Galatians 6 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

 

One of the greatest men that I have ever known is Harold C. “Pete” Fewell.  Blogs 122-124 will be in honor of him and all he has been for all who know him.  In my life, he has been a friend, a mentor, a father figure, and a confidant. He is the epitome of loyalty, honesty, work ethic, kindness, and perseverance.  In 1970, on the plane ride home from East Carolina, the Marshall football team’s plane went down and 75 lives were lost. Through a series of events, Pete was not on that plane………he has lived a life of great impact:  His life has greatly affected the lives of others.

 

When I was in high school, I showed up at Pete’s house and heard the bad news.  He had been laid off.

 

A daughter in college.

A son on the way to college.

A house payment.

 

And no job.

 

A couple of weeks later, Pete had a plan.  He had taken out a loan and purchased the equipment from the department that he worked in in his former company.  After all, they did not need it anymore.

 

He then began being his own boss and running his own business.

 

And his business began to grow and do very well.

 

Before long, he was a contractor for the company that laid him off……making about the same money that he was making before, but only working for them part time.

 

Pete’s business exploded and he entered into a period of doing very well for himself.

 

He was his own boss.

He made very good money.

He was able to be very generous with all that he had.

 

In watching all of this from the side, I learned something very valuable.

 

What was the best thing to happen to his career?

 

He got fired.

 

Many of us live a life of holding on.

We store up “treasures on earth” and fight for what we have.

We save up money and build up wealth.

 

But sometimes, God’s blessings come in us letting go.

 

God has a plan for our lives.  It is to bless us and take care of us.

 

It is to give us adventure and challenges.

 

It is a plan for us to give.

 

My challenge to you today is not to look at what you do not have…..but to look at what you do have.

 

May He bless your steps in all that you do today!

 

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

One of the greatest men that I have ever known is Harold C. “Pete” Fewell.  I will be writing my next three blogs honoring him and all he has been for all who know him.  In my life, he has been a friend, a mentor, a father figure, and a confidant. He is the epitome of loyalty, honesty, work ethic, kindness, and perseverance.

 

In November of 1970, Pete was a college student at Marshall University—and a stat keeper for their football team.  In the week leading up to their game with East Carolina, another stat keeper asked him to “trade trips”. It was Pete’s turn to go on the road trip and he wanted to go.  But the other stat keeper begged him to go……and Pete finally agreed. One of the last things he said was to the effect of: “you owe me one”.

 

Little did Pete know, that was the last word he would speak to anyone in the organization.  On November 14, 1970, after a 17-14 loss at East Carolina, the Marshall plane went down. There were no survivors among the 75 people on the plane.  Coaches, players, boosters, crew, and stat keepers were all killed on that terrible day.

 

Pete was not the only one who stayed behind or missed that flight.  Rich Taglang, Nate Ruffin, and Ed Carter were not on that plane either.  And I am sure that all suffered greatly from Survivor’s Guilt…..a mental condition that occurs when a person survives a traumatic event when others did not.

 

I am not sure how much or how little Pete suffered from that……what I do know is that Pete’s life has made a difference.

 

Pete has changed the life of many, many people for the good.  He has been a pillar of generosity in our community: President of the Longmont Junior Baseball League.  Generous donor of uniforms and equipment to all area high schools. The LT that now resides on most of the Longmont gear was designed by him.  And even as an avid Longmont supporter, he has been incredibly generous to ALL of the schools. Donating time and money at Niwot. Buying legion uniforms.  Sponsoring athletes to go to camps and all state games. His generosity mostly anonymous and always generous. If Pete could now look in a mirror and ask: “did I deserve to be the survivor on that fateful day in 1970?”  The answer would be, without question, YES!!! Pete has changed hundreds, even thousands, of lives….

 

And so my question to all of us is…..

 

What are we going to do with our lives?

 

We don’t need a traumatic event to change our mindset…..just an encounter with God.

 

You see, we weren’t on that plane.  But the plane we ARE ON will not find a destination where we make it…..we won’t make it out of this life alive.  We will all crumble and deteriorate and eventually take our last breath.

 

And then what?

 

The Lord has something better for us.  It isn’t football games, or fame, or money, or popularity.

 

It is purpose.  It is to walk as His child and live a life of love.

 

It is really a simple formula.

 

• God Has Called Us To Receive Him………………             John 1 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
• God Has Called Us To Make A Difference………     Matthew 28  19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
• God Has A Place For Us……………………………        1 Corinthians 2   9 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him  

 

Jesus’ first encounter walking into His destiny was the test of His life (Luke 4).  The Bible says that He felt and experienced all we experience—so I am sure He wondered if He was going to make it.  We will be tested too.

 

And we will also wonder if we will make it.  We will also encounter tests and trials as we try to walk out the call God has put on our lives…..and our enemy will always try to tempt us with a quick fix, a shortcut, or a different plan.  Of course the enemy would not want us to live out the course of our life in God’s plan.

 

But sooner or later we will have to stake our claim and our allegiance and our spirit to SOMETHING…….because the plane we are on will not fly forever.

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

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Coach J

 

I do not know loss like many who I walk through this life with…..nor do I claim to know how it feels…..

 

The Lord has convicted me to write about it anyway.

 

My hero died on February of 2010 in the house I grew up in.

As I read scripture over him, he opened his eyes and gazed into a place that I do not believe my brother, or my sister, or my mom, or me, could see…..and he looked at peace.

Seconds after that, he drew his last breath and launched me into a period of mourning that stung to the core of my heart.

 

I had been fighting with the Lord over having to speak at his funeral.

 

Our Lord works in mysterious ways.

 

In church one Sunday, about a month after his death, we were worshipping and I saw my father.  It is hard to describe “seeing” him but, it was a picture in my head…….

 

He was young.

He was healthy.

His mind was working.

He was happy.

 

After that moment, the sting was gone.

 

I don’t know why it was gone…….

 

But I think……more than anything else……it was the fact that he was good.  He was taken care of. He was in a far better place then we could give him here.

 

God has written us a love letter that assures us of just that:

1 Corinthians 2 9However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”

 

Romans 8 28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

 

John 14  2In my Father’s house are many rooms;

 

Father~  Do what you do.

Take the sting of loss, and the fear of death, and restore us to live for You….that we might Go And Make Disciples Of All Nations.

Rest Your Spirit on the pains of loss….

And Do A New Thing…..

That we might never be the same again

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

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Coach J

 

I have a deep appreciation for many of the brilliant minds who have contributed greatly to society.

 

Einstein.

Aristotle.

Isaac Newton.

 

Today…..I would like to focus on Belteshazzar……a servant to the Babylonian King.  

 

He was anointed and wise and truly one of the wisest men who has ever lived.  In some circles, he is identified as Daniel.

 

But before Daniel identified the very day when Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Before he would write about great kingdoms rising and falling throughout history. Before he would predict many things about Jesus, Daniel was betrayed…..He was undermined.

 

When the enemy can not ruin your Acceptance

When he can not steal your Energy

When he can not Intimidate you

When he can not put an Obstacle in front of you to stop you

 

Then he will try to Undermine you

 

U is for UNDERMINE

 

 

 

There are three things that I want you to know today based on the story of Daniel.

 

• Number One~  God wants to anoint you.  Daniel 6  3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Just as Daniel was….He wants you to be the greatest at what you do…..because you succeeding will bring Him glory when you have set your heart fully on Him.  Pray that God would make you ANOINTED.
• Number Two~  Being the best makes others wonder why….and they will try to find fault in you.  Daniel 6  4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.  Seek FIRST His Kingdom…and His righteousness….and His heart…..and His favor.  Because His character is flawless. Pray that God would make you NEITHER CORRUPT OR NEGLIGENT.
• Number Three~  The enemy will always try to attack your FAITH–and the King of the Universe.  Daniel 6  5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” 6 So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: “O King Darius, live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.  If you were put on trial for being a Christian—wouldn’t you want to be found guilty?  Pray that God would anchor your very soul to Him–morning, noon, and night.
• Number Four~  When you are under attack—WAIT on the Lord to come for you….and weather the storm.  Daniel 6  22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.”   Lions and a Lion’s Den come in many shapes and sizes……Pray that God would fill your heart with Faith and Hope and Love that you might be able to face them and not be afraid.

 

I have spent the night in the Lion’s Den.

 

And chances are…you have too.

 

Just know that the King of the Universe was there with you, is there with you, and will always be there with you——AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK.

 

Revelation 3  20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

 

I am so convicted by this Word today that I am going to send it without even proofing it……enjoy the human typos…..but hear the Heart of the Living God!

 

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

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Coach J

 

O is for OBSTACLES  

 

I have only been around the “culture” of Pole Vault for a year.  But there is something about the event that has drawn me in hook, line, and sinker.

 

It is not a “Half-Way” event.  You can’t “kind of” do it.  “Indecision” does not help you succeed.

 

When you go for serious heights in the Pole Vault…..it is a full commitment to the entire endeavor…..  You sprint, you plant, you jump, you invert …… there is nothing about it that is half way ……

 

When you commit to it

When you sell out to do it

When you truly jump on the runway and go for it——

You Fly….. And You Come Alive.

 

What am I getting at?

 

So many times the thing in front of us is impossible…..it is NUTS.  Running down a runway to clear a height that is some fifteen feet in the air IS CRAZY.

 

But when you train and fight and struggle and build faith and go for it and walk it out—you come alive.

 

This is the Kingdom of God.

 

He has put a calling on your life that is impossible.  It is crazy—it is nuts.

 

But when you begin to walk out the call…..you come to life.

 

There comes a time when we must all grow up.

 

And growing up involves risk, and faith, and hope, and a love of Jesus that goes beyond anything we have ever experienced.

 

Matthew 17:20  He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

 

Philippians 4:13  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

 

Mark 10  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

 

So I will end with this:

 

Put your screen down.

Defy living in a cloud of apathy.

Quit striving to be without pain and discomfort and failure.

Do not store up treasures on earth….they are flat out garbage.

Do not even entertain the thought that you can somehow make your life better because of another person….unless that person is Jesus.

Quit doubting God’s plan to work through you and do amazing and miraculous things.

 

You have been saved by grace by a God who offered His life as a payment for your sin so that you could walk in FREEDOM.

 

So pick your pole and sprint….jump….turn upside down….and get over that obstacle that is impossible to cross…..and do it in the Name of Jesus.  You were created……and forgiven….so that you could be ALIVE.

 

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

Don’t Be Surprised if you get tempted……

 

I heard a man speak about this verse and say something that struck my curiosity…..so I went in and read this verse from Genesis:

 

Genesis 3  2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

 

Why did God make two trees?  And why did He make the second tree “pleasing to the eye” and “good for food”?

 

And why was she being tempted?

 

For some, this is a hard pill to swallow.  But if we think about it….it is the most fundamental freedom we could ever be given—the freedom to choose…..or not to choose.

 

Adam and Eve made the wrong choice…..and, because of that one choice, so do we.

 

You see…..we are not sinners because we sin…..

 

It is just the opposite.

 

We sin…..because we are sinners.

 

The reality of life is not easy…..but it is simple:

 

Sin is appealing.

 

It will draw on our hearts and minds and desires.

 

It will beckon us even when it is not our own mind leading us there.

 

And it will sometimes draw our gaze and our thoughts.

 

But what is appealing in first view is not what it seems to be……..when it rears its ugly head it is coupled with shame and darkness and pain.

 

If the enemy can take Hope and Vision and Truth and Light …. he will.  And the very thing that he has made look enticing is the vehicle that he uses to destroy.

 

The homeless man never said:  I want to someday sleep in an alley and be so addicted to vodka that I would give up food and everyone I love to get it….

 

The prostitute never said:  I want to be used and looked at as an object.  Discarded and thrown away when he gets what he wants.

 

The thief never started out saying:  I want to hurt other people so that I can be on top and chase to fill a bag that will never be full.

 

And yet ….. Here we are.

 

Tempted.  Broken.  Hurting.  Desiring of Love.  Wanting for something more.

 

• Jesus said that where your treasure is….that is where your heart will be.  Matthew 6:21

• He said that we will thirst, but that whoever would thirst for Him would never be thirsty again.  John 4

• He said that He could form a path for us into something greater, that He was the way and the truth and the life.  John 14

 

You can search the whole world over and not find ANYTHING even remotely like this offer made by a man 2000 years ago.

 

So don’t be surprised when you get tempted.

 

You will just have to choose whether you want to run to the darkness…..or the light.

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

I am not surprised that they found marine fossils on Mount Everest.

 

I am not surprised that two men found a path that the Hebrews took as they exited Egyptian bondage—which included a walkway across the Red Sea, quayle, altars of worship, a burnt mountain, and many other signs of the great Hebrew migration.

 

And, most importantly, I am not surprised when God shows up and does something miraculous in a situation in my life to alter it (for the better).

 

When Jesus went up on Gethsemane, He was as intimidated as a man can be.  He was being hunted in the physical, He was being hunted in the emotional, He was being hunted in the spiritual, and He was about to pay a debt that no man could pay.

 

Luke 22   42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

 

He did not turn from His assignment.  He did not get discouraged.  In the face of incredible fear, anguish, worry,….He stayed His course and carried out His plan to offer a plan of redemption for every man, woman, and child.

 

So don’t be discouraged by the world around you to the point where you back off.  Because Jesus didn’t back off.  He stood up.  He allowed His friends to run away, deny Him, even betray Him.  He stood before a judge and took verbal abuse and was punched in the face for answering a question.  He was beaten nearly to death by two Roman soldiers and forced to carry a cross to the place of His execution.  As He hung in misery, He suffered through insults and humiliation while still refusing to be bitter.  And He did it…..so that you could stand up and be His witness on Tuesday, February 27, 2018…..or whatever other day it might be.

 

So do it…..STAND UP.  

 

And when you do…..and He shows up…….

 

Don’t Be Surprised.

 

That’s what He does.

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

As we move forward in all the ways that the enemy tries to disrupt our walk….I continue in my writings on the vowells of his schemes to attempt to hurt us:

 

I is for INTIMIDATION  

 

Intimidation is an awesome tactic to use on Christians to get them to “back off” or “step down”…..

 

A giant named Goliath tried it as he called for ONE MAN to step forward and fight him…..

 

A King named Nebuchadnezzar demanded that all people bow down to his image of gold.

 

A ruler named Darius made it illegal to pray….resulting in Daniel’s sentence to spend the night in the lion’s den.

 

I recently heard a story of a lady who was out witnessing to people when a man who was unaware of her mission jumped into her car and told her that if she did not get out….he would shoot her.

 

To which she replied:  “It’s okay if you shoot me…..because I came here to die.”

 

He had no words in response….and she eventually lead him to Christ…..

 

Wow.

 

Would I have that kind of courage?  I do not know if I truly would.

 

But I want you to truly pray about what God has called you to stand up to……

 

I see many who get into fights over things that I do not believe they were called to fight for…….and I also see Christians nationwide succumb to things that we have no business allowing.

 

Where is the fight that God has called us to?

 

Only YOU know.  

 

What I want to point you to is this:  We have a Bible.  We have prayer.  We have a Savior that has made an offer to bring ALL to salvation.

 

Yet, we seem to be getting farther and farther away from that call.

 

How can that be?

 

Perhaps people are Intimidated.

 

I want to leave you with a story.

 

There was a woman who was put in a very tough situation.

Her family was about to be executed and she was in the position of convincing a dictator to NOT “pull the trigger” on the order.

Her fear was that he, and his right hand man, had planned this execution for a long time and that they would not change their minds.

Though she had plenty of good reasons to talk to him…..she had much to fear.

 

This woman’s name was Esther.

 

And the family she was about to lose was not only her uncle, but all of her people.

At that time….even going before the King without an invitation was punishable by death…..and she probably had seen this very thing happen.

 

But Esther had trained for years to gain the favor of the King.  And…..she was anointed by God to be exactly what the King needed…..and because of that, he not only loved her—but he respected her greatly.

 

Esther also had a relative….a mentor….named Mordecai.  And he advised her as she pondered her next move:

Esther 4  14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

 

By walking out the call God had put on her life

By listening to those she respected

By being anointed and rising above “the world” and gaining the favor or royalty

 

Esther had gained something that no one else could:

 

Favor from the world.

 

She changed the mind of a king.

 

She saved a people.

 

She achieved victory over a very evil man…..for the very death he had set up FOR HER and HER PEOPLE was given to him.  (He died on the instrument of execution that he created)

 

In a time when women had little or no power.

In the face of overwhelming odds.

At a time when no one else could have stepped forward.

By a means that broke all of the rules.

 

Esther achieved victory.

 

She was a child of God.

She was a wife that blessed her husband.

She was a woman who listened to her mentors and honored her elders.

She was the very thing that God used to save a nation.

 

When you do what God tells you to do and humble yourself before the King…..He empowers you to do great things and change history.

 

Do you think that your “small life” has no influence?

 

So did Esther.

 

But I am here to tell you….and so is the Lord…..that your life matters……

 

And His plan to use you is bigger than you think.

 

Say YES.

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

Matthew 26 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

 

As I read about the slumber of the disciples on Gethsemane….I am not the least bit surprised or judgmental.  For I, too, have fallen asleep on the job.

 

My reality is simple:  I sleep when I am stressed out.

 

But to read about Jesus ASKING His disciples THREE times to pray and NOT SLEEP fills me with compassion.

 

The enemy loves to catch us in our slumber…and wreak havoc.

 

As we move forward and deal with all that the enemy will do to catch us off guard and discourage us…..this must be one that we face.  So if A is for Acceptance….then E is for ENERGY

 

God had many things that He left out of the Bible….in fact, John says that if every one of them were written down that there would not be room to contain them…..

 

So why did He leave this?

 

I have to think that this is to remind us that we must constantly be vigilant to what is truly going on around us.

 

So if the enemy would have us sleep….I say WAKE UP!

 

God warns us of many things and many ways that he will attack us…..saying:

• he is like a prowling lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)
• he wants to sift us like wheat (Luke 22:31)
• he comes to steal kill and destroy (John 10:10)
• he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44)
• he comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)

 

As I continued to look these up God convicted me.  He convicted me that He is greater.  He is greater than us.  He is greater than our sins.  He is greater than our enemy, the devil.

 

If the enemy wants us to fall asleep at the wheel, then let’s pray that we would rise up….

 

That we would dream Godly dreams (Joel 2:28)

That we would rest and recover (Hebrews 4:1-10)

That we would hope in the Lord, be of renewed strength, and have energy like the world has never seen (Isaiah 40:31)

 

1 John 4 4 because the one who is in you (Jesus) is greater than the one who is in the world.

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J