World-famous basketball star Lebron James is now in an advertisement for a product called Tonal.  According to my Google search, “Tonal is an at-home strength training machine that uses electromagnetism to create resistance and mounts to your wall for a personalized workout with over 200 exercises, like deadlifts, bicep curls, and overhead presses, and on-demand coaching.”

The company knows that LeBron’s name carries influence with a large group of people, especially those who might be into exercise.  Their product is something that people need to see used by a professional to appreciate it genuinely.  It is a perfect match for both parties involved.    

What sells the advertisement is what Lebron says in a voiceover while it shows him exercising.  He states, “Everything you see me do was made possible by what you don’t see, because when you’re not looking, I go to work.”

The concept is accurate and applicable to most endeavors.  What you see people do is the result of what you don’t see them do.  The guy who is in shape exercises when no one is looking.  The person who is out of shape does not work out. 

This idea can be pushed into every arena of life.  The person who has a great marriage works on their marriage when no one is looking.  A couple with a lousy marriage does not work on their relationship.  The person who has a great relationship with their parents, siblings, and children is working on that connection when no one is looking.  The people who know the Bible well, pray profoundly, and serve selflessly are building their faith in God when no one is watching.

Who you are publicly is the result of what you are doing privately.  So what are you doing away from everyone else to make yourself better? 

My wife and I were watching a movie recently, and it contained a scene I have often noticed in dramas.  It is where a person opens the notebook of someone else.  The individual could be a concerned parent, friend, psychologist, or even a police officer. They discover a pad of paper and flip the pages to see these dark, scary images drawn by the owner.  The drawings reveal the person’s struggles with inner demons of which no one knows. 

Well, I have never found a notebook like that, nor have I drawn one myself. (So you can relax a little for now.)  While I have not personally seen one, I have noticed that most of us could keep a journal like those on TV.  A physical demon or monster does not plague us; instead, we are haunted by the voices that speak negatively into our minds. 

Many of us struggle with a fear of failure.  The thought cripples us that other people might see us fall flat on our faces.  Others of us struggle with insecurity.  Our past keeps telling us that we are not worthy of friendship or even love.  Still, others have the monsters of self-doubt, anger, and resentment, the voice of a disappointed parent, and the disapproval of people we admire.  For some, past failures speak with more authority than present successes.  If we were totally honest, almost all of us have some voice in our head speaking from the darkness that pushes us in directions we never wanted to go. 

This is why it is essential to fill our minds with the things of God.  The Apostle Paul tells the Church at Philippi, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 –  NIV 2011)

We need to fill our heads with the voices of God.  We must listen to the sound of things that are positive and uplifting.  The monsters are always there lurking in dark places.  The only way to defeat them is to draw them out into the light.  Then you can address them with the grace, truth, beauty, and power of God. 

Every Monday we are given a new notebook; the pictures we draw inside are up to us. We must be wise about the voice we listen to while filling it up with our sketches.  It could be a scary notebook filled with depictions of evil.  It could also be page after page of Godly artwork that enlightens the soul.  The choice is up to you what kinds of pictures will come from this week.   

A few years ago, I stopped using notes when I preached. It resulted from using my notes less and less through the years, but it also happened because of some changes I made. I decided to put several patterns in place that helped me achieve this goal. These changes included writing less “catchy” outlines and ones that were easier for me to remember, using the passage of scripture as my guide, and keeping my Bible as the primary focus. It was also much more practical than merely writing differently. It meant that I needed my sermon completed by Wednesday morning. Then I could edit and review it on Thursday. Saturday night, I reviewed the sermon at least four times. Finally, I get up early on Sunday morning and review the sermon notes before walking on the local track and talking through the whole thing one more time in complete form and once as a general outline.

These minor changes and patterns have helped me to remember more and more accurately.

I believe you can achieve numerous life goals and dreams in much the same way. Decide what you want to do and then set up patterns to make it happen. For example, tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. I believe most of us would like to be more thankful. What would happen if you set up actions to achieve that goal? Things like starting the day with a grateful journal, keeping lists of blessings, and changing what you talk about with friends. Perhaps you could keep all the positive comments people sent you in emails, texts, or online and throw away all the criticism. What if you took steps to train your mind to be thankful more than one day a year?

Perhaps one day, you will wake up and find you can be thankful without thinking about it. Maybe it would be the regular pattern of your life. All you have to do is train your mind to do it.

The item was listed as NIB.  That means it was never used, and it is New In the Box. 

It is an excellent way to find an older item when you are searching online.  Then you know you are getting a product that has never been touched and should have a long life. However, it seems like an odd thing to me.  There are only a couple of possible explanations.  First, someone bought this object and put it away on purpose with the hope of selling it later for a profit.  The other possibility is that someone bought it and simply never used it. Either way, the item is unused and in perfect condition.

Whenever you use something, it will get scratches and dents.  It will start to wear and have signs of use.  But that is what the item was made to do.   It was made to be used.  It was never designed to sit in a box year after year looking nice.  Something that has been used is fulfilling the purpose for which it was created.  While I like finding NIB items online, I cannot help but think, “what a waste.” Someone owned a great piece and then never used it. 

The same is true with people.  God created each one of us with unique gifts and abilities.  Everyone has their own special contribution to give to the kingdom of God.  But know that if you try to do something good, you will sometimes get scratches and dents. Things will not go the way you planned, people will get upset, and your feelings might get hurt.  You will watch things fail, people quit, and others ignore you.  It can be frustrating to serve people in the name of Jesus.  But that is what we were created to do. 

We can keep ourselves safe on the shelf, but only in being used will we each fulfill our purpose.

I am a driver who likes to go with the flow.  Whenever I am in the city and shut off the cruise control, I tend to go the speed of everyone around me.  Like many people, I think there is no way the police will give us all tickets. 

There are two things I have noticed about this habit.  First, if someone comes up behind me fast and gets on my back bumper, then I speed up.  I don’t know what I am thinking other than maybe I am going slower than everyone else.  Second, without noticing, I can be flying over 80 mph down the highway.  It is easy to go faster and faster and not notice it.  Meanwhile, I am putting myself and my family at a greater risk of accident and injury.

Life is sometimes like driving.  If we are not careful, we can keep going faster and faster to keep up with everyone else.  We fill our schedules with meetings, parties, appointments, and tasks. Every night is full, and we spend little time thinking and reflecting on God’s work or his word.  We have no extra time for family and friends.  Life is busy. 

Then the minute you try to slow down, someone drives right up on your back bumper and tries to push you to go faster.  Sign up for this sport, school activity, or group is the constant plea. “You are free on Tuesday nights?  Great, that is the night you can help with ….” 

Remember back when Covid shut everything down, and you were enjoying a different kind of life that was less frantic and fast-paced?  Remember how you said, “I will never allow myself to get that busy again?” Well, some of us are right back on the highway and allowing everyone else to set our pace.  Know that God is not pushing you to do more most of the time; it is usually the people around you.

I don’t know the first time I heard the expression, but I am sure it was at Church.  Without an explanation, I knew what people meant when they said it. 

The phrase “preaching to the choir” was first used in print in 1973 in Ohio.  It is an updated variation of an expression used in England in writing since 1867.  They said, “preaching to the converted.” Both mean that someone is trying to convince a group of people of an idea of which they already agree with the premise. 

The harsh truth for me is that I spend most weeks preaching to people who are completely behind everything I say.  I wish this were not true, but I hope that the people of the congregation, or the converted or choir, would go out each week and tell their non-believing friends what they are learning.  They might even invite them to join them some Sunday.

I can only preach to whoever shows up at our worship time.  Some weeks I preach to the choir, and other weeks, I preach to the choir’s friends. I consider speaking to every single person an honor and a privilege, no matter their background. 

Each week, I walk to the front and begin to preach.  I hope my work is not a cliché, but God’s word will make an impact even when it is. Who knows what God may do in the heart and life of someone who hears my sermon?  Even a person like you.

The definition of dabbling is to “take part in an activity in a casual or superficial way.” (Oxford Languages Online) Merriam-Webster defines it as “to work or involve oneself superficially or intermittently especially in a secondary activity or interest.”

Casual. Superficial. Intermittently. Secondary.

The list of examples of how to use this word is lengthy online. People dabble at writing, others in music, and still some do it was computer technology. There are thousands of possible actions that are primary, while others are secondary, and people dabble at them.

The one thing I did not see as an example in my search was faith. But still, every week, I encounter people where dabbling is a perfect description. They attend worship at the local Church occasionally. They have only a superficial knowledge of the Bible. They have family, work, and hobbies, and the rest is secondary. They dabble in faith when they have extra time, and in no way do they take it too seriously.

One of the most challenging parts of Church leadership is taking people who dabble at faith and leading them to become fully devoted followers. What do you say or do to get people to take their faith more seriously? I wish I had an answer.

All I know is Jesus never called anyone to have a superficial faith. His words are, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 -NIV 2011)

Maybe the reason the examples online do not include faith is that it is impossible. You cannot dabble at faith and genuinely follow Jesus. But, there are sure a large number of people trying anyway.

Every sermon I prepare has so much more material than I can say. Each week I have 25-35 minutes to talk about a passage or topic in front of my Church. It takes me somewhere between 10-20 hours to prepare for that moment. I read, research, study, and write knowing that I will not say everything I want.

For many years I struggled with this idea. I saw my sermons go from 15 minutes each week, up to 20, then 30, and at one point about 45 minutes. What do you leave out and still honor the Lord? This was the question I struggled with weekly.

Then God gave me a moment of clarity. What if my goal was not to explain everything; instead, it was to get people thinking? What if people went home saying, ” I know there is more scripture about that topic?” Others might say, “I am not sure that is true. I definitely need to read more.” What if the goal was not to say everything about a topic or passage but just enough to make people want to know more?

One of my favorite teachers said, “Don’t hit the ball and then run around the net and try to hit it back. Let the audience decide if they want to hit it or just let it fall.”

Over the past couple of years, this thinking has infiltrated my sermons, teaching, and writing. As a result, I am willing to be brief, say less, and leave some things open-ended. I still have firm ideas and solid convictions, but I no longer feel like I need to share everything in each setting.

God is big, the Bible is complex, and people seeking the truth will find it. I hope to push people in the right direction, and one of my favorite things to hear when I am finished is, “Preacher, that got me thinking.”

My mind is filled with all kinds of inspiring, challenging, and life-altering ideas.  I think this is true for numerous people.  Each of us has accumulated life lessons, practical insights, and excellent advice … all meant for other people.

It is easy to possess ideas for how everyone else should run their lives. However, listening and following your own concepts is much more difficult. 

Maybe this is nowhere more true than in the people of faith.  We read the Bible, listen to teaching, and talk with other believers regularly.  We are exposed to truth and wisdom over and over.  Most of us know far more than we will ever attempt to accomplish. 

What would happen this week if you took one of your pieces of wise instructions and did it yourself?  Most of us know the right things to do; the trouble is doing it. 

If you want to make a change, do one thing to get you headed in the right direction. Start doing the right thing, just one time.

Then set a goal of taking the necessary steps for an entire day.

Then aim for a week, then a month, and finally a year.

Change usually starts with a tiny step in the right direction. Then you add another. Another and another follow that. Soon, without even noticing it, you are walking on a new path.

This is true with diet and exercise, reading the Bible, becoming more friendly, or any other positive transformation you want to make.

Starting with a single step seems easy, yet it is the most critical step of all.