Troops of the Eight Nations Alliance, circa 1900. Is the dude in the middle most average?

Six months ago I changed churches and decided to strive to be another face in the crowd. I just wanted to be average. Why? Well, after standing at the front door and dashing across the stage for 4 years I was yearning for a place where I could just be an average Joe. If you aim to blend in at church, a big one may work, or a small boutique with people who are all very similar. Or, possibly one that is overflowing with truth and grace. I love the new digs. I believe that God lead me to the right place, and at exactly the right time. I found new areas at the church where I can serve God that are more focused on using the gifts that He gave me. In many ways, I found the sweet spot in being average.

In school, we strove to do our best. Nobody wanted to be a mediocre student, earning all “C’s”. We all wanted to be great! Being great requires action, not just intention. Action… focus… and capacity. There were some subjects, like math, that I did well in, and others that were terribly difficult for me. Just dreadful.

Speaking of math, the Isaac Newton’s of the world have a definition for average too – the result of adding several quantities together and then dividing this total by the number of quantities. We also think of this number as the mean. Yep, the mean… but this is a good sort of mean. You see, in math, in order to reach the sweet spot of average, we have to put the individual numbers into a pile, or a group. Being in a group feels good, it’s where we find fellowship. And unity. And to achieving all that God created us for. It’s a big part of being great.

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

Can I be great and be average at the same time? For sure! The sweet spot is this: I can and should strive to achieve… go for the “A” every time. However, I am doing it for His glory, not mine.

Ok, so I’m not dime a dozen and neither are you. We’re all unique and rare as God made each of us in a very special way; the lady who is average height, the runner who finishes in the middle of the pack, the manager who is in the mid-range of the pay scale, and the dude who’s appearance is, well, just average. We are all average in some way, but perfectly flawless and unique in God’s making. If I identify my gifts and talents, I can excel and contribute most in those areas. Then, I can connect with other people who are also being great but in different ways, and our combined effort adds up to being awesome. Holy guacamole!!

The sweet spot in being average is knowing that it’s not all about me. I’m comfortable with that. Jesus is on the stage, the center of attention. Yep, the wayward carpenter. There’s a lot that goes on behind the curtain that is critical to every successful performance. Does that mean that I’m shooting for “C’s”? Nope.

“Stop looking for the path of least resistance and start running down the path of greatest glory to God and good to others, because that’s what Jesus, the Real Man, did.” Mark Driscoll

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t make the grade. It’s all good. My skills and gifts are completely different from yours, and the next guys. No biggie. We’re all in this together, right? Shoot to be great at everything you do! For His glory. That’s the sweet spot in being average.

In what area would you say that you are “most average”?

The post Finding The Sweet Spot In Being Average first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

ET… Phone Home!!

Oh to be the little boy who shared his cookies and shacked up with the wayward space alien named ET… now THAT would be completely off the chains… AND the pages of the Sears Christmas Wish Book

The ExtraTerrestrial Event And The One Night Brostand…

Short-term friends… like a day or week in the life… do you have any of these experiences?

I’ve had a few… some crazy… some inspiring… some… well… some (from my distant past) that we should probably bury deep in the depths of the Marianna Trench! These events could be a One Night Brostand… or it could just be a random act of kindness where we disappear into obscurity… true and complete servanthood like Jesus taught us. Straight up Being Great!

Be it a brofriend or the ET… you could meet them most anywhere… on an airplane, at a conference, in the desert, on a ski trip in Colorado, or the tropical Caribbean… you never know where or when these temporary companions will arise… so be prepared… when they do, you’ll have to make a split second decision to either take a hall pass… or to seize the moment. Which one? Here is some guidance on choosing:

– If the ET can speak the lingo and doesn’t appear to want to abscond with you to some other galaxy where they may run a series of guinea pig tests on you it may just be OK to spend an evening with them. Most of these ET’s are relatively harmless… they’re just curious like you and me (plus we can chalk that one up to experience!) 😉

– If the One Night Brostand may end up either (1) on the 6 O’Clock news, or (2) land you in prison, (OR BOTH!!) you may want to consider passing on this one. Generally speaking, any brostand where you can’t come back and share the deets over coffee with your sweetness or in your life story would be bad news… steer clear of these events.

However, if it may turn into a “Being Great’ event… just being like Jesus… readily available to faithfully and humbly serve others in whatever way needed, you don’t want to pass this one up.

Jesus said “your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life.” Matthew 20:28

I’m thinkin’ Being Great is unselfishly serving and loving others with a heart like Jesus’, within our church’s ministry and the world’s mission field. Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character.

Being great with like-minded people… these are the folks who came and went like the first cold front of the fall season… lightning crashes… rolling thunder chases the wind… and at the same time a lasting impression is left behind… yep yep yep, this is where it’s at!

Q: Do you have an experience with other people who came and went like the wind, and where your shared a “be great”experience with them?

The post The ExtraTerrestrial Event And The One Night Brostand first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Jesus said “your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life.” Matthew 20:28

I’m thinkin’ Being Great is unselfishly serving and loving others with a heart like Jesus’, within our church’s ministry and the world’s mission field. Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character.

How can you Be Great today?

Happy Monday!!

The post “Whoever wants to Be Great must become a servant” Mark 10:43 first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.