Category: Christian Leadership

5 Questions to Help You Determine Your Next Move

Today is the day after Labor Day—it’s also National Read a Book Day…so I took a day off from work and spent some time “Strategic Planning for Me” (see my post for the process I use here). 

It was a good day of prayerful reflection and goal-setting aligned with my core values of Excellence and Improvement—considering ways I can get better as a Husband, Father, and Leader.

Ironically, as I was planning, I was reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-34 – “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

As I considered “National Read a Book Day” and how I used this day, I couldn’t help but think of Andy Stanley’s 2020 book entitled Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets: 5 Questions to Help You Determine Your Next Move.

Click here for Stanley’s 5 Questions

Noah: A Boat Load of Faith

Five years ago, my community (in the Houston, Texas area) was devastated by the catastrophic flooding of Hurricane Harvey—which inflicted $125 billion in damage, the costliest natural disaster in my home state.

In a four-day period, many areas received more than 40 inches of rain as the system stalled over southeastern Texas. The resulting floods inundated hundreds of thousands of homes, which displaced more than 30,000 people and prompted more than 17,000 rescues.

Our house of fifteen years was not directly impacted—but we did nervously watch the flood waters rise in our street and on our driveway, recognizing there was nothing we could do.  We moved two years ago to another home that was also unaffected by Hurricane Harvey.  However, memories came back this week, as our neighbor’s home was flooded by a failed hot water heater pipe.  Their second story interior ceilings collapsed, and they returned to a house with 2 inches of water on the floor.  They’re looking at a 9-month repair process!

As we continue to learn about the heroes of faith, this brings us to Noah.  The story of Noah’s Ark is perhaps the most known and retold stories in the Bible (from Genesis 6-9).  Even Hollywood took time and money to adapt a comedy based on this biblical story (with Evan Almighty).

Let’s focus on what the writer of Hebrews points out to us: Noah’s reverent fear led to his faithful action.  Noah listened and obeyed God “when warned about things not yet seen”—the flood that would come in judgment of sin. 

Noah’s example demonstrates the importance of faith-filled obedience to God’s direction in our lives.

Click here to learn more about Noah’s “Boat Load of Faith”