war

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My Project Will Be Like Going To War

Sometimes you have to tackle a project like you are preparing for war.

my project will be like going to war

When a country goes to war, they first strategize. They plan the kind of defence and attack they will take and try to outthink their enemy. 

The generals want to be two or three steps ahead, knowing the conditions, the terrain and having the right equipment delivered to the battle site. It takes an enormous effort, a large team of advisors and courage to make the right calls.

In some sports we see a similar kind of approach to a game, match or series. A lot of homework needs to be done beforehand.

I remember watching Mohammad Ali fight George Foreman for the heavyweight boxing championship of the world. The fight was held in Kinshasa, Zaire and was dubbed the “Rumble in the Jungle”. 

Mohammad was getting older and did not have the skills he once had. But that didn’t stop him from devising a strategy that would see him defeat a younger, stronger boxer. 

He called it “rope-a-dope”.

For seven rounds Ali let George pound him with punches. Ali wasn’t as quick on his feet and had lost much of his lightning hands, but he could always take a punch. 

Foreman pounded away at him, round after round. Ali covered up, hung on the ropes and just let him pound. … Until George got tired and had expended all his energy. 

Then Ali came to life. He started dancing, doing the Ali shuffle; he started hitting Foreman. 

And in eighth round, George Foreman went down to defeat and Ali was declared the champ again.

It was all strategy, knowing his opponent’s weakness and preparing for what he would have to do to defeat him.

Well, today I need to tackle a project that I feel will be like a war, like a boxing match against an opponent that is bigger than me – I am going to install a new garage door opener. 

I started my project by buying an opener last night. I am now preparing for war later this morning. 

I’ve opened the box and laid out all the parts, making sure that everything was in the box and nothing was missing. I looked over the list of tools needed to install this opener and I have placed them next to all the parts that will need to be assembled and put in place.

I have studied the instructions. … You know instructions! – they sometimes need to be read and re-read to decipher their code. 

And then I spent some time last night checking with my advisory team on how to best approach my enemy.

My advisory team, of course, is YouTube. I watched several videos of professionals and amateurs installing garage door openers. And I have to say I gained a little insight from each member of my team.

I think I’m now ready to launch my attack and gain victory over this garage door opener. 

With great confidence (and fear), I plan to park my car in the garage tonight for the first time in two weeks.

Here’s the thing: We can’t afford to be casual about our commitment to Christ. Your spiritual life takes thought and strategy to continue to grow in relationship to Christ. If you don’t have a plan to stay close to Christ, you will begin to fall away. So devise a plan, a strategy that will keep you close to Jesus. Then you will defeat the enemy who wants to take you down. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is your spiritual strategy plan? Leave your comments and questions below. 

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Sometimes A Kitchen Can Be A War Zone

I just left the kitchen for a few hours because I’m uncomfortable with the production going on in there.

I’m not one to really hang around the kitchen other than at meal time, but today there is a much bigger reason to stay clear.

There seems to be two chiefs in the room at the same time.

Our son is home for a day or two – a quick little stay over to hang with his Kingston buds and take in an event. He also thought this would be a great opportunity to cook up a whole lot of food with his mother.

The idea is to end up with weeks of meals that he can freeze and then reheat without a lot of preparation.

The idea is a great one; it makes good sense … but it’s all happening in our kitchen and not his.

Why I’m staying clear is that we have two chefs who are claiming to be in charge of this process and no one is giving an inch.

Mike has a plan for cooking his chicken thighs: breaded and sitting in an inch of oil, frying away in the oven.

These things can’t be healthy, but apparently they taste great with all that grease. … I’m imagining the same kind of greasy results you get when you eat chicken from KFC.

This is not the way Lily would cook the chicken, and there have already been some attempts on her part to change the process.

But Mike is having nothing of it. It’s his way all the way. He wants the grease to coat his stomach when he eats this stuff.

Lily, on the other hand, is concerned that the grease will coat the inside of her oven which, I might add, is under six months old and is viewed much like Gollum’s precious.

Lil was hovering a little too close for a while, mere inches from the young chef. I was able to get her attention and she moved back to a couple of feet away.

I knew at that point that being in the kitchen for any length of time was not something that was healthy for me … I’m not talking about the grease in my arteries from eating his chicken, I’m talking about being in the direct line of fire in a battle zone.

The tension is real. Lil is trying to edge her way into the process. Mike is acting like he has been doing these things for ten years and he has a few things to teach his mother.

You can see the bite marks on her lips as she holds her tongue from engaging full throttle.

They are both trying to find their way, and some common ground where they can be in the kitchen cooking together, with no fear of a food fight.

Now that I’ve retreated away from the heat of the kitchen, it seems that the young chef has actually taken a few tips from the pro with appreciation.

I think it will be safe to go back in there some time soon.

Here’s the thing: Control is something we all want. We like to control our environment, our decisions, and actions. But as much as you think you are the best judge of yourself, there is one who is better. God knows you more than you know yourself, and although giving up control to Him is hard, it is so much more beneficial to you.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What’s your control issue? Leave your comments below.