FELLOWSHIP

Today could not have started any better.  It was 6 o’clock and my wife said, “Wake up honey… it’s 6!”  Usually on Saturday mornings I am up at 5:30.  I overslept because last night we had a group of men in my home for fellowship and UFC and I didn’t get to bed until midnight.  Thanks to my loving wife, I made the last men’s breakfast gathering of 2011.

See, we meet regularly as the Mighty Men of Elevate Life Church.  Other Christian men from other churches join us, too (photo below).  If you are not currently attending a church in the area, then we invite you to join us anyway.  We gather for fellowship, learning, growth, support and we are building warriors, one man at a time.  We are strengthening families, building leaders for local businesses and we are constructing our legacies one day at a time.

This morning, we wrapped up our last bible study session of a great book by Jack Graham, titled, Man of God - Study Guide Edition.  In the back of the book, Pastor Graham poses thought provoking questions like this one:

Pg. 252 - Lesson Eleven - Sharing our Lord, Our Light and Our Labor

Question 3: Suppose that someone who claims not to be a Christian were to ask you, “What do you people mean when you talk about fellowship?”  How would you answer?

This was a great conversation starter for our group.  Men were discussing things like servant leading together, doing a book study (like this one), watching fights together and going to movies, etc.  The one distinguishing difference that sets us apart from our old selves and Christians is that when we “do fellowship” together, we are mindful that we are seeking God in the process while we are together.  We look for the opportunities to bring up a theme from a movie and tie it to scripture or we take a moment to pray together over a tough issue we are facing.  We go to battle for one another whenever the moment calls for it.  We use our “gifts” together and elevate the atmosphere we are in regardless of what we are doing.  It is these aspects of fellowship that set us apart as Christians.  We aren’t just hanging out… wasting time.  We are making time great because of the light we seek… and share.

I can’t say enough how much I have benefited from doing fellowship with these mighty men for over a year now.  Because of this alignment, 2011 was a year that challenged my thoughts, it allowed me to grow, to develop others and to build strong, enduring relationships with other “like-minded men” that will last a lifetime.

Today, we had a man describe how important it was for him to have this type of alignment.  See we tell our men that each of us need 3 men in our lives that we can call on … anytime … about anything.  Most men I know really don’t even have one true friend that will be there for them (without judgement).  This man went on to explain that 2011 was extremely challenging for him and his family.  He went on to explain that had he not had these 3 men in his life that he would probably be in jail or worse.

If you are alone on island, like Tom Hanks in Castaway, and catch yourself talking to inanimate objects from time to time, it’s time to man up.  You need to admit that you need Jesus in your life and that you are weak without other strong men in your life.  I challenge you to seek out other men that will sharpen you like steel on an anvil.  I pray that 2012 will be a year of favor and blessings for you.  I can only hope it is filled with good health, prosperity and divine alignment.

Believing God’s BEST for you!

John Vakidis

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WARRIOR

My last two posts HONOR and LEGACY were perfect segues to today’s post about being a WARRIOR.  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, the definition of Warrior is:

         a man engaged or experienced in warfare;

         broadly: a person engaged in some struggle or conflict.

As a Christian man, I know what it means to struggle or be in a conflict.  Every day, I struggle with my old self.  I remember what I was like before I was born again.  I know the commitment I made to God when he saved me.  I know that fighting the good fight is an honorable act and I know that fighting for my legacy is worth fighting for… even dying for.

As Christians, we are at war every day.  Society is watching us and they are waiting for us to fail.  They want to point out our faults to us.  They want to post them on Facebook and mock us.  Regardless of our faults, we STAND and rise again. 

When we fail, we must forgive ourselves.  Jesus has already died for every possible sin we could ever commit, yet many of us get lost in our past and we think it dictates our future.  Well I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t.  We all will face a battle someday.  Some of us will face more than others.  Regardless, it doesn’t mean you have to lose the war.  It’s time for Christian men to RISE… to lead themselves… their families… their co-workers… their communities. 

I’m not sure who said this first, but the following quote is one that I think of often: “Until you put your life into the context of war, you will miss 95% of what happens to you.”

Last night I had the pleasure of watching the movie, Warrior, directed by Gavin O’Connor.  It’s about two men that have come through some rough family battles and are deeply scared.  Through their journey of life, they both end up in an MMA tournament fighting each other in the finals.  The twist is that they are brothers.  There are some great themes to the movie like bravery, adversity, tenacity and more.

There are also some great lines and scenes.  One of my favorites was…

Coach says to fighter, “You can do this.  Now let me hear you say it.”

Fighter says to coach, “I can do this.”

Fighter’s shirt in tournament says, SIMPLY BELIEVE.

Half of the battles that we fight are in our minds.  We battle guilt, doubt, uncertainty and other voices from messages spoken over us by parents, teachers and family & so-called friends.  Well, I’m here to tell you that God is speaking to you NOW.  He wants you to hear you say, “I can do this.” 

He wants you to BELIEVE in Him.  While belief is important, faith without action is dead.  God needs you to put on your wraps, put on your gloves, train hard, be prepared for battle and have faith that you will have victory.  When He sees that commitment to you he will show you great works in your life. 

Now it’s up to you decide what is worth fighting for.  Are you struggling at work?  Are you estranged for your children?  Are you divorced?  Are you overcoming some sort of addiction?  Are you alone? 

Well, here is the good news.  There are other men out there that will STAND with you… men that will teach you, support you and lift you up.  They will be there with you even when the fight is hard (and it will be).  All you need to do is make the commitment to fight the good fight and then CONNECT.

When I think of some of the greatest warriors on the planet, I realize that even they didn’t do it alone.  Someone had to teach them their skill.  We can learn new attitudes and skills to implement into our lives.  Being around the right people (ALIGNMENT) is key, so make sure to connect with other godly men regularly.  If you have other friends that are choosing a different lifestyle, then pace yourself in the times you choose to be around them.  Consider servant leading, attending a bible study group or home team.  If you aren’t doing these things yet, then commit to it for 2012.  If you can, do all three.  There is real power in combining these aspects of connection and I know they can change your life for the better.  If you are not attending a church yet, then I invite you to mine Elevate Life Church in Frisco, TX.  If you want to understand what it takes to be a warrior, then give our church a year.  I promise you will get it by then.

I wish you a great 2012 that includes personal growth and development and solid relationship with other like-minded men.

In your corner,

John R. Vakidis

PS - if you haven’t seen the movie, Warrior, yet, then I highly recommend picking it up at Blockbuster to inspire you for the coming year.  Click here to watch a trailer on YouTube.

LEGACY

A good friend of mine, Scott Bailey, has these two simple words in his email signature, Honor & Legacy.  In my last post, HONOR, I mentioned that beginning your thoughts with honor in mind will often dictate your future actions.  I also believe that “thinking” LEGACY will also create a similar effect. 

When I think about the legacy that I want to leave… with my child, in my work, at my church, etc., I tend to give my best at the task in hand.  By taking a selfless attitude and thinking about the future outcome, I put things into an eternal perspective.  Stephen R. Covey coined the phrase “Beginning with the End in Mind” (read Habit 2 in the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.)  I do my best to live by this principle and it has always served me well.

As a parent, I often think about my son and the legacy I want to leave for him.  I was recently challenged to think about leaving a legacy for his children … and their children.  The longer perspective we take dictates the more careful of a choice we need to make.  As a Christian man, I will teach “legacy-living” to my son.  I can only pray that he receives this wisdom, and passes it on to his children.  If I do this, then my legacy will live on.

Keep in mind that your legacy can take several forms: love, patience, generosity, etc.  My father has been gone for 9 years now.  One legacy he left for me was a strong work ethic.  By teaching this at an early age, he instilled this in me and it has paid dividends for me in my work career.  This is a legacy that I plan to teach to my son as well, among many others.

With today being Christmas Eve, my wife and I are teaching our 3 year old son about the “reason for the season.”  She spent this morning with him baking Jesus a birthday cake and this evening we will read him a book about the miracle of his birth.  We are thankful for the legacy that our Heavenly Father left for us and will pass this message on to our son.

I hope this post will get you thinking about legacy and being intentional with your future actions.  May your CHRISTmas be filled with God’s favor and great times with family!

Sincerely,

John R. Vakidis

HONOR

One definition of honor is “honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions.” When I think of honor, I typically think of our US Armed Forces or maybe a movie like Gladiator.



#HONOR is a principle thing! It begins with your heart. You need to think about, “What do you value and cherish?” Here are some starter questions to get you thinking…

· Do you appreciate the life that God has given you? How are you taking care of your health?
· Do you value your relationship with your wife? Does she see this through your actions?
· Do you cherish your children? Do you speak words of encouragement over them daily?
· Do you value the income you receive from your employer? Do you give your job your best?

When you honor God and others you do relationship with, you will begin to THINK differently. It is an elevated way of thinking and when you begin with honor, you make different choices and end up with different outcomes than when you don’t.

If you are grateful for what you have, then you should show honor with your words and actions in all that you do. If you behave this way regularly, it becomes part of your DNA. Your wife will see you as a different man, your children will be grateful they have you as your father, your boss will see you as a different kind of employee and God will see your heart is aligned with His.

In this week ahead, you are surely to be busy preparing for Christmas and time with your family and friends. In these special moments, make sure to glorify Jesus (showing honor) and celebrating the real “reason for the season.” When you have some intimate time with someone you love or appreciate, let them know with a kind gesture, gift or even a card. Make time to honor those around you and see the blessings in your life unfold.

Believing God’s Best for You!
- John R. Vakidis

ELEVATE

As my first post, I want to show #HONOR and quote my Pastor, Keith Craft, “If you elevate your thinking and you will elevate your life.” While this sounds simple, it is quite profound. EVERYTHING we do begins with the way we think. Capturing your thoughts and controlling your attitude will determine your destiny.

I am looking forward to posting more quotes, articles, videos and more. At this point, I have 2 other pages developed: Introduction and Get Connected. More pages and posts will be coming soon.

If you would like to make comments on blog posts, you’ll have to become a member. If you want to connect outside of the blog, I can be found on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Begin to elevate your thinking and see what happens next. I can guarantee you that things can only get better!

God bless,
John R. Vakidis