1. Never fear failure.

2. Take long walks by yourself.

3. Read a children’s book.

4. Practice patience.

5. Schedule a nap in a hammock.

6. Build a bonfire.

7. Remember that you need not win every argument.

8. Stop at every kids lemonade stand.

9. Join a dance class.

10. Never forget God loves you.

I love visiting wine country. Napa valley I suppose is considered one of the ultimate dreamscapes for any wine lover enthusiast. On my last trip I discovered something new about wine growing. I have always heard about how pruning the vine makes for better grapes in the future.

But when I interviewed one of the growers in Napa about wine in general, what he said stuck with me in more ways than one. I questioned the roots and the terrain where the vine actually grows. When you drive through Napa you will notice almost all of the vineyards grow on rolling hills. Flat ground is not the ideal situation for good wine. The question is Why? The answer- “Roots need to struggle to be the best they can be. They always find the water because the water is always there.”

“Flat terrain has the ability to saturate a root system with to much water,” the grower said.  What I took away from this is to much of anything is not a good thing. Flat ground allows water to suffocate the roots by water collecting in masses when it rains. When that happens, the roots have no reason to search for water therefore becoming complacent in its existence. When this happens, the grapes grow from roots that have it all. In the end, you have a wine that taste overripe to the point of being undrinkable and unpleasant. Makes sense, right- you’ve been given everything.

“The best tasting wines come from roots that struggle in their search for water, their search for nourishment by digging deep.”

I couldn’t help but think thats life searching for Christ in all things. Thinking back in my younger days and still today, faith is about living under the pressure. God has the capability at anytime to put you through situations that require you to dig deep, to search for the nourishment that only HE provides. This is learning patience and trusting that the water will always be there. That God will always be there.

Pray for the terrain that you sit on to be a hill that drains well and allows you to go in search of eternal water that always satisfies. In the end, you’re life will be more meaningful having learned to seek HIS provisions when the rain clouds begin to gather.

Chip……

In the world of communication, the globe has become one huge neighborhood. You can call anywhere, anytime, even if you are waking people up in the middle of the night in Asia.

No operator anymore to patch you through. One time it took three (3) separate operators to reach my intended party. Sorry to all you run and gun communicating gurus. I was born in the 60’s.

Nowadays, you can text, email, voice mail, skype, face time, you name it, its all available to the caller. I’ve come up with the name for the times ; the “now” generation.

I’m sure many of you have accounts on all fronts of webbing. Facebook and Twitter is probably the two that draw the most attention. I saw some of my “friends” on facebook having almost 5,000 friends. Dude, I don’t know 5,000 people much less being friends with all of them. Are you serious?

Well, the other day, I was forwarding an email to a friend. His email was included in all the other emails just bunched up into one huge mass of “.com’s”

Funny thing, his email bounced back to me. It just came back to me “undelivered.”

“Undelivered.” That word gets me, how about you?

Undelivered is so rejection oriented, right? It’s like saying,

“Go away. Not delivering your message so quit trying.”

So I investigated and was apprehensive as to what the answer might be. He may actually tell me to stop sending him emails. Not sure if I would be ready for that answer.

I called. He answered- he said he was not sure what was happening. The email address looked good and that his address had not changed. His address had always been consistent from the very beginning.

As I compared email addresses that my wife was using for him compared to what I was using, I noticed something that unlocked the mystery.

In the middle of all that address stuff, I was missing a single dot. You know the (.).

If you stood back and just looked at it, you wouldn’t notice that it was missing. But that one little dot was the problem. No dot meant no email working. Cut and dry. Plain and simple; the difference between night and day. Nadda. Not going through.

Truth be told, it took two weeks for me to figure out the problem. No DOT where the dot should be. One little dot changed the entire process.

As a pastor out on the streets and among the sheep, I encounter questions about scripture frequently.  One of the most asked is about John 14:6. “The way and the truth and the Life.” Jesus says the only way to the Father is through HIM. There is no other way. The problem- they don’t believe it.

I ask if they’ve read the OT and the NT. Proudly, they say yes. But, the problem – they don’t include John 14:6 as truth. “There must be other ways,” and on occasion they’re barking mad. “God wouldn’t just send people to Hell for only not believing in that one verse,” they say with conviction.

Kinda like the dot problem. I had the email address and all it symbols. It all looked good, it read great, I believed the address as being right. I knew I had everything correct. Not my fault.

But I was missing one thing- the dot, the one little verse that makes all the difference in the world. Or should I say the world and spending eternity separated from God.

You remain for all eternity-  “undeliverable.”

John 14:6 is that way.

You may know the entire Bible, you may be the best and fastest “texter” in the world, but if you’re missing the dot, if you’re missing “The way, the truth, and the Life, your message won’t go through.

If you exclude John 14:6, you’re idea and human reasoning will come back “Undeliverable.” Make the change now. Take a closer look at the address you’ve been typing in.

You may just be missing the most critical part. The dot a.k.a. The way, The truth, and The Life. The address has never changed.

If you include this, your message won’t come back undeliverable, but DELIVERED.

Seeking God in all the Thin Places…..

Be blessed…..

I have discovered over the past years of talking with pastors and leaders that giftedness is specific. Each person called of God has been blessed with gifts that have been matched with who they have been made in HIS eyes. Several questions arise, however in approaching these gifts that live within you.

1) Do you know what gifts you posses? 2) Are you using them correctly? 3) Are you staying inside your giftedness?

These three questions should be asked of each of us. A miss guided or misused gift benefits no one. Others in your circle most likely will have a gift you do not have, but they don’t have your gifts either. We are all important. We all matter to the Father. We have been blessed to bless others. The disciples in the Book of Acts continue time and time again to flourish in what they had been given to work with. Some are Andrews and some are Peters.

Have you ever asked the question why some things work for others and not for you? Reason, its not your calling. Always operate in your sweet spot and stay away from the sin of comparison to others. The road of comparison has the ability to communicate, “you are less than.”

Not so. You are all God needs you to be when you use what HE has given you no matter how many you influence. Remember- the disciple Andrew loved engaging people one on one. He introduced Peter to Christ.

Lastly, recognizing your abilities makes you a lethal opponent for the devil. Not knowing your abilities in Christ may make your true giftedness stale, which in turn, helps no one and the devil loves that.

Acts 11:29-

“And the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea;”

And your gifts are?

Chip…..