May 13, 2010

"Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!” Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine." I Samuel 17:37-40

David and Goliath is a story familiar to everyone and it is one of the most beloved stories of all-time. Not only is it a compelling story but everyone loves the underdog. There probably has never been a bigger underdog than David facing up against Goliath. For Pete's sake, Goliath's spear weighed more than David! But the giant fell and David triumphed!

This week we are looking at the "story behind the story"! We are talking about the five stones that David took to go against the giant and applying them to fighting the giants we face. The first stone was purpose and the second stone was passion. We discussed those two important concepts.

The third stone is PLAN. Along with his purpose and his passion David added a plan. That is a powerful combination - as we will see!

One thing you will discover about life if you have not yet done so is this - if you don't have a plan for your life, someone else will! Because David knew his purpose and he was in touch with his passion he was able to know a plan that would work toward the accomplishment of that purpose.

King Saul, wel-meaning though he was, tried to impose a plan on David. He wanted David to put on the king's armor before he went to face Goliath. Nice thought, but the armor didn't fit! Had David followed Saul's plan we would be reading a much different story.

David's plan was to play to his own strengths. He was going to carry out his purpose with the passion that was driving him and using the abilities God had developed in him. You, see, David knew it was not him going against the giant but it was God and him. God was going to be the giant-killer, David was just going to be the instrument. The slingshot wasn't the real weapon - David was! Having killed a lion and having slain a bear, David knew how to do it! His plan was undefeated, so why mess with it!?

With all due respect, David declined the armor and went looking for stones.

What is your plan for accomplishing God's purpose for your life? Do you know? Have you mapped it out?

How would I know that, Brad?

Several ways? What fits you? If you are a slingshot guy you can't build a plan around armor. If you are a sheep tender, you can't strategize like a king. What is your strength? What is your passion? Those are two strong clues for what your plan needs to look like!

Second, look for the carcuses! David had a dead lion and a dead bear to look back to. What victories has God given you in the past and how did you get them? The plans and the strengths you employed to get those victories will be the key to your plan for the next victory.

David had confidence in his plan because he had conquered with this plan. It fit him. It felt comfortable. God was in it. He sprinted toward the giant in strength and in confidence because his plan was a proven plan based upon his tested strengths.

Any plan that is not consistent with your purpose, fueled by your passion and inconsistent with your strengths is doomed to fail. Kindly decline the armor of well-intentioned friends and execute the God-ordained plan that fits you!

May 12, 2010

"But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." I Samuel 17:34-37

The first stone that slays giants is purpose. David was crystal clear about his purpose. He lived to serve God and Goliath got between him and his purpose. Goliath fell to the stone of purpose.

Let's look at the second stone. What is it?

The second stone is passion. Passion sells. King Saul objected to David going to face the giant until he listened to his passionate plea and suddenly he went from banning the shepherd boy to blessing him.

We know the power of passion, but what is it? How would you define it?

I think we tend to equate passion with emotion. I'm not sure that is accurate. Passion is much more than emotion, although you can definitely hear the emotion is his plea to the King.

Let's see what we can learn from David's statement.

As I think about his statement I see something deeper than emotion, I see conviction. Emotion comes and goes but conviction lasts and grows! Emotions are often based on feelings but convictions are based on facts.

David's convictions were based on the facts that he had single-handedly, in the strength of God, killed a bear when it attacked his father's sheep. He knew that God had helped him do that and it convinced him that he could depend on God. And when a lion attacked the flock, he also killed it! He had been convinced of God's power and strength and formed his conviction on the fact he had killed two ferocious beasts with his bare hands.

So, David wasn't volunteering to face the giant based on a feeling that he might be able to handle Goliath, we was convinced of the fact of God's power. He has conviction because he had been convinced. His conviction translated into confidence because he reasoned that because God had used him in the past God would also use him against the giant.

One of the big differences between passion and emotion is that passion almost always leads to commitment. Emotion rarely does. Conviction and confidence are a much stronger foundation for success than warm fuzzy feelings. David didn't feel like he could kill the giant - he KNEW he could! He was confident because he was convicted because he was convinced! Because of David's passion Goliath was dead before David ever walked out!

You will never have passion until you have conviction. You will never have conviction until you are convinced. You will never be convinced until you take time to see what God is doing or have done on your behalf. If you aren't fully aware of what God has done for you you will never be aware of what God can do for you!

Our world is full of emotion but it is woefully lacking in conviction. One reason for that is because we settle for feelings rather than searching for facts.

If you are facing a giant in your life. You will need the stone of purpose and the stone of passion. Purpose makes it clear WHY the giant must fall and passion gives you the conviction and the confidence that he WILL fall.

Today, I challenge you to take the time to look for God. See where He has moved in your life. Remember how He provided for you in the past. Remember how He delivered you. Recall how He used you before. When you begin to gather the facts of Who He has been for you you will begin to grow in the conviction that He can do it again! From that conviction will come a confidence to step out and confront the giant.

Why settle for emotion when you can live in passion? Why linger in the shallow waters of feelings when you can live in the depths of the facts? Why settle for the vagaries of emotions when you can live in the certainties of passion and purpose?

May 11, 2010

"David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." I Samuel 17:32

If there would have been a National Basketball Association back in Goliath's day, the story could have been a lot different! The guy was seriously tall! How would you like to drive to the basket against him? He could have been a shot blocker and rebounder in the mold of the great Bill Russell! Had he decided to post up in the lane who could have stopped him from scoring?

But, alas, this was about 30 centuries before Dr. Naismith nailed up the peach basket. So Goliath had to settle for a military career. Fortunately, being nearly nine-feet tall and weighing in excess of 500 pounds had some distinct advatages in an age where most battles were fought via hand-to-hand combat.

So, what was a kid half his size doing running out to face him with only a slingshot and a purpose? What was he thinking?

That is what I want to talk about in this post.

One of the five stones that David had when he confronted Goliath was the stone of purpose. And oddly enough, his purpose wasn't just to kill a giant. He had a much higher purpose and Goliath had the misfortune of stepping in between David and that purpose.

What was the purpose David lived for if it wasn't killing giants? Let's answer with him own words:

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." Psalm 42:1

"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits" Psalm 103:1-2

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs." Psalm 100:1-2

"Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD." Psalm 150

David's purpose was to love God and to know God and to serve God and to do God's will. Goliath got in the way of that plan and dared to ridicule the people of God. So, Goliath had to go. It wasn't personal - it was purpose. David was living for something bigger than a killing a giant, he had a giant-sized purpose because he served a great and mighty God.

Are you living on purpose? Do you have a bigger-than-life reason for living? Do you have an all-consuming motive for living? Will you purpose to live for God?

It comes down to this, you will live life with a giant purpose or you will live with giant problems.

May 10, 2010

"Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine." I Samuel 17:40

There has been a lot of speculation about why David took five smooth stones in his bag when he marched out to confront Goliath, the giant.

Was he afraid he would miss with one shot?

Where there more giants who might come after him if he somehow managed to get lucky enough to take out this one? Some have suggested that Goliath had four brothers and perhaps David was making sure he was prepared if they came after him.

Was five his lucky number?

Obviously, we will never know what he was thinking but we do know what he did. He took five stones and had four of them left over (along with a dead giant).

It is no small thing to kill a giant. Goliath was not just big, he was fierce! He was not just big and fierce he was an experienced warrior. David had better know what he is doing and be sure of his aim. He probably wouldn't get a second chance!

I am not sure of what David was thinking when he took the five stones but it is obvious that he was creating a margin in his life. A margin is making sure you have more than enough to be successful in any situation. Call it a margin for error. Call it playing safe. Call it caution. Call it preparation. Having a margin is a good thing.

We know now that David didn't need the extra stones but he had them if he had needed them.

During the blog posts this weeks I am going to talk about the five stones necessary to slay a giant. And let's be real - we all have at least one giant in our lives.

The five stones I will be talking about are the stones of purpose, passion, plan, perspective and prayer.

Do you know the purpose of your life? Why are you here? What in the earth are you doing for Heaven's sake?

Are you living with passion? Are you fully engaged spiritually, emotionally, willfully, mentally, and physically? Or are you going through the motions?

Do you have a plan for successfully serving God? Do you have a strategy for taking down the giant(s) hindering your life? If you are failing to plan you are planning to fail!

Do you have a perspective on life? Do you see the giant like David did and as God did? While everyone else was saying Goliath was too big to challenge, David was thinking Goliath was too big to miss! Do look at the giants in your life with faith or fear?

Are you praying for God's strength to face your giants? Some might say that prayer would be the first weapon you should have. I could not argue with that. I believe, however, that you can pray more effectively once you have the other four stones in your sling. It certainly doesn't hurt to pray at every point - pray about His purpose for you - pray for Him to fill you with passion - pray for His plan to be revealed to you - pray until you have a faith perspective and pray for God to fight for you as you face your giant.

Giants are made to fall! The bigger they are the harder they fall but you must have the proper weapons and the right ammunition!

May 9, 2010

Last Spring I did a series during May entitled "Games People Play". This is the message I preached on Mother's Day.

The game I chose for this day was “Aggravation”. Why did I pick this particular game to speak about on Mother’s Day? Because this game requires the players to move four marbles around a game board from their home base to a home on the other side of the board.

That reminds me of motherhood! Mothers have a lot of marbles that there are trying to move from one home to the next – while trying not to lose their marbles in the process! What marbles am I talking about?

THE ME MARBLE - THE MARRIAGE MARBLE - THE MOTHERHOOD MARBLE AND - THE MAKING A LIVING MARBLE



How do you move those marbles, get them all home and not lose your marbles?


They will all fit if you put them in the proper order. To do that you must add one more marble – THE MASTER MARBLE



THE MASTER MARBLE – “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…



COMMIT TO HIS WILL – For You, For Marriage, For Motherhood, For Career


COMMIT TO HIS WORD – Let it be a lamp and a light


COMMIT TO HIS WAY – Live Out His Will And His Word


COMMIT TO HIS WISDOM – For Marriage, For Motherhood


THE ME MARBLE – PLAY THE MASTER MARBLE FIRST….

ELIZABETH CORCORAN shares this experience:Four – year old Sara, had asked to pray before our breakfast this morning. That is quite typical of her. I think it's more her penchant to take charge than her avid spiritual growth as of yet. But I happily obliged as it still does something to my heart to hear that little girl of mine talk to our Heavenly Father. She started off per usual. Thank You for mommy, thank You for daddy, thank You for Jack. Then she added, and thank You for me.She has yet to come across that place in life where you feel silly or full of yourself in bringing any sort of attention to who you are as a person. As adults, we'd probably be a bit taken aback to hear a fellow pray-er at our Bible study thank God for herself. But if you think about…I think the situation is less that she hasn't quite learned prayer etiquette, and more that she may know more than we as grown-ups do. Why not thank God for ourselves? He made us as much as He made the other people we thank Him for. We have as much value as those other people do. And I bet, if we began to sprinkle our prayers every now and then with a small "thank you for me," I just bet we'd start to see our value though His eyes. And that wouldn't be such a bad thing.She then moved on to the rest of her list of thanks. Sara has not yet progressed much past the thanksgiving kind of prayers. She doesn't ask God for anything. She doesn't confess much either. (That will need to come…) She just thanks Him. And today, I noticed exactly what she was thanking Him for. She went through her routine of thanking Him for breakfast and her pretty clothes, saying, "Thank You that I'm beautiful again today" (no self-esteem issues with this little girl). Now, I'm sure she wasn't hoping to teach me some huge theological lesson in that moment…but wow, did she ever. What if I stopped, just for a day even, asking God for stuff? Asking Him to fix things in my life? Asking Him to change this or that circumstance? What if--what if I just thanked Him for all of my situations as is? How might my life be different? How might I see God and my current status differently…if instead of complaining to Him or asking Him for a quick-fix, I just rested where I was at that moment…searching for His hand and for any lesson I could glean…and thanked Him for it? Maybe I'll just have to find out. – TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF

THE MARRIAGE MARBLE – Next Play The Marriage Marble

I heard of a couple who, as they were paying for groceries in the check-out line, were discussing their soon to be 50th wedding anniversary, when the young cashier interjected by saying, "I can’t imagine being married to same man for 50 years!" The wife wisely replied, teaching the young girl a lesson at the same time, "Well, Honey, don’t get married until you can."

"Rules of Male-Female Relationships" 1. The Female always makes the Rules. 2. The Rules are subject to change at any time without prior notification. 3. No Male can possibly know all the Rules. 4. If the Female suspects the Male knows all the Rules, she must immediately change some or all of the Rules. 5. The Female is never wrong. 6. If the Female is wrong, it is because of a flagrant Misunderstanding, which was a direct result of something the Male did or said wrong. 7. If Rule 6 applies, the Male must apologize IMMEDIATELY for causing the Misunderstanding. 8. The Female can change her mind at any given point in time. 9. The Male must never change his mind without express written consent from the Female. 10. The Female has every right to be angry or upset at any time. 11. The Male must remain calm at all times, unless the Female wants him to be angry or upset. 12. The Female must under no circumstances let the Male know whether or not she wants him to be angry or upset. 13. Any attempt to document these Rules could result in bodily harm to the Male.

Recently, a survey was made of 200 married adults in regards to forgiveness The researchers were wondering how one’s ability to forgive others would affect their marital satisfaction and personal well-being. The results were astounding! This research suggests that there is a huge relationship between marriage satisfaction and forgiveness. In fact, it appears that as much as one third of marriage satisfaction is related to forgiveness. Not only does the ability to forgive impact the marriage relationship, it was significantly related to personal emotional distress. As forgiveness ability went up, individuals reported fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue! These results are powerful and suggest that all counselors, both secular and faith-based, should be helping people develop the skill of forgiveness.

Gary Thomas commented, "I don’t believe couples fall out of love—they fall out of repentance."
The secret of successful marriage is to strive for the perfect 16 – 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer…..

MOTHERHOOD MARBLE – Best Thing To Do For You Kids Is Love Their Dad

My mother taught me RELIGION: When I spilled grape juice on the carpet, she instructed, "You better pray the stain will come out of the carpet." My mother taught me LOGIC: From her decisive words, "Because I said so, that’s why." My mother taught me FORESIGHT: "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident." My mother taught me IRONY: "Keep laughing, and I’ll give you something to cry about." My mother taught me about STAMINA: "You’ll sit there ’til all that spinach is finished." My mother taught me about WEATHER: "It looks as if a tornado swept through your room." My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out." My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION: "Stop acting like your father!"

One of my favorite columns by Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, "Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one." The Lord turned & said, "Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart. She is to have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. She is to be able to function on coffee & leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands."Six pairs of hands," said the angel, "that’s impossible." "It’s not the six pairs of hands that bother me." said the Lord, "It’s the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, `What are you kids doing in there?’ she already knows what they’re doing in there." "She has another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed & communicate love & understanding without saying a word.""That’s too much." said the angel, "You can’t put that much in one model. Why don’t you rest for a while & resume your creating tomorrow?""No, I can’t," said the Lord. "I’m close to creating someone very much like myself. I’ve already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick - who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger - & who can persuade a nine year old to take a shower.""Can she think?" asked the angel. "Not only can she think," said the Lord, "but she can reason & compromise & persuade."Then the angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely & said, "She’s too soft." "Oh, but she is tough," said the Lord. "You’d be surprised at how much this mother can do."Then the angel reached over & touched her cheek. "This one has a leak," he said. "I told you that you couldn’t put that much in one model." "That’s not a leak," said the Lord. "That’s a tear.""What’s a tear for?" asked the angel. "Well it’s for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, for pride." "You’re a genius," said the angel. And the Lord said, "Oh, but I didn’t put it there."MAKING A LIVING MARBLE Organize and Plan: Make the most of your timeDelegate: Share the load Develop a Support System: Family, Friends, Church Set Realistic Expectations: Big Rocks First!Take Care of Yourself: Sharpen The Axe!

You CAN move all your marbles and get them home - without losing your marbles! But you must know which marbles to move and the order in which to move them!

May 8, 2010

"A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." Matthew 1:1-16

This is the family tree of our Savior. It is interesting to us but it was critical to the Jewish people. It was the pedigree that allowed Jesus to be kosher. This was standard procedure to show your family tree. What is atypical of this geneology is the inclusion of women - several of them! Women were possessions, property, you didn't include them in something as important as a legal document.

Not only is it unusual that they listed women but some of the women they listed is significant. Let's consider that for a few minutes:

Tamar - Though ignored in most Christian sources, Tamar played an important role in the lineage of Jesus. Her story involves life-risking drama and sexual intrigue, in which she is ultimately vindicated, despite the morally dubious tactics she used to achieve her goal of producing sons for Judah's lineage. She was originally married to Judah's eldest son, Er (Gen. 38:6). After Er's husband's death, she was married to Onan, his brother, who also died. Judah promised that his third son, Shelah, would become her husband. When this promise was not fulfilled, Tamar disguised herself as a temple prostitute in the town of Timnah and offered herself to her father-in-law Judah. She claimed his staff, cord, and signet ring as a pledge in token of payment but did not appear later to receive her pay. From this union, Tamar became pregnant. When Judah accused her of fornication, she produced his possessions and identified Judah himself as the father. Tamar had twin sons, Zerah and Perez (Gen. 38:30), thus securing Judah's lineage. Among her descendants were King David, each of the subsequent kings of Judah, and—in the New Testament—Jesus Christ.

So, Tamar was not a girl you would want to take home to mother - but she is in the lineage of Jesus.

Rahab - This woman was a prostitute. She risked her life to hide the Hebrew spies and therefore, was saved when Jericho was destroyed. Again, not the ideal person to pad your resume' with. But she had a place in the line of Jesus.

Ruth - This woman demonstrated a love that is true and devoted. She showed a love that transcended race or tradition. Her devotion led to her being redeemed by her kinsman redeemer, Boaz.

Bathsheba - She became the most beloved of King David's wives and the mother of King Solomon. Her great beauty made her the object of a lustful desire by David and led to the sin that was his undoing. However, she was obliged to serve the king and innocent of the blame. David's sin was upon his head.

Mary - This young woman was hand-picked to become the mother of the Messiah, Jesus, Savior of the world. She put all of her own plans and desires aside to serve the will of God. Becoming pregnant by the Holy Spirit while still unmarried and a virgin, caused her to become the object of shameful speculation and accusation. But through her humble obedience the world was blessed offered forgiveness from sins and friendship with God.

Five women are mentioned prominately in the lineage of Jesus. It is unprecedented. It shows that God is, indeed, the Father of all and His salvation is offered to all. Gender doesn't matter. Station in life doesn't matter. Race doesn't matter. What you have done in the past doesn't matter. What matters is that you love God and obey Him as each of these women did.

These women are mentioned, but there were also a number of other women in this lineage because for every man that is mentioned there was a wife and a mother. So God honors women. The Christian faith honors women. Women are worthy of honor.

Give honor to the women in your life. Women, receive the honor extended you by God. Honor Him with your love and obedience. Join the list of exalted women who loved God more than life itself.

May 7, 2010

"May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master." Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar." "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking."So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels." Genesis 24:14-20

The son of promise had finally been given to Abraham and Sarah. He was worth the wait! He brought them such great joy! Since they were already up in age when he was born they found it urgent to find a suitable wife for him before they died. So, Abraham dispatched one of his most trusted servants with instructions to return to his home region to search for the young woman.

Knowing how important this assignment was and not wanting to disappoint his master, this servant prayed as he travelled. When he came upon the well outside the village and he spied a beautiful young lady he agreed on a sign from the Lord. He would ask for water and if the young woman agreed to give him a drink and then offer water to his camels as well, that would be a sign.

So, it is worth noting what set Rebekah apart. It was her "and then some" attitude. Her willingness to make the extra effort paid big dividends. It always does!

Jesus taught about the importance of the second mile but this is centuries before that. She had a desire for excellence. She possessed a servant's heart. That is a winning attitude.

God graced womanhood with a desire to serve. And woman have blessed their families with their hard work and labors of love. They have endeared themselves not only by their beauty and their charms, but by their helpful service.

However, the attitude that Rebekah displayed is a model for everyone regardless of gender. The "and then some" attitude will commend you wherever you are and whatever you desire to do, Not only will it help you stand out from the crowd, but more importantly it will honor God!

Heading into this Mother's Day week-end it is a great time to stop and examine your attitude. Do you possess this servant's heart? Are you willing to make that extra effort to lighten someone's load? Will be mindful of the "and then some" you can do. What is the additional thing you can do at work? What is the one more thing you can do for your neighbor? What is the extra act of kindness you can do for your church? What second-mile deed can you do for an adversary? And, most importantly for this week-end, what extra effort can you make to honor your mother this week-end?

God calls you to serve! And then some!