Planted

Since, then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:1

God “Planted” you 

As I sit here in the redwoods a few things come to mind.

One is that God created these awesome trees and allowed them to grow to be giants.  

If God can do that,  there is nothing that He can NOT do.

So why do we doubt ourselves so much?

Why do you think that we can’t accomplish the hardest task that He sets before us?  If He can create these giant trees that only start a new growth if they encounter a harsh fire. Why do we think that He didn’t create us to be even stronger, even greater, even bigger?

God wants us to grow with him.  

When the Israelites were having issues in Egypt He sent Moses to save them.

When David encountered Goliath, God was there with him and allowed a small stone to kill the giant.

When we struggle every day with anything, God is there to help us.  He sends his servants to give us a helping hand up.

Just like God planted these great redwood giants, He “planted’ us where we are today and He is allowing us to grow where we need to be.

Another thing that comes to mind is that God is intentional with everything.  

He planted these awesome trees here next to the coast where they would get enough water to grow into these giants.  If He would have planted those trees in Colorado where the climate is a little harsher, colder, dryer, and more drastic temperature swings He knew they wouldn’t have grown into the giants they are here.

The same way God “planted” you right where you are today.  

He knew that you needed to be here right now.  

He knew that you would THRIVE right where you are.  Or He knew that you needed some nutrients from where you are right now before you move to get different nutrients.  

God is always looking out for us, the same way He is looking for this wonderful creation.

Today we want to encourage everyone to go out and see God’s creation. When you go out, don’t read the signs that tell you that the Grand Canyon is 100’s of millions of years old though, simply thank God for not only creating this amazing world but for sharing it with you.

Prayer

Lord God today we come to you with open hearts.  We ask that you continue to bless our endeavors, where they might be, what they might be doing. God, we know that you have “planted” us here for a reason. You are allowing us to find what we need before you ask us to move forward.  we are here for you.  God these awesome redwoods are simply amazing, but not near as amazing as we are.  Not near as amazing as what you have in store for us.  God, we know that you can do anything, and you prove it to us every single day. Please give us the strength to place our full trust in you.  Give us the mental power to grow where you need us to grow and go where you need us to go.  God, we know that you are amazing and you prove it every single day.  Thank you.  Lord today we ask that you help us to grow our outreach of God’s First Life.  Help give everyone the courage to share our devotionals with everyone they know.  Help us all to spread your word and your great teachings.  God, thank you.  Amen. 

Amen

Will you pray with us?

Mankind throughout the world throughout our current situation

All Law enforcement and emergency response personnel

For all military personal serving our country and their families

Those in Leadership positions throughout the world

Prayer

Lord, today we come to you with HAPPY hearts.  We are so grateful that you give us the opportunity to change the lives of those around us.  We are grateful that you give us the wisdom to change our lives and the lives of those around us.  And you make it so simple. We can do it with a single smile. God today I would ask that you help us to smile more. The next time we see someone down, help us to smile for them. The next time we are down, help us to remember that you gave us the best gift ever. The ability to know you, your son, and the holy spirit. God, we are so grateful for everything you give us.

We ask all these things in your Precious Son's Name

Amen

A Little More

 The other day I got a call from one of our clients.

I love talking to our clients so I always smile when I answer the phone.

“Hey Dan, one of my drivers is pulled over and they are saying that our permit doesn’t cover what we weigh. Isn’t that why we hire your team to make sure that these things don’t happen!”

My smile immediately vanished.

I was shocked because my team is amazing. and it’s not like them to miss something like 20,000 lbs on a permit.

So, I asked him, “Who have you been working with, and who was the one who called our team to get the permit?” 

To get to the bottom of the problem I needed the details.

They gave me the details.

My next call was to my team. Then after I got the details I got them started on getting new permits to get the problem fixed. I’m a solutions guy, not an excuses guy.

But I NEED to know the real reason why it happened so that we can fix the issue.

My next call was to the driver so that I could see exactly what happened.

I knew he was going to be upset. He was pulled over and they were going to give him a HUGE ticket. I wouldn’t be happy either.

so……

I made sure not to smile when I made the call.  I had a serious look on my face. As we chatted I learned that he was the person who gave his weight to our team. I asked where he got the weights from and how in the world they were off by over 20K lbs!

That’s when he told me that he might have gotten the wrong scale ticket from the weigh station where he originally weighed.

Immediately my heart leapt with joy, this is NOT our fault!

Now to get the problem resolved and get this driver back on the road was my only goal.  I was not going to assign blame or make anyone feel bad. 

Hey, we all make mistakes. I do it multiple times every single day.

The owner of the company shot me a text. I'm getting permits from the big guys. They won’t make these mistakes that cost me time and $$$$$.

No problem.  Let me know if you need anything. We are here to help.

Well……..

After they called the “BIG Guys” they called me about 30 minutes later.

Hey, we can’t get an Idaho permit until Monday. It’s Friday night. And we need to drop this load off tomorrow afternoon.

I told him that I would NOT make any promises.

But my team went to work!

Guess what????

We got the permits that the “BIG Guys” couldn’t get.

My team had the Idaho permit in less than 20 minutes. For the right weight this time.

Here’s the point of all this.

When things don’t go right, smile. I have taught my whole team this.

That right there is how we got the permits. They smiled as they worked and it didn’t take any time at all.

Ok, there might be a little knowledge that went into this too. Lol

Next time you need anything DOT, don’t call the “Big Guys” , call the team who can get it done!

Dan Greer