. Sara will live as a princess and royalty, much as Esther did. I see the Holy Spirit giving her spiritual beauty treatments (although she is naturally beautiful) and preparing her to labor with God for the rescuing of a generation. Luke is our revelation of grace. He is our little healer much like Luke in the scriptures. He naturally loves on people when they don't feel well. He just has a discernment for it.

Besides your natural name what other name does God give you? I was in prayer once and God spoke to me that a new name I had was Barnabas, Son of Encouragement. Not only does the name reveal an identity and purpose but it also reveals some of our potential struggles. One of my greatest struggles is to stay confident and live with courage. The nature of what I am to dispense is what I struggle with the most. I love "in-couraging" others, while I myself can at times wrestle with discouragement.

Some say Barnabas was the one who mentored Paul. He also saw to the reconciliation of Paul and Mark when they had a feud in Acts. Barnabas never wrote a letter of the NT but he helped write the lives of Paul and Mark. I think that's part of my mission; create a climate of encouragement where "impossible is nothing." It really is acting ilke a father in the faith. I may never write anything famous, but can I labor with God to see his fame displayed in acts of power and grace through others in the kingdom?

So what is the new name God is giving you?
How do you feel about that? Does it call you to a realm of living that stretches your current capacity?
It does me. Let me know your new name so I can see you as God sees you.

until next time.....

parenting....again

i assume that some who read this post are not parents. just consider this a preemptive attempt to encourage you for when you have children. those who are parents. let me know what you think of the following:

Parenting:
Empower children from something to something.
Use declarative prayer over your family.
Weave the scriptures into all of your family life, not just a bible study.
Parent from a place of wisdom and revelation.
Shepherd the heart, more than the behavior.
Remember love never fails and where sin abounds, grace abounds more.
Start parenting your children with the end in mind.

let me know what you think and what tips you use for parenting.

until next time.....

amazed....!!!

I just received an email that is blowing my mind. I can't really share the details, sorry. Know that I am flying pretty high at this moment. I just can't believe how good God is. If you are a local Texas native and we work together, ask me about and I'll be happy to tell you about how God blesses his children. Otherwise, just know that God loves you and is looking out for you.

until next time.....

a buffet of thoughts

ok, this is going to be a very random post. i wanted to capture many of the thoughts that i felt like God has been speaking to me. i hope some of these encourage you.

1. CEO - i am called to be a CEO, the Chief Encouragement Officer
2. Resting in God is a key to intimacy. I must no longer strive in the flesh for what can only be obtained in the Spirit.
3. Keep dreaming. The graveyard of fallen dreams is full enough. I don't want a tombstone that says, "here lies the unfulfilled dreams of lance bane. God had more for him than he could believe."
4. Parenting teenagers is hard, but completely satisfying.
5. Sometimes I want false comfort. It feels satisfactory on the front, but in the end it will cost me more than I wanted to pay. Endure difficulty with joy. Let laughter be the fuel for my journey through the asteroid storm called "life."
6. If I want to do some"thing" for God I must make my life about "one thing."
7. Leadership is about seeing the greatness in people and getting them to see it as well.
8. I can't leapfrog over disappointment expecting to find a pot of gold. If I do not process the disappointment it is a hidden cancer that will strike at me again.
9. Paul says that training is useful for those who compete in the games. I need training to get me into shape.
10. Feeding on God energizes me to believe that "impossible is nothing."
11. I am living in a kingdom that can not be shaken. So how do I get more of the unshakable kingdom into my shakable self.
12. Joy is my strength to the supernatural and peace is my stabilizing force so i am not moved by the wind of circumstances and tragedy.
13. Integrity is measured by the distance between your lips and your life.


That's enough for now.

Until next time....

trying to write.....again

I have booked from 10 am until 4 today for writing. i have not worked on my book yet and it's after 1 pm. however, i have gotten some good things done. i have put together a few projects with some objectives and tasks. i downloaded a new "onething" cd. loving that right now! i have done a bit of research and so i am now ready to work on my book.

i am not sure how you write a book. i am approaching it as a very extended and long research paper. i am gathering sources, thoughts, quotes, stories and general research. i thought of a pastor today who has written several books and thought, "he probably has several research assistants who do some work for him. i have, well, ME."

so off to brainstorming and writing.

i will leave you with this good quote, "Take courage. Offer your sufferings unceasingly to Him. Ask for strength to endure them. Above all, make it a habit to converse often with Him and forget Him as little as you are able. Worship Him in your infirmities and present them to Him from time to time as an offering of sacrifice. In the worst of your pains ask Him humbly and lovingly, as a child would ask his loving father, for conformity to His holy will and for the help of His grace. I will help you in this through my prayers, poor and weak though they may be.”

Brother Lawrence in a letter to a friend, November 1690

love what i do

there are times where i don't like what i do. i guess to be more honest, i love what i do, but there are parts of my job that are difficult.

tonight was a time where i love what i do. i love motivating people to live for a cause that is bigger than our imagination. i love grabbing a generation and speaking the purposes of God in their lives. they are waiting to be challenged. they are wet clay waiting to be shaped. it is an honor beyond description to share with students thoughts and truths that can help them view the world from a biblical perspective.

i discussed tonight the conclusion to our "do something" thought. you can only do some "thing" if you make your life about "one thing." Psalm 27.4 says, "this one thing I ask, this one thing I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." my single confession should be the greatness of His presence. My sole pursuit should be an intimate lifestyle with God. being a husband, being a father, being a leader are all contained in my identity as a son of God. intimacy with God is the envelope that carries all other roles and hats.

anyway....i am kind of ranting, but I am feeling good. i am excited about my day. i got pruned, but it was for my benefit. i keep looking at the things that are cut from my life (while they lay are the ground losing their evidence life - similar to a cut tree branch) then i live discouraged and frustrated. instead i need to look at the picture of a tree who produces more rich, sweet and tasty fruit. It's not because of the water or sunlight only, but because I am willing to be pruned.

to God be the glory.


until next time....

i'm blown away

i just noticed mark sanborn, author of "the fred factor" and "you don't need a title to be a leader" left a comment on my blog. it may not be a big deal to anyone else, but i was kind of blown away by that. how did he find it? i want to know how to email him. i have questions. was he "googling" his name?

anyway...i'm totally blown away. should the fact that an author left a comment on my blog make my day? it kind of does. it makes me smile.

thank you mark for your kindness and for taking the time to comment on my blog. i am honored. bless you, your family and your business adventures.

until next time....

doing something

i just finished reading a good little book on leadership. it's entitled, "you don't need a title to be a leader" by mark sanborn. it has a quote by General Peter Pace of the U.S. Marines.

"One thing the Marine Corps teaches is that it's better to be doing something than doing nothing. If you stay where you are, you're in the position where your enemy wants you to be. If you start doing something, you are changing the rules of the game."


i really love this quote for a couple of reasons. one, we have been teaching and encouraging our students for the last two months to "do something." i think General Pace summed up our motivation and what we were feeling about the series. People who are somebodies "do something" while people who believe they are "no bodies" will "do nothing."

the second reason i love the quote is because it places us in a proactive position. frankly, i get tired of reacting to everything. i know there are times and places where "reacting" is inevitable. it's not a lifestyle i want to live. i want to be proactive when i can. i want to be intentional about my life. i want to make decisions based upon the Holy Spirit's leadership and what wisdom he has given me. i feel more engaged and excited about life when i am proactive instead of reactive. i want the spiritual forces, that are at work against us, to react to our decisions and choices. i want them to react to our choices that are made with faith and expectation.

let's change the rules of the game by doing something. who can you smile at today that needs it? who can you encourage today? who can you serve today? how can you make someone's day better? what nugget of enthusiasm and life can you give the world today?

do something and change the rules.

until next time....