'Dream On'

Dreams can be a roller coaster ride. I’m not talking about the ‘goal’ kind of dreams…I’m referring to the ‘when you are asleep at night’ dreams.

I might be the only one, but when I am extremely tired, my dreams are flat out crazy. After I wake up the following morning and do a rewind of them, all I can do is shake my head at the lunacy of the story lines.

Central Park
(New York, NY)

This happened to me last night. Following a long workday in New York, I made it home and hardly remember showering before literally falling into my bed. This morning, I literally started laughing at the fact that I spent my night running from a dinosaur in New York. It had gotten loose and was causing havoc. It was your normal Jurassic Park / I am Legend remake. Crazy, huh?

This kind of stuff is so relational to our everyday lives and dreams though.
How? (I’m so glad you asked)

If we truly live by faith, then we have dreams and desires to experience the impossible – those things that we cannot accomplish on our own. We spend so much time passionately planning and working our way toward those God-given dreams. Whether it comes from our physical, mental, or emotional side…we human beings can grow weary. We grow tired of the struggle, and we fight to overcome the temptation to quit or even to ‘laugh’ at ourselves.

In our weariness, we could compare our ‘dream’ to the dreams of dinosaurs chasing us through New York City. ‘I am going crazy. I’m living a pipe dream if I actually believe that this can come true.’

National Mall
(Washington, D.C.)

This is what happens to us when we grow weary of the struggle. 

In a moment of passion, what once was felt to be attainable…now feels out of reach.
When our energy was high, the sky was the limit. Now it feels like we have to look up to see the dirt.
Once filled with the confidence to push through any obstacle standing in our way, we now want to just have a seat even while rolling downhill.

I know we have just started a brand New Year filled with opportunity and hope, but we also have a world filled with a lot of tired dreamers.
Be encouraged by scripture today:
(Galatians 6)
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (NIV)

I may be tired, and it may seem crazy…but the proper time is going to arrive if I don’t give up. Dream on tired dreamer…

Easy to 'Overlook'

Romans 12 is quite a juicy passage of scripture.

You could take just about any verse and write or talk about it all day long. But there is one particular verse that has been like a revolving door going around and around in my mind in the last few weeks.

Vs. 12 says, "Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." (NLT)

It would be amazing to live in a world like this wouldn’t it? To look at others with no judgment – just genuine affection. To be treated that way would make life so much more enjoyable.
Take a moment and think about how incredible it would be to know that there are no strings attached…nothing expected in return…just genuine care freely given.

Fells Point
(Inner Harbor - Baltimore, MD)

Honor. There is not all that much of it left in the world, and that is why we stand amazed when we see it happen. If a dignitary walks into the room, we stand and applaud. When a person of worldly importance is in the vicinity of where we are, we will climb a tree just to get a look at them.

The greatest concern for me lately is, what kind of genuine affection and honor am I showing to those closest to me? Those that are so close, it is easy to ‘overlook’ the greatness that they bring into our world. I’m referring to spouses – children – ‘true’ friendships – those who converse with you each and every day.

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” (Cynthia Ozick)

So what are you waiting for? Stop reading this blog. SOMEBODY HONOR SOMEBODY.

Husbands – do something more than just tell your wife you love her. Honor her by taking care of something that she normally has to do.

Parents – shut off the television or whatever has your attention and honor the blessing God gave you by getting into their world for a little while.
Friends - Reach out to a friend. Buy a cup of coffee for the person behind you in line at Starbucks. 

Sit down and write a handwritten note to someone that has blessed your life.

Christ-followers would change the world if we would stop taking … and start giving.

Genuine affection. Delight in honoring somebody. Let’s go. 

Caught Looking

Has life ever thrown you a curve ball?

You woke up one morning ‘sitting dead red’ (looking for a fastball), as my old high school coach used to say. You had prepared yourself for it and were waiting on it. It didn't matter how fast life came, you were going to jump all over it. But somehow your balance got thrown completely out of kilter because you were looking for something else. 

Next thing you know, you are walking away shaking your head because the proverbial 

‘strike three’ came on a pitch you were not ready for.

Roy Oswalt vs Andre Ethier
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA 

I can remember (unfortunately on many occasions) walking back to the dugout, after not even taking the bat off my shoulder, as strike three crossed the plate. In baseball terminology, I had been 'caught looking’. The pitcher had caught me guessing as to what pitch he was going to throw, and I had guessed wrong.

That is why I can hear my old coach, like a stuck record, saying it over and over again, "Think fastball, and then react to the curve ball."

This never completely got through my thick skull. But the few moments that it did…I was never 'caught looking.' I might have went down swinging, but at least I wasn't caught doing nothing.

This brings me to a tweet I read this morning by the new (inspiring) hitting coach for 

MY Ole Miss Rebels - Cliff Godwin. He said, "You can't hit a homerun if you don't swing the bat!" You might think that’s an elementary statement, but it’s filled with all kinds of goodness.

Without question, in order to hit one over a 400 foot fence, an individual has to make the bat meet the ball. But you don't just walk out onto a baseball field, point your bat in the direction you are planning to hit it…and then proceed to hit one 450 feet. Much...much…MUCH preparation goes into the process.

Camden Yards
(Baltimore, MD)

As a hitter:

You learn what to look for.

You get into a rhythm at the plate.

You get on your toes.

You keep your eyes on the ball.

And then...you swing the bat.

The thing is...all great hitters don't want to leave the batters box. They want to hit...and hit...and hit some more. 

Coach Godwin's statement to me said, "If you really want to hit homeruns, you've got to get in the box now (in practice) before the (actual) game ever starts. It's the old adage about muscle memory. You must train your mind to react. Your eyes...your muscles...all coordinating together to accomplish the task at hand.

I'm no baseball coach, nor do I claim to be a life coach. I'm just an everyday man, husband, and father trying to survive in a world that is constantly throwing me curve balls. If I truly desire to bat clean-up in Gods plan - if I want to be the hero of my home - if I truly want the game of life to be on my shoulders...then I must climb in the 'box' every single day and keep swinging the bat. To every parent - every spouse - every friend...don't allow yourself to be caught unprepared. No matter the circumstance...just keep swinging. You never know when you just might 'connect.'

Skipping Praise

I haven't asked for anything today...

At least from God, I haven't.

I went to bed last night, and then woke up this morning with Psalm 100:4 on my mind:

“Enter His gates with Thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.”

I came to the harsh reality recently that I have been guilty of entering into His presence with either questions or needs. I mumble my way through how much I love Him and how grateful I am for His blessings...then it's on to the 'important' stuff (AKA - My List).

Federal Hill
(Baltimore, MD)

My dad could always tell when I wanted something. I used to (and probably still do) come around and speak in tones I didn’t normally speak in. If I knew he liked it when I did a certain thing, I would make sure he was around and could see me doing it. Anything he needed, I was right there on the spot awaiting his beckoning call. And finally, the words would come…
“Son, what is it that you want?”
Any other time, I was about my own business. But now it was just too obvious to hide…I needed something and had to work my ‘magic’ in order to get close enough to ask.

It is shameful how many times I have used my praise and worship to Christ as some kind of ‘magic’ formula to get me close enough to share what it was that I needed from Him. I wonder how often He has had to look past my mis-use of worship and just say, “Don’t worry about it…just tell me what you need? Your mind and heart is not really consumed with praising me, so just get to the heart of the matter and let me know exactly what it is you need.”

(Bel Air, MD)

It is really tough to look within and check our motives, but when it comes to genuine praise and worship of our Creator, where do we stand? If praise to Him is not our heartbeat, then I wonder how many miracles we have missed? 

The reason I say that is, in study of scripture, every time Christ showed up on the scene, something spectacular happened. And scripture says that, “Jesus inhabits the praises of His people.”

So:
* How many financial blessings have we missed because we spent all of our time asking, instead of praising?
* How many physical healings have been missed because all we did was feel sorry for ourselves instead of saying, ‘The God who created me is greater than my sickness, so I praise Him’?

On and on the list could go.

Inner Harbor
Baltimore, MD

Fathers are pretty smart. They can read between the lines. He already knows you need something because…all children do. He made you, so He already understands what you are going through and what you need to make it. So why not take a day and not ask for anything? Just let your ‘list’ go (no matter how long it is), and devote a day to letting Him know how awesome He is. Spend some time concentrating on ‘true praise’ and let Him inhabit your stuff.

We might just be surprised at the needs that start getting marked off our ‘list’ when we do.

40 Minutes of Hell

’40 minutes of hell.’

That is how Head Coach Nolan Richardson’s Arkansas Razorback basketball teams were described. Their patented Full Court Press that lasted for the entirety of the game (all 40 minutes) was designed to force their opponents into making mistakes. I used to marvel at what kind of shape their athletes had to be in to keep this pace up for that length of time. This kind of play earned them a National Championship in 1994 when they beat the 

Duke Blue Devils.

Can you imagine playing basketball against a team that constantly has a hand in your face with someone always right in front of you? Just waiting for you to make a mistake so that they could pounce on the ball and score as many points against you as possible.

Federal Hill
(Baltimore, MD)

Sure. We can all imagine what that feels like.

From the time we wake up in the morning, until we lay our heads down on the pillow at night, we are at war. No matter who we are or what we have, we have an enemy (a thief) that is talked about in scripture whose sole purpose is: to steal and kill and destroy. (John 10:10)

For him, it’s full court press for every breathing moment of your existence. He desperately wants to steal your identity. He desires to kill every good thing in and around you. If he can somehow destroy your relationships, and the hopes that you can have a successful life, then he will wipe them out.

If you know your basketball history, Arkansas did win the National Title in 1994. The following year, they made it all the way back to the Championship Game again, only to have something different happen this time.
UCLA decided to show up. They did not care what Arkansas’s reputation was. It did not matter to them that they were going to have an obstacle in their way every time they inbounded the ball. UCLA said, ‘we are going to show up. We are not only going to show up, but we are going to attack your press. We are going to beat you at your own game.’

How could they do this? As with any team that achieves greatness, the game was won in their preparation. They prepared themselves for what they were about to face in their minds. They prepared themselves through practice, and they listened to their coach. Their hearts were united that they were going to look the ‘pressure’ of Arkansas in the face and give it right back to them. It seemed to work out, for UCLA defeated Arkansas 89-78.

LandMark Theaters
(Inner Harbor - Baltimore, MD)

Find yourself overwhelmed by the pressure life is throwing at you? Is it at times nauseating to know that the pressure you feel is not going away? Ever just want to throw your hands up and walk away? Because the road that you are traveling is littered with those who’ve done just that.

The thief is simply trying to steal your desire to keep you from showing up.
He knows that you have a future of everlasting life if you show up. He knows that you are going to win if you just keep showing up.

Your date with pressure is awaiting you if it hasn’t shown up already.
So prepare. Get ready. Make up your mind that you are going to show up. And then the thief can get ready…because you are going to show up the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that.

Let’s get back on the offensive and take back our minds, our hearts, and our futures.

“…no weapon formed against you will succeed…” (Isaiah 54:17 - NLT)

Deliberate

I love the miracle of the 5 loaves and the 2 fish’eees’ (as my little girl says). You remember the story in Matthew 14 where the hour was getting late and the disciples were getting hungry. They went to the Lord and said, “This place we are in doesn’t have many restaurants. Why don’t you send the people away so they can get back to their towns and buy food before it’s too late?” The Master then took what they had (which was five loaves of bread and two fish) and fed 5,000 people with twelve baskets left over.

There is another miracle found in Luke 8 where a woman had suffered for twelve years with an issue of blood and could not find a cure. Scripture says that she had to press her way through the crowd. I can envision that she had to crawl, push, and nudge her way through those that were surrounding Jesus.

Have you ever had the opportunity to get close to someone famous? If several begin to figure out that ‘you know who’ is standing right over there - and you are not first in line - you shall have a long wait, or you are going to have to grow mighty determined to just get close.

Central Park
(New York, NY)

That was this woman’s dilemma. Jesus was passing through and she had to fight her way to her answer. Once she reached out and touched the hem of His garment, Jesus stopped. He asked the question, “Who touched me?” The disciples tried to tell Him, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.” But I love how the NLT says it in Vs. 48: Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” {Deliberately touched me} 

In other words, she had a purpose for crawling, pushing, and nudging her way through just to touch Him.

Neither one of these examples of God’s power are any greater than the other.
The significant thing in the example of the 5 loaves and 2 fish is, Jesus took their gift. He took what they had and performed this amazing miracle.
When it came to the woman that had the issue of blood, He was just passing through. He didn’t command her to come to Him. He didn’t say, ‘Lady, bring me what you have.’ She was even afraid after stopping Jesus in that moment when He was asking, “Who touched me?”

She just reached a place where she became tired of suffering.
I can imagine she thought, I don’t have to scream out to Him, and I don’t have to interrupt wherever it is that He is heading. He doesn’t even have to speak to me. If I can just crawl my way through everyone and everything else, I can be healed.

Haven’t most of us been in a moment, or moments like this? We have nothing left to offer. We don’t have the five loaves and two fish to place in His hands.  While God is always there, we feel like He is a million miles away. Sometimes, we don’t have faith in ourselves, much less in God. 

It is in those moments that we are going to have to crawl, push, and nudge stuff out of the way in order to receive our answer. Nudge past the ‘crowds’ of doubt. Crawl around the noise of negativity and relationships that stand in the way. And push through the door that is holding the answer that we so desperately desire.

That is deliberate. And deliberate faith stops Jesus in His tracks. 

Always keep the ball in front of you. Always.

If I heard it one time, I heard it a thousand times while growing up:
“Larry, always keep the ball in front of you. Always.”

From coaches, to my own father, it seems like a never ending recording that goes off in my head every time I step on to a softball field now days. Smother it, lie down in front of it, block it with glove or body, but do not let the ball get past you.

(Josh Hamilton - TX Rangers)
Camden Yards - Baltimore

My ball playing days have slowed quite a bit as father time has chased me down (and yes, it is tough to admit that), but I have learned that you never really get out of the ‘game’. Life comes at you hard sometimes. Other times, it comes knuckling at you and you cannot tell which way it’s going to bounce. 

From this simple principle that I learned from my ball playing days, I’ve found out that it is imperative that I ALWAYS keep the ‘ball’ in front of me. If we are not careful, life can pass us by and leave us standing in a spot where we would give anything to have a do over. Many have had the opportunity to ‘make a play’, and have allowed things to get by them all because they were afraid of the ball.

To stop a baseball that is screaming toward you takes TOTAL commitment. You can’t be afraid of whether or not it is going to take a bad bounce or hurt you in some fashion…whatever it takes, the ball must stop.

Why is it so important?

BECAUSE THE GAME IS ON THE LINE. If you don’t stop it, then someone else has to pick up what, in reality, was meant for you.

'Philly Phanatic'
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

In this game of life, we have to be individuals who want the ball hit to us at the crucial moment. But to be that person, we must have already put ourselves through the ‘process’ of commitment – If it gets hit to me: I’ll do whatever it takes to stop it.

If you knew that it meant the safety of your loved ones – would you stop it?
If you knew that it was the answer to passion and purpose for your life – would you do whatever it took to stop it?
If you knew that this opportunity was your life changer – would you lie down in front and smother it?

It’s the ultimate test in life. Are you afraid to really live?
Like it or not, life is continuously going to be rolling ‘stuff’ toward you. Are you person enough to stare it down and do whatever it takes to…

Keep the ball in front of you. Always.