Awhile back, I read an article in USA Today about how chronically ill patients keep their spirits up. The article also included a list of questions:

"Have you...

• -said thank you and meant it?
• -phoned a friend?
• -went to visit a friend?
• -said something pleasant to someone else who didn't expect it?
• -learned something new?

These are great questions to consider in leadership too. As leaders, the challenges and drain of leading can really get us down. So whether we implement the questions above or our own strategy, hopefully we all have a plan in place to lift us up when we are feeling down. David was a great leader and spoke to this in the Psalms: "The Lord is my strength and my shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." Psalm 28:7

My dad, Jim Gramling, is 65 years old and has been battling a growth on his tongue for two years.  It wasn't until after his fourth biopsy and a new doctor that they found out what the problem is.  His diagnosis is Dysplasia & Squamous Cell Carcinoma (Tongue Cancer).  Last week, he had 25% of his tongue removed and this Thursday, he goes to the doctor to find out his options and the next step.  While Steph and I are thousands of miles away and wish we could be there with him, we know that the Holy Spirit is alive and well in Paragould, Arkansas and will give him and his wife, Deborah, strength and peace.  His doctor is in St. Louis and he and Deborah will be driving up there on Thursday.  If you would leave a comment of encouragement or prayer, I know it would mean so much to my Dad and his wife.  Thank you for your prayers. We love you guys... Troy, Steph, Tyler, Carson and Baylee

Happy Friday!  Here are a few more interesting links that I found from around the web.... Please let me know what you think about them in the comment section below:

1)  What do Tiger Woods, momentum, and character have in common?   The answer might surprise you.

2)  "I'd like to do something remarkable, but ______________ won't let me."  What word fills in that blank for you?  Here'a an article that might help.

3)  Leno...O'Brien...Fallon... does any of it matter?  What can the late night shake up teach us about changing paradigms and creative destruction?

That's it for this week...be sure to join us this weekend as we kick off the "Family Mess" series!

In the last couple of years, we have seen God use us to help Haiti; this week, God has given us another opportunity to embrace them.  Although we concluded our series "Hand and Feet," we still have the opportunity to BE the hands and feet of Jesus: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (Matthew 25:35-36) Today, pray about how God can use you to make a kingdom difference. This weekend, we will be collecting supplies and we are also taking donations online at http://flamingoroadchurch.com. Thank you for what you will do to be the Hands and Feet.

It is amazing how experiences color perception. There are two companies that carry a trusted brand name, but a couple years ago, we had bad customer service with both of them. Now on numerous occasions, they had done the right thing. But this ONE time they didn't, and that ONE time colored everything. I wonder how many people we don't get second chances with? How many people have ONE bad experience at church and it ends up coloring their entire perspective? It may not be fair, but it is true. The fact that I may never walk into either of those companies again doesn't have eternal consequences but when people give up on the Church it could. This week, as you go about your normal routine in your usual environment, take time to ask, "what am I doing to make sure the experience I'm offering is getting colored with the best perception?"