Dislocating my kneecap 20 times

Since second grade I had a kneecap problem. I was playing football with my cousin Tom and after being tackled my kneecap dislocated. Since then, at least twice a year my kneecap would dislocate. It was extremely painful and multiple doctors didn’t have a fix for it. I was told just go to physical therapy and I was fine. By the time high school came about, I dislocated my knee cap on a Tuesday and Saturday I was able to hobble my way to a 21:43 at cross country regionals. I dealt with the pain. Eventually I finally got a knee doctor that was great and she suggested surgery. What was supposed to be a surgery that would take me out from hockey for 3-6 weeks turned into a 9 month process. It ends up every time my knee dislocated, it put a crack on my kneecap. The picture of my knee cap looked like it was a spider web but it was cracks in my knee. It was a painful time, but I consider it nothing compared to what Paul did for Jesus.

Paul gave his life up to Jesus. In Philippians, Paul talks about what he has done to advance the message of Jesus. Philippians 1:12-14…

“Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”

Paul was in chains for the Gospel. He was living in his own place but was chained to a solider/guard all the time. Yet, Paul still preached the message of Jesus. People knew that Paul was chained and in prison for the message of Jesus. Paul was not ashamed but rather was even more open to share he was chained because of Jesus. This resulted in believers in Christ being bold to share their faith for what Paul was doing while being jailed.

I learned a lot about being faithful from a former voodoo doctor. I was in Haiti on a mission trip and we met a guy who was a voodoo doctor. It was an extremely wealthy position in an area that didn’t have much money. When he gave his life up for Jesus, it was a life changing event. Not only was he giving his life to Christ but he was giving up his only way of making money. He was shunned by the community of voodoo believers, it left him struggling to live. But once he heard the message of Jesus, he didn’t turn back. He would rather be broke/starve then live under voodoo anymore. What we gain in Jesus can cost us in other areas.

These stories of Paul and the former voodoo aren’t to make us feel guilty. It should make us bold to think that Jesus is worth following. It’s worth giving up everything for, money, popularity and fame. We all go through painful moments in life, this can make us appreciate what Jesus on the cross even more. Jesus died for us. Paul and this former voodoo doctors understood this and were bold in their decisions to follow and share Jesus. If we believe these stories are true, we should be bold with sharing our faith, because Jesus dying on the cross for our sins is more painful then my numerous knee dislocations. Jesus is worth the cost.

Have a great day.

Face the facts, I'm a loser

I was apart of some pretty amazing sports teams. When I ran cross country in high school we won 1 dual meet in four years. In swimming we won about 8 meets in that stellar high school career. Outside of roller hockey I at least lost 3 out of every 4 meets I participated in. The sad fact, I loved every minute of it.

The relationships and fun that I had on those teams were second to none. From my cross country bonding trips as we crazily ran through the woods to having to be up at ready to go at 5 for a 6 a.m. practice. Some of the memories of those so-called loser teams I will have for the rest of my life. Some of my greatest friends came from those teams. I wouldn’t trade any of those experiences for a couple of more wins. I cherish being a loser.

Paul talks in 2 Corinthians 12 about boasting about weakness. Most people don’t boast about things they are not good at. We try so hard to focus on what we are good at. Listen to what Paul says in some of verse 9-10…

“Therefore I boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

When we are weak we are strong? Sometimes at our weakest moments or times when we fail, we have the realization we are not God. We are humans, full of mistakes, sin and weak. Ever feel like the more you try to control, the less control you have? Paul wasn’t ashamed to be a loser for the simple fact it made Christ more glorified. When he is weak, it truly shows the power of God through all Paul went through. It wasn’t about him, it was about Christ. Christ is strong when we are weak.

Praise God for being a loser. Through being a loser at different aspects of life, it shows me the true need for a savior because I am a ruthless, lawless sinner. I have to admit my weakness because it glorifies God. In cross country we lost a ton, yet they were we some of the best moments of my life.

When is a time you can cherish being a loser? Sometimes our weakest times can be our best times in life. Times we will never forget and we are thankful for those weak moments in life because it shows we are truly apart of something greater then ourselves. Enjoy being a loser. Don’t be ashamed of weakness.

Have a great day.

Messed up shoulder leads to messed up arm

The body is majestic. It’s amazing how it all comes together to work except when we are hurt. Injuries are never fun and can change up our whole body. My senior year of cross country I wanted to run in the 17’s for a 5k. I started out the year running just above 20 minutes and felt great. Injuries soon slowed me down.

Injuries can slow us down in life. My senior year I hyperextended my knee, strain ligaments in my foot, pulled a muscle that goes from my knee to my hip, had a couple of stress fractures in my shins and I had a problem with my knee caps dislocating. I was a mess and never peaked. I was told by my family doctor to just stop running if I wanted to improve. I couldn’t do that. I did the best I could and have no regrets. Lately I have dealt with a shoulder problem for about 10 months and finally went to the doctor after my elbow started hurting. It ends up while swimming I was taking all the pain with my shoulder and working my elbow more as a result. I developed tennis/golfers elbow as a result. I tried to correct my body on my own and it didn’t work. Physical therapy here I come. Sometimes the body needs to be fixed and it can go the same with the church.

Paul gives us this example in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13…

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all it’s parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

When my one part of the body suffers the whole body can suffer. Through my injuries I have create new injuries from my own body trying to correct itself. The church is the same way. Everyone who comes to church has different gifts and abilities. When one part isn’t pulling it’s own weight it can create problems for the entire body. “The parts of the human body work together as one, with a dependent mutuality as each part fulfills an important function. Likewise the body of Christ has a diversity of parts functioning together,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary.

There was once a study done about the body. If there was one body part you could live without, which one would it be? It’s a hard lesson. You can realize there is a part of every body that is useful. The church is the same way. Everyone can be used in the body of Christ. Not everyone has the same gifts and abilities. There is a reason you will never see me sing on stage. I can’t sing. This is the beauty behind God. Everyone is useful and helpful to him. It’s a matter of finding out where we are best called to be and what we are called to do. Just like working out there are some things we are good at and excited about. There are others things we still have to do even though we are very good at them to make our body strong.

What do you feel called to do? What do you feel you need to improve in your own body or something you could help in a church body? Everyone matters and is valuable in the eyes of God. Have a great day.

39 game losing streak

Losing is never fun.

There is not a person I know that loves to lose.

During high school, I dealt with losing a lot.

In between cross country and swimming (The two sports I played varsity in) my combined record was 8-91.

We won one cross country meet in four years.

Losing happens.

Our school was more known for our football losing streak.

We had about a 39 game losing streak.

We went almost four consecutive years of losing in football.

Going to a high school that had a history of losing, it could be hard to be motivated to do well.

We did.

If you are not motivated to do well, you won’t, plain and simple.

I remember asking one of the football players how can they still try when they are down at the half by 28 points or more.

This is what he told me…

“Our coach motivates us.  I am a smart guy and honestly know the likely hood of a comeback is slim to none.  At halftime, our head coach speaks and by the time he finishes talking, not only do we believe we are going to come back, but we are going to crush the team afterwards.”

Makes me think of speaking bold.

The definition of bold is…not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger.  Necessitating courage and daring.

There are people I look up to that speak bold and I hang on every word they say, they can lift me up.

Bold is one of the key words used when the disciples spoke in the book of Acts.

During one of their prayers they said this in Acts 4:29…

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”

This is what was written after they prayed in verse 31…

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

Bold.

How often do we speak with boldness?

Now one of the problems with speaking with boldness, people can think they are speaking with boldness when in essence, they speak like a dictator.

Part of the problem with Christianity is to speak with boldness while moving people closer to God.

Do you speak with boldness?

Do you do this at…

Home

Work

In public

Among friends

Among enemies

It can be difficult to speak in boldness and from the heart.

This is why the apostles prayed for God to fill them with boldness.

He came through.

If you struggle to talk or get your point across pray for God to give you the words to say.

Boldness can help out everyone.

Speak bold.

One day our football losing streak ended, if they didn’t have a coach that believed it could happen, it never would have.

Speak bold.

Have a great day.