Choosing to be victorious in an age of victims

by Dale Coad December 2016

You have a choice to make....everyday!    Will you be a victim or victorious?    Our world is filled with people crippled with a victim mentality.   If anyone had a justifiable reason to feel like a victim, it was Sergeant Bryan Anderson.   Near the end of his second tour in Iraq his Humvee ran over an IED and left Bryan unconscious without his two legs and his left hand.  Seven days later, he woke up in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.    He was stunned to see his mother at his bedside, thinking he was still in Iraq.

As the shocking reality of his lost hit him he thought, "I'm half a person."   But then his mother spoke some powerful words that helped determine the course of his life, "You know you have basically two options here, right?'   He nodded and said, "Yup.   Move on--or roll over and die."   She probed, "And you're going to....?"   Resolutely he said, "Move on!"   After a challenging regiment of rehabilitation, Bryan learned to live independently and is optimistic about life.   (Taken from Guideposts July 2016, "A Will to Live" pg. 31).    Everyday he is making the right choice.

As you face the ever-growing challenge of living out your Call with integrity and passion, what do you choose: to be a victim or to be victorious?   Your choice impacts the effectiveness of your life and ministry.   There is a new buzzword that is akin to our concept of "the Call of God" on our lives, namely "Grit."

Grit defined by Angela Lee Duckworth is "passion with perseverance to obtain a long-term goal."

https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance?language=en#t-37110. 

As men and women of God, we're not promised a life without conflicts.   We are however promised a life empowered by God to fulfill His Call on our lives without shame or remorse, a victorious life even in conflict.

Romans 8:36-26 (TLB) helps prepare us for the conflict, "...the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we must be ready to face death at every moment of the day...but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us."   As believers, what is the key to our victory? "If God is on our side, who can ever be against us?" Romans 8:31 (TLB)

So let's choose to live our lives in victory, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising that shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."  Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)

Indescribable JOY despite a terrible disaster: by David Speer

I was in Baracoa Cuba last week assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew.  Of all the natural disasters that I have responded to over the years, I still wasn't prepared to see and experience the loss and devastation that had become reality of 158,000 Cuban people overnight on October 4th and 5th.

Not only was I surprised by the degree of devastation, I witnessed something I had never seen before immediately following a disaster--indescribable joy that bubbled to the surface in face after face of the believers who were in the middle of total material loss and devastation.

Last Thursday I was with a pastor, his wife and his two girls.   You'd never know that this presbyter and his family lost their home and had their earthly possessions blown away only a few weeks ago!  The joy that I discovered in my new Cuban friends can never be erased by a hurricane or any other temporary earthly condition, because it is not based on circumstances.

Their outlook reminds me of a passage that I read yesterday in Habakkuk 3:3:17-19, "Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen, though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I'm singing joyful praise to God.

I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.   Counting on God's Rules to prevail, I take heart and gain strength.  I run like a deer.   I feel like I'm king of the mountains!" Message version.

The joy that my pastor friend and family had only comes from their deep trust that God has everything under control and is working things out for good.   It's this trust that caused the joy that I witnessed in their faces.

Kristen and I pray that this same source will keep you singing joyful praises to God even when you find yourselves in extremely difficult circumstances.   May there be joy in your journey.

David and Kristen Speer, Caribbean_US based Assistant Area Directors

New Assistant Area Director's Greetings

Dale's comments: Our warmest welcome to David and Kristen Speer,  Assistant Area Directors along with Paul and Lana Duda.

David's greetings:   Kristen and I are grateful for the opportunity we have been given to serve you as Assistant Area Directors.   Because we have not had the opportunity to meet many of you, I'd like to take this opportunity to share a little bit about who we are and our ministry.

We are both from Michigan, (Go Blue!) have been married for 25 wonderful years and we have two children and two beautiful grandchildren (we're not prejudice).

We began our missionary journey in 2001 in Mexico City.   Over the years, we have worked in outreach, church planting, construction and disaster response/reconstruction.   In May of 2014, we transitioned to the AGWM Strategic Missionary Task Force and began full-time work in Cuba.

We live in Springfield area and would love to have the opportunity to get to know you better.   So when in town, send us an email or give us a call and let's get together.

We look forward to serving with you.

David and Kristen Speer
Assistant Caribbean_U.S. Based Area Directors

Kristen and David Speer

Nana's first blog (that's Patti Coad to you non-grandchildren people)

Dominican Republic family trip celebrating Dale and Patti's 40th wedding anniversary

As a Nana I think my grandchildren are the most precious.  God has blessed me immensely with 7 girls and 2 boys.

I have learned to enjoy each day of the time God gives me to spend with them.  I love the joy they bring and pray for them often...As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!

ADs October Devotional

Integrity and Discernment in an Age of Spin News channels are ablaze with the pre-debate discussion of the first Presidential debate scheduled in four hours.   According to the pundits each debate will consist of two debates, the actual debate and the spin that each campaign will give to it after the event.   Spin, it’s a major component of politics. In a race for the US Senate in 1950, Floridian George Smathers was one of the most creative spin-makers of all times.   When he wanted to sling mud against the incumbent Claude Peppers, he accused Pepper of being “a known extrovert.”   He even went so far as to say Pepper’s sister was “a thespian” and his brother was “a practicing homo sapiens.”   Then to make it really personal, he charged his opponent of “openly matriculating” when he attended college.   Finally he asserted that prior to his marriage, Pepper had been “engaged in celibacy!”  Only a discerning person could see the comedic humor to his accusations. In this age of spin, truth still matters, now more that ever.   Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)  “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”  This passage (Ephesians 4:14-16) shows how our maturity in Christ keeps us from being tossed about by the winds and waves of our time. This world is spinning out of control.  It needs the stabilizing influence of a church that speaks the truth in love.   Let us be people of great integrity and spiritual discernment as we call upon God for Go His wisdom.   James 1:5-7 exhorts us to ask God for His wisdom and fully expect Him to keep us unwavering in these turbulent times.    The world is waiting for the people of d to demonstrate integrity and spiritual discernment in this age of spin.  With Jesus’ help, we can be those people.

ADs May Devotional 2016

  In this season of political distress, where emotions are    high and opinions so strong, let’s not forget Whose we  are and Who we are in Him.   

  Let’s keep a balanced  perspective of life since our destinies are assured and our  futures are rooted in the King of King.

 Romans 8:18-25J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

 Present distress is temporary and negligible

      In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the    magnificent future God has planned for us. The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of  the sons of God coming into their own. The world of creation cannot as yet see reality, not because it       chooses to be blind, but because in God’s purpose it has been so limited—yet it has been given hope.   
     And the hope is that in the end the whole of created life will be rescued from the tyranny of change   and decay, and have its share in that magnificent liberty which can only belong to the children of God!

     It is plain to anyone with eyes to see that at the present time all created life groans in a sort of universal travail. And it is plain, too, that we who have a foretaste of the Spirit are in a state of painful tension, while we wait for that redemption of our bodies which will mean that at last we have realized our full sonship in him. We were saved by this hope, but in our moments of impatience let us remember that hope always means waiting for something that we haven’t yet got. But if we hope for something we cannot see, then we must settle down to wait for it in patience.

ADs June Devotional 2016

Are you a trusted leader? 

Curtis Swisher, a friend of mine, posted “10 Traits of a Trustworthy Leader” https://t.co/6Ca286ueDA         This is an abbreviated version of that post.  

Trust:   Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people. – Stephen R. Covey  |  People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision. - John Maxwell 

1. Character: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character, which inspires confidence. - General Bernard Montgomery 

2. Competence:   In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better. - Harry S Truman 

3. Credibility:  If you lose your credibility, you might as well leave. – Jack Rhymes 

4. Clarity:  Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.  - General Colin Powel 

5. Candor: A trustworthy leader speaks the truth directly and authentically. 

6. Consideration: The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak—Jim Rohn  | Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel.  If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish. —Sam Walton 

7. Connection:   If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams 

8. Collaborative:   Trustworthy leaders collaborate well with others.   No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it. - Andrew Carnegie 

9. Conviction:  In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. - Thomas Jefferson

10. Courage: All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership. - John Kenneth Galbraith

Summary: A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. – General Douglas MacArthur

1 Samuel 18:5 (MSG) Whatever Saul gave David to do, he did it—and did it well.  So well that Saul put him in charge of his military operations. Everybody, both the people in general and Saul’s servants, approved of and admired David’s leadership.

AD's April 2016 Devotional

Who would want to live in a swamp like that?

Looking at the city today, you would never think to ask that question of this city.   After all Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.   Venice, known for its romantic gondolas rides and the renowned St. Mark’s Square is now the Queen of the Adriatic.   But it was not always so.

For hundreds of years, the marshy, muddy islands were the lonely dwelling place for a few fishermen, but Attila the Hun changed all of that in A.D. 451-452. When he started burning, raping, pillaging and totally terrorizing the good folk of Northern Italy fled for their lives to Venice’s swampy protection.  Attila’s fierce army of elite horsemen was rendered impotent in the mud.

Years later, after yet another invader forced more people to escape to Venice, the residence had already learned to navigate the city using boats, to build their houses on posts driven into the mud and to dry seawater which produced invaluable salt.   What started out as pure tragedy and terror ended up in beauty and a great source of income as the people adapted to life.

Oftentimes, we can look back with an historical perspective and know that God worked out everything for the good.   As Romans 8:28 affirms, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Notice it does not say everything that happens is good but rather God works for the good in everything.  As believers in the God who calls us, let’s keep a Divine perspective on whatever challenges we face today.   Who knows? That swamp, crisis or troubled relationship may be beautiful and a great source of encouragement as we embrace life and watch God work!

 

AD's March 2016 Devotional

Remind your soul…You are loved by God!

 

Samson shook himself awake from Delilah’s soothing beguilement, ignorant of his newly shaved braids of hair.  His enemies the Philistines didn’t intimidate him.  He thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.”  He did not know that the Spirit of the Eternal had left him (Judges 16:18-20).   Tragic!  Satan robbed this supernaturally empowered man of God of his strength and of his identity.  He lost his anointing and his way.

Losing one’s anointing, never happens overnight.  It is subtle and unperceivable.  If we lose the awe of His incredible love, it’s always in small, incremental steps.  In our journey of faith, we should remind ourselves daily of God’s intimate love for us.  “Love Came Down” by Kari Jobe expresses this truth: “If my heart is overwhelmed and I cannot hear your voice, I hold on to what is true…. Mountains high or valley low, I sing out to remind my soul…I am forever yours.”

Discouragement and shrewd attacks may come our way.   Satan attempts to undermine our security in His love and our Call.   We must find ways daily to “fan into flame the gracious gift of God (2 Timothy 1:6).   Let’s remind our soul daily, “You are loved by God!”  Sing it.   Declare it.   Live it.   His love secures our effectiveness in ministry and His Call in our lives.

AD's February 2016 Devotional

Team of teams: How miracles happen.

Their coach was a driven man, obsessed with winning.  How did Coach Brooks expect an amateur team of USA collegiate hockey players from different Universities to defeat a seasoned professional team from the Soviet Union?   The Soviet’s had won six of the seven previous Olympic games and were considered invincible and unbeatable. The 1980 Olympics would be no different.

It would take a miracle.   That miracle happened during a gruesome practice with the coach demanding yet another round of sprints.   After each sprint, the Coach shouted out, “Rob, who do you play for?”  Rob replied, “The University of Minnesota!”  The sprints continued.   “Dave, who do you play for?” Dave retorted, “Boston University, Coach!”   The team was ready to collapse from exhaustion, yet the coach continued.   “Mike, who do you play for?”  Finally, the team captain shouted out, “Team USA coach, that’s who we play for!”  
 
The sprints stopped and the beginning of their “Miracle on Ice” began.   Team USA beat the Soviet team in a moment of history that Sports Illustrated magazine called the top sports’ moment of the 20th Century.  Team USA took down their invincible opponents.   The victory started when they became a team.

Teams.   They are a biblical concept.   Philippians 1:3-5 (NIV) puts it this way, “I thank my God every time I remember you…I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Miracles happen when we fully realized who we are and Who we serve.   Whether you serve in a smaller ministry team or a large one, we’re still part of a team of teams with a Divine Call of God on your lives.    Let’s live up to our identity and believe God for even greater miracles this year.