Integrity has become “mission-critical.”

Look at the present national state of hyper-sensitivity to anything that looks, sounds, or smells like corruption.

Integrity is the currency of influence.  Power and success are like paper money but integrity is the GOLD.
    
Job, in the Old Testament, "had integrity."

WHAT ARE THE FIVE ELEMENTS OF INTEGRITY HE POSSESSED?

With the NBA Finals just over, I’ve been thinking about an “MVP:  Most Valuable Player.”  That’s you, Dad.

Researchers have identified that “fatherlessness” is the #1 issue in many nations today.  All of society seems to break down when fathering is absent. 

In 38 years of fathering, I’ve made a lot of mistakes.  I learned as I went.  I don’t want you to have to learn everything the hard way.

Here are my “top 8” lessons I’ve learned along the way:

Prayer needs a template.

As I am typing this blog, I am using a template, a pre-arranged plan. 

You can always “pray without ceasing,”  but in order to build a strong day-to-day prayer life, you need a template.

The Lord’s prayer is a “Model Prayer.” It is not simply to be repeated.   It contains 5 “fingers” in the hand of God and gives us a template for daily prayer.   

HERE ARE THE 5 "FINGERS" OF THE LORD'S PRAYER:

All of us face hurt.

Some of us choose to forgive. 

The rest of us live in bitterness.

How do you “forgive and forget?”  We have a pretty good Example.

Here are 4 perspectives that will help you to forgive:

Insecurity is a silent enemy.

It ruins your relationships.  It limits your leadership.  It shows up in every decision.  In essence, it is coloring your entire world.

How do you recognize it and conquer it?

People think that when they get married they will “never be lonely again.”  Wrong.

Loneliness in marriage is predictable.  The longer you live together, the less you feel the need to talk.  No wonder so many empty-nesters divorce after their kids leave:  the silence is deafening.

What causes it and how do we cure it?


 

Shoelaces are important.

They hold everything together.  When they are tight, they keep you from falling.  No one tries to walk in loose, floppy tennis shoes without good, snug laces.

YOUR FINANCES HAVE “LACES.”  If they are untended, your entire life could come crashing down. 

What are the 5 financial issues you need to keep “tight?”

If you can’t see past the outward appearance of someone, you will never be a great leader.  EVER.

People are cunning and shrewd.  Some have experience with deception.  Others put up a good front.  Discerning the difference between a good talker and a hard worker can “make or break” your organization.  You could even find yourself married to the wrong person.

Here are a few lessons I have learned about discernment:

I have noticed that children and parents seem to be drifting apart.  Weeks go by with little conversation or interaction.  My father-in-law, Jim Clark, taught me the greatest secret to raising kids:  the “family night.”

Here are my “top 10” ideas for a sustainable, fun “family night” that your kids will remember for the rest of their lives:

40 million adults in America suffer from some type of anxiety disorder. Millions more face routine worry and anxiety about the day-to-day challenges of life.  Finding peace of mind becomes the goal of every day. 

Of course, we know that chronic worry can be symptomatic of a deep underlying issue in your soul.  We should also not belittle the amazing results medical treatment has done to relieve anxiety. To me, however, we sometimes wear a worry “filter” about everything.  

What are some simple ways to get free from worry?

Easter has come again today and will be gone again tomorrow.  For many people, it is a once a year phenomenon.  I remember a child whose parents happened to come to church in October. They found him out looking for Easter eggs under the bushes at the church. 

I think I’ve hit on how to have Easter all year:  “be thankful for what Jesus did for me every day.”

Here is what goes on in my heart in my time alone with Jesus Christ every day:

I’m concerned about the state of marriage right now.  The average U.S. marriage is only lasting 8 years and 2 months.  That averages in all the 40 year marriages like mine!  It may not be the ONLY solution, but it is PART of the solution:  “a weekly date night.”

Melanie and I have tried to practice this for many years.  When our six children all arrived, it became CRITICAL!

You need a break, a “deep breath” from the tremendous pressures of parenting.

       Here is how we did it: 

The world is making a bold bid for the new generation.  They want them.  Satan wants them.  Why don’t we want them? I burn with a passion for this wonderful, beautiful new generation.

What should my attitude be toward this new generation God loves?

Love your neighbor as yourself” (the Golden Rule) is the second great commandment.  It’s easy to say, but what exactly does it mean?  How our nation would be changed if we PRACTICED it! 

This famous law was originally spoken by God in Leviticus 19:18.  I did not know, however, that there are seven applications that lead up to that law:

Fake news” is a big topic right now.  Is the media truthful?  It’s probably a good time for us to ask that of ourselves:  “Am I truthful?”   You will be known by your truthfulness.  You will be respected by your truthfulness.  Your business will be known by your truthfulness.  Your marriage will continue only if you are truthful.  Can you pass the “truth test?”

Here is why you have to tell the truth:

For a lot of couples, Valentine season is a difficult time.  They celebrate one more year but inwardly they know their marriage seems to be failing.  Often, marriages that seem outwardly successful are privately failing.  How can you fix a failing marriage? 

Marriage failures usually come down to four main causes:

We all want our children to turn out well.  Nothing thrills us more than seeing them go through school, marry well, excel in their career, and fulfill God’s purpose on their lives.  Raising children who love, respect, serve, marry well, and contribute to society is not easy.

Here are five principles Melanie and I followed for the entire 32 years we had children in our home:

As I go into restaurants and malls, I see parents struggling to maintain control of children.  They beg, bribe, and get angry.  The “little one” seems to come out victorious.  Sympathetic onlookers are tortured as they put themselves in the identical position.  What are the secrets that make it seem EASY?

Melanie and I raised our six children on these principles.  Everyone has a unique approach, but these are what worked well for us:

Leadership is all about momentum and focus.  Leading people out of a comfort zone and into a conquest zone takes skill and experience.   Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem to a defeated and discouraged population.  In just days, he turned the same people into conquerors who said, “Let us rise up and build.”  How did he achieve that momentum?

Here are my top 7 things to build momentum:

As a pastor for 33 years, I often wondered why so many new believers drop out of the Christian “race.”  Their conversion is genuine but their endurance is sporadic.  It seems to me that as many as 2/3 of the conversions in our churches never connect or fall back into the world.  Where are we missing it?   

Jesus told the “parable of the sower.”  It gives us the secret to our problem. 

Perhaps we should make this parable into the process by which we help believers to become fruitful disciples: