A Kings comfort is money well spent

Sleepovers at my friend’s house were one of the hi-lights of my childhood. However, I remember one horrible sleep over experience that I’ll never forget. I was about 11 years old and one of my friends at school asked me to sleep over his house for his birthday. I had never been over his house before and since he was a good friend in school, going to his house would be a no brainer. It was sure to be a fun time. When my parents dropped me off I am pleasantly surprised that he lives in a great neighborhood in a small mansion of a house. I was not only intrigued by the size of his house I was sure that because he lived in such a nice place we were going to have a great time. But almost immediately things began to get awkward. He takes me to play his new Mike Tyson punch out video game but instead of us taking turns he forces me to watch as he plays. I asked if i could have a turn but he rudely denies me the chance to go one round with any of the boxers. Talk about getting sucker punched. In this mansion of many rooms he shares a room with his brother and I have to share a bed with my friend who is quickly turning in to my frenemy because of his poor hosting skills. The next day held promise. I thought that it could be a brand new start and things would be better. When he suggested we go bike riding around the neighborhood my optimism increased. We went to the garage and instead of giving me one of his bikes he gives me a skateboard to follow him up and down the streets. (Are you feeling sorry for me yet? I feel like I need therapy just writing this.) After we get back to the house he goes somewhere to do something and I am left alone, wandering around the wrap around porch of his house with nothing to do. I started thinking that maybe I should call my parents to pick me up but thought I would stay for his party at least. The party was a backyard barbecue where I got to witness his parents estranged relationship and his spoiled younger brother’s tantrums. The entire time I had regretted not making that phone call. When I arrived back home and walked through the front door of our simple non- mansion house I can’t begin to tell you how much relief my pre-teen heartfelt. And although I would never wish that kind of experience on anyone, it did teach me the value of hospitality.

I imagine all of you reading this would be happy to host the Lord's presence in your life. I don’t doubt that you would share everything you had and make it all about Him. You would give Him the seat of honor at your table, you would relinquish your rights so that He would enjoy Himself and never want to leave your house. Do you ever wonder how you could measure what kind of host you are? Is hospitality simply about how comfortable you make someone feel in your home? While that is part of it I also want you to consider something else. One of the main ways we can measure it is how we manage our money. Does that sound strange? Think about my friend and how he managed his possessions. He kept his possessions from ever touching my hand which showed that what he had was more important than me. If he would have been generous I would have felt important to him. We show how important the Lord is to us through our generosity. He lingers as long as He is being honored. When we include God in our spending and in our choices we are hosting his presence well in our lives. He honors the places and people who keep their honor on. He is most comfortable where He is most considered. Ironically, this type of thinking is how a wealth mindset is formed. He teaches us through our willingness to learn what makes Him most comfortable. Can you imagine how wealthy you could become if you would just know how to be a good friend when you’re hosting the King of Kings at your house?

3 types of people that are attracted to your anointing; SUCKERS, PULLERS & PUSHERS

If you've ever planned on taking a trip somewhere you know how important it is to investigate what's around where you're going. You check out the attractions, things to do and places to eat. You can better prepare for where you are going when you do the research. There are also things you might be warned of that can keep you from headaches later on.  Being anointed and flowing in that anointing is a trip. We don’t always have the luxury of having a personal tour guide for walking out our anointing in the real world, especially when we first start out. I thought of somethings that might be helpful for the "budding" follower of Christ who is called to work with people which is pretty much all of us.  Below I have 3 types of people who are attracted to the anointing for entirely different reasons. I put together these brief descriptions to help you identify who’s who and what’s what. 

Suckers are people who just want to take from you but are unreliable in their contribution to anything you do. Suckers don't see your time as precious so your world must stop for them when they call on you. They are always having an emergency. Drama is the only thing they attract and want to ask you to help them once they’ve exhausted all other means. They drain you emotionally and make you feel like you don't know anything because they tell you they've already tried the advice you just gave them and it didn't work. Suckers just want attention not direction. To them, you're a vomit bag not a sounding board. 

Pullers see what you carry and will honor it until it pours out of you. They get nervous that they might waste the opportunity of their questions and your insight never meeting. Pullers are mentally taking notes and storing them in folders that get stored in their heart. They don’t exhaust you emotionally, however, you feel power being expended because of how they have positioned themselves to receive. They give you the space to air your heart. The only reason they pull out their mobile devices is to take notes or record what you’re sharing. 

Pushers are a different breed. They have something to give but use their energy to draw on your potential thereby contributing to what would add to what you are called to do. They identify what is missing, incomplete or could use reinforcement and use their gift to compliment you in those areas. Pushers want to discover you further, to put wind in the sails towards your destination because they want to see you succeed. Pushers are a physical manifestation of the cloud of witnesses in heaven that cheer you on in the right direction. Pushers invigorate your efforts. They polish what’s been tarnished by the sucker’s disregard for what you carry and what the pullers touched when you gave them access. Pushers elevate your anointing and open doors to rooms they have access to and tables they would like you seated at. Suckers are common, Pullers are rare but are around and Pushers are the rarest. 

I am not going to detail how each one should be treated because I think you are smart enough to figure that out. I’ll just say this; Suckers will always be there so pray for what your approach should be so they will not be given the opportunity to drain you or others. The hope is to see them become sucker free so enjoy pullers and honor pushers. The anointing deserves to be cared for therefore keep in mind the more your anointing grows in influencing others the more attractive it becomes. 

Overnight Success is usually not a long term guarantee

Whatever happened to those people who put out that viral video sensation “What does the fox say?”

How about ALS being cured forever with all that money they made on the ice bucket challenge?

I just heard an interview from Rico Suave who came out with the only song I remember of his titled…are you ready? “Rico Suave.”  That’s right he just repeated his name for the hook.  When I saw that interview I was like I remember that guy once upon a time.

Here is the deal overnight successes with all the fame, popularity and buzz don’t usually last long.  It’s sad really.  I feel bad mostly for the ones who are getting this exaggerated attention only to find it gone as suddenly as it started.  This is part of pop culture phenomenon.

I see this mentality seeping into the church.  Where we give all this attention to the latest thing and the steady and faithful things get left in the dust.  It’s not a bad thing to be an early adopter of something significant or new.  What’s bad is when we have not grounded ourselves in what has been proven and guaranteed to start chasing what’s popular.  Some people just jump jump like Kris Kross (you see what I did there another pop success) from thing to thing.  Overnight success to me is when there is no proven infrastructure or foundation in place for the amount of success that has been poured out on a thing.  Athletes can attest to their quick rise to the top just to fizzle out as quickly as they came in.

There is no way of stopping this.  Overnight success will continue to come and go.  It’s the people that repeatedly are attracted to them that i hope to help.  I want to help by encouraging you to distinguish them when they show up.  Then secondly, don’t make them everything in how you emotionally and materially invest into them.  You may not realize it but if you’re undisciplined in how you deal with overnight success it may creep into patterns within other areas of your life.  You will go from thing to thing or [God forbid] fling to fling.  There will always be flashy job opportunities, cars, churches and things to own along the way.   It’s your job to enjoy what’s guaranteed in your life when the flashy stuff shows up.  Try not to waste the money and energy that could be invested into long term guarantee type ventures.

Seeing the “old” with brand new eyes

American Pickers is one show I really enjoy. Here are some guys who go from place to place to look through old stuff. That's how someone with an untrained eye would describe the show. But these guys are skilled at what they do. They are looking for valuable artifacts to buy at a bargain price and they sometimes restore those items for the purpose of reselling at the maximum value they can get for them. 

In a world where the "new and trendy" gets all the attention, these guys are into the "old and out of style." It makes me wonder how many of us overlook things of great value that don’t have the appearance of being "new." 

In order to stay current it seems we must be able to relate to one another through new experiences or knowledge. This can be great when it comes to staying progressive and keeping our eyes towards the future. But this same approach becomes dangerous when we ignorantly pass by or give up the old, reliable and true to have the new. Some of what’s new is untested and we can’t be sure if it’s reliable for the long haul. 

 Houses built now a days go up quick and in a hurry. They have the modern amenities and look stunning in terms of layout and design, but have you noticed these new houses can have cheap exteriors such as vinyl siding that most likely cover the wood or drywall under that? It’s new but I wouldn’t say it was built for the long haul. The house I live in was built in the early 1900’s. The exterior is brick and when I go to the basement and see the steel beams that are holding up the house I know that this was built from another era and it was built to last. That old house has good bones. 

I really have been finding myself looking at what is older through new eyes. Old books that still pack a punch, old friends who are only old because they’ve been through many seasons with me, old lessons I’ve learned in life that have guided me to this point, old bible passages revealing something more and even old virtues that bring life to others when they are on display.

In a world that can discharge the old for the sake of the new, you will stand out if you know how to pick the old treasures that are out there and bring them into the future.