More Than Fine…

The Man in the Back

// October 16th, 2009 // 8565 Comments »http://www.chrissulli.com/the-man-in-the-back/The+Man+in+the+Back2009-10-16+12%3A14%3A40chrissulli // Faith, Life

I think this is a great follow up to Tuesday’s post. It is nice to balance so many negative experiences with one of hope. Today’s post is a guest post by Annette Taylor. You can follow her @… (oh wait, Annette doesn’t twitter) or read her blog at www. (Annette doesn’t have a blog either). Alright then, you can find out what is on Annette’s mind exclusively here on More Than Fine… or you could ask her.

The Man in the Back by Annette Taylor

I tend to sit in the same area every Sunday at church. I like the back left section. I don’t know how it started, but that’s where I sit almost every Sunday. I noticed a man has been sitting in the back row near me for at least the past month or so, if not longer. Honestly, I first noticed him while we greeted each other at the beginning of a service about a month ago because he looked like he might be homeless. I don’t actually know if he is, but I gathered this from his appearance. I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but that really was my first thought. Once I saw him coming back week after week, I thought how amazing it was that he felt comfortable enough to come back and become a regular at our church. Our church always makes the “come as you are” claim and this was a real example of that acceptance. A few Sundays ago, something else about this man caught my attention. When the collection plate was passed around, he dropped in what I am assuming was all of the change he had. It blew me away. I wasn’t the only one who noticed. A friend sitting next to me mentioned it after the service. When someone gives all they have on them, not just 10% or their regular weekly offering, it amazes me and inspires me. She felt the same way. Last week, I noticed the same man by the front door when I was walking in to church. I said hello and then it hit me; he was standing by the door because he is now part of the group of men and women who greet people at our church. I was excited by this because it really showed that our church practices what we preach. We don’t want people to wait until we can afford “nice” clothes or look a certain way to come to church. We want people to be there just as they are because that’s how God wants us to be there. It’s not about our clothes, how much money we give, or anything else that matters in the end. What matters is that we are there to worship and I hope that I can live up to the example the man in the back of church sets every week.

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A Few Pesos Of Hope

// October 13th, 2009 // 8489 Comments »http://www.chrissulli.com/a-few-pesos-of-hope/A+Few+Pesos+Of+Hope2009-10-13+12%3A00%3A00chrissulli // I Love Baseball, Life

On the eve of one of our major league tryouts, God sent a storm that brought me and several of our players into a church and out of the rain. There were lots of striking things about that night (I wrote about some of them here), but the thing that stuck with me was one of players putting the little money he had into the offering plate. I have to confess that I have mixed emotions about this player. I have been sponsoring “Colon” for the past year. He is one of our most talented players, but he is a bit of a rogue and his own poor decisions have prevented him from potentially signing for a lot of money. I want the best for him, but I fear what might happen to him with that kind of money and his questionable decision making. However, that day in the church I saw the good side of Colon. I saw him with his guard down. I saw him when he isn’t trying to be the man and feeling the need to show everyone how cool he is. That little moment in the church gives me hope for him and I pray God shows me how to bring that side out of him more.

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Who have you left behind?

// September 30th, 2009 // 8406 Comments »http://www.chrissulli.com/who-have-you-left-behind/Who+have+you+left+behind%3F2009-09-30+13%3A00%3A00chrissulli // Faith, Life

Just listened to the last sermon in the Go Fish series by Andy Stanley at North Point. The series blew me away and to be honest I found it by “accident”. I love it when God uses the most random things to speak to us. I only listened to this series because I subscribed to the wrong podcast. I failed in my attempt to subscribe to the weekly North Point podcast and instead subscribed to some sort of best of Andy Stanley weekly podcast. But this mistake was God-given and occurred right on time. It allowed me to encourage someone close to me who was going through a tough time and needed to hear exactly what Andy was talking about. I love sharing those little moments on here so I don’t forget them and I have a record of how God’s faithfulness and answered prayers.

Anyway, the last sermon got me. Here was the question, “Who have you left behind?” When you became a Christian, you changed. You started spending your time differently, made new friends. You got so caught up in everything new and exciting that was going on in your life that you never looked back, and you probably actively avoided some of those old friends and old places you used to spend your time (and for good reason). But remember that someone reached out to you in that same situation. By God’s grace you were changed but it is so tempting to look at people and say I changed but so and so never could. If Paul changed, anybody can.

I know this is true of me. As I’ve continued to grow and put my past life in the rearview mirror, I’ve not only distanced myself from the places I used to go and the things I used to do but from the people I was friends with. That makes me a little sad, not nostalgic for my past life but stung by the fact that God has uniquely positioned me in the lives of certain people and rather than sharing the joy and passion I’ve found, I’ve distanced myself. I know even from a distance that how I have changed has effected some of these people but at the same time, I’ve missed opportunities. I need to be more intentional.

Who have you left behind? In whose life has God uniquely positioned you to share life with that person? What are you waiting for?

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Bread Please, Normal… Part 5

// September 15th, 2009 // 7954 Comments »http://www.chrissulli.com/bread-please-normal-part-5/Bread+Please%2C+Normal...+Part+52009-09-15+12%3A00%3A00chrissulli // Faith, Life

Pastor Julio was reading Matthew 4 at church one Sunday (where Jesus is led into the desert to be tempted by Satan) and it occurred to me that Satan tempts us in exactly the same way. He asks us to test God. He offers us things that are great in this world. He asks us to worship him and the things he offers.

Jesus was hungry and he offered Jesus exactly what he wanted in that moment, food. He does the same with us. He offers us that thing that seems so important in that moment and usually we cave. But he didn’t even offer good food. It wasn’t a nice steak or some ribs. It wasn’t even a Cuban sandwich or maybe a PB&J. It was just bread. How often do we are we willing to accept “bread” when are tempted? Jesus, turned the bread. Satan offered him all the kingdoms of the world. Most of us don’t even make it to the point of being offered all the kingdoms of the world. We’ll take some bread please. In the end, none of it has value but as long as we are compromising, lets give ourselves some perspective on the situation by taking a long hard look at the things we are willing to settle for. How many of them will last past that moment? How many times do we settle for things we won’t even remember the next hour or day much less the next month or year? And what price do we pay for these things that so quickly lose your value?

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Normal… and Afraid Part 4

// September 14th, 2009 // 7941 Comment »http://www.chrissulli.com/normal-and-afraid-part-4/Normal%26hellip%3B+and+Afraid+Part+42009-09-14+18%3A28%3A05chrissulli // Faith, Life

Guest Post by Andrew Barrows

“All men die; few men ever really live.” That phrase can either be exhilarating or depressing depending on the individual. If when you read that phrase a pit forms in your stomach and you begin to feel uncomfortable you’re thought process is debilitating you. If when you read that phrase a smile comes to your face because you know that not only are you living but you are one of the few in the world that is, embrace that because you are allowing yourself to reach your full potential.

At a person’s core, the people in the first group are the same as the people in the second group. The difference between the two is the second group has developed a skill that the first group has not. We as humans have a built in defense mechanism called fear. From early on we are taught to believe that those with courage and valor have no fear, aka those that really live. Growing up we even had t-shirts with the phrase “no fear” plastered all over it. It’s the bottom of the ninth, two outs, full count bases loaded down by three…….No Fear!!! But that is where we go wrong as a society. We attempt to teach our children and one another that fear is to be overcome by the process of removal when it really is overcome by the process of acceptance.

When we can recognize and accept the fears in our daily lives we can then manage them and therefore overcome them. Every day fears enter our minds. Wake up or you’re going to miss work, don’t swerve into traffic or you will die, don’t talk in the meeting because you might be wrong and get fired, don’t talk to that girl she might reject you, etc. As you can see some fears are good, they force you to avoid dangers in life but as you also can see some fears are bad and will stunt you from reaching your highest potential.

Now some men are wired in a way where they do not allow those negative thoughts to affect their actions. They manage those fears either subconsciously or consciously depending on the person and situation. But for 99% of the population we allow those debilitating fears to negatively affect our actions on a daily basis. So 99% of the people in the world are not living not because they are born cowards but because they are lacking an essential tool for success.

So if you are one of those people that are already really living keep at it you most likely already do this. But if you think you might allow fear to hold you back from time to time, start observing your thoughts when you get uncomfortable. Listen to what you are thinking and telling yourself. Odds are you are giving yourself bad advice and/or filling your head with negative thoughts both of which stop you from living life to the fullest and reaching your full potential.

Don’t be discouraged if you are not a part of the first group, the exciting thing about it is that it doesn’t have to stay that way. This is not a group you have to be born into. All you need is to do is equip yourself with the right tool for success.

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