30 Days of Encouragement: Day 3

Day 3:

My friend Kelsie Pinckard actively walks out Ephesians 5:3 and I took this day as an opportunity to tell her how much I appreciate the example that she's setting to everyone in her life. Kelsie and her boyfriend are taking a bold stance to keep their dating relationship free from sexual immorality. They're doing this simply by making the choice to refrain from kissing.

I know what you're thinking. "But James, that's just weird." My response is this: "Yeah it's weird, but normal doesn't seem to be working." Too many Christian relationships toy with where the boundary lies in regards to 'going too far' and I'm right there in that mix. I've seen boundaries come crashing down in an instant, regardless of how good the intention was to stay pure.

I absolutely love the stand that Kelsie and her boyfriend have chosen to take in an effort to honor the Lord and hurdle the obstacle of sexual purity. Thank you both for your steadfast faith, your obedience to pursue Christ before each other, and your willingness to go against the grain. I deeply respect and care for both of you. Thanks for reflecting Jesus.

30 Days of Encouragement - Days 1 & 2

Day 1
My job took me to Richmond, VA last weekend for the NASCAR race and our company needed some extra help. I asked my friend Adam to bring some guys in from Huntington and I was extremely impressed with the quality of men he brought. Once the race was over and work was finished, I texted each one of the guys to tell them how much we appreciated them. You would be surprised how much encouragement can come from a simple text message. Adam, Patrick, Rich, and Alan: If you're reading this, thank you again. You guys are incredible and your walks with the Lord are an encouragement to me. Can't wait to work with you again!

Day 2
On this day, I had the opportunity to talk with a group of young men at an FCA Bible Study here in Orlando. We talked about an issue that isn't talked about nearly enough in our churches...the topic was pornography. We spent about an hour unpacking the numerous ways that Satan uses pornography and sexual addiction to drive a wedge in our relationship with the Lord. We talked about practical ways that we can hold each other accountable, and I encouraged them to lean on one other as they take a united stand against sexual immorality.

After the Bible Study we all went to Chick fil a, where I got to spend some time getting to know several of the students. I was blown away at the spiritual depth of one student in particular. His name is Matt and he's finishing up his junior year at Boone High School. Matt leads a group of his peers every morning before school and they simply pray. To be Matt's age and understand the importance and the power of prayer is amazing to me. Bringing his classmates alongside him in this spiritual discipline shows not only an incredible amount of leadership, it also reveals his genuine heart to love and communicate with our Savior. If you're reading this Matt, thank you for playing an active part in growing God's Kingdom on earth. You are an inspiration to more people than you know.

If you are fortunate enough to know Adam, Patrick, Rich, Alan, or Matt, make sure to send them a note and let them know how amazing you think they are. Never discredit the power of your encouragement.

Peace, Love, and Licorice,

James

30 Days of Encouragement

It was the summer of 2006 in the drive thru at Taco Bell when it clicked for me...the moment when I realized the importance of encouragement. The words came from a close friend and they weren't complex. He simply told me the gift he saw in me.

As I reflected on the kind words from my friend that night I read a passage in Romans that says this: "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

Something inside of me came alive when I read that passage of scripture. We have all been uniquely gifted by our Creator. We all have something to offer this world and what we have to offer is good.

I began to couple my recent revelation that we all have a gift, with a verse in Hebrews 10. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." When I looked at these two passages in Romans and Hebrews, I noticed something huge. We have been given a powerful opportunity to call out the gifts and talents that we see in the people that God has placed in our lives!

In light of this eye opening realization, I decided to try something. As awkward as I thought it would be, I started intentionally telling people the gifts I saw in them. I realized that as I encouraged the people around me in their specific gifts, they started operating out of them more and more. Friends that were naturally servant hearted started serving more. Friends that were filled with wisdom began to share that wisdom, and share it often. Friends gifted in showing grace and mercy, became even more gracious and merciful.

In the month of May, I will be challenging myself to encourage at least one person a day and I want to bring you guys along for the journey. In order to do this, I'll be blogging about the experience throughout the month. My intent in sharing this with you is not to boast of what I'm doing, but in hopes of revealing some simple and effective methods of encouragement. I'm praying that this experience empowers you to build up and affirm individuals in your life, causing those that you're encouraging to be a bigger blessing than they already are.

You guys are incredible and I love you more than you know.

James

Time to Stop Acting Like a Pharisee

This might be the hardest blog I've ever written. Self righteousness is a topic that I refrain from talking about, because it's what I struggle with most. I write this with the intent of being as transparent and vulnerable as I can possibly be...with the hope that I will find accountability and growth.

Here it goes...

I've been told more times than I'd like to count how great of a guy I am. How encouraging I am, how nice I am, how well I connect with people. I love hearing these things. As sick and demented as it is, I thrive on hearing how awesome I am.

I just left a Bible study this afternoon where we unpacked Luke 7:36-50. It's the story of Jesus anointing a sinful woman (likely a prostitute) while he was eating in the home of a pharisee (Simon). I'll let you read the passage yourself, but I'll share with you the thing that struck me most...

It's outrageously clear that Jesus is more offended by Simon's self righteousness and judgement toward the woman, than he is with the outward and apparent sin of the prostitute. The woman recognizes her sin, and unashamedly lavishes her affection on Jesus. She wipes Jesus' feet with her tears and hair, kisses his feet, as well as pouring valuable perfume on him.

Jesus' response to the woman...the forgiveness of her sins.

At the end of today's Bible study, the facilitator asked who we identified most with...the pharisee or the woman? I, undoubtedly, identified with the pharisee. I see my encouraging nature, the wisdom I've gained from God's Word, my relational gifting...and I take the credit as if I'm worthy of having these qualities. Romans 3:23 makes it clear, however, that in and of myself I am unworthy.

Here comes the beauty...

Everything good in me, every gift or talent that I have, has been given to me out of God's magnificent grace and love for me. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."

I hate that I can so easily take credit for things I have no place taking credit, but it's so hard for me to recognize my own sinfulness. It's difficult for me to see my stubborness, my selfishness, the judgement I place on others, or my lack of compassion for the less fortunate.

I'll sum this up by asking you to pray for me.

Pray that my response to Jesus be similar to that of the sinful woman. That I actively lavish my love and affection on Him with my heart, my mind, my soul, my emotions, and my actions. Pray that I become aware of sinful areas in my life - not so I can beat myself up for sinning - but so I can recognize the magnitude of the grace I've been given. Pray that in response to the recognition of my sin, that I remove it from my life.

Being a pharisee sucks. Lucky for me, God's grace wins.

James

Passion #2: Discipleship

Back in September I began a blog series with the intent to unpack 5 things that I'm passionate about. It's been 2 months since I talked about operating out of our God given gifts, so I figured it was about time to dive into passion #2....discipleship (mentorship if you like the less "churchy" word).

During my college years, I was blessed to be on the receiving end of several Godly men pouring out their life into mine. There was nothing overly complex about the time I spent with these men. We didn't cover a specific curriculum or even have an agenda when we met. We simply shared our lives with one another. I learned how to be a patient friend, an understanding father, and a gracious husband just by hearing the stories of men with a little more experience at this thing called life. Words will never do justice to my thanks for men like David Brown, Ketric Newell, and Kent Dobkins.

In response to the blessing I received from David, Ketric, and Kent, I will devote my life to pouring into men. I will do this in an effort to expose the incredible blessing that God has for us by walking out a lifestyle of love. I will never stop seeking mentors in my own life, always looking for a way to learn and develop into a Godlier man.

My charge to you is this:

1. Get a mentor. Find someone you respect and ask to spend time with them. Ask questions, soak up wisdom, be transparent.

2. Mentor someone. How do I find someone to mentor?

A.) Build a relationship with someone in your church's youth group, singles ministry, or newlyweds class.

B.) Work with an organization like Big Brother Big Sisters that pairs mentors with children in need of a positive role model.

C.) Parter with a ministry like Campus Crusade for Christ or YoungLife.

D.) Seek out a younger co-worker

If you're telling yourself you have nothing to offer, I would strongly disagree. There are countless men and women that simply want someone to spend time with them. It doesn't need to be complicated. There are no rules.

What do we talk about?

Share your story. Share how God has moved in your life. Share practical advice as to how you've handled specific challenges. Show up, listen, love, and watch God work.

In spite of our own brokenness, God still chooses to use us to reflect His love and grace to the world. Let us be a people that accomplish this task one relationship at a time. Person by person, we can change the world.

Peace, love, and chocolate pudding,

James

Do you know Chris Wallace?

NASCAR set up shop in Kansas City this past weekend, which allowed me to spend some time with my best friend from high school, Chris Wallace, who conveniently lives 20 minutes from the race track. I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for Chris, and spending the last few days with him made me realize how much of a blessing he's been in my life.

Chris can be defined by his steadfast character, unwavering faith in our Creator, and passionate love for his family. He is loyal, dependable, honest, and genuinely cares about others. In addition to these incredible qualities, Chris was instrumental in my spiritual development early on in my walk with Christ. I will never be able to thank him enough for the example he set, and the standard that he held me to as I began living my life with the intent to imitate Jesus.

Chris shared something with me this weekend that I won't soon forget. He told me about 2 specific passages of Scripture that are radically shifting his views on a particular issue. An issue that, until a few weeks ago, he held a very strong opinion. As he was sharing this with me, I realized how often we, as Christians, read Scripture through the lens of what we want it to say. We twist and contort God's Word until it aligns with our personal thoughts and views. I love that Chris is doing the exact opposite of this common trend. He's allowing Scripture to change him. It's obvious that this is a difficult process, but it's so easy to see that the Lord is refining and growing him deep at his core.

Thank you so much for being the man God has called you to be, Chris. It's impacting people in ways you may never know.

Here comes the fun part...

If you know Chris, leave a comment or send him a facebook message to let him know how he's been a blessing in your life. It can be a conversation you've had with him, a memory he's a part of, or simply anything he's done that has put a smile on your face.

Passion

Over the course of the last few years, I have become passionate about several different ideas and principles. My next few blogs will unpack 5 of these passions and the reason behind why I feel so strongly about each of them.

Passion #1: Operating out of your God given gifts

I remember the first time someone told me that I was gifted in the area of encouragement. It was the summer of 2006 and I was participating in Campus Crusade for Christ's Summer Discipleship Program in Branson, MO. My good friend David Dunn was leading worship for the program that summer and we spent many days at the Taco Bell across the street from the hotel where we lived. On one particular day, while we were waiting in the Taco Bell drive thru, Dave looked at me and said something that I will never forget. He simply said, "James, you are the most encouraging person I've ever met." I thanked him for the kind words and we moved on with our conversation.

Later that night I read a verse in Romans that shook me up in an incredible way. Romans 12:6-8 states, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

If I were to paraphrase this set of verses it would read something like this, "You have each been given unique gifts, so USE them!" These verses give us such a simple, yet powerful command.

Up until this point in my life, I was naturally an encouraging person...it's how God uniquely gifted me. Dave's statement to me on this particular day, however, turned me from a NATURAL encourager to an INTENTIONAL encourager. You see, before this day I had absolutely no idea that the words I spoke gave life to people. I simply spoke encouraging words every now and then because it was natural for me to do so. I had no idea it was a unique gift that was given to me by our Creator for the purpose of building up and empowering the people in my life.

The second I read the above mentioned verse and coupled it with the words that Dave spoke to me earlier that day, something inside me changed. In that moment I realized that God had tasked me with a massive responsibility. I now knew that it was part of my purpose to intentionally encourage and affirm the people God placed around me, empowering them to operate out of their God given giftedness.

I immediately put this new revelation into practice and the results were mesmerizing. I began telling specific friends what I saw in them and as a result I saw them using their gifts more and more. Friends that were naturally servant hearted, generous, and compassionate began serving more, giving bigger, and loving deeper.

The heart behind this entire post is to say 2 things:

According to Scripture, each and every one of you have been gifted by the God of the Universe. Spend some time today to think and pray about what gifts you've been given. After you've done this, start intentionally using those gifts to bless the people around you. There is no reason why we should be withholding our gifts from the world...they were given to us for a reason!

Secondly, I want to ask you all to be someone's "Dave" today. There is at least one positive characteristic in every single person with whom you interact. I challenge you to speak a life giving word to one of those individuals. Every time we see a positive quality and fail to acknowledge it to that person, we are robbing them of joy. Who in their right mind wants to be a joy robber?! You never know how much the words you speak can impact someone. So step away from the computer, pick up your phone, and tell someone the specific gifts you see in them...it may just change their life.

Let's change the world,
James