Trust in The Lord with all your heart Lean not unto your own understanding In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. No one knows what lies ahead today. Or tomorrow. It really is a fact that we do not know the facts which will present themselves later today. Or tomorrow. Seek God. Love and protect your family. Prosper the relationships you are invested in. Be useful to someone today. Seek, know and work to fulfill the promise your life holds. After that…. We many times roll with the punches and adjust to the day. But we can be intentional about those 5 main topics listed above. Assert yourself into those steps God directs you to. Max out your Intentional Obedience. When the day ends about 8:30 or 9pm tonight, be able to look at yourself and know you fulfilled the promise and potential placed in you. Terry August 27, 2014

When you tell someone you will pray for them Do it. Right then. Why wait ? To tell them binds you to it. There is hope and anticipation there from the one requesting. If it comes out as a word you have spoken, it’s your Honor being extended to that person. That is a commitment we have to honor. If we are honorable. Let’s honor it. Honoring commitments is what a Man does. It’s His Word. In the past that was a bond between two parties, A Man’s word. Make it your bond to the group and to our Pastor. Do you keep your word? Your son and daughter know if you do…Or they are learning. It’s creating a new prospective adult … Who will either keep their word or not. We can slouch into the future leaving less than us or we can step strong into the times ahead training our younger ones Truth, Integrity and Honor. Your wife also knows if you keep your Word. She may not speak about it …if you don’t… But you become less in her eyes. If you keep your Word… She can trust in that… and you continually increase in her eyes. Keep your Word Honor your Commitments. Terry August 26, 2014

The last comment Pat Riley heard his father make to him was as his Dad leaned on the side of Riley’s car looked him in the eyes and said “Son, there will come a time when you have to plant your feet, straighten your back…..take a stand and be a Man”. As David lay dying he told Solomon to “be strong and show yourself as a Man”. The world we live in is resistant to that. The “progress” of society has been away from that. I will say that should be ignored. The Men in history were not emasculated. The heroes we have learned about and admired throughout our history were not metrosexual males. They were Men, without apology. The children in our world, whether they admit it or not the women in our world, and other younger guys… Need us to be Men. And the “cuteness” and cynicism in our culture has made even the phrase “Be a Mans Man”…. One with double meaning. It’s time to call enough of that. My encouragement to us all is to be a Man. Do the things that will lead others to see you as a MAN. Without apology. There is nothing to apologize for. God made Man in His Own Image. Is that anything to apologize for…??? Do not wait until you are 50 to do this. The world needs males to not be anesthetized eunuchs. The world needs males to be Men. Your wife needs that. Your son needs the lifelong example, your daughter needs the proper treatment and role model for her husband-to-be and the younger guys around you need to see. Man “in full”. What does it mean? Be strong in The Lord. Learn, know and use Scripture. Fight the battles which need fighting. Father knows best, without apology. Walk with Integrity. Live on and by the proper Principles. Have transcendent causes such as Faith, Family, Country that take precedence over any job or career. Do not be ashamed or apologetic for being a Man once again…. God made Man in His Image. Therefore – Plant your feet, Straighten your back, Take the stand to be a Man Terry August 25, 2014

The goal of partnering with other guys …. Getting in their CORNER and getting some particular guys in your CORNER is perfectly described by Paul in II Corinthians 3:1-5. Read it. We ARE the Gospel. Living, breathing, walking manifestations of Epistle of Christ…written, not with ink,but by the Spirit of God. And we become known of, and are daily read by all those around us. Know today that the story of your life, the Scripture you compose everyday with the words, actions and reactions… are the Fifth Gospel in the eyes of the world. Terry August 19, 2014

Each and every month you pay bills. You either write a check, pay in cash or have money transferred electronically. Those funds leave your account and move to another. To do that each month there must be money deposited into your account(s). You can pay a bill with an empty account….then you will owe more money. It makes sense to deposit money before withdrawing funds. True statement regarding financial transactions, relational transactions as well as spiritual life. Make deposits. The key to withdrawing is having previously made deposits. In our life most every situation requires deposits. Try having a relationship with a woman without depositing time, words, and effort. Try raising a child without depositing into that young life what you know and who you are. Why do people try to follow God and live a Christian life … without depositing Scripture into their heart, mind and life on a consistent basis. It leads to bankruptcy. Too many believers have a bankrupt spiritual life… Don’t do that. Deposit Scripture regularly. You do what you love or either what you most need to do. Urgent or important. Reading scripture is both urgent and important. It is the single most important activity involved in growing spiritually. Make deposits. Terry August 21, 2014

Was in San Diego and then in Boston during the past 10 days. Beautiful and historic places. In So Cal there is visible evidence of an urgency to look good….. ” not that there is anything wrong with that ” to quote Jerry Seinfeld. Its the weather, the outdoor life, all combine to sometimes. ” push ” the people there to be so concerned with their physical appearance. It seems most of the leading plastic surgeons are out there or are married to the “Housewives” of Orange County or Beverly Hills. It’s competition that becomes difficult as one matures. To the visitor … It seems somewhat artificial and not as important as other important areas of life. In and around Boston the emphasis is different altogether. Seemingly forsaking appearance there is extreme emphasis on the intellectual…being smart..smarter, the smartest.
The reputation and history and influence of Harvard drives people to have abounding desire to not merely gain knowledge but the pressure is extreme to be seen as excelling in some academic area. And the “push” is almost a desperation to not fail as it is to succeed. The competition is just as strenuous and even more so than other areas as it is mental and can become a longer battle than the “looking good ” battle in Southern California. To the visitor … It seems overemphasized and not as important as other areas of life. But, there are great people there. And there are great people here. We are all Gods Children. We have desperation and various types of pressures operating on us. We live here…. What do visitors think of us? In what areas are we artificial and in what areas do we get desperate about??? West Coast, East Coast or here in Birmingham…. Looks matter, being smarter matters…. and other things that visitors find us shallow and artificial about. Matthew 6:33 gets it right. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness…. and all these things will be added into you ” All these things. They become different things when we seek Him. Seek Him Terry Bethea August 18th, 2014

John 1:1

Says it correctly.

The second phrase in that verse….

 “…The Word was God…”

To read the Word is to bring into our hearts, mind and Spirit…the presence of

God.

And to give it a place of Prominence,

of Highest Priority…

brings a Promise….

Matthew 6:33

Terry

In the DFW airport… and it’s unique how so many people search for and stand and look intently at the Departures signboard. Looking for Directions. That’s what the Church is. That’s what we need to be individually…. Information and direction givers. If our lives are pursuant of Christ and our behavior is indicative of that pursuit, then we will be looked upon by direction-seekers for help. And we need then to be fluent in direction giving. If our eyes are looking at Christ…. and our feet are moving toward Him…. our compass will be true north and our directions will be proper. Proper directions is what everyone seeks and needs In every airport…. Our lives are like being at an Airport…. Walking to some temporary destination In order to get to where we Are wanting to go… Toward some sense of safety and settling. May you be a well guided “Signboard ” Terry August 9 Dallas

In Galatians Paul talks about bearing ones own burdens. He also writes about bearing one anothers burdens. Growing into maturity, which should be occurring by age 30… Leads a man to understand there is a higher plane of responsibility than when he was 16. An earlier Metro devotion spoke of not needing to be “carried”. At 30, we should not need to be carried by anyone else. At the same time there are moments and maybe periods of time when, having grown into some level of strength and maturity….we should be able and wiling to help , encourage and even “carry” someone else for a short while. His leads us to, and in, those moments. Be strong enough to carry your own weight … and be slow to take on more for yourself …. Taking on too much too quickly can damage you and especially your spouse. Be open and aware when someone of your own gender needs to be “carried ” for a while. We have all needed that at some point. You will not be able to handle your own and anothers issues unless you have grown into some level of maturity. Grow . Be strong enough for your own burdens. Then, notice other guys, and be willing to help and assist them in a time if pain or distress. Both of the above are what we are called to do. Terry