As pirates who are locked-into a continual pursuit of more, we are often blind to the impact of our actions or way of life.  Either we fail to realize the impact we are having on others or we just don’t care as the consequences of our actions negatively effect those around us.  Regardless, in the end, a “pirates life†tends to leave a wake of destruction in its path.
I know I can be an insufferable wretch when things don’t go according to my master plan, or the treasure map that I have laid out.  And my quest for MORE often means LESS for the people in my life.  My wife and kids…especially.
The pirate’s creed says, “Dead Men don’t tell tales…†but we know the truth:  all dead bodies rise to the surface and tell a story of gluttony, selfishness, and pride.  And you don’t need a forensic scientist to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
This week Dr. Bill Clark will be wrapping up our three week series “A Pirate’s life for meâ€.
In our first week, Mark Joseph covered “X Marks the spot†and spoke about how we think about contentment as an ‘Out there†sort of thing.  Like pirates, we believe that we can find contentment if we get to a predetermined location, or achieve a certain status.  What we learned was that the whole “X marks the spot†thing is a lie. Contentment isn’t in front of us or behind us, but instead inside of us.  The great news is we actually have the ability to “Learn†to be content in all things.
Week two, D.R. took us through “More†where we looked at how we seek to get life from something– be it a job, a higher pay grade, or relationship, and we think that once that initial feeling of life wears off all we need is “More†of whatever it is that gave us that feeling in the first place.  We looked at how God, through His prophet Jeremiah, referred to those things in our lives as a Cistern, or a container of stagnant water, while referring to Himself as “Living Waterâ€.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, He goes on to let us know that they are “broken Cisterns, that can’t hold water.â€
We can come to this conclusion about the Pirates life: It’s a lie, it’s actually the opposite of what it promotes. The X does not mark the spot, and “more†often gives us less, and judging by the discussions at the tables over the last two weeks most of us need to look no further than our own lives for confirmation.
So what can we learn from all of this?
Well come on out this week , and invite a fellow pirate as Dr. Clark closes out our series with “Dead men do tell tales.â€
Invest, Invite…Inspire
pat
Pat Mancuso
patmancuso@mac.com
(703) 401-8302
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Our mission is to create a comfortable, relevant and honest environment where men can explore and discuss aspects of life, purpose and faith.
We accomplish our mission by reviewing pertinent issues in men’s lives, examining them through relevant biblical principles, followed by a time of discussion with other men.
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