I’ve got a feeling some of you need to be reminded of these simple, yet life changing words.
“Grace is the face that love wears, when it meets imperfection.” -Joseph R. Cooke
Some of you need to extend it today.
Some of you need to receive it today.
Grace. It’s always needed.
Right after our second child was born a mentor of mine gave me some incredible advice. He said, “Pete, no matter what you think about how best to express love your small children will always spell it T-I-M-E. I’ve found that advice to be spot on. Like most of you I go through seasons where my kids kind of get my leftovers. I can begin to see it in how they act out in an attempt to get my attention.
Regardless of where we go on vacation or what we do on vacation I make my primary goal to spend as much quality time with them as I possibly can. I posted the pic above on twitter last night right before I taught them how to eat their new favorite meal: Crab Legs. 2 out of 3 of them are sporting their favorite new discovery. Flat bill hats. 
What’s the best advice a mentor has given you?
While this is my favorite time of the year, I know it can be a difficult to navigate for many.
With only 9 days left the “Christmas Season” is in full swing. There is the last minute shopping to get done. You’ve got a string of Christmas parties to hit up. Family gatherings will have you stressed out to the max. We often describe this as the “hustle and bustle” of the Christmas season.
I just want to remind you of one thing today. In the midst of your see more, do more, wrap more, shop more, decorate more, get rushed, crazed, and stressed out Christmas season. Please remember this:
Love becomes a luxury as the speed of life increases.
You tend to forget that people don’t exist just to meet your needs, but they have a soul.
You tend to forget that everyone needs healing…everyone.
You tend to forget that you simply cannot love like Jesus and live in constant hurry.
Do you agree?
I felt led to kind of stick with the “going first” theme this week on Without Wax. Here’s a video of a young lady here at Cross Point whose going through an awful lot right now but chose to “go first” this past weekend. She risked criticism, pointed fingers, and judgement and in my book that takes a lot of courage.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/2895945]
Here is my journal entry from October 15th, 1993. I was a sophomore in college.
Today was a great day for classes. My voice and diction class lasted only 30 minutes. After class Kevin and I went to the mall and had lunch at Long John Silvers.
I found out that Katy Bridges wasn’t going to Andreas’s house this weekend. Apparently her grandmother died. I’m so bummed. I was really looking forward to spending some time with her.
I was upset at first but a girl named Brandi took her place on our road trip. She was so much fun. We went to the McClean County homecoming game and then we all (me, Paul, Andrea and Brandi) went to Chi-Chi’s for dinner in Owensboro, KY.
Late that night Brandi and I went out to the dock at Laura’s house together and just talked about life. It was great! Around 1:00 a.m. it started to rain. I knew there was something different about her from the moment she got in the car with us to leave campus. We stayed up all night talking!
We looked through the Sears Catalog and picked out toys for our kids. We pretended like we had a boy who was 5, a girl 2, an she’s pregnant with another. Don’t I wish.
Oh by the way, Brandi is engaged to a very large WKU football player. This could be a problem.
Dear Brandi,
I fell hard for you 15 years ago and I haven’t stopped falling. I wouldn’t be me without you. I love you. Here’s to another 15 years of getting to know you even better.
One of the very first books I ever read on relationships was “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. The principles in that book have helped me not only in my marriage, but in every relationship I’ve ever had.
It’s always served me well to speak the love language to the people God’s placed in my life instead of always reverting back to my own love language (which is acts of service, in case you were wondering).
I work hard to speak the love languages of my wife which are quality time and touch (non-sexual touch which is still somewhat of an oxymoron for me).
I work hard to speak the love language of the people I serve with on a daily basis, many of which have the need for words of affirmation.
I work hard to speak the love language of my boys which at this stage of their life is gifts and touch.
Here’s a quick video to show you how I’m speaking my boys’ love languages these days. If it would only stay this simple! They would do this for two hours every evening if I would let them. It’s weird, but after about 30 minutes of this I can tell their love tanks our totally full.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/1909029]
Are you aware of the love language of the people in your life?
If you’re interested in discovering your love language CLICK HERE to take this 30 second quiz.
I was reading an article in Christianity Today entitled “Leading With Love: The Secrets to Billy Graham’s Remarkable Ministry to the World“. The article starts with this…
Our first interview for our book, The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, was with John Corts, a key employee of Billy’s organization for 35 years, ten of them as its president. After a dinner conversation that ranged over the decades, we asked, “John, what would you say is the bottom line distinctive of Billy’s leadership?”
John paused a long while. Finally he said, emphatically, “Love. The difference between him and so many other leaders is that whatever the circumstances, Billy always led with love.”
“Billy always led with love”.
That statement got me thinking about my leadership style. It got me thinking about the kind of leaders that have had an impact on my life over the years. It got me thinking about the kind of leader I want to be.
What characteristics are you looking for in the people that lead you?
