Jim Furyk is an exceptional professional golfer. He was doing well in accumulating points and was in 3rd place in August, but he made a terrible mistake.

The pros are expected to play in the Pro-Am events at major tournaments. If you are late for the Pro-Am tee-off, you are disqualified from the Pro-Am event and from the tournament. Jim Furyk overslept and was five minutes late for his tee time at the Barclays. He was disqualified for both events. The PGA Tour says he could drop from 3rd place to as low as 19th place.

We don’t know how he would have done in the tournament, or how he will fare in the upcoming tournaments. Some people have figured that it would cost him about $5 million for being five minutes late!

Two football players for the University of Kentucky were a few minutes late to a team meeting last week. Because of this free safety Winston Guy and defensive end DeQuin Evans were taken out of the starting lineup for the Kentucky Wildcats. Evans was a captain, and was not allowed to represent the team for the coin toss before the game.

Time is the most precious commodity that we have. Running late infringes on the time of people who are expecting you. .

My dad told me that he began his ministry “running late.” My mother helped him understand the importance of time. He changed. He became a punctual person.

He helped me understand the importance of being on time. I remember one time I was running a little late. We were going to a sporting event that I really wanted to see. When I was late, my dad and the others just left at the appointed time. It was an important lesson to me that I’ll never forget.

I always wondered if the reason the lay people at Frazer loved our Television and Radio Ministry so much was because it meant I had to start on time and end on time! Television and Radio do not recognize excuses about “running late.” Neither does Delta!

Occasionally an excuse for running late may be legitimate, such as an auto accident on the Interstate. I’d rather be referred to as “John Ed Mathison a little late” than “the late John Ed Mathison!”

God’s timing is always perfect. God is never late. God never forgets about anything. He is an on time God.

I doubt that Jim Furyk will ever be a minute late to another Pro-Am event. I expect that Winston Guy and DeQuin Evans will be the first people present at the next team meeting.

The most important place to be on time is when God has given us an opportunity. He places people in our paths. Being tardy to meeting opportunities that God gives could carry far greater consequences than missing a golf tournament or a football game.

It is time for me to post this blog. I don’t want to be late! I also want to learn from it and practice what I learn.

Little Brother Gimlet arose and said, “All right, but Brother Screw must go also; you have to turn him around and around to get him anywhere.” Brother Screw then said, “If you wish, I will go, but Brother Plane must leave also; all his work in on the surface. There is no depth to it.”

Brother Plane replied, “Well Brother Rule will have to withdraw if I do, for he is always measuring other folks as though he were the only one who is right.”

Brother Rule then complained against Brother Sandpaper and said, “I just don’t care, for he is rougher than he ought to be. He is always rubbing people the wrong way.”

In the midst of all this discussion, the Carpenter of Nazareth walked in. He had come to do His day’s work. He put on His apron, and went to the bench to make a pulpit. He employed the screw, the gimlet, the sandpaper, the saw, the hammer, the plane, and all the other tools. After the day’s work was over and the pulpit was finished, Brother Saw arose and said, “Brethren, I perceive that all of us are laborers together with God.”

Labor is not done in isolation, but in harmony with those with whom we work. We are “laborers together for God.” Labor takes on a new dimension of meaning when I sense that I am a part of a team, my labor is important to accomplishing the task of that team, and my labor is in keeping with God’s overall purpose for my life.

This will be Labor Day weekend. Spend some time thanking God for your talents and for your employment. Reflect also on ways your work can become an avenue for your witness, and your contribution to the team can increase.

Let’s labor together to create a pulpit that shares God’s Good News to a hurting world!

The inventor of the black box, David Warren, died recently. Much has come to light about his discovery of this very useful instrument in air travel.

David Warren’s parents were missionaries on an island off northeastern Australia. His father died in an air disaster. The last gift he gave his son was a ham radio. That whetted his appetite for this great discovery.

He had to work against all kinds of skepticism and ridicule to create his device. He was from Australia, and after receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry, he went to work for the Australian Defense Department doing aeronautical research. The department lent him to a panel investigating civilian air crashes.

When he volunteered to work on developing a flight-recording system, he was immediately put down. Mr. Warren remembered his boss saying, “If I find you talking to anyone, including me, about this matter, I will have to sack you.”

Warren faced immense opposition. He was told that if it would be a helpful invention, the Americans would have already made it. The Australian civilian aviation authorities said it had “no immediate significance.” The military said it would yield “more expletives than explanations.” The pilots’ union called it a sinister way to spy on them.

Warren always insisted that he did not invent the black box – for the simple reason that he painted it red. Today’s black boxes remain red or orange to make them easier to find in wreckage. It doesn’t matter what color it is – the flight box does what it was created to do!

Today’s black boxes are indestructible. I have a friend who has always wondered why they don’t build the whole airplane out of the same material they use to build the black box!

I am sure glad David Warren was persistent. It reminds me that many of the great inventions of the world came about because folks refused to listen to naysayers who said it couldn’t be done. I am discovering that great leaders are people who can practice “selective deafness.” They don’t listen to negative, discouraging, project-stopping opinions.

Read Nehemiah 6. As Nehemiah’s success at rebuilding the wall was becoming evident, the naysayers organized. Sanballet, Tobiah and Geshem came to him five times to stop him. They had used intimidation, misinformation, accusations, etc., but Nehemiah refused to stop. He said, “I am doing a great work and can’t come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” (v. 3) And remember – he finished the wall in 52 days. (v. 15)

When God calls you to do something, practice “selective deafness” to those who would try to discourage and stop you, and persistently proceed with “mono audio” to God’s voice!

Anna and Susan Bartlett Warner lived on a little island, now called Constitution Island, jutting out into the Hudson River just across from the United States Military Academy at West Point. For a number of years the Warner sisters taught Sunday School classes for the young Cadets.

They made their living by writing books and they were very successful as writers. Over the years developers in New York City tried to buy their island, but it was the wish of Anna and Susan Warner that, at their death, Constitution Island would be given to the United States Government to become a permanent part of the United States Military Academy.

Susan died in 1885. Anna, who actually wrote the words to “Jesus Loves Me”, lived until 1915. She made final arrangements for the transfer of this valuable, historic and strategic piece of property, a gift that inspired a personal letter of thanks from President Theodore Roosevelt. In accepting the property, President Roosevelt decreed that the sisters would be buried, with military honors, in the West Point cemetery at a place overlooking Constitution Island.

This was a special tribute to these two Christian ladies because of their influence and the spiritual growth of the cadets and the generous gift of their island. It is even more special because West Point regulations stipulate that only West Point graduates, or those who are not graduates but who die while assigned to the faculty and staff, can be buried there.

So today, buried among the military warriors of our nation, are two gentle Christian ladies who gave to Christendom one of its most beloved songs, “Jesus Loves Me.”

In 1974 Chaplain J. Earl Andrews was assigned to the Military Academy as the Senior Military Chaplain. He was there for five years. He was Senior Chaplain when Bobby Knight was the basketball coach and Mike Krzyzewski was his assistant.

During his tenure at West Point he visited the gravesite of the two ladies many, many times. Only people who were most intimately associated with the Academy knew the location of the graves. There was nothing on the granite markers that pointed out the enormous contribution of the Warner sister to West Point and Christendom.

General Andrew Goodpaster was Superintendent of the Academy during that time. He served as Supreme Commander of NATO, as Military Assistant to President Eisenhower and retired as a four star general. He was called back on active duty during the academic and ethics turbulence of 1977-78 for the purpose of getting the Academy back on a steady course.

Chaplain Earl Andrews felt that something must be done to point out prominently the contributions and gravesites of the Warner sisters. He discussed this with General Goodpaster. He proposed that a marker be placed at the graves indicating the sisters’ contribution to Christendom. The General agreed, and three weeks before Chaplain Andrews left for his next assignment in Germany a marker was put on the grave that read:

Anna B. Warner

Author of Words to hymn, Jesus Loves Me
“Jesus Love Me this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to him belong

They are weak, but He is strong.”

Earl recognized a need, and was persistent to see that the need was met. This is just one of the little “behind the scenes ministries” that Earl performed both as a military Chaplain and as a Pastor at Frazer. Thank you, Earl!

Many churches function on the process of recruitment. People are recruited to do certain things. I believe people serve more effectively when they volunteer rather than are recruited. The people who volunteer tend not to “burn out.” People who are recruited figure that they have some task to perform until they can get somebody else to replace them.

Let me share some current reports that show the importance of volunteering. The International Journal on Epidemiology reported an article that asserts that bored people die sooner than people who are excited about life. 7,500 were studied by a group from the University of London. Those who reported they were bored were 2.5 times more likely to die of a heart attack than those who were not bored.

The Bible is very clear that “If we try to save our life, we will lose it, but if we lose our lives in His service we will find life.” Read Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24, 25. The excitement and meaning to life comes when we invest our life in serving Christ. I believe that volunteering is the best vehicle for doing this.

This month the news services reported that the number of people volunteering is up in both the Montgomery area and the United States. 63.4 million Americans volunteered in 2009, rising by 1.6 million since 2008! This was also the largest increase in volunteering since 2003!

Ann e Hails of the Volunteer and Information Center, which serves Montgomery, Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, and Macon counties said the number of volunteers referred to agencies rose 30 percent in the past year! She acknowledges that some of these were one-time projects, but feels that those volunteers would also be involved in ongoing opportunities.

The rise in volunteers also is being recognized statewide in Alabama. 24.6 percent of Alabamians volunteer! They give about 102.7 million hours of service. This equated to about $2.1 billion of service contributed. It is also good to acknowledge that more young people are volunteering.

Time is precious. It is the best commodity we have. Use it wisely. An unwise use of our time could put us in greater danger of heart problems. Good use of our time as we volunteer to serve in Christ name will create heart possibilities. When our hearts give out to other people, the size of our hearts increase – and an oversized heart is not a spiritual problem!

Volunteer to serve in some area where your volunteering will be an expression of your God-given gifts and the result of your volunteering will make a difference in the lives of people. You not only will live longer, but more abundantly!

A little mistake can be costly. In the New Testament James writes about how a little match can set a whole forest on fire. A little rudder can misguide a huge ship. A little bit in a horse’s mouth determines which way the horse goes. Read James 3:3, 4.

Neil Alexander is the Publisher and President of the United Methodist Publishing House. He is a tremendous leader in the United Methodist Church. I am privileged to serve on that board.

Neil is a brilliant writer and speaker. He is an excellent businessman. He is an articulate theologian. He is extremely good at human relationships. But even the greatest people sometimes make a small mistake. Let me give you an example.

The United Methodist Publishing House is located in downtown Nashville. There is a lot of development in downtown Nashville and the property of the Publishing House could be prime property for some of that new development.

Recently at 9:58 a.m. the members of the board received an e-mail from Neil saying “In the win some/lose some category we have learned that our 201 8th Avenue headquarters is not out of the running in the race for the location for a new downtown hotel.”

That was exciting news. The Tower Investments was looking for property for Omni Hotels for a convention center hotel. They were expecting to pay about $20 million for 2.5 acres. What an opportunity!

In sending the e-mail, Neil got every word and every letter right except one. He accidently hit a “t” instead of a “w” in the word “now”. His e-mail said “our 201 8th Avenue headquarters is not out of the running.” It should have read “our 201 8th Avenue headquarters is now out of the running.” He went on to report that Omni was buying another piece of property nearby.

What is the value of just one letter in a long e-mail? You were really talking about $20 million, but one letter is the difference in being “in the running, or out of the running.”

A misplaced comma or the addition or omission of a letter or a word, can change the whole context of the message. It would be nice if the bank would add just an extra 0 to my account, or put a comma in the wrong place.

Even brilliant people make small mistakes. Even people, who are great writers and are in charge of publishing, can make a simple keyboard mistake.

I received another e-mail at 10:15 a.m. indicating the mistake. Neil apologized for the mistake and wrote “my fingers and mind were not in sync.”

Neil could have placed blame elsewhere – maybe the key on the computer temporarily changed, or the letters got switched in cyberspace, or he was distracted, or… He didn’t make excuses. He just admitted the mistake and corrected it. That’s the way to handle mistakes.

It made me feel better about myself to know that a man I admire so much could make a little mistake like that. It made me feel even better about him when I saw the way he handled it!

A few years ago a 45-year-old teacher by the name of William Johnson visited the school on a job interview. It was Byrd that gave Johnson a tour of the school. They found out that they both had a lot in common. They were both second career teachers. Both of them had a yearning to help struggling students.

Byrd revealed that the school principal asked Byrd, “Do you want me to hire him?” He said, “Yes.” Byrd became something of a mentor to Johnson. He made every effort to provide him with the things he would need to be successful in teaching. He did an outstanding job.

Will Johnson learned something about Byrd recently when he discovered that Byrd needed a kidney transplant. Byrd had exhausted his list of potential family kidney donors. He had been posting on different organ sharing websites, but no person had stepped forward who was a match.

Byrd went around the world looking for a new kidney. It turned out that his donor was just down the hall in his school – the teacher he had help recommend for hiring.

Johnson was not a good candidate as he was extremely afraid of needles, afraid of surgery, and didn’t like hospitals – but he was needed. He gave Marvin Byrd a new kidney.

Recently Byrd and Johnson left Piedmont Hospital. They were wearing matching transplant T-shirts and they shared a lot of tears together before checking out of their rooms. They were now “new best friends.”

This current example of selfless love and compassion reminds me that oftentimes we go around the world looking for something, then discover it is really right down the hall. Most of our long searches in life end when what we really are looking for is pretty close to our fingertips.

This also reminds me that there are a lot of people around us who need something. Initially Johnson was not even aware of the need that Byrd had. When he discovered the need, he acted on it.

How many people around us today have a tremendous need to know the saving grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the love and compassion that God wants to express through us, and the hope that we can offer to people? Look around. The needs all around us are great. We need to step up to the plate and offer what we have.

I wonder what would have happened if Byrd had not recommended Johnson for the teaching job? What would have happened if he had not been nice and positive and encouraging to a second career teacher? I am in no way suggesting that we do things for others in order to have some future payoff – but the investment that he initially made in the life of Johnson came back to him in a way that literally saved his life.

Maybe there is somebody that has done something extremely good for us that we need to “pay back.” The Bible teaches us that we are able to love only because we have first been loved by God. We need to pay that love back by reaching out to God’s children.

We also need to be organ donors. I have personally seen the results of that wonderful program. There is a huge organ shortage today for both kidneys and for livers.

One day Will Johnson called Marvin Byrd on his cell phone and left him a message saying that he had been tested, his kidney was a match and he would give it to his friend. Byrd said, “I still have that message on my phone. We were all screaming with joy.”

Good news is something we want to keep – and share. What good news and selfless act of love can we show to somebody today who has a tremendous need? We might be scared, and uncomfortable, but we just might need to take the risk of stepping out and donating something precious that we have that can mean the difference in this life and eternity for somebody else.

Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow entered three law suits saying that God should be removed from the Pledge and the coins. He says the phrase alienates non-religious people in the U. S.

An initial ruling in 2002 by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with Newdow. Recently the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed its decision and said that the phrase “under God” can remain in the Pledge of Allegiance because the phrase is religious but does not represent a prayer. A similar ruling was issued about “In God We Trust” being our motto on our currency because it said the use of “God” is ceremonial and patriotic, but not religious.

I am glad the Court reversed itself, but I regret it was done for the reasons stated. I hope God never just becomes a patriotic or ceremonial term. That has never been the case in the history of mankind, and specifically in the history of the United States.

The prophet Amos wrote, “For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: ‘Seek Me and live’.” (Amos 5:4) The psalmist David wrote, “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

The first pilgrims made it clear that the colonies were being established “to the glory of God.” The framers of our first Constitution recognized the role of God in our independence. Benjamin Franklin said, “The longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” Thomas Jefferson said, “The liberties of a nation are secure only when there is a firm conviction in the minds of her people that these liberties are the gift of God.”

That doesn’t sound like God was being used as ceremonial or patriotic.

The Preamble to the Constitution of each of the fifty states contains some reference to God. 40 states specifically call Him God, while the other 10 refer to Supreme Ruler, Creator, Supreme Being, etc.

This debate was pretty hot at the beginning of this decade. A lot of that quickly changed when 9/11 occurred. I understand that congressmen and government leaders on 9/12/01 quit debating about the use of God in public settings and joined hands on the Capitol steps and started praying and singing “God Bless America.” Baseball stadiums dropped the traditional 7th inning “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” and replaced it with “God Bless America.”  It is amazing to me that we even debate this issue. We are here because of the goodness and grace of God. We will survive and prosper only as we accept God’s grace and goodness and live appropriately.

When Francis Scott Key penned our National Anthem, he ended that first verse with a question, “O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” I believe that is a legitimate question to ask today.

Most people don’t know that there are other verses to the National Anthem. Most people think the next verse is “play ball.”

The last verse ends with these words – “Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: ‘In God We Trust’.” Then he ends that verse, not with a question but a statement. When we know what our motto is – “In God We Trust” – the future is not a question. That verse ends with the affirmation “And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

Francis Scott Key got it right! The Bible got it right! Our fore fathers got it right! Isn’t it time that we get it right?

Three weeks ago today she was attending a birthday party with many of her friends and adults. The kids were swimming and all of a sudden one of the kids cried out “Lily is at the bottom of the pool.” An adult dove in and brought her to poolside. A doctor and a former flight attendant performed CPR until the paramedics arrived.

Lily was taken to Baptist South and then immediately flown by helicopter to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. She was on life support for several days.

I talked with the doctor and the adults present. After a few minutes of CPR, there was no response. The doctor commented that he believed in his profession, but it would take a miracle from God to save her life. He also had the great concern that if she lived, she would have severe brain damage.

Thousands and thousands of people prayed. Lily’s mother and daddy are a Sunday School teachers at Frazer. They also placed a request on Facebook and had thousands of e-mails indicating that people were praying.

The miracle happened! Lily woke up and came home from the hospital a couple of days later. Four doctors at UAB said they gave their best medical attention, but it had to be the hand of God who brought the healing.

The pool party was to bring all the kids and the family back together. My wife, Lynn, suggested this, and the host family agreed. We could gather and have a prayer of thanksgiving. It would also be an opportunity for the parents and kids to go home from the experience with a different perspective on life. Three weeks ago today they had gone home in despair, concern, fear – and a thousand other emotions. This time they went home with a big smile on their face and the knowledge that they had seen a miracle.

At the second pool party Lily was the leader of all of the kids in the games they were playing. She was quick, active – very, very much alive!

When we all joined hands around the pool to pray, Lily’s older brother, Sean, a 7-year-old, interrupted me and said, “Excuse me. I want to give a praise. My sister is alive!” That captured the spirit of the event.

I felt both excited and inadequate leading the group in a prayer. Everybody present had experienced something that few people ever get to experience in life. God is doing miracles every day; I just pray that I might be more aware and more appreciative.

Rafael Nadal won the last major tennis tournament at the French Open. He also has won at Wimbledon. He is a man who is focused on winning again this year. His focus of purpose became an issue when he had a decision to make.

Queen Elizabeth II visited the All England Club for the first time since 1977. A small group of current and former players, including Roger Federer and the Williams sisters, were invited to attend a private session with the Queen. What an opportunity for Nadal! However, when the Queen’s appearance conflicted with his practice schedule, he decided to practice so he would be in top form rather than meet with the Queen.

Nadal explained that he had a lot of respect for the Queen, but his purpose in being in England was to play tennis. He decided to go with his main purpose. It might be fortunate that he did, because hours later when he took Centre Court it took five sets to beat his next opponent. Did that extra practice time make the difference?

Life consists of decisions for all of us. Real leaders always make the choice to fulfill their purpose, not choose something secondary that might be more enjoyable and easier. Nadal knew why he was in London and made his decisions around knowing that purpose.

The great leader Moses faced a decision. He had the opportunity to choose between the pampered life of being the son of Pharaoh’s daughter or fulfilling his purpose of leadership for the people of Israel. Moses was remembered in the New Testament in Hebrews 11:24 as “He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” He knew his purpose.

Purpose always drives our performance. We act on our understanding of our purpose. Moses did. Hebrews 11:25 reminds us “Choosing to endure ill treatment with the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin.” Leaders never sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate!

Everyday each of us has decisions to make. Oftentimes the decision centers on something that is pleasurable, enjoyable, beneficial, etc. or choosing a tougher road that ultimately puts us in our purpose. Jesus spoke of it as choosing different roads in life. Read Matthew 7:13-27. Life is all about choices. Today’s decision determines tomorrow’s destiny.

Nadal knows that he will not be remembered by whether or not he met Queen Elizabeth II, but how he performed at Wimbledon. His two weeks in London is more about playing good tennis than telling his grandchildren about meeting a celebrity. Our lives are best lived when we go to bed at night knowing that all of our energies were channeled in fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives.