As I approached the coffee counter, I noticed a nervous look in the young man’s eyes. An older woman working with him stood behind him watching as I approached the counter. He was visibly nervous but took my order. I keep it simple with my coffee so I told the young man that I wanted a tall coffee of the day. The older woman left thinking this order was simple enough. He took my order and asked me if I wanted room for coffee. Realizing what he had just asked, he nervously said, “I mean cream”. I said, “no, black is good.” It was obvious that he was new and was in training. He handed me my coffee, I thanked him and sat down, and began to read.

A girl approached the counter and started her order. It made me nervous! She ordered Mocha something with two shots of decaf (why) espresso; a squirt of coconut, a squirt of French vanilla, and a half squirt of something else. I had never heard anyone order a squirt before. I could see the panic in the young man’s eyes. I was panicking and I did not even have to make it. She said she was going to find a book and would be back. As she walked away, he looked dazed and confused. I wondered how someone could even think up a concoction like that. I also wondered if she was a plant. Maybe they sent her there to see what he would do. Regardless, I like what he did next.

He got on the intercom and asked Tammy to come to the café counter. She came and he explained as best he could, what the girl had ordered. She also looked confused but confidently confused. They both went to shooting and squirting until they had the drink. The girl came back, got her drink and left a happy customer.

The moral of the story is this: Do not be afraid or too proud to ask for help. We all run into life situations where we are just not sure how to proceed. God created us in a way that we need Him and we need each other. I have watched people make decisions that were detrimental to their families because they would not ask for help or advice. We can get awesome counsel from the word of God and from wise people. That, is the way God meant it to be. We need Him and we need each other. Life can be difficult sometimes but it is much more difficult when we try to do it alone. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.

PS. Life is much simpler for everybody when you drink your coffee black!

How long has it been since you’ve danced? A few months ago Carla and I did a slow dance at Rob and Stacey’s wedding reception. As we started we had a little problem. You can’t slow dance with two leaders. If you don’t believe me try it. I said, “Okay Honey, just relax and flow with my lead (I had some rhythm back in the day). If you know Carla, relaxing and following are not her strengths but she yielded to my request. She discovered that relaxing and following my lead made the experience with the “Dancing King” (with two left feet) much more enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, we were dancing again at Ashley Godsey Tidwell’s wedding reception. This time Carla immediately relaxed and fell into my lead. Why? She discovered that she could trust the “Dancing King” to lead and that if she followed my lead we would flow as one in motion.

Everyday we have an opportunity to dance with Jesus. It’s difficult and awkward when we don’t just relax and let Him lead. When we are trying to go our way and He is trying to lead us another way, we are not dancing we are wrestling. Just relax and follow His lead and flow as one in motion with Him. Wherever He leads – follow. I believe we will find life to be much more fulfilling as we dance with Jesus day after day. Dance with Jesus today!

PS. I remember hearing a sermon when I was a brand new follower of Christ. The preacher said that a dancing leg and a praying knee won’t fit on the same leg. I found out that he was wrong. If you see him out somewhere don’t tell him I said that. I keep the “Dancing King” thing under wraps.

Please let me do it! That is what the girl on the other end of the phone said. I spent, about an hour, on the phone with a tech from Dell. She was trying to fix a problem with a computer. I had given her permission to take full control of the computer so she could fix the problem. Even though she was in control, she wanted me on the phone with her because she needed me to do something occasionally. A couple of times I would get in a hurry and move the mouse myself. When I did she would say, “Please let me do it.” Obviously, she knew more about the computer than I did and my interference made her job more difficult and could have made my situation worse. When I took the control back from her, it delayed outcome. If the fix was going to happen, she needed me to allow her to control the situation, be patient, and follow her direction.

That is the way we are with God sometimes. We give God control of our lives and then we interfere with the process He has chosen to help us. Obviously, He knows more about life than we do. When God is fixing something in our lives, the best thing we can do is let Him do it. He knows what He is doing. I do not know about you but there are times that I get in a hurry when He is fixing something in my life, and I take control back from Him.

At those moments He is probably saying, “Please let me do it.” He wants us online with Him so He can instruct us as to what and when He wants something done but He wants to maintain control. He needs to be in control if the fix is going to happen.

It may seem that He is taking too long sometimes and that is when we are so tempted to do it ourselves. Don’t! Don’t do it! He is God. He has the credentials for the job. He knows more about our operating system than we do. He knows what He is doing and He knows exactly how long it takes to do it. You are far more important to Him than the circumstance. That does not mean that He is not concerned about our situations but He knows how to fix them, while fixing us.

Sometimes He has such a huge blessing for us down the road, if He does not fix what needs fixed, we will not be able to handle the blessing. The bigger the blessing the greater the spiritual, psychological and emotional support system in our life needs to be. If the support system is not adequate, the blessing could result in our downfall. We could loose our way. We could put what is most important in life on the back burner. We could allow our priorities to become terribly, displaced.

We do not know the future but He does. When He seems to be going to slow, I try to remember that He loves me so much and wants a wonderful future for me. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God has great plans for you and He knows how to bring them to pass.

So, take your hand off that mouse, do what he tells you to do when He tells you to do it and be patient. Let Him control the situation and follow directions. Your situation will soon be history and you will have the proper foundation to support the huge blessing that is coming your way.

There was a tiny little man at my house on Saturday. He was not actually a man. He was a six, year old boy but I felt like I was talking to a tiny little man. His grandpa was at our house doing some work and “little man” came along. As that little boy talked and talked and talked, I could here the teachings and wisdom of his grandpa coming through. I learned a couple things from that little boy that day.

Lesson 1

As we walked around the house, it seemed he was looking for something. He would move things and look under them. He would look behind stuff. He would dig through stuff. He looked up at me and said, “Let me show you how to find things.” I said, “What kind of things?” He said, “Fun things and treasures and stuff.” Then he said, “If you want to find things you have to look for them. If you just walk around you can’t find things. You have to look!” I think he felt sorry for me because he had a handful of things and I had nothing. I was just walking around. He straightened me out, and by the end of our walk and talk, I had fun things and treasures and stuff too.

Life is like that. Lot’s of neat opportunities will present themselves to us daily. Most of us miss them because we are not looking for them. Some opportunities are not in plain sight. Sometimes looking in the most unexpected places, we find “fun things and treasures and stuff.” When I walked out the door to find that little boy and talk some with him, I found a treasure in an unexpected place. Just remember, as the tiny little man told me, “If you want to find things, you have to look for them. If you just walk around you can’t find things.”

Lesson 2

Joshua has a gadget that he uses to practice his golf swing. It is a training tool. Little man found it in the carport. It brought him to the subject of golf, which was the one of many subjects we discussed. He told me that you can break a window with a golf ball (wonder how he knows that). He told me that if I needed to find golf balls, I could go to a golf course and look in the woods (He was back to the, “if you want to find things you have to look for them because you can’t find things just walking around,” talk.). Looking at the practice gadget, he said, “Is that thing easy to use?” I said, “Yes, it is easy.” He said, “Then that thing is no good.” I said, “Why is it no good?” He said, “Because if it is easy you’re not learning anything!”

Life is like that too. Learning new things is not easy. That is why so many people do not keep learning through life. If we want to keep growing, we have to keep learning. Commit yourself to learn something that you do not already know. It will expand your life.Just remember the words of a tiny little man, “If it’s easy, you’re not learning anything.”

The parking lot was crowded at the Mall as usual. As Amy and her girls drove around looking for a parking space, it began to rain and they had no umbrella. The rain was steady with no relief in sight. It appeared that if they were going to get into the Mall, they would get drenched. Lauren sat in her seat with her new flowered shirt on. Her first thought was that she did not want to get her new flowered shirt wet. Then with a moments thought she said, “Mommy, it is okay if I get my shirt wet, the flowers need watered anyway.” She was speaking of the flowers on her shirt.

I think we need to have a childlike attitude about life sometimes. No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, think positive. When the dark clouds of life drop the rain of problems on you, look for the positive. A positive attitude will bring an entirely new perspective to life. Today, rather than complaining, find the positive. Make it a habit and begin to enjoy life more. What you think is a negative situation might just be what God is using to water your flowers.

PS. Take every opportunity you have to hang out with a child. It will brighten your day and you will learn some important life lessons at the same time.