Mr. C's Blog

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” -John Maxwell

I have heard people over the years describe people in one of two categories. They say you are either a glass half full or glass half empty type of person. In other words, you are either an optimist or a pessimist. Our outlook on the issues we face go a long way towards meeting the challenges that they present. However, I want to propose another alternative to either being an optimist or a pessimist.

I believe that God is calling us to be a people who do not let circumstances dominate our daily walk. As Maxwell says above, we need to become people who can “adjust the sails.” I find hope and direction in two verses that guide me in the direction of becoming a person who can “adjust the sails.”

1 Peter 1:13 tells us: “So, prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.”  This verse tells me that daily I am to prepare my mind for action and self-control. That is accomplished by staying in God’s Word and drawing strength from Him. As the verse instructs, you and I should put “all our hope in the gracious salvation” that God has given us. With that, we know who is in control of all of life and who holds tomorrow. That confidence prepares us to “adjust the sails.”

The second verse is 2 Chronicles 31:21 that declares: “In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.” To meet the challenges of life we need to do as Hezekiah and seek the Lord wholeheartedly. The verse reveals that because of doing this Hezekiah was successful.

I pray that God will speak to each of us about being a person of action who can “adjust the sails” and seek God wholeheartedly. God never meant for us to live lives dominated by our circumstances. He paid too high a price with His Son for us to live that way!

Today's devotion is by Ronnie Plyler.

Jim Shaefer owns a graphic design business, has a wife named Laura, and a couple of kids.  He used to live in Gastonia, however he currently lives in York, S.C. on Lake Wylie where he and his family enjoy boating.  I met him on a Friday afternoon about 6:30pm when I was fishing near his house on the lake. 

I had only been bass fishing a few minutes when “bam” …a fish hit my crank bait.  “Michele, I got a good fish on.”  After a bit, Michele said, “It’s probably a tire”.  I said, “Tires don’t move like that… But I don’t think it’s a bass.”  It pulled my drag, bowed my rod, and drove me to an anticipation of wanting to see this creature under the surface.

After battling for about 5 minutes, Jim and his family emerged from where they had been watching from inside their lake home.  Although his wife reminded him they needed to leave to meet up with friends, he asserted he wasn’t going anywhere until he saw what was on the other end of the line.  Soon his entire family was on the dock watching and encouraging.

Ultimately, I prevailed in the 15-minute battle with a huge catfish.  I couldn’t have done it though, without the help of a stranger I just met.

Reflecting on my fishing experience, there are other qualities I learned about Jim…

He thinks of others. “Do you want my net?”  He had already gone to get it and from his dock, passed it to Michele on the boat. 

He seeks to help. “Honey what are you doing?”  (Jim was recovering from shoulder surgery.)   His wife asked the question as he was stepping down the rocky bank to help me land the fish. I’m not sure I would’ve ever landed that fish without him. He replied, “Honey, can you go get the bathroom scales”?

He’s generous. “Send me a picture and I’ll blow it up to whatever size you want.”  He asked me to send him several as he wanted to ensure he was able to capture the moment and at that moment…I was toast!

I don’t know if Jim’s a Christian.  I didn’t ask.  What I do know is that I want to be a bit more like Jim.  I want those and other godly qualities to be evident in my life.  I also want to demonstrate Christ to Jim. I want my life to bridge conversations about my faith…and maybe hook one for Christ’s Kingdom if possible.  

1st John 2:6-Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Who will you meet this week?  We don’t have to be on the lake to be fishers of men.

By the way, it was fish of a lifetime…45lbs.  If you want to see a picture, let me know. 😊

Today's devotion is by Mika Edwards.

Do you ever feel invisible? There may be many people around you, but everyone has their own agenda and it seems as they are all walking around with blinders on. I can feel invisible, but I also know that am guilty of being one in the crowd who causes someone to feel unseen. It is at these times when I am thankful the Lord shared Hagar’s moment beside a spring with us in the book of Genesis. The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur (Genesis 16:7, ESV).

So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi it lies between Kadesh and Bered (Genesis 16:13-14, ESV).

My feelings of being invisible simply don’t align with truth! Just as God saw Hagar during her time of distress, he sees me, and He sees you! He sees the circumstances of our lives, the people in our lives, and hears the cries of our heart even those which are never spoken audibly. Not only does He see us, the scripture says he “looks after me”!

The apostle Peter spoke of this as he said, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, ESV).

Paul reminds us that no matter how distracted someone may seem; they do care for you as the same Lord who sees you, puts you on the heart of your brothers and sisters in Christ!

“But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you” (2 Corinthians 8:16, ESV).

Let’s speak truth into our feelings today that we are chosen, loved, and seen by the God of the Universe who gave His one and only son to die on the cross for our sins. His death was personal – it was for me – it was for you! Thank you Jesus!

Good morning Metrolina families!

The days in which we live can be tough. There is so much going on in our world that is not good news. The great news that I want to remind us all is that our God is still in control during a pandemic and all the other turmoil in this world. None of the events of the last 12 months have caught Him by surprise.

More than that, I want you to be encouraged and challenged by the thought that He has chosen us to live and make a difference for Him “in such a time as this”. Children of God let us lift our heads today and fulfill what He has called us to do.

We began the school year with the theme of #loveinaction. We need to live that theme out more than ever. Remember Romans 12:9-10: “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.  Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other."

With that in mind, at school we are going to use the week of January 18-22 to dedicate ourselves to performing random acts of kindness and showing love to others that week. Also, I am asking that we set that week aside to pray for our school, each other, those in our community who are hurting, and our world. 

We as a staff are committing to do these things that week. We invite you to join us in this effort. Would you accept the challenge that week to intentionally love on others and join us in praying for our school, our nation, and each other? While we do not have school on Monday, January 18, we encourage everyone to use the holiday weekend to spend time praying together as a family and maybe even planning ways to show love in action throughout the week.

We will send out reminders and prayer guides for each day that will help prompt you to remember to pray specifically for certain things.

Metrolina is a very special place and we are truly blessed by God! Now is the time for us to live out our calling as believers and love on a world that is full of hurting people who need hope!

Finally, I believe that prayer changes things. Every great awakening in this country started with prayer. The prescription God gave us for revival is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 - “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”

Please join us that week in praying diligently! I cannot wait to see how God is going to use each of you to bless others and I really cannot wait to see what God will do as we pray! 

I love each of our MCA families!

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” - Charles R. Swindoll

Life is full of challenges and opportunities. Just when we think we have it all under control it seems as though another challenge presents itself. Many times, these challenges seem like an impossible situation.

As I read Swindoll’s thoughts on the matter, I was reminded that all these things we face are best handled with the right perspective. We can fret, get frustrated, throw our hands up in the air, and despair or we can take what seems impossible and turn it into an opportunity.

Matthew 19:26 provides a perspective we need in the tough challenges of life - “Jesus looked at them intently and said, humanly speaking, is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

Reading this verse, I am reminded that we often look to the wrong sources to solve our challenges. Unfortunately, we far too often try to address the challenges we face on our own. Worse yet, we can tend to give up thinking that the situation is beyond our control. We resign ourselves to the idea that the situation is impossible.

Is it though? With man, most definitely. But this reminds us that nothing is impossible with God. Think about that for a moment. Look back into your memory and I would bet you that you can remember a situation that seemed impossible, yet God did something you would never expect.

In my lifetime, I have seen God save people who I thought would never come to Him. I have seen Him heal people who I thought were too far gone. I have seen Him heal relationships that I thought were broken forever.

What is your perspective today on the challenges you face? Who are you leaning on to face these challenges? Your challenge may be a great opportunity for God to something incredible in your life. It is just conveniently disguised today as an impossible situation.

What are you waiting on? Take this impossible situation to God and see what He can with the opportunity!