Tag Archive - life

Lessons From Fruit Ninja

Keeping with my life lessons from ____ posts (read those here & here), I thought I’d give Fruit Ninja a try.

If you’ve never played Fruit Ninja, the concept is quite simple. Fruit flies up from the bottom of the screen and you have to use your finger to slice the fruit before it goes back down off the screen. Occasionally, you get other stuff flying that isn’t fruit… it’s important that you don’t slice this stuff. If you do, the game is over. The object is to slice as much fruit as possible. That being said, here are 3 lessons we can learn from this addictive mobile phone game…

1. Know Your Target.

In Fruit Ninja, your target is the fruit. In life, we have to learn what our target (or calling) is. If we spend our time chasing everything that comes across as an opportunity, chances are, we don’t achieve anything. We have to know what we were meant to do. Where our passions lie and where our gifts are help determine what our target is. Of course, ultimately, we have to hear God speak and tell us our target.

2. Know Your Method.

When playing Fruit Ninja, the method is slicing. Touching the screen with your finger does not good, you have to make a slicing motion. In life or ministry, we have to pursue our target with the right method. It’s not just enough to know where we’re going, we have to have a plan and a strategy for getting there.

3. Know Your Limits.

Playing Fruit Ninja means you don’t slice anything but the fruit. If you try to do too much, the game is over. In life, leadership, and ministry, it’s much the same way. We all have limits. It doesn’t matter how talented or gifted we are, we’ll eventually run out if we don’t limit ourselves on what we do and how much time we spend doing it. It’s important that we take regular times to get away, recharge, and retreat.

If you’ve played Fruit Ninja, what can you learn?

4 Questions

1. What’s your favorite kind of pie?

2. What’s the name of 1 person that you look up to?

3. What’s one exciting thing happening or that has happened in your life?

4. How often do you wash your car?

3 Lessons From American Idol

1. Not everyone has the same gifts.

If you’ve ever watched the first few episodes if an American Idol season, you know that some people try out for American Idol that absolutely can’t sing. Trying to do something you’re not gifted to do only hurts you and the people around you. By trying to do something out of the limits of our giftedness, we steal a blessing from the people who are gifted to do it.

2. Know who’s opinion matters.

During American Idol, the judges critique every performance, but they don’t get to decide who stays and who goes each week… That’s left up to America’s votes. So, instead of singing to please a particular judge, contestants sing to please the voters. I’m constantly learning that my life must be lived to please God, not some guy on the sidelines judging me as I go. If I seek to be a God pleaser, the rewards are eternal. People pleasing does nothing but take my eyes off of what really matters.

3. Give it all you’ve got, always.

Week after week, American Idol contestants are sent packing because they didn’t get the votes to stay. It is important that the contestants give it all they have every time. We must too. Life is short, the window for us to impact the world is small… We must give it all we have… We will NEVER get to the end of our lives and think, “Man, I wish I would’ve cared less.”

Those are my 3…

What else ya got?

Where is God? In the Details

I was reading through Numbers 6 and 7 a few days ago and learned this…

God is in the details.

God was in the details of creation,
God was in the details of the tabernacle,
God was in the details of the sacrifice,
God is in the details of our lives,
God is in the details of our church.

God is a God of details.

We know that God has the hairs on our heads numbered
that he knew us before we were born.

God cares about the details.

It’s important that we do the same.

That we check the details of ourselves,
that we examine the details of what we lead,
that we notice the details.

  • When God seems far away, it may be in the details.
  • When God is blessing, it may be in the details.
  • When things are crumbling, it may be in the details.
  • When you’re gaining influence, it may be in the details.
  • When your faith is growing, it may be in the details.

I don’t know what the details are in your life, but check em,

because…..

God is in the details.

Why I Love Ground Turkey

A few years ago, someone introduced me to ground turkey.

They said that it was healthier than ground beef and even had a sweeter taste.

At first taste, I was hooked. I started using ground turkey in everything and asking for it in everything. I like it with chili, as a burger, in spaghetti, and just about anything else that seems like it deserves some sort of ground meat.

That’s not why I love ground turkey though…

I love ground turkey because of its uniqueness.
It doesn’t try to be ground beef, it is just itself.
It doesn’t try to substitute for ground beef, it has its own unique taste that is good in things ground beef isn’t.
It’s leaner and healthier, even though not as many people use it.

Ground turkey is… Ground turkey.

It doesn’t want to be anything but its unique self, the way it was created.

How about you?

Are you willing to be yourself even if it means you may not look or act like the person that seems to get all the attention?

What makes you…. You?

Choking Under Pressure

Growing up, I loved playing baseball.

I was actually kinda good at the game, but there was one particular situation that I almost always failed in…

Executing under pressure.

I still remember the 2 outs, down by 1 scenario that every baseball player dreams of. What’d I do? I struck out for the first time all game.

The final out scenario when I got an easy popup at first base. What’d I do? I let the ball fall out of my glove.

I never was good at executing under pressure. I usually messed it up.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. – John 16:33

Jesus took the pressure off.

The end is not in doubt. He’s already overcome the world.

What I have to do is just run up the score.

It’s amazing the freedom and joy that comes when the pressure’s off.

It doesn’t mean that I can quit, it just means that it isn’t up to me.

Operating in complete freedom and victory makes life a lot more fun than it would be if the end was in doubt!

3 Life Lessons From Angry Birds

1. If you really believe in something, you’ll give your life to see it accomplished.

For those of you that have never played Angry Birds (where ya been?), the goal of the game is to shoot birds out of a sling shot and kill pigs that have buried themselves under random structures. The premise behind the game is that the pigs took the birds’ eggs. This kinda ticked the birds off and so they’re out to rectify it. They believe in their mission. They know what they want to see happen, they have an intense desire to see it happen, and they’re willing to do anything to make it happen. If you’re not living your life on the foundation of something you’d be willing to give everything for, you’re living a rather meaningless life.

2. Use what you have, the best you can.

I still have no idea why the birds don’t just fly over and take back what’s theirs, but apparently they can’t. So the birds use what they have (a slingshot and themselves) to accomplish their mission. They don’t just give up because they don’t have exactly the right tools, they use what they have. It’s that important to them. Never make excuses about what you’re missing, use what’s present.

3. Know your enemy.

Imagine if the birds, instead of attacking the pigs, begun to fight amongst themselves. It’d be pointless and they’d never get their little eggs back. Instead, they know that their enemy is the pigs and they give it all they got (why don’t they just fly?!) to attack the pigs. Christians need to learn this. We often fight hard against someone who believes a little different and lose sight of the real Enemy… The Enemy is real. Instead of forming a team to kick hell in, we fight against the church down the street because they do church a little differently or have a different denominational title under their name. It’s time we open our eyes to the fact that we have bigger and more urgent battles to fight.

Ok, those are my 3. What else can we learn from these little, stinkin, and addictive birds?

 

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