From Above!
An Online Ministry for the Men of CLF
When we venture into the world to earn a living, we all face our own unique set of challenges. As you can see, my office has a great view! But some days are more challenging than others. Long days away from home, weekly hotel stays, continuous jetlag and stress are some of the challenges we face in the travel industry. As men, sometimes our life is not aligning with our testimony...what people see on the outside is far from the feelings and emotions we are experiencing on the inside...
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Silent Suffering
Recently while on a layover in Las Vegas, our van driver told us that a Captain of a crew from the day before failed to show up for the pick up in the morning, triggering a search by hotel security. He was found wandering in the parking lot, evidently very intoxicated. He is not the first pilot to miss the morning van, but the FAA frowns on intoxicated aviators. He will likely suffer strong consequences for he choices, and in the end, he will probably be a better man.
An article in the USA Today featured female athletes that suffered silently with emotional issues causing anorexia and other disorders that threatened their lives until it was disclosed and treated.These are the brightest, the most driven and most respected students in our country. Our high achievers. Some of the highest suicide rates are among those who work in our nations most respected proffesions...and most suffer silently until they can suffer no more!
None of us plans to fail or remain in an unheathly emotion state. If you ask a newlywed couple if they plan to divorce, they would be offended. But fifty percent of marriages fail. The men and women that I see living in the streets of every major city in the country probably had a different plan for their lives at one time. None of us plans to fail, but do we really lay plans for success ?
When we suffer silently with loss, or fear, or sin we feel isolated and alone. Suffering itself can bear good fruit if we learn to overcome with the help of God and other people...but silent suffering often turns into secret sin...the most dangerous kind of sin.
David suffered loss, he suffered lonliness, he suffered for gross errors and moral failure...but because he confessed his sin before Nathan and God...at the end of the day he is remembered as a man after God's own heart.
Don't suffer silently...it leads to secret sin.
Remember that you are loved and you are not alone. Look around and see... we all suffer failures. Jesus suffered publicly, so we would know we can be redeemed from our failures...and not have to suffer silently!
An article in the USA Today featured female athletes that suffered silently with emotional issues causing anorexia and other disorders that threatened their lives until it was disclosed and treated.These are the brightest, the most driven and most respected students in our country. Our high achievers. Some of the highest suicide rates are among those who work in our nations most respected proffesions...and most suffer silently until they can suffer no more!
None of us plans to fail or remain in an unheathly emotion state. If you ask a newlywed couple if they plan to divorce, they would be offended. But fifty percent of marriages fail. The men and women that I see living in the streets of every major city in the country probably had a different plan for their lives at one time. None of us plans to fail, but do we really lay plans for success ?
When we suffer silently with loss, or fear, or sin we feel isolated and alone. Suffering itself can bear good fruit if we learn to overcome with the help of God and other people...but silent suffering often turns into secret sin...the most dangerous kind of sin.
David suffered loss, he suffered lonliness, he suffered for gross errors and moral failure...but because he confessed his sin before Nathan and God...at the end of the day he is remembered as a man after God's own heart.
Don't suffer silently...it leads to secret sin.
Remember that you are loved and you are not alone. Look around and see... we all suffer failures. Jesus suffered publicly, so we would know we can be redeemed from our failures...and not have to suffer silently!
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
A Letter to the Men of CLF
Unfortunately, if we try to sort through the feelings and the emotions alone, the ditch we are in only seems to get deeper. Sometimes we feel like all we need is someone to come by and throw us a shovel so we can dig ourselves out. We need a tool, a little help, a hand up, a word of wisdom or just someone to listen who understands and we have the tool we need to deal with the day. As men, though, we hesitate to ask for help. Our insecurities and fears can cost us in a performance-based world. Our weakness can create shame in the competitive world. I know about relentless performance standards and the high cost of human error. In dealing with these challenges, I need the help of flight attendants, mechanics, ground personnel and dispatchers to get 80 tons of machine to leave the ground, fly 600 mph and arrive safely with your wife and kids. Without those people doing what they do, my job would be IMPOSSIBLE.
This letter is to all you men of CLF. Some of you I know, and some I don’t. But I bet you deal with the same temptations, the same feelings and some of the same emotions that I experience. Long hours, days away from your wife and kids, constant performance pressures, fears, loneliness, no spiritual fellowship, the list goes on. But here’s the good news—we are not called to live our faith alone! Moses was one of the greatest men of biblical history. Yet during battle with the Amalekites, as Moses held his staff above his head as a sign of support and spiritual victory for Israel, his arms grew tired and Israel began to fail in battle. So God appointed Moses’ brother, Aaron, and Hur (whoever he was…just ordinary like you and me!), to hold up Moses’ arms to sustain him and all those depending on him! At the end of the day, Israel did defeat the enemy!
Who is standing with you in the battle for your soul, your marriage, your kids and your career? Please help us to help each man to become the spiritual leaders God has called us to be. E-mail or call me so we can support each other, or I will direct you to someone to help you meet your need. God has planned and provided the means for us to defeat the enemy together.
This letter is to all you men of CLF. Some of you I know, and some I don’t. But I bet you deal with the same temptations, the same feelings and some of the same emotions that I experience. Long hours, days away from your wife and kids, constant performance pressures, fears, loneliness, no spiritual fellowship, the list goes on. But here’s the good news—we are not called to live our faith alone! Moses was one of the greatest men of biblical history. Yet during battle with the Amalekites, as Moses held his staff above his head as a sign of support and spiritual victory for Israel, his arms grew tired and Israel began to fail in battle. So God appointed Moses’ brother, Aaron, and Hur (whoever he was…just ordinary like you and me!), to hold up Moses’ arms to sustain him and all those depending on him! At the end of the day, Israel did defeat the enemy!
Who is standing with you in the battle for your soul, your marriage, your kids and your career? Please help us to help each man to become the spiritual leaders God has called us to be. E-mail or call me so we can support each other, or I will direct you to someone to help you meet your need. God has planned and provided the means for us to defeat the enemy together.
