Chapter 4 - Courage

Well we are four days into this journey. If you are reading along with us send me a note to let me know.

Today's chapter is about courage. I needed to go no farther than the opening quote from Mark Twain to be motivated to consider how life is going. Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." How many things have you dreamed of doing and been convinced that you just shouldn't take the risk?

The word fear appears 326 times in the Bible and the word afraid appears 206 times. The majority of those times it is in the most often heard command in the scripture, "Do not be afraid." Philippians 1:20 says, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." I have found that God's promise for courage is true that when I am weakest he becomes strongest and gives me the strength and courage to endure and move forward.

So what sails do you need to open on the seas of life? What would it take for you to do that?

Chapter 3 - Honesty and Stewardship

Quit tootin your own horn. Nobody likes a bragard or name dropper. My college baseball coach used to teach us that there was a fine line between confidence and conceit. Then when we would take the field he would often to tell us to walk the line. I loved Dungy's comparison of Barry Sanders and Deion Sanders. Wow what a contrast in personalities.

Matthew 23:12 tells us whoever humbles himself will be exalted, but whoever exalts himself will be humbled.

The big question that I see here is how do you walk the line? How do you balance the confidence in who you are and your abilities with the humility that God desires in your life? What are your thoguhts?

Chapter 2 - Honesty and Integrity

Yesterday we talked about our character. So much of our character is determined by our level of integrity. I am not sure who first coined the phrase, "Integrity is who you are when no one is looking." I first read it from Bill Hybels 20 years ago at a Willowcreek Conference and it really stuck with me. I was thrilled to see Dungy quote it on page 12. The hardest part about living it out is to realize that there are very few times when no human is looking and never a time God doesn't see your actions. The phrase should probably be rewritten that, "Integrity is who you are when you think no one is looking." Can you think of a time when you thought no one was watching you and later found out that they were? How did you find out someone was watching?

The book of Daniel is full of stories of integrity. From Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refusing to bow to the statue of the king to Daniel praying no matter who was watching. What would you have to change in your life to live with that kind of integrity? As Tony Dungy said it is the "choice between what's convenient and what's right". Do the right thing?

Chapter 1 - Character

I remember my dad telling me once that it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and a split second to destroy it. Well all of us have probably at sometime or another had one of those bad split seconds. Unfortunately we have had to learn the hard way about the amount of time that it takes to rebuild character and the trust that goes with it.

In chapter one Dungy makes a comparison between a couple of players that they were considering drafting. In the end much of the decision came down to character. In the fast paced world of the NFL it was refreshing to read that at least a few teams still consider character important. We have been bombarded over the last two decades with leaders who had no character.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 that "Bad company corrupts good character!" I love Dungy's quote on page 5, "What you do is not as important as how you do it." So let's ask each other as men, "How you doin?"

He is right on target when he says that our character is determined by decisions we make in challenging times. What are the challenges on your plate right now? The decisions you make determine the kind of person you are. Make those tough decisions before the challenging times come and then you simply have to hold on to what you know is right!

So what are your thoughts about character?

In Search of Some UnCommon Men

Hey guys don't forget during the month of May we will be reading Tony Dungy's book UNcommon Man and dialoguing on the blog daily. Oh yea that's TOMORROW!!! Start reading and I'll comment on chapter 1 tomorrow.

I've Been Working Out

Today I was reading this passage in 2 Corinthians 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I love it when God shows me something. I suddenly feel stronger than ever. At least for this moment.

How about you? Feeling worn out lately ...