Author: BrandonShanks

What the More is For

Last week I was getting some exercise walking through my neighborhood.  As I walked I was noticing the houses around me.  The more I looked I realized that I was only noticing all of the homes larger than mine.

“That one has a basement.”
“Oh, I love that extra garage.”
“Man, they have more parking than me.”

Instead of being thankful for the beautiful home the the Lord has blessed us with, I was discontent because I was comparing up.

I see it with my kids. They are always telling me about someone who has more than them and how they want it. “Dad, if you get this for me, I won’t ever want anything else. This is all I want.”

As their father, this is frustrating to me. Their Mom and I seek to provide everything they need and when they don’t get something that another person has it is usually not because we can’t afford it. We usually do not give them something they want because it would not be good for them. More, more, more is not the best for them.

Never once have one of my sons come to me and say, “Dad, I noticed that a friend of mine had less than me and I wondered why are we so blessed. Can I take some of my toys and give them away.”

We think a lot about why we have less than others.  What would it look like if we thought more about why we have more than others?

Our Heavenly Father is fully committed to providing everything we need forever and always. You don’t have to fear. You are fully provided for. If God hasn’t given you something you desire it is because it’s not the best for you right now. He is a good father!

What he probably is waiting for is for us to stop comparing our lives with others. Be thankful for the blessings we have, and recognize we are blessed to be a blessing.

My Dad has always told me, “We are blessed to distribute.” To give away the blessings of God. To love and open-handed life knowing that we can trust God to always provide as we follow His example and give our lives away.

Have you ever wondered what the “More” is for? 

“Lord show us who we can you bless today.” In Jesus Name!

#MakeADifference

-Brandon

Managing Your Memories

A few years ago I took my wife to the house that I lived in until I was five years old. It was out in the country and I had not been there for nearly 30 years.

In my mind the house was a mansion. I remember the stairs being 100 feet tall, the front columns being as tall as trees, and the kitchen being so big you could feed an entire army inside it.

When we pulled up in the driveway I was shocked. It was no where near as big as I rememberd it to be. It was a beautiful home, but much smaller than my memory. It was a mansion in my mind.

Our mind has a pesky way of making the past a lot bigger than it actually was.

On the road to the promised land the people of Israel faced some difficulties. When things got hard, they began to misremember the past.

The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

Exodus 16:3

They remembered the food that they ate but conveniently forgot one small detail… they were slaves!

The journey has a way of doing that from time to time. We live in the past in one of two ways:

Nostalgia – The good old days were so good, there is not hope that my future will ever be as bright as it once was.

Regret – I am ashamed of the mistakes I made. My failures are so big that even God holds them against me. They are keeping me from moving forward.

Both of these are making too much of the past.

Let’s choose today to stop letting the past be such a mansion in our minds and keep looking forward!

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now…”

-Matthew 6:34 (The Message)

If you still have a pulse, you have a purpose! God is not finished with you yet, embrace all that God has for you today!

Some questions for reflection:
– Am I allowing yesterday to steal the joy of today?
– What is God doing in my life right now?
– What has God put in front of me today to make a difference?

Have a God day!

-Brandon

Enjoy Your Steak

In college I had an accounting professor who once ate a steak with Warren Buffett.

He worked for 30 years as a corporate accountant in Omaha, Nebraska before moving to my small hometown in Western Kentucky to teach.

He was interesting. His hard exterior was complete with colorful language and an eagerness to let you know that if you came in late to class you might as well just leave. He was the college professor version of the restaurant “Dicks Last Resort.”

I really liked him.

He loved to tell stories from his life and I would often stop by his office to listen.

Once he told me about a steakhouse in Omaha (I can’t remember the name) that was the best in the world.

He said, “Son, if you slap down $30 and you get the best steak of your life. As a matter of fact one day I was eating and I looked at the table next to me and Warren Buffett himself was sitting there.“

Then he said to me, “It made me feel so good that even the richest man on earth couldn’t get a better steak than me.”

I have never forgot that conversation because it is true. It reminds me that we have full access to the richest joys in life right here right now. We just have to choose to enjoy them.

What are we waiting for?

Enjoy your steak!

What Really Matters

Lord, as I grow older, I want to be known as…

Thoughtful, rather than gifted,
Loving, versus quick or bright,
Gentle, over being powerful,
A listener, more than a great communicator,
Available, rather than a hard worker,
Sacrificial, instead of successful,
Reliable, not famous,
Content, more than driven,
Self-controlled, rather than exciting,
Generous, instead of rich,
Compassionate, more than competent,
I want to be a foot-washer.

  • From the book “Leadership Gold” by John Maxwell (Our staff has been going through this book together this year. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a great book on life and leadership.)

The Rear View Mirror

A couple weeks after I got my drivers license I got in a wreck right in front of my High School with all my friends watching. It was not my finest moment!

I ran into the bumper of the car in front of me because I was looking in the rear view focusing on the vehicle behind me.

In addition to learning how long it takes to save up enough money at an after-school job to replace a fender and front door — I learned that day that there is a reason the rear view mirror is much smaller than the front window of the car.

The rear view mirror is fine to glance at but when you live in it you will have a wreck.

We all face the temptation to live life in the rear-view mirror. Maybe we are focusing on what others think about us, or what others have said about us. Or we focus on our own faults, fears, and failures of the past.

Paul said this:

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

On the road of life, glance at the rear view mirror from time to time, but don’t forget to keep your eyes focused forward.

You’re going to make it! The best is yet to come!

Have a great day!
-Brandon

More Valuable Broken

In our house full of boys things break daily. Can I get a witness from the parents out there?! The other day while throwing away a cup that had been dropped I was reminded of a Japanese style of art that I heard of a few years ago.

It is called Kintsugi. A Kingsugi artist doesn’t throw away broken vessels, they restore them. They put broken things back together again. Artists pick up every piece and reform what was broken by putting precious metal – liquid gold – into the cracks. The word Kintsugi means, “Golden repair.” Every repaired piece is unique. The golden scars of the broken vessel are beautiful. When these broken vessels have been repaired the skilled hand of a Kintsugi artist, they become much more valuable than they ever were before.

What a picture of our God and what he does in our lives. There has never been a restorer like Jesus. We look at our past and we feel shame over our scars. However, it is our scars that display the work of our artisan God! He puts lives back together. I am so thankful he does now throw us away. He uses his grace and goodness to put our lives back together again.

Are you broken today? Let Him put you back together.

Do you know someone who is broken right now? Don’t throw them away.

Have you been restored by the hand of God? Share the scars.

Have a great day!

-Brandon

Walls Still Fall

Recently a friend gave me a very special gift: A piece of the Berlin Wall. He said it is one of his favorite possessions because he was there after it fell and picked up a piece. He said the Lord led him to give it to me as a reminder that walls still fall and that we were called to tear down walls! He said, “Next time the Devil tells you the wall you are facing is too big, or has been there too long, here is a piece of a 27 mile wall.” I don’t know what wall you have in front of you. I don’t know what looks impossible to you. I don’t know what Satan has lied to you about and said, “It will never come down.” Let me encourage today. Walls still fall. So keep trusting, keep believing, keep praying, keep marching forward, keep being faithful, walls still fall in Jesus Name! Have a great day!

We’re surrounded. No, We’re Surrounded!

The situation looked impossible. Elisha was surrounded. The army of Aram had come to Dothan to kill him and his servant.

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

2 Kings 6:15 NIV

I can identify with the perspective Elisha’s servant. It feels like these days circumstances have us surrounded. The future is uncertain and we are outnumbered.

This is what it looks like.

But Elisha had a different perspective:

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:26-17

Elisha didn’t dismiss the reality of the army that had him surrounded. However, he focused his sights on a higher truth. Elisha was telling his servant, “Don’t worry. It’s not what it looks like.”

I know it looks like were surrounded. But the truth is that the enemy army is surrounded by the army of the living God! This is the higher reality!

It may look like we’re surrounded by circumstances around us. It may look like you have no hope. The future may look uncertain. But I want to remind you today, if you’re in Christ, it’s not what it looks like! God is going to use this season for good. He is going to turn this trial into your greatest testimony. He is going to turn this mess into a miracle! He is in control and you can have peace!

You are surrounded by God’s favor! You are surrounded with hope. You are surrounded by victory. You are surrounded with healing. You are surrounded with protection. You are surrounded by grace!

Let’s choose to focus on the higher reality today! Instead of complaining about the army that has us surrounded, let’s see God higher than what we face. Let’s share it. Let’s sing it. Let’s read about it! There is hope! The enemy is surrounded. We win!

“Lord, Open our eyes so that we can see you higher than ours problems.
Help us to see you higher than the pandemic. Help us to see you higher than the division. Help us see that you are in full control of the world and of our lives and we can trust you.”

Have a great day!
-Brandon

Windows And Mirrors

Windows and mirrors.
When you give a window into your life it gives a mirror to their listener into their own life. -Tim Elmore “Habitudes: The Art of Engaging Communication
We may impress others with our strengths, but we only connect with others through our weaknesses. Be real. Share your victories, but also share your defeats. Share your faith, but be honest about your fears. Next time you have an opportunity to communicate, plan to give a window along with your successes into a failure or two along your journey. You will do more than just communicate, you will connect. And connecting makes all the difference. You got this! Let’s make a difference! -Brandon