Do you ever pause and consider where you were a year ago?
At this time last year ...
Easton wasn't here; but we knew he was coming.
Shannon and Justin weren't parents.
Lamar and Jennifer were not Uncle and Aunt.
Ryan wasn't here either; and we had no idea that he would be joining us.
The pool of our dreams was still a dream and there were no plans of building it. Now it waits for the warm weather to return.
Lolly-Pop Sundays hadn't been invented.
We hadn't found LifeChurch Fort Worth.
Jordan wasn't engaged, but we thought it would happen.
Janelle didn't have a full-time job; but now she has one she loves.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Angel Flight
On his CD, Revival, Randney Foster sings a song called Angel Flight. Its a song about the pilots who fly the bodies of soldiers who were killed in action home.
Its a powerful song that took on new meaning for me this week.
Our friend Jimmy Whitlock lost his son Nick last weekend. Nick was a special ops pilot whose plane crashed in Africa. Jimmy's oldest son called me Monday with the news. As he called, his father was on his way to Dover to meet the plane that was bringing Nick's body home.
This Saturday, Nick will make his final journey and be brought home to Newnan, Georgia.
I cannot imagine the pain of such a loss. When I spoke to Jimmy this morning I told him that Nick loved to fly and he loved his country. Jimmy told me how proud he was of Nick. "He was making a difference."
I pray that the Whitlock family will experience the fullness and sufficiency of God's grace as they walk through this together.
Angel Flight
All I ever wanted to do was fly
Leave this world and live in the sky
I left the C130 out of Fort Worth town
I go up some days, I dont wanna come down
I fly that plane called the Angel Flight
Come on brother, you're with me tonight.
Between heaven and earth, you're never alone -
on the Angel Flight, come on brother, I'm taking you home.
I love my family and I love this land
But tonight this flights for another man
We do what we do cause we heard the call
Some gave a little but he gave it all
I fly that plane called the Angel Flight -
Come on brother, you're with me tonight.
Between heaven and earth, you're never alone -
on the Angel Flight, come on brother, I'm taking you home.
come on brother, I'm taking you home.
The cockpit's quiet and the stars are bright -
Feels kinda like church in here tonight.
It don't matter where we touch down -
On the Angel Flight it's a sacred ground.
I fly that plane called the Angel Flight -
Got a Hero riding with us tonight.
Between heaven and earth, you're never alone -
on the Angel Flight, come on brother, I'm taking you home.
come on brother, I'm taking you home.
come on brother, I'm taking you home.
come on brother, I'm taking you home.
Its a powerful song that took on new meaning for me this week.
Our friend Jimmy Whitlock lost his son Nick last weekend. Nick was a special ops pilot whose plane crashed in Africa. Jimmy's oldest son called me Monday with the news. As he called, his father was on his way to Dover to meet the plane that was bringing Nick's body home.
This Saturday, Nick will make his final journey and be brought home to Newnan, Georgia.
I cannot imagine the pain of such a loss. When I spoke to Jimmy this morning I told him that Nick loved to fly and he loved his country. Jimmy told me how proud he was of Nick. "He was making a difference."
I pray that the Whitlock family will experience the fullness and sufficiency of God's grace as they walk through this together.
Angel Flight
All I ever wanted to do was fly
Leave this world and live in the sky
I left the C130 out of Fort Worth town
I go up some days, I dont wanna come down
I fly that plane called the Angel Flight
Come on brother, you're with me tonight.
Between heaven and earth, you're never alone -
on the Angel Flight, come on brother, I'm taking you home.
I love my family and I love this land
But tonight this flights for another man
We do what we do cause we heard the call
Some gave a little but he gave it all
I fly that plane called the Angel Flight -
Come on brother, you're with me tonight.
Between heaven and earth, you're never alone -
on the Angel Flight, come on brother, I'm taking you home.
come on brother, I'm taking you home.
The cockpit's quiet and the stars are bright -
Feels kinda like church in here tonight.
It don't matter where we touch down -
On the Angel Flight it's a sacred ground.
I fly that plane called the Angel Flight -
Got a Hero riding with us tonight.
Between heaven and earth, you're never alone -
on the Angel Flight, come on brother, I'm taking you home.
come on brother, I'm taking you home.
come on brother, I'm taking you home.
come on brother, I'm taking you home.
Monday, February 20, 2012
I can’t motivate anyone …
Legendary football coach Lou Holtz once said, "I can't motivate anyone. All I can do is remove those who won't motivate themselves."
I think about that every time I teach "Motivation Theory" in my classes. His quote begs the question:
Is motivation something that our boss does to us, or is it something we do for ourselves?
Gretchen Spreitzer and Robert Quinn make a similar point about empowerment in their book, A Company of Leaders. They state that empowerment is not something someone does to you, but something you do for yourself.
If this is true, what is the leader's role in empowerment and motivation?
I think my job is to create an environment where people can empower themselves by providing the resources and tools they need.
I need to run interference and remove the obstacles – just like any good left tackle does!
I need to give them "permission" to empower themselves … and to not resent it and punish them when they do.
I can’t motivate anyone …
I think about that every time I teach "Motivation Theory" in my classes. His quote begs the question:
Is motivation something that our boss does to us, or is it something we do for ourselves?
Gretchen Spreitzer and Robert Quinn make a similar point about empowerment in their book, A Company of Leaders. They state that empowerment is not something someone does to you, but something you do for yourself.
If this is true, what is the leader's role in empowerment and motivation?
I think my job is to create an environment where people can empower themselves by providing the resources and tools they need.
I need to run interference and remove the obstacles – just like any good left tackle does!
I need to give them "permission" to empower themselves … and to not resent it and punish them when they do.
I can’t motivate anyone …
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Six Significant Conversations
A brief conversation.
One sentence in the middle of a broader conversation.
Yet, for some reason that comment stuck with you. It may have even changed the entire direction of your life.
Or, your eternal destiny.
I have been thinking about the most significant conversations I have had thus far in my life. Here are six:
Guy Owen February 1973: I attended a YoungLife meeting in February of 1973. My motive for attending was to see a girl I was interested in. So interested that I was willing to attend a "religious" event like YoungLife. What a surprise! Entertaining, upbeat, and fun. And a very clear presentation of the gospel. I realized that like all people I was a sinner, separated from God, and that no amount of good works could reconcile me to God. But Guy shared the good news with me that Christ had paid the penalty for me and that I simply needed to receive the free gift of salvation by inviting Jesus into my life.
Laura Marsh, June 15, 1973: For a couple of years I had been hearing about a girl that went to Lamar High School who was "crazy about me." Well, I finally met her after one of our baseball games. June 15, 1973 to be exact. We began "going steady" and had to rely on our parents (and Laura's sister Ellen) to shuttle us because we were both still in Driver's Ed with learning permits only.
By the way, 1973 was very good year!
Coach Howington, 1977-78ish: Sometime during my college years I was trying to decide whether to go to Law School or to become a teacher. Coach Howington had a one question response: "Where can you best serve the Lord?"
Lee Van Zant, 1978 (Professor of Economics at Austin College): I had gone to summer school every summer after my freshman year at Austin College. I had enough credits to graduate early, but was considering staying for one more semester to take some additional courses. Lee told me, "J.Lee I think you've gotten all you can get out of Austin College and its time to move on." Sometimes we need a nudge to leave the nest.
Jim Schierling, 1990/91: Jim was the pastor at Mid-Cities Bible Church. I met with him every Friday morning for almost a year as he invested in me. The "career question" was stirring again as I was thinking of going back to school to get my PhD. Jim said, "I think it would be best if you can align your job with your gifts."
Jim Quick/Jim Lewis, 1993: I link these two conversations together because they were so similar it was like we were reading from a script. The conversations happened one week apart during a lunch at the same restaurant. Quick had been my management professor during my MBA; Lewis was my mentor in the business world. I was teaching full-time at UTA (4 courses per semester during my lunch and at night) and working full-time at Air-Dreco. But, I was becoming increasingly unhappy with the Air-Dreco culture.
Both Jims knew I was unhappy and asked me what I would really like to do. To each of them I responded, "I would really like to go back to school and get my PhD so I could make a living doing what I love: teaching." Each of them then asked me why I didn't do that. I gave the same response to each: "I can't afford to. We have 4 children and Laura doesn't work outside the home."
The first Jim responded,"We need to find you a benefactor." I thought that would be nice, but I had no idea how that would happen.
The next week, the same script played out with precision ... right down to the second Jim asking "Why don't you do that?" and my exact response, "I can't afford to..." Then, the script changed. The second Jim's response was, "What if I provided the financial support you need to do that."
I almost fell out of my chair. He loaned us the money that provided the initial funding for me to pursue my PhD.
Six significant conversations that changed my life.
What are the significant conversations that impacted your life?
One sentence in the middle of a broader conversation.
Yet, for some reason that comment stuck with you. It may have even changed the entire direction of your life.
Or, your eternal destiny.
I have been thinking about the most significant conversations I have had thus far in my life. Here are six:
Guy Owen February 1973: I attended a YoungLife meeting in February of 1973. My motive for attending was to see a girl I was interested in. So interested that I was willing to attend a "religious" event like YoungLife. What a surprise! Entertaining, upbeat, and fun. And a very clear presentation of the gospel. I realized that like all people I was a sinner, separated from God, and that no amount of good works could reconcile me to God. But Guy shared the good news with me that Christ had paid the penalty for me and that I simply needed to receive the free gift of salvation by inviting Jesus into my life.
Laura Marsh, June 15, 1973: For a couple of years I had been hearing about a girl that went to Lamar High School who was "crazy about me." Well, I finally met her after one of our baseball games. June 15, 1973 to be exact. We began "going steady" and had to rely on our parents (and Laura's sister Ellen) to shuttle us because we were both still in Driver's Ed with learning permits only.
By the way, 1973 was very good year!
Coach Howington, 1977-78ish: Sometime during my college years I was trying to decide whether to go to Law School or to become a teacher. Coach Howington had a one question response: "Where can you best serve the Lord?"
Lee Van Zant, 1978 (Professor of Economics at Austin College): I had gone to summer school every summer after my freshman year at Austin College. I had enough credits to graduate early, but was considering staying for one more semester to take some additional courses. Lee told me, "J.Lee I think you've gotten all you can get out of Austin College and its time to move on." Sometimes we need a nudge to leave the nest.
Jim Schierling, 1990/91: Jim was the pastor at Mid-Cities Bible Church. I met with him every Friday morning for almost a year as he invested in me. The "career question" was stirring again as I was thinking of going back to school to get my PhD. Jim said, "I think it would be best if you can align your job with your gifts."
Jim Quick/Jim Lewis, 1993: I link these two conversations together because they were so similar it was like we were reading from a script. The conversations happened one week apart during a lunch at the same restaurant. Quick had been my management professor during my MBA; Lewis was my mentor in the business world. I was teaching full-time at UTA (4 courses per semester during my lunch and at night) and working full-time at Air-Dreco. But, I was becoming increasingly unhappy with the Air-Dreco culture.
Both Jims knew I was unhappy and asked me what I would really like to do. To each of them I responded, "I would really like to go back to school and get my PhD so I could make a living doing what I love: teaching." Each of them then asked me why I didn't do that. I gave the same response to each: "I can't afford to. We have 4 children and Laura doesn't work outside the home."
The first Jim responded,"We need to find you a benefactor." I thought that would be nice, but I had no idea how that would happen.
The next week, the same script played out with precision ... right down to the second Jim asking "Why don't you do that?" and my exact response, "I can't afford to..." Then, the script changed. The second Jim's response was, "What if I provided the financial support you need to do that."
I almost fell out of my chair. He loaned us the money that provided the initial funding for me to pursue my PhD.
Six significant conversations that changed my life.
What are the significant conversations that impacted your life?
Saturday, December 24, 2011
38 Christmases and Counting!
Laura and I have been together for 38 Christmases.
This picture was taken when I was playing Santa Claus at Sears in 1974.
Laura came in to see Santa and have her picture made with me.
(Yes, that's my Arlington High class ring she is wearing!)
Now we have some more reasons for a Merry Christmas.
This is Easton's First Christmas!
This is Landrie, Karsyn, and their new little brother Ryan with Santa Claus.
Ryan arrived just in time for this to be his First Christmas too!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Let Me Introduce You to Ryan Marshall Kirk
Our newest addition arrived on December 15, 2011.
Now, bothe Landrie and Karsyn are BIG Sisters!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Finishing Weird - Part 5
Weird people don’t finish like normal people finish.
Weird people finish the course and fulfill their ministry.
Acts 20:24 "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God."
1 Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
2 Timothy 4:5-8 "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up 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 loved His appearing. "
I want to finish strong. I want to finish weird. But, I cannot do that in my own strength. So, I am asking for divine intervention:
Lord, help me to fight the good fight, to keep the faith and to finish the course.
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