Posts by: Brian Dolleman

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

NOT FOR LATER (October 10, 2011)

Some things are better later.

In my opinion, lasagna is one of those things.

I always like it better on the second or third day.

When showing up at a party—I’d rather arrive late than early.

Bed time is better later too…

But not everything is for later.

Some things are better now.

In particular, I’m thinking about generosity.

Generosity isn’t something to hold off on, wait for, or reserve for a later date.

Unfortunately, some view it that way. They think…

“When I am rich.”

“When I am more holy.”

Most of us believe that being selfish is unacceptable.

However, many still see generosity as something for another day—like when they arrive on the big stage or eventually become more virtuous.

The truth is, generosity doesn’t make a grand entrance later. Instead, it always starts small.

My parents taught me this principle before I was making enough money to pay income taxes.

They taught me to give from my paper route income…

And I’m thankful they did.

Giving a few dollars THEN set the stage for future hundreds—and eventually thousands, LATER.

You see, the capacity of your generosity LATER is established by your generosity NOW.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” (Luke 16.10 NLT)

Your generosity LATER is being prophesied about by your generosity NOW.

When it comes to generosity, don’t wait for later.

Start where you are at, right now.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

MY OWN PERSONAL LITTLE GOAT TRAIL (August 23, 2011)

When I hiked the Grand Canyon, I kept noticing goat trails.

These weren’t hiking trails created or maintained by the Parks Department—they were made by mountain goats.

The animals walked the same route so many times that a trail was beat into the ground.

When I lived in Yakima, I made my own personal little goat trail.

I went from my house to Starbucks to the office to the gym to the grocery store to my house to Blockbuster Video and back to my house again…

Repeat.

Every day.

It felt like I was beating a trail into the ground.

I was doing the same things and going to the same places day after day.

If you connected my stopping points (house, Starbucks, office, gym, grocery store, video store) on a map, you would draw a circle.

And my life was lived within the boundaries of that circle.

I think we tend to do this with many areas of our lives…

Like relationships. Don’t believe me? Check your frequently called numbers in your cell phone.

Like our personal disciplines. Disciplines are good—they build the life we live. They can also limit and contain us.

Like our work. When was the last time you took on a new responsibility, invented something or developed a new solution to a difficult problem?

God doesn’t want us to spend our lives within a static circle.

His Kingdom is an ever-expanding Kingdom.

He calls us to look beyond our borders.

Think about it.

We’re here today, saved by His grace, because His followers pushed outside their borders some 2,000 years ago.

If they hadn’t looked beyond their borders, the church would only have existed in Jerusalem.

Do you remember the prayer of Jabez?

“Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I might not cause pain.” (1 Chronicles 4.10 NKJV)

Let’s believe like Jabez—that God will help us to look beyond our borders and enlarge our territory.

It’s time to add some new stopping points and redraw the circle…

It’s time to beat a new trail!

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

WE ADD, NOT SUBTRACT (May 20, 2011)

Giving honor adds value.

Dishonor devalues.

The Bible says God has crowned mankind with “glory and honor” (Psalm 8.5).

Our job isn’t to chip away at the honor/worth/value/significance of others.

Our job is to restore and build-up—to give value and honor.

We’re the building team, not the demolition crew.

We’re value adders, not a value diminishers.

We add, not subtract.

We give value.

We build.

We bless.

We honor…

And we do it up big.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

YOUR BUTTER-FLY-NESS (March 25, 2011)

So you’re a butterfly now…

Ya got all that butter-fly-ness going on.

You’ve been made new—the old you is gone and the new you is vibrant and has wings.

The Bible says, “If anyone belongs to Christ, they are a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new!” (2 Corinthians 5.17 NCV)

You’re no longer a caterpillar.

You’re a new creation.

Some practical points about butter-fly-ness…

1. Your butter-fly-ness comes from God. It’s his work, his gift to you. You got nothing to be proud of or to brag about… except in God who made you new.

2. Butterflies come in different shapes, sizes and colors. Don’t assume because someone doesn’t look, sound, talk, or act like you that they’re a caterpillar. Appreciate and honor the beautiful diversity present in God’s kingdom.

3. Never forget where you came from. You used to be a caterpillar. Heck, you used to be a pupa. If not for God’s grace, you still would be a pupa.

4. Rather than seeing caterpillars as pests, we must see them as future butterflies. They might destroy a few plants but they don’t destroy butterflies—so quit worrying about their current state of caterpillar-ness.

5. Encourage caterpillars who are cocooning. There’s no reason to be dogging-on, criticizing or complaining about those who are works-in-progress. Be gracious, patient and kind. Speak positively about them and to them.

6. Speaking of cocoons—the church is a cocoon factory, not a butterfly exhibit. It is impossible to be “too good” to hang out with certain people (think about Jesus—he was perfect and he was known as “a friend of sinners”). How we welcome caterpillars and how we treat those who are cocooning is the real test of our butter-fly-ness.

7. We’re not a butterfly gang. Our group isn’t exclusive—we don’t exclude butterflies because of their characteristics, we include them. We’re a butterfly family—a growing family, a family that can’t stop adopting.

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

GET YOUR SWAGGER BACK (February 3, 2011)

Swagger:

To move with confidence.

How one presents him or herself.

Swagger is shown in how a person handles situations—it is also shown in the person’s walk.

Too many Christians have lost their swagger.

I’m not talking about arrogance, pride or even self-confidence.

I’m talking about faith.

Confidence in God.

Assurance.

Boldness.

Shining, not hiding.

Advancing, not  retreating.

On the offense, not defense.

Playing to win, rather than not to lose.

Saying things like…

“If God is for us, who can ever stand against us?”

“Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loves us.”

“Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.”

That’s the kind of swagger I’m talking about.

Christians lose their swagger because of various things…

Some—because of challenges, difficulties and hurts.

Others—because they’ve gotten lazy and quit growing.

The reasons don’t matter. What matters is that you get your swagger back.

When the 12 spies came back, only 2 had their swagger.

Joshua and Caleb said, “Let’s go—we can do this!”

They moved with confidence.

They presented themselves as ready for the challenge.

They trusted God—and they walked with a swagger.

Here’s what God said about Caleb:

“He has a different spirit; he follows me passionately. I’ll bring him into the land and his children will inherit it.” (Numbers 14.24 MSG)

My interpretation of that verse: “He walks with a swagger because of his confidence in God.”

How about you?

Is it time to get your swagger back?

I thought I’d wrap up the year with some of the best posts from 2011…

HOW I BECAME A POTHEAD (August 4, 2011)

I went from attending a private Christian school to a public middle school in the 8th grade.

Suddenly I was the “new kid” at school.

I didn’t already have friends at my new school—I didn’t know people there (yet).

Soon, some pot-smoking skateboarders welcomed me, included me, and wanted me to be part of their group.

I wasn’t a big pot-smoker at that time.

I did have a skateboard, but I wasn’t very good…

I couldn’t even ollie (a fundamental trick in skateboarding).

They welcomed me anyway.

And since I wasn’t being welcomed by other groups, these guys became my friends.

Yup, that’s the simple explanation of how I became a pothead.

I was welcomed.

Being welcomed has a powerful impact on us.

So does being rejected.

The church was never meant to be an exclusive club—keeping insiders in and outsiders out.

The church is to be a hospital for sinners, a place where prodigals are welcomed home with open arms.

Here’s what Jesus said: “Whoever receives and accepts and welcomes one little child like this for My sake and in My name receives and accepts and welcomes Me.” (Matthew 18.5 AMP).

In this regard, I hope the church is more like the pot-smoking skateboarders at my middle school than some of the other groups.

What I’m about to tell you makes the title of this post obviously true…

I have a cat.

Her name is Mango. She’s bright orange. And she lives in our house.

Also, my favorite color is black.

See what I’m saying?

The work of my lint roller is never done.

It will be needed again and again and again and again…

This kinda reminds me of the work of God’s grace in our lives.

Grace isn’t a one-time deal. We walk in grace, grow in grace, and we live in grace.

We need grace every day. I need grace every day.

Just like I shouldn’t leave the house without the lint roller’s work on my exterior, I shouldn’t leave the house without grace’s work on my interior.

In the book of Acts, the Apostles urged the church to stick with what they’d started, “this living in and by God’s grace.” (Acts 13.43 MSG)

I love that…

We LIVE IN and BY God’s GRACE.

Let the work of God’s grace continue in you today, tomorrow, and every day following.

Ernest Hemingway wrote a short story called ”The Capital of the World.” In it, he told the story of a father and his teenage son who were estranged from one another. The son’s name was Paco—he had wronged his father. As a result, in his shame, he had run away from home.

In the story, the father searched all over Spain for Paco, but still he could not find the boy. Finally, in the city of Madrid, in a last desperate attempt to find his son, the father placed an ad in the daily newspaper. The ad read:

“PACO, MEET ME AT THE HOTEL MONTANA. NOON TUESDAY. ALL IS FORGIVEN. PAPA.”

The father in Hemingway’s story prayed that the boy would see the ad; and then maybe, just maybe, he would come to the Hotel Montana. On Tuesday, at noon, the father arrived at the hotel. When he did, he could not believe his eyes.

An entire squadron of police officers had been called out in an attempt to keep order among eight hundred young men. It turned out that each one of them was named Paco. And each one of them had come to meet his respective father to find forgiveness in front of the Hotel Montana.

Eight hundred boys named Paco read the ad in the newspaper and hoped it was for them. Eight hundred Pacos had come to receive the forgiveness they so desperately desired.

This story is a great reminder…

Our world is full of “Pacos.”

These Pacos are hurting and wandering—yet they hope to be wanted, loved, accepted, welcomed, forgiven, and received home again.

They long to hear the words, “ALL IS FORGIVEN.”

Question…

How many Pacos do you know?

Is there someone who needs to hear “ALL IS FORGIVEN” from you?

Are there Pacos you can help? Pacos you can welcome, love, accept, and give a sense of belonging to?

I bet there are—even more than you think.

Full disclosure: I’m not an expert on this subject.

In fact, I’ve only done this once and I plan on keeping it that way.

Even though I’m not an expert, I do have a winning record—I’m 1-0.

So, let me get right to the point. Here’s HOW NOT to ask someone to marry you:

“You wouldn’t want to get married, would you?”

“I was kinda-sorta thinking about getting married—but only if you want. Either way is fine. Just wondering.”

“Maybe someday we could, like, share a residence or get married or something?”

Now, for the HOW TO ask:

“Will you marry me?”

Do you see the difference? This version is direct, uncluttered, clear, simple… it gets right to the point and it demands an answer.

We refer to it as, “Popping THE question.”

I think there’s a good lesson here about communication…

When asking for something, get right to it. Pop the question. Ask. Be direct, uncluttered, clear, and simple. Leave no doubt in their mind what you’re asking for.

Similarly, when making a statement, MAKE IT. Say what you’re needing to say. Don’t let it get all muddy. Don’t send too many messages or mixed messages. Just get to the point. Say it!

I recently saw a sign for “Store Hours” that said:

Open most days about 9 or 10. Occasionally as early as 7, but somedays as late or 12 or 1.

We close about 5:30 or 6, occasionally about 4 or 5 but sometimes as late as 11 or 12.

Somedays or afternoons we aren’t here at all and lately I’ve been here just about all the time except when I’m someplace else.

I’m sure it was a joke.

It’s certainly no way to communicate!

Too many messages. Mixed messages. Muddy. Not clear. Confusing. Frustrating.

Don’t let your communication be a joke. Don’t sound like that sign.

Instead, be clear. Pop the question. Make that statement.

Get to the point as quickly as possible.

Say it!