What Glenn Writes

When I was talking about our remarkable source of strength and boldness in my last article, found here, I used the story of Peter and John standing before the temple leaders after the healing of the crippled beggar. I love to consider all the aspects of this story, from thinking about what the temple leaders were feeling emotionally as they tried to silence the young, unschooled believers to what Peter and John were thinking as they were the center of attention for this accusing court of religious leaders. Wait! There’s more… click here.

I spoke about the influence Jesus had with Peter and John in yesterday’s article found here. I love thinking about the contrast between the Peter who denied Jesus three times and the Peter who boldly stood up to the temple leaders a short time later. This is evidence to the power of God, the same power at work in each of us.

The more we are with Jesus, the more we become like Him, walking in His likeness and reflecting the original image of how we were created. The source for this likeness and image is internal, coming from our hearts (the true essence of who we are, not the blood pumping organ beating in our chests). This is where Jesus has the most lasting influence in our lives. Wait! There’s more… click here.

One of my first jobs out of high school was working for a tool machine shop on the north side of Toledo. This small machine shop made tools for the automotive businesses in the Toledo and Detroit area. To say this shop was a hole in the wall barely etching out a profit was being very generous, but somehow it continued to provide jobs for the handful of people working there, including me.

The job was tough and dirty. Raw steel would come in the back door and finished goods would roll out the front. On some days, the shop worked like a seasoned team, and on other days it was close to World War III. The difference between those days usually rested on one man and whether or not he was there. I cannot remember his name, nor do I want to remember it, but he was one of those cranky guys with a dismal view on life out to make everyone else just as miserable and unhappy. He was a negative influence on everyone near him. He left a distinguishing mark on your day, an emotional tattoo leaving you saturated in depression. Wait! There’s more… click here.

When I was getting my hair cut yesterday, I noticed the stylist seemed to be targeting only the brown hair. I started to get a little upset and told her I would increase her tip if she started just cutting the gray and white hair and leave the brown hair. She said there would hardly be any hair left.

This young, perky, twenty-something chuckled nervously as my head turned around three times, my eyes turned red, and I just started crying like a little girl all at the same time. Didn’t they teach these stylists about the fragile male ego back in beauty school? Wait! There’s more… click here.

A few people responded to my article last week, “We Need To Talk”, and one question from JoAnn Wegert inspired another article the following day, “Is Life Damage Control or Prevention”.

Note: I am working on a way to allow comments from readers directly on the blog (I had it at one time, but the spammers took it over and all the comments were from Canadian pharmacies, porn sites, or someone in south Africa wanting my bank account number to embezzle money). For now I only have my email or Facebook replies for comments.

JoAnn had additional insight she wanted to share, so I invited her to be a “guest blogger” and, with her permission, I am sharing the following article. So, this is “What JoAnn Writes”:

Damage Control or Prevention

by JoAnn Wegert

In our earthly relationships prevention is much more time efficient and far less unpleasant idea than damage control. Prevention naturally occurs BEFORE there is a problem, while damage control occurs in the AFTERMATH of a recent problem. In the business world it means enduring another meeting, or lengthy phone conference, or actually reading the policy & procedure pages when they are handed out. While driving on the road it means paying attention to the road signs and traffic signals. In close relationships it often means enduring the WHOLE story when you were looking for a ‘bottom line’ answer, and digging through the details, and intent, and deeper meanings. Wait! There’s more… click here.

Are you playing Hokey-Pokey with God?

There is this awesome day when we finally get serious about our relationship with God and this whole faith thing begins to make sense to us. We recognize our desperate need for God and gain a sliver of understanding of the love He has for each of us. We accept Jesus and decide to put our whole self in.

The next day, we go to work, go to school, or wake up and live our day like we have always lived it. We may try to see things differently, but the distractions of the day will eventually clog our faith and we put our whole self out.

At some point, we remember God and realize we have things so messed up, we desperately need Him again and we put our whole self in. We are so grateful He is forgiving; we shake ourselves about and really try to turn ourselves around.

Then we do it again because that’s what it’s all about. Wait! There’s more… click here.

I’ve read a few articles about Peyton Manning storming off the field after the Super Bowl, leaving the Saints to enjoy their victory. Some call him a poor sport, while others claim he wanted to win so bad, he wasn’t going to pretend to be something he wasn’t (aka. A good sport?).

I compare his actions to what I witness when watching the winter Olympics in Vancouver. When we see competitors congratulating one another and shaking hands after winning or losing, here we see the real athlete – the one doing what is difficult, whether it is physical or emotional. Shaking an opponent’s hand after losing may be far more difficult than the actual win, but it proves the character of the player and may be the one difference between an excellent athlete and a so-so athlete with a winning record.  I know there are some exceptions in the Olympics, but I am focusing now on the real leaders. 

Peyton’s supporters and diehard fans are defending his disappointment after working toward the goal of winning the Super Bowl for a full year. Sorry folks, in comparison, an Olympic athlete works four years (and in some cases, longer) for a very similar goal. You either have good sportsmanship or you do not.  Wait! There’s more… click here.

My last article compared the need for good, solid conversation in a marriage to our relationship with Jesus Christ. A good marriage is based on communication between husband and wife, although not necessarily by words. The very word “relationship” has the root word “relate”, which requires communication of some sort. The four words my wife learned early on in our marriage were, “we need to talk”, which is a constant passion in the heart of Jesus Christ. Wait! There’s more… click here.

I am fortunate to have a patient wife.  Karen is a blessing to me in many ways, and her patience is one of her stronger assets.  Our marriage is proof God plans our lives.  He knew only a woman with an abundance of tolerance would be able to put up with me!

Our twenty-three years of marriage has had many blessings and a few struggles.  Our blessings include our three children and countless friends; our continuing challenge is communication.  Of all the victories we share, keeping an open line of discussion is always a returning battle.

Silence is a stealth war in marriage.  You may go for days without talking – I mean really talking.  You can have the ‘Good morning’ and the ‘Good night’, and even ‘gotta go, I’m late for work’, but is that really talking?  Real silence sneaks in and visits for weeks, stealing the life from a relationship.  Wait! There’s more… click here.

Yesterday, I found myself teaching before the church on Kingdom Prayer and shouting out to God, “Show me your glory!” Earlier on Sunday, in preparation for the service, I found myself doing the same thing in my office at home, walking around my desk and crying out to God, “Show my your glory!” Both times, I reminded myself of Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the movie, Jerry Maguire, where he is dancing in his kitchen while talking on the phone to Tom Cruise, telling him, “show me the money!” If you are not familiar with the scene, click here for the clip.

Yes, both times I was bobbing and dancing in the a very sad impression of Cuba Gooding, Jr., but both times crying out from the core of my heart to see God’s glory. This, to me, is the essence of Kingdom Prayer and most significant in our relationship with God. Scripture is filled with people in close relationships with God, and these relationships are best characterized by their desire to see God’s glory! Wait! There’s more… click here.