The Traveler's Gift

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This modern morality tale by gifted writer and speaker Andy Andrews teaches seven fundamental strategies for creating a successful life. The Traveler's Gift reminds me of the bestselling books by Og Mandino (I recommend them highly!), this unique narrative is a blend of entertaining fiction, allegory, and inspiration, with a hint of self-help. You'll be front-row in one man's journey of a lifetime.

David Ponder is at a crossroads. Having lost his job and the will to live, he has been supernaturally selected to travel through time, gathering wisdom for future generations. Visits to historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, King Solomon, and Anne Frank yield the Seven Fundamentals for Success that will impact the entire world. A visit to the future reveals the result of David's journey, the fruits of his labor.

Ultimately, like David, readers will see how the perspective of our own circumstances is dramatically altered when we glimpse the "big picture" of life.

Here’s a summary of Andy Andrews’ Seven Decisions and just a sampling of the examples he generously provides in Mastering the Seven Decisions:

1. Be responsible – Make a decision.

Remember President Harry Truman, and that famous sign he kept on his desk “The Buck Stops Here.” He signed his name on a single sheet of paper that authorized the decision to drop the atomic bomb on two cities in order to end World War.

2. Seek Wisdom – Listen to the guidance that is offered from people you can trust.

Napoleon lost at Waterloo because he failed to listen to his troops who said that you can’t send them into battle without a bucket of nails, which were used to plug the torch holes of the cannons that were seized and render them useless. Without the nails, the British were able to get their cannons back and fire them at Napoleon’s forces, and win the battle for Waterloo.

3. Be a Person of Action – Seize the moment.

Bill Gates decided to drop out of school at Harvard University to build a computer system that would one day become Microsoft.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlin, a school teacher, out of ammunition against overwhelming odds, led a bayonet charge against fully armed Confederate troops, and won the battle of Gettysburg.

4. Have a Decided Heart- Ignore rejection, let your passion be your guide.

Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield’s book was rejected by over fifty publishers before Peter Vegso at Health Communications decided to take a chance on them. The Chicken Soup for the Soul book series has now sold over 100 million copies.

Thomas Edison tried and failed over 1,000 times, before creating the incandescent light bulb.

Joan of Arc was only seventeen years old when she led the armies of France against the English. The military leaders cringed at the thought of a peasant girl leading the men of France. “Immediately. Now. Now, we must take them now. I intend to strike at the heart of the barricade,” she said. “If you go in, not a man will follow you,” they told her. “I won’t be looking back,” she replied.

5. Choose to be happy – Put a smile on your face or you won’t be the one chosen.

Consider what employers do. If you have two prospective employees with the same educational background, and equal experience, who are about the same age, and even look and dress very similar. One of them gripes and complains, and the other one smiles and is happy.

Or how about the husband who’s jealous of the way his wife treated their dog. Day after day, year after year, the wife would come home from work and the dog would run to the door, smiling, tail wagging happily, giving wholehearted, devoted attention, and lavish affection to the wife, every time she came home. And how did the wife treat the dog? Oh baby, come to mama… good to see you! Oh, I love you, too.

Lesson learned? If you want to be treated at least as well as the dog, then maybe you should take some lessons.

Ain’t that the truth!

6. Forgive! Forget Anger Management – Use Anger Resolution

Joshua Chamberlin, who led that famous charge at Waterloo, was chosen by President Abraham Lincoln to accept the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. There, Chamberlin stunned the world with a show of forgiveness and respect: He ordered his troops to attention, saluting General Robert E. Lee and the defeated South. With that bold stroke, planned behind the scenes by Lincoln of course, the President of the once again United States of America began the healing of a nation and its people.

7. Persist without exception.

Nelson Mandela sought to transform a country filled with racial divisions and oppression into an open democracy. His real qualities of forgiveness, patience and persistence were revealed to the world only after he was released from prison. He served a twenty-seven year sentence for leading a non-violent strike and for his involvement in the African national Congress’ resistance against the ruling National Party’s apartheid policy.

In Mastering the Seven Decisions, Andy Andrews aims to prove that everything you do matters, not just for you, your family, your business, and our country today, but for generations to come.

Andrews says that those people, including himself, who accomplish their goals by working all seven decision do so through intense focus, hard work, and determination to succeed. But the pay-off is worthwhile. When you begin to use these seven decisions, you stop blindly following the pack and gain the opportunity to develop the individual personal habits and practices that lead to success in whatever you do, so you can have fun, invest meaningful time with the people you are with, and give generously to others.

This is a book that has landed in the TOP 20 of my FAVORITES!

Wasted Life

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Ephesians 5:16-17 "Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." - ESV

First let me say, there is nothing wrong with sitting in a Lazyboy and watching a little TV from time to time. BUT, if most every day after work you plop down infront of the"one-eyed-mnonster" until bed time, you're living a wasted life.

Again, on occassion that can be just the thing you need to relax from a long hard stressful day at work!

You can take or leave this blog entry, but can I just challenge you to a new thought? If there are things you'd like to have different in your life; your marriage, your relationship with kids, your income, etc. Maybe turning the TV off and reading, or spending time with spouse and/or with your children could make the difference to improve those things.

"If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten." - unknown

Bottome line: You do not want to wind up like the guy in the picture above ... you have so much more to offer yourself, your family and God! He put you here on earth for more than that!

Who is Right?

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This is the question I get most often not only from secularist, or people who do not claim any kind of belief or faith in God, but also "religious" people; "so, who's right?" they say. And what they are referring to is; what religion is right? What is THE WAY to God?

That's a great question! I recently had a person, who I would call a Universalist (he believes ALL roads lead to God) tell me that he believes there are "many ways to God" and there is no "one way."

Though many would call me a Conservative, there are just as many who call me a Liberal; it all depends where you land personally and in how you see me and others. I like to consider myself a Moderate, or a person who is balanced, or centered. I like to be compassionate and sympathetic to others beliefs, ideologies, philosophies, experiences, faiths, heritage, religion, etc. I teach and preach from what I know and believe to be true - and that is the Jesus of the Bible... BUT that shouldn't mean we can't LOVE EACH OTHER and GET ALONG. Right?

I can hear you saying, "but Timmy what that means is that you secretly believe that what others believe is wrong, and you are right?" Don't we all? Ha Ha! I mean seriously, let's be honest with ourselves! But in reality what I believe to be true does not make ME right, but God's plan for saving humanity right, and I just believe what He said He did, He did. It's not anything that I've done or can boast about doing ... I haven't saved anyone, Jesus is the one who did it, not me. So I don't consider it prideful or arrogant or narrow-minded to have stumbled onto the truth. That would be like saying that someone who stumbled onto mathematical truth was being prideful, arrogant or narrow-minded for discovering "mathematical truth" and then sharing those truths with others. The truth is the truth ... is it not? And wouldn't or shouldn't LOVE compel us to share that truth? In a loving, humble and gracious way? I think so.

Here is how I look at it, when we get to Heaven I really believe there are going to be people there that we would have guessed wouldn't be. I believe that God is more loving, gracious, kind and forgiving then any Fundamental Christian out there! Trust me, there are NOT only going to be Southern Baptists in Heaven, despite what they may think! Maybe they're the ones who won't be there? Lol!

But I would challenge us all with this scripture: Proverbs 22:2

New International Version (©1984)
"All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart."

New Living Translation (©2007)
"People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart."

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
"A person thinks everything he does is right, but the LORD weighs hearts."

King James Bible
"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts."

Bible in Basic English
"Every way of a man seems right to himself, but the Lord is the tester of hearts."

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

You're Not Helping Pat

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I just read what Pat Robertson said about the tragic events in Haiti ... and I don't know what to say but, "ZIP IT PAT! Please, for the sake of Christ - You're not helping! Your words are like daggers into the hearts of those who are down."

I feel the same as Jim Wallis, a prominent progressive Christian leader, who said, "As a Christian leader, I have had to spend too much of my time trying to overcome an image of Christianity that was created by the likes of Pat Robertson," he wrote. "When evil strikes, it's easy to ask, where is God. The answer: God is suffering in the midst of the evil with those who are suffering."

This kind of stuff is what drives people far far away from Christ ... when we Christians open our silly mouths and spew stupid stuff... especially at a time like this... these people need our prayers, and our help!

I heard someone say that "what Pat said is actually factual...", and my thought there is then his timing is WAY OFF! It would be like walking up to the scene of an accident and telling the bloodied victim in the car crash, "your hair is messed up!" Just not a good time to share that, even if it's true. So in my estimation he is wrong on all fronts here!

Colossians 4:6 "Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone." - NLT

Again, as with anything I say here on my blog - it is just MY OPINION and we are all entitled to one!

Mercy Church KC

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The secret is out - Mercy Church is moving! The good news is that we are going to be more centrally located here in Kansas City which will help us reach the greater KC area by putting us basically 15 - 20 minutes from most anywhere in the KC Metro!

TELL YOUR KC FRIENDS

If you live in the KC area and don't already attend Mercy Church, I'd like to personally invite you to join us beginning Sunday, February 7th as we kick of our NEW relationship series in a NEW location. If you know anyone in the KC area please send them to our web site and invite to attend one of our services.

NEW LOCATION

Indian Hills Middle School
6400 Mission Rd.
Prairie Village, KS 66208

FIRST SERVICE

Sunday, February 7th - 10:00AM

Mercy Church Relocation

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(The following is a partial transcript from my sermon on Sunday, January 10, 2009)


MEMORY VERSE: Mark 1:17 “Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men.”

I find myself these days extremely excited about the months and years to come for Mercy Church! Not only because of the re-location, but about everything that Mercy Church stands for!

As many of you know Mercy church began just 7 years ago with the vision of LEADING PEOPLE TO A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST; and that vision is what drives us to do what we do, including the relocation!

We have met here week after week through the rain, sleet, ice & snow, and even Blizzards … doing just exactly what we set out to do 7 years ago; to spread this message of hope in Jesus ... sharing the love of God to everyone without judgment ... and without being weirdp Christian-type.

I can clearly see God working in our hearts with each passing year! I believe God is shaping us, molding us to become the church that exemplifies Jesus Christ in all that we do.

There are institutions all around the world doing very important things; but the things that churches do are the most important - dealing with people’s eternal destinies - issues of the soul.


And like I mentioned last week; my heart has always beat with a deep desire to bring people to FAITH IN CHRIST!

That is the reason I was put on this earth, I have no doubt. Actually the older I get, now just a pup at 40, (laugh) I become increasingly aware of my ultimate destiny in life … the WHY I EXIST, and it's to do just exactly what I am doing right now.

And this is why when I felt God leading us to make some changes here at Mercy Church I was willing to do so… and with this leading in my heart that started actually 2 years ago I began discussing this with the staff and leadership to confirm what I felt God leading us to do ... I wanted to truly make sure it was God and not a gas bubble from too much Pepperoni Pizza the night before. (laugh)

It started in early 2008 when we decided to change the name of the church from a LOCATION name (Olathe Life Fellowship), to a IDENTITY name (Mercy Church), a name that gives people a clear idea of the kind of church we are, rather then where we are located.

Then about a year ago discussions began about finding a building here in Olathe … and for over a year we worked diligently with an agent and toured dozen of spaces and made offers … and found the door being closed time and time again. Even when we really tried hard to MAKE it happen … it wasn’t happening.


QUOTE: "God opens doors no man can shut, and closes doors no man can open" - unknown


This lead us back to the drawing board, and back to our knees to get God’s plan for Mercy Church.

We started asking ourselves a lot of hard questions … asking ourselves if we were willing to go and do whatever God may lead us to do ... even move?

We agreed we were willing! So we opened our ears …


Then God reminded me of a story in …

TEXT: John 21:6 "And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish."

LESSON I LEARNED: WHERE JESUS SAYS TO FISH MATTERS!

I felt called to return home to KC when I graduated Bible College in 1994 and was living in Oklahoma … but I wasn’t ready, and didn’t feel a peace about moving back here then … then in 2002 we were ready, and we moved back here from Texas to KC to start the church in January 2003 … just 7 years ago.

In spite of the obstacles, in spite of obvious challenges … we must follow God’s leading for Mercy Church.

There are times in all our lives that we must make hard choices that not everyone will understand or even agree with and Mercy Church relocating to Northern Johnson County was definitely one of those decisions. It was not an easy decision, yet we must obey God and we know that God has a purpose and a plan.

This is not a move of convenience … we all (staff & key leadership) primarily live here in Olathe, actually south Olathe, so this is going to be inconvenient for us.

SO WHY THE MOVE

1) God is LEADING us.

 Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths”

Here is what I know about God; He is smart and He knows what is best for Mercy Church. So when we first felt God leading us to move, we did our homework – asking WHY? We wanted to make sure it was truly God.

This began the process of seeking the wisdom of others; asking many questions of our leaders, and of long time church members … we also sought the counsel of other pastors who had made moves similar to the one we are making, we met with consultants as well. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive in feeling and sensing that this was the right move for Mercy Church.

Even those who didn’t WANT us to move said, “This makes sense … and I can see why God would be leading you to make this change.”

2) It makes SENSE.

In other words; we asked ourselves does this move make sense naturally speaking.

CHURCH STUDIES

We started with church demographic studies; how many churches are in the area? What style are the churches? Are they traditional, contemporary, Post-modern, Blended, etc? What demonizations are present? Who are these churches reaching?

And more importantly; WHO are THEY NOT REACHING that Mercy Church could reach?

We, like any church that loves Jesus, wants to BE EFFECTIVE! We want to be MAKING a DIFFERENCE … we want to be NEEDED in the area we are in!

What we discovered was that Olathe has PLENTY of WONDERFUL CHURCHES! God’s got Olathe covered!

In this process we learned something very startling - when we looked at how many churches were in Olathe … I stopped counting at 160.


The thing we really like about the area we are moving to is that it’s more centrally located … basically it’s 15 – 20 minutes from anywhere in the Greater KC Metro … for those of us who live in Olathe it’s 15 – 20 minutes, and for those in Grandview, MO it’s 15 – 20 minutes, and for those in Raytown, MO it’s 15 – 20 minutes, and for those in Independence, MO it’s only 15 – 20 minutes and finally only 15 – 20 minutes for those in KC, KS … just by making a small move north, staying in Johnson County we now can reach the greater KC area.

GOD IS CALLING US TO BE MISSIONAL … going into an area that NEEDS MERCY church!

3) It’s a good move financially.

The current recession hit us this year, we fell $38,000 short in 2009 of our proposed budget, and thankfully we have smart financial people on board who helped us make wise decisions and we didn’t fall behind on anything, or did we have to lay off Brandon (laugh)… but we had to look at making changes in 2010 as we move forward to get ourselves in a position to get in our own building one day.

Finally…

4) It’s a much better facility.

Not only is it less money but it’s a much better size for our church, all the classrooms are clean and neat and the faculty actually seem excited that we are going to be there! And, the layout of the school is such that it's going to cut set up time nearly IN HALF.

CLOSING

There are so many of you that have already expressed that you and your family are coming with us wherever we go - as long as we stay in the greater KC area (and we are ... we are actually staying int he same county) and I know for others of you this is a real big move because you already drive in from the south 20 - 30 minutes, and that saddens me! I wish there was a way to make everyone happy in this process.

I do want you to know that we love you, and we hope that everyone will come with us. But we know that if you do not, God will put you in the right church - And you are always welcome to come back home anytime to visit.


WHERE ARE WE RELOCATING

We are moving to Northern Johnson County, just 10 miles from Olathe to Prairie Village (63rd and Mission Rd) to Indian Hills Middle School.


FIRST SERVICE IN NEW LOCATION

Sunday, February 7 - 10:00AM

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS

Now here is your chance to invite your friends and family who live anywhere in the KC Metro to come to Mercy Church! For 7 years I would hear people say, "Man i wish you guys were closer to downtown cause I live north of the river and Olathe is just too far south... etc etc." Now they have no excuse ... we are 15 - 20 minutes from anywhere in the KC metro!

2010 Hanky Panky Challenge

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Anytime you use the word “Hanky Panky” it means one thing for the guys and for the girls it may mean yet another … so let this be your guide … we are encouraging couples to take the month of February,the love month, to focus on their marriage by creating moments of intentional intimacy, which we are referring to as “hanky panky” with each another everyday. This means making time to connect, whether that is pure sexual intimacy (intercourse) which most dudes are probably hoping (praying) for – you are welcome guys!, or lots of kissing, touching, tickling, massages, foot rubs, bubble baths together, washing each others hair, pillow talks, praying together (for each other and your family), read the Song of Songs, try reading a romantic book together, watch Dr. Phil – sorry, just kidding … watch a romantic movie (not Texas Chainsaw, or Saw I, II or III), cook dinner together, talk a walk together, write a meaningful note to one another and read aloud, go on a romantic date … basically go back to what you did when you first met and fell so madly in love with each other! Crazy how just a few years of marriage and we forget all that stuff.


Side note here; many times this is what I see failing in marriages; everything that I have mentioned above stops after a year of marriage. Simply, we take each other for granted, we are too busy (or we feel we are too busy). Yet when I talk to couples about their schedule I see that there are many opportunities in their “busy schedule” for intimacy, but it’s filled up with TV, Sports, Hobbies, Kids stuff (nothing wrong with that, but honestly how many activities do your kids really need to be in? I mean seriously! Is it worth losing your marriage over? Not a win for your kids if you ask me! The best gift you can give your kids is a healthy marriage!)

So again, we are CHALLENGING you (if you are married) to engage in HANKY PANKY everyday for the entire month of February!

Every year we get phone calls from ANGRY RELIGIOUS people who get their panties all in a wade over the Hanky Panky Challenge, and I can only guess that their sex life is really lame (maybe not ... plus my wife just told me that was judgmental to say, so I take it back)… so here is our official “disclaimer” below.

DISCLAIMER: This challenge is only for those who are in a committed relationship (which we here at Mercy Church would consider that to be those who are married.) Yes you can be in a committed relationship and not have the piece of paper from the government, but let’s just be real honest here … the “paper” is a BIG deal, hence the reason so many people are scared to get that little “piece of paper”, because it’s a HUGE COMMITMENT.

CHALLENGE FOR SINGLES: Only NON-SEXUAL Hanky Panky for the month of February! I mean come on; this would only help to deepen your emotional relationship anyway! Seriously, get to know one another without touching tee tees. Ladies, if your guy isn’t willing to take this challenge I would seriously reconsider him as a person you would want to spend your life with, I am not joking actually. And guys, if she can’t hold off for 28 days, then marry her … TODAY! Ha ha!

Happy Hanky Panky!

Alone in a Crowd

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Matthew 28:20b "... And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

There are times in all our lives we feel alone. I have discovered a few things that really help overcome those feelings.

1) Don't be ALONE- Allow good close friends and family to share in your victories and defeats. It's a crazy thing, but the more we "feel alone" the more we want (so we think) to be alone. Feelings are fickle and should not be what we use to guide our steps.

2) THINK positive - Regardless of what some negative people say; our thoughts do make a huge difference in our mood. Paul tells us in Philippians 4 to "think on things that are true ... good..." And Proverbs tells us that a "... merry heart is like a medicine..."

3) TALK positive - Going alone with the thought above; what we TALK about, often becomes what we THINK about ... and our words to others, about others and about ourselves are crucial to our well being.

4) KNOW that God is with you - This is one of the biggest forgotten themes of the whole Christmas Story ... God came to earth to be WITH US ... we are NOT ALONE.

5) TRUST that God is working on your behalf - Many times loneliness comes as a result of feeling hopeless, or helpless ... which comes as a result of hard times. I have spoken to more people in the last year experiencing these feelings than ever before in my 20 years of ministry. But we must all have FAITH in God's ability to work in and through us in difficult times.

6) PRAY - this should be #1, and understood as the first thing we should do when feeling anything other than great ... God is a God who listens, cares and does act. Talk to Him!

Also, just know that you are a person that God loves, and He created you for a purpose!