LEADERSHIP ..... OR...... RESPONSIBILITY ALL THE WAY AROUND

Good Evening,

A chapter in a leadership book that I am reading is titled "He Was Visible". The book is about how Jesus was a leader while he was here on earth. Because Jesus was a visible leader, the book challenges the reader with the thought, "how visible of a leader are you?"

This particular chapter cuts across all lines and once again shows us that you always have a chance to lead someone and you have to be visible to everyone around you to be able to lead like Christ.

Look at the picture above, you may feel somewhat insignificant now. But I want you to find a place in the picture and be able to say "I am here" or "x" marks the spot where I am.

Christ calls us to a be light. If the light is hidden and not visible, it IS NOT light to anyone looking for light.

Sometimes we are content to keep a low profile or try to do everything behind the scenes. While we should all be very conscious that pride does not infect our lives, if you are going to lead like Christ you must be visible. When Christ arrived he used the synagogues, the temple, the side of a mountain, the streets and the places with many people.

Don't be afraid to stand out in the crowd. Use the talents that God gave you to shine among men, so that all people may see your good works and then they will glorify God.

Teens who read this specifically be aware that you should let your light shine everywhere. I want to challenge you to be able to let your light shine at home, school, work and out in public. I want you to also remember that we must be visible at church. When a visitor walks into church I want you to shine so much that they want to be a part. Please go up to visiting teens and invite them to be a part. We may have become so comfortable in church that we forget that the teen visitor that walks through our door is not comfortable. They want a friend at church, just like their parents do.

Youth group, you are the only ones that can build that relationship instantly. Be outgoing and lead by being visible and willing to love.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I a leader to someone?
2. How visible am I as a leader?
3. Do I trust God enough to stand out from the crowd?
4. What are some ways I can increase my visibility?
5. Will I let my light shine?

Be an Example,

Love, Bro. Allen

WHY ME LORD ........ OR.......... DO THE SMALL THINGS SO HE WILL TRUST YOU WITH MORE

Good Evening,

I should write a thank you note to God today.

Time after time God gives me the words to say to others. I mean in opportunities to teach, preach and instruct. Whether it is to my family at home, my church family , the community I work in or just in the school building. I am blessed to have the chance to teach and speak and I love doing it. Thank you God for giving me opportunities.

I do not know if it is true for all teachers, but I really think it should be if it's not, that when they teach or speak the subject is directed just as much at the teacher as the pupil. I can see in an academic sense where this may not be the case, but in all matters spiritual, surely God speaks to the teacher just as much as the hearer. So I stand and teach and preach boldness, about listening for that whisper from the Holy Spirit, about doing the right thing, about stepping through the door when God opens it for you.

I am embarrassed to say that so many times when I should be learning, from what God gives me to share, I do not. Maybe I get to wrapped up in the preparation to listen. Maybe I get to wrapped up in the delivery to listen. Sadly, maybe I think too highly of self to listen. Whatever my feeble excuse, I don't listen. Even so God will take a minute for me, yes and for you too. He will take a minute to bring His plan together so openly that you just can't refuse, ignore, procrastinate or in any other way put Him off.

What follows is just the story of my day, after God put everything right before me and I could not ignore.

On Tuesdays I meet with friends at Central Market and we have some coffee, fellowship time around God's word and prayer. We have been having this meeting for several months. On a few occasions I have met another man that comes in to get coffee for his drive to work. I joke with him about having to drive for about an hour to get to his work when it only takes me five minutes to get back to the office. He and I have exchanged small talk now for one day a week for a few months. Does anyone see an open door here? Well I will admit that there was, but I was the one that failed to go through. This Tuesday morning, this gentleman mentioned that he was going to have a second cup of coffee. God pushed me right on through the door, and I took the chance to invite him to our little prayer group. What a blessing! This gentleman actually only lives a few doors from me, is looking for friends and a church. I was able to provide by the grace of God. God blessed me with a new friend and I hope that I was an equal blessing to him.

As if my day was not rich enough God let another encounter happen in the afternoon. I really enjoy my job as a School Resource Officer. God has allowed me to be a part of so many great things when it comes to influencing the lives of teenagers. Sometimes at our occupation we are thrust into situations. Once we are in those situations we can the decide how we are going to act, react, impose rules or consequences, how we will speak, how we will treat people and what possibly the outcome will be.

I know that each person, no matter what occupation, has the chance to do these things daily. Perhaps no other occupation rivals law enforcement when it comes time to make decisions based on what is known or perceived about other's actions.

This afternoon I got to meet with a student who basically had been pushed to their limit. This student had been teased and picked on and finally decided that the way to react was with their fists. This student did not want to talk to the assistant principal about the incident and was so mad that they just sat still. The assistant principal asked if I would speak to the student. I agreed and the student came to my office. I could see the despair and heartache in the student's eyes when the student walked around the corner to my office. Obviously, because of my job, I had been placed in this situation. But now I had some choices to make. This student had been accused of hitting another student. I had to know how to respond, even though I am a policeman, as a Christian. As I began to peel back the layers I found a student who had been picked on for while in one specific class. I found a student who had problems at home. A student who had taken a lot of responsibility on themself to make sure that everything was going right at school, home, for their siblings and parents. A student who had just reached their breaking point and after hearing the whole story I could understand why.

The picture you see above is a door on an old building in Romania. I was told that the building itself was over one hundred years old. This old door still had the keys hanging in the lock. The reason I used this picture today is because my heart is the door. I have already unlocked it and let Christ in for salvation. But understand this, we still hold the key. We still must open the door and let him work. We still must open our door and become vulnerable sometimes. We still have to choose whether or not we will let anyone else in. We still have to choose to open the door wide and let Christ walk freely back and forth, working on the inside and outside. I was faithful just to say "hi" to a man in the coffee shop and then God used me in the afternoon. See below for the rest of the story about the student.

The student was overwhelmed with the circumstances of life, this was the gasoline being poured over him. Then the match of being picked on caused the explosion. An explosion that the student did not want to happen. The student was very remorseful that it had come to blows, but the student did not know how else to react. I was able to explain to the student my own personal experience of how hurtful words could be, and how those words could cause a person to take wrong action. Instantly I found the door open and Christ walking through. I told the student that I worked with youth at church, to which the student replied "Which church?" Here was the open door that I had unlocked and left open. Christ was faithful to step into our conversation. What a perfect opportunity to talk about forgiveness, disappointment, pressure, stress, sanctification and love. God let me express His love to this student. God let this student unload their burden on me. I was happy to bear the burden if it meant getting this student some relief. I made another friend. I was able to tell the student's mom everything. Before it was all over I was in tears, in awe of what God had entrusted me with. Our God is an awesome God!

I do not know how this student may have reacted without someone showing him the love of Christ. I heard a man say once that the greatest achievement is the crime that did not happen. I was able to let Christ speak through me so this student could avoid any more problems. Now the student can turn to me if they need to and to be real honest, that will help me to.

There are always consequences to our actions and decisions. The simple fact is that as disciples we must unlock that door, no matter how much it exposes us and our hearts and be willing to let Christ come in and out freely. It is the only way that people will see that we are His and we are real.

Be an Example,

Love, Bro. Allen

Happy Valentine's Day........... or.............. See You Tomorrow

Happy Valentine's Day 2011!

GO AHEAD AND READ ON. I included the "love" chapter from the book of 1st Corinthians because it is something that we all need to consider and take to heart.

1 Corinthians - Chapter 13:1-13

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The picture you see above is me and my valentine in 1990. We went to a banquet at church and had been dating for going on one year. We were engaged for about two months and enjoying life.

Since then twenty one years have passed and we are still each other's valentines. We have each had to stand by each other (longsuffering). We have each had to be kind. We have each had to not be jealous. We have each had to be humble. We have each had to think of each other. We have each had to be patient. We have each had to think good things. We have each had to be holy. We have each had to be truthful. We have each had to bear, believe, hope and endure all things for each other.

Love will never fail. Love will always abide. Even through the tough times, even during the good times.

Love as Christ loved. Be a giver. Be an Example.

The picture below is Valentine's Day 2011. It gets better with time.

Love, Bro. Allen


ps I Love You Tammy.

ACCOUNTABILITY ........ OR... IT'S NICE TO BE LOVED

Good Evening,

I was greatly encouraged today at church by my brother Jeremy, who reminded me that I had not made a blog entry in a while.

Jeremy explained to me that I was an encouragement to him each time I wrote something down here on An Example of the Believers Blog. Thanks Jeremy.

Remember that even some of the small things you do has an influence on others. That influence can be good or it can be not so good.

Several years ago I made the game board that you see in the picture above. Over the course of the last few weeks, with all of our bad weather, we got the marble board game out of storage and began to use it again. I am not a master wood worker by any stretch, but this game board turned out very nicely and we are able to share this as a family and with our friends.

You may ask, what the game board has to do with accountability?

In the game, your movements are decided by rolling the die and moving the marbles around the board into their home base and making them safe from the other players. You move forward and back trying to get your five marbles to safety and knocking out as many others back to their starting point as you can along the way. You do not have a partner, you probably do not have any friends in the game and if you are like me you will knock people out and back to start just to get a win.

While the marble game is fun and I really like to win, our lives should be totally different when it comes to operating as a loner. We need to have friends and people that we can trust to help us along the way.

Here is where accountability comes into play in life's "game". It was so nice to have someone tell me that I needed to get back on here and write something. I had said, when I took this blog back up, that I would get on and try to write daily. I let it slip. As with most things, the more I neglected it the more easy it became to neglect.

Accountability is that character trait where we are accountable to someone else. I failed in my accountability to Jeremy, because he expected me to keep up with what I had said I would do. Jeremy used accountability to bring that failure to my attention and helped to hold me to my own word. Jeremy approached me in a loving manner and encouraged me to do what I said I would do. That is a true accountability friend.

Readers (teens and parents) and friends let's practice accountability from both sides this week.

If you are going to do something or say you are going to do something then let's do it. You may be an encouragement to someone. If you have a brother or sister who needs to be encouraged by being held accountable, then do it like Jeremy did for me. Have a truly loving spirit of concern that the person you are holding accountable understand that you are helping them to reach their goals or stretch their boundaries or maintain a right relationship with God or man.

Have a great week and
Be an Example,
Love, Bro. Allen

ps. Thanks Jeremy