It's All About Forgiveness

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. - Luke 23:34 (NIV)

Listen to Jesus.  Notice “Father” is the very first word that comes out of His mouth at the onset of intense physical and emotional pain.  Jesus doesn’t call down fire and brimstone He calls on the Father.  Instructive.  Secondly, Jesus sets the tone of the crucifixion in His first words…its about forgiveness.  It was about forgiveness from the beginning, when His mission was bringing joy during His first recorded miracle and Jesus turned water into wine, it was about forgiveness.  When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, it was about forgiveness. When He taught the multitude at the Lake of Gennesaret, it was about forgiveness. When Jesus told Mary that He is the resurrection, it was about forgiveness, When Jesus prayed all night so hard that he began to sweat drops of blood and His disciples couldn’t stay awake to comfort Him, it was about forgiveness. Even when Judas showed up at Jesus’ camp with hundreds of soldiers and gave Jesus the kiss of death, it was still about forgiveness. 

With Jesus, it was about forgiveness from the beginning. Despite the great pain of the nails in His hands, or the searing pain of the spike through His feet, or piercing pain of the spear in His side; Jesus does not take a detour of anger, hate or revenge. He just forgives. 

Why, maybe because He can see our pain through His pain. Why, maybe because His love is so great He can help but think of others first.  Why, maybe because He knows to do what His Father told Him.  Why, maybe because He so desires to right our broken relationship with the Father that He will do anything to repair it.  Probably all those are true.

Since He did all that for us.  Since He voluntarily left eternity for the confines of time.  Since He gave up ever expanding ubiquity to be wrapped in the diminished space of flesh.  Couldn’t we accept this wonderful gift called “forgiveness?” Can’t we just say thank you Jesus?  Shouldn’t we accept that He made our relationship right and move on to fulfill our call in Him?  Couldn’t we just know that He is the perfect sacrifice and He needs no assistance from us to finish His work? Do we need to increase Jesus’ work from the cross by questioning His unfathomable example of love?

I say “NO!” It has been about forgiveness from the beginning and it's about His forgiveness now. Maybe that is why the first of Jesus’ last words started with forgiveness. Our job is to accept His forgiveness enjoy our right relationship with the Father through Jesus and fulfill the call God has on our lives.  Accept His forgiveness.

-Wil McCall

10 Qualities of A Good Leader

 Are you a leader? How do you know? What are the qualities of a good leader? Can anybody assume this role?

A common definition of a leader is "one who guides or directs a group." But leadership is so much more than giving directions or pointing people in the right direction.

1. A leader is one who possesses vision and has the skills to impart that vision to others. 
2. A leader is one who serves others.
3. A leader is one who others follow willingly, without coercion.
4. A leader is one who can identify and manage resources to accomplish goals.
5. A leader is one who is confident enough to make decisions.
6. A leader is one who is teachable.
7. A leader is one who is humble enough to admit shortcomings.
8. A leader is one who is committed to his assignment regardless of adversaries.
9. A leader is one who is always sharpening his skills and trying to acquire new ones.
10. A leader is one who is secure enough to invest in the skill development of those who follow him or her.

Although great leaders are shaped over a span of a lifetime, aspiring leaders should not wait until they feel "great" to lead. The world is in desperate need for leaders. Let's assume our roles and be the best leaders we can today.

The Value of a Mentor

No one sets out to fail.  But there are countless stories about youth and adults who fell through the cracks of society, got in over their heads, or went down a wrong path. Many of those stories can be traced back to poor decisions, a lack of preparation, or unwise advice. And some might have been avoided if they had been mentored.

We all need direction -- someone to guide, encourage, and hold us accountable. A mentor is someone willing to invest time in another person's future well being.  A role model committed to another individual's success.

Think back. Who invested time in your life and what difference did it make? Can you remember a teacher who went beyond his or her job description to prepare you for college? Or perhaps it was a coach who prepared you to compete with champions. Oftentimes, it's a parent or relative who is also serving as your mentor. But all of the time, it's some caring individual who has volunteered time and resources on our behalf.

So much of our day-to-day support is directly related to having good mentors. Here's a sample list of areas of support presented by The National Mentoring Partnership:

Support for education

• Mentors help keep students in school.
• Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class.
• Mentors help with homework and can improve their mentees’ academic skills.

Support with day-to-day living

• Mentors help improve a young person's self-esteem.
• Youth who meet regularly with their mentors are 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking.
• About 40% of a teenager's waking hours are spent without companionship or supervision. Mentors provide teens with a valuable place to spend free time.
• Mentors teach young people how to relate well to all kinds of people and help them strengthen communication skills.

Support in the workplace

• Mentors help young people set career goals and start taking steps to realize them.
• Mentors can use their personal contacts to help young people meet industry professionals, find internships and locate job possibilities.
• Mentors introduce young people to professional resources and organizations they may not know.
• Mentors can help their mentees learn how to seek and keep jobs.

As stated above, there's a myriad of ways mentoring can help people. The important thing is to find a mentor and/or be a mentor to someone else. In honor of this month being National Mentoring Month, make that decision today.


*http://www.mentoring.org/about_mentor/value_of_mentoring