Jack Westenbarger's Blog

My family and I usually refer to today as “August  Zero,” as  we removed July 31 from the calendar years ago.  

Those that know me well, know that today is the day that I began my HVAC career with my very first workers comp accident.  It was July 31, 1971 and I was helping my dad fix an air conditioner.  Yes, I was only five but I was born with a set of silver manifold gauges in my hands.  Having watched my father working on the condenser fan for a while, I decided to help him when he stepped away and into the house for a moment.  I merely did  what he did only the power was on with the fan running when I reached in to “fix” things.  For those who might not realize this, fan blades will easily remove your fingers if you reach from behind.  I was rushed to multiple hospitals as the ER’s were unsure how to “fix” me.  Finally, there was a specialist from out of state at the last hospital.  He did what he could but it wasn’t much.  I lost two digits of two fingers on my left hand.  On a side note, rumor has it that Freon flowed from my fingers as opposed to blood but I am not sure as I was only five…

Fast forward 38 years later, and you will find me still missing fingers and chasing fame and fortune in the HVAC industry.  It is July 31, 2009 and they are just putting me under to perform an urgent open heart surgery to repair a mitral valve that wouldn’t stay closed when it was supposed to.

What are the odds of that?  A freak accident and emergency heart surgery all on the same day, separated by 38 years.  I guess you can see why we would want to remove the day from our calender.

As I reflect this morning, however, I am reminded that even those two days were created for my good and God’s glory!

July 31, 1970 put my life on the path of pursuing a career in home service.  A career that I have loved and an industry I’ve been honored to serve.  I’ve helped clients and colleagues, watched industry change happen, led great teams, and learned a ton along the way.   Even now, as I find myself at 53 entering a new season I am so grateful.  The next 5-7 years will most exciting of all I’ve done over the past 40 years since I obtained by first apprenticeship license.  That day back in 1971 was definitely for my good and most importantly as I strive to glorify Christ with my work, it was for His glory as well!

Now you might be asking how an open heart surgery could bring good and glory.  Well, that’s the best story of all.

I accepted Christ as my savior in May of 1977.  In the mid 80’s however, I started following the path of the world.  The narrow gate and carrying a cross everyday was not appealing to this 20 year old believer.  I stayed on that worldly path for the next 20 plus years.  I am not proud of it but I lived as if my salvation was merely a get out of hell free card.  I did little to nothing for the Kingdom.

In May of 2009 my saint of a daughter, Christina, asked me to come to church to see my grandson dedicated.  I had been turning down her invitations for years, but this was my firstborn grandson Jake and I couldn’t turn it down.  The message preached that day was from Psalms 23 and why Christians gets sick.  One of the points was so that God could force you in a position to listen.  Little did I know on that Sunday, how sick I would be a few months later.

The Holy Spirit started tugging on me that day and I kept going back to church.  I wasn’t sure exactly why but soon I was to know that this was His way of preparing me for the things to come.  A time I would need God more than ever before.

So a few months later, it’s July and I am laying in a hospital bed.  Very soon they will put me on a machine and turn my heart and lungs off to perform surgery.  I keep hearing Psalms 23 over and over, “He forces me to lie down in green pastures.”

I heard my God loud and clear that day.  He told me that I hadn’t been living the live He sacrificed His only son, Jesus, for.  He told me that there was no reason to keep me in this world if I was going to live the life I had been living.  He wanted complete surrender and for me to live the life worthy of Jesus death.  It was time to decide!

I made an about face that day.  A James Rockford car spin to head in a different direction.  I started running towards my Savior, carrying that cross instead of towards the world with the cross in the rear view mirror.

That day, my friends, was a day that was for my good and every day since then I have done my best to live my life for His glory.  So today, I will begin to look at July 31 not as a day I wish to forget, but one I wish to always remember.  All praise be to God for July 31st!

I challenge you to not wait for God to make you lie down and listen.  Completely surrender today.  Pick up your cross and run to Him.  Live your life as one worthy of the death Jesus died!

Be awesome!

As I enter the second half of the year, I am reflecting on the highs and lows of the first half.  I would like to be able to state that I had accomplished all the goals I had established for myself during these first two quarters.  The fact however is that I haven’t accomplished many.  God blessed me with some challenges that I did not anticipate or plan for that rightfully diverted my attentions from some areas of my life.  His way is always the best ways and I accept that and praise Him for the good days and the bad ones.   

In other areas of my life, however, I lacked the discipline and focus to accomplish what I sought to accomplish.  Some would say the circumstances in my life (a sick mom, weather, personnel issues, etc) affected my ability to accomplish some of my goals.  Circumstances NEVER dictate the outcome, my response to the circumstances is what dictates the outcome.  

For example, I began dieting early in the year with a desire to lose 17 lbs.  I am not overweight, but as many of you know I have a heart condition and I feel my absolute best at around 170 lbs.  Our company cruise ended on January 7 and I began my diet then.  Between Jan 7-Jan 22, I lost over 10 lbs and was feeling amazing.  Then my mom got sick.  I allowed that situation to be an excuse as to needing “comfort food.”  I told myself it would make me feel better.  So diet out the window and a belly full of tater skins, fried chicken wings, big boys, and a whole lot of other stuff and my goal of 17 lbs lost became only 5 lbs lighter than Jan 7.  The circumstance did not make me eat, my attitude did.  Did eating comfort food make my Mom better, no!  It didn’t even make me feel better about it, it was just a excuse to lose discipline.

Don’t get me wrong, God has been very good to me this first half of the year.  Revenue $ are down, but profit $ is up over previous years.  Mom is still with us, home for now, and physically getting healthier.  My wife, Sabrina,  is having another record year in real estate. We’ve found a new church home at Oakwood Community Church in Tampa.  Bible study attendance at our Northside Services company bible study is still steady and lives are being changed.  Probably one of the most exciting aspects of my year thus far is that I finally made a leap and joined the John Maxwell Team where I am getting trained to speak and coach which will fulfill my aim later in life.

This weekend, I will sit down and evaluate where I am right now.  I will look at my goals that I set at the beginning of the year and see how they apply to today’s circumstances.  I will then restate those that are applicable, create new ones where needed, and prepare my heart and mind to move forward into this next half of 2018.  My word for the year was “resolute” and although I haven’t been resolute so far; the year is not over.  

I am thankful that I do not do this alone.  I have an amazing wife, family, teammates, and friends who support me in prayer and encouragement.  I gain encouragement knowing I have a God who loves me and plans to prosper me.  In the past my goals were all about ego, success, money, and other worldly things.  Today I do what I do to bring glory to Christ and a smile to the face of my Heavenly Father.  Like Paul says in Corinthians, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”  

I may be down a few touchdowns but I am coming out of the locker room Monday morning with a modified game plan for a successful second half, a plan to win!  With God’s favor, I will not lose!

Be awesome!

In Jesus name I lead, in Jesus name I work.

As I sat next my wife waiting for the rib eye and lobster we had just ordered, my mind began to reflect on the amazing day we had in Las Vegas. The better part of the afternoon was spent listening to various speakers from the real estate industry with the keynote being delivered by Lonnie Bedwell, a blind adventurer. Lonnie lost his sight as an adult but has since kayaked alone down the Colorado river and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

After the meetings we had several receptions and met realtors from around the US and Internationally. This was quite a different experience for me as I am usually the one dragging Sabrina to various conventions and forcing her to listen to leaders in the HVAC speak followed by receptions where I network with people from my industry. Today, I was blessed to watch as her peers approached her with accolades, envy, and admiration for her accomplishments. People she never met, from all over the US telling her how amazing she was and asking how she was able to do it.
Its been an hour or more and our meal hasn’t came however I appreciate the opportunity to just sit and reflect. I am sitting next to the most amazing woman and as I brush her hair with my fingers, I find myself realizing that Lonnie isn’t the only blind man I have met today. I realize that I have been blind to the amazing career my wife has created over the past few years. Without any significant education, while raising two daughters and taking care of a often times selfish husband, she taught herself how to be an amazing realtor. The award she will receive tomorrow is not an easy one. In fact out of the thousands of realtors here at this international convention, a very small percentage will receive it. I knew she was amazing but today I see her through a very new set of eyes and am even more proud of her.
After over 90 minutes, our steaks never came so we left without eating however, I left full of something better than food. I have a fuller understanding of how blessed I am to have spent some of the past 22 years “driving mrs realtor.”

Be awesome.

Today I read from Psalms as I continue to look at leadership and what good leadership looks like.  David was a man “after Gods own heart,” but he wasn’t perfect.  He like all of us failed in his leadership.  He was an adulterer, a schemer, and a murderer; but he still had integrity.

You may be asking how that’s possible.  David had standards and he never wavered from acknowledging that his actions weren’t always in alignment with those standards.

Integrity is not perfection.  Integrity is when your morals, beliefs, and values are “integrated” into your actions.  Leaders with integrity have a “moral compass” and they recognize when their actions are in opposition to that compass.  They confess those actions as sin, cry out for forgiveness, and then refocus on the standards they’ve set for how they live their lives.

Those that follow you aren’t looking for a “perfect” leader.  They want a leader who knows what they stand for, behaves accordingly, and when you fail…admit your failure and make it right, don’t simply change the rules.

Be Awesome Today!

 

 

 

Well I have officially completed one more trip around the sun. When I started this trip, my 50th one, my life was quite different than it is today.
Last year at this time, I was unaware of the changes God had in store for me and as I reflect this am on His goodness, I can see as Joseph did that what others meant for evil, God turned into good.
The past year has seen pain, hurt, fear, anger, doubt and frustration; but it has also seen hope, excitement, prosperity, trust, and forgiveness.
I began this 50th journey getting up everyday and going to work with the purpose of pleasing a man and making money, and today I get up to go to work with the purpose of glorifying Christ Jesus!
I woke up a year ago with an amazing woman, Sabrina Westenbarger who loves me unconditionally, and today I woke up with the same woman who but I have a clearer picture of her unending love for me because of what she went through along side me during this past year.
I’ve have been abandoned by some who said they were friends, and some might say I’ve abandoned a few as well. I’ve also made a lot of new ones. I felt the love and support of my true friends during this journey. They encouraged, laughed, cried, and most importantly prayed for and with me along the way.
Although my 50th year here in my temporary home (I mean earth as opposed to heaven but those that know me might get a kick as most my earthly homes are temporary as well), has been the hardest of all. However, at the same time I feel it was the most blessed.
My God is the same God he was a year ago. He is faithful. He is loving. He is good. He never left me because He promised He never would and my God cannot break a promise! It’s not in His character.
Several years ago I began judging a young QB at FSU and I used a tagline “Character Matters.” Although I was wrong to judge anyone, let alone someone I don’t know personally I see now God was working through that. I was the one living with character issues by accepting things that were not aligned with who I am. God new it but I couldn’t see it.
One of the most valuable lessons God taught me this year is that character matters to him. We cannot “believe” one thing but tolerate things opposite of our beliefs. Our standards become what we tolerate.
As leaders we must recognize that those we lead will forget 90% of what we say, but they’ll rarely forget what we do. Always remember though, none of us will be perfect leaders. We are, however, as Paul told young Timothy in I Timothy 4:15 to show progress. As my dear friend Brian Harre reminds me regularly, sometimes we are using a dimmer switch and it takes time for the light to be fully bright.
Thanks to all of you who have been part of this 365 day journey around the sun. I pray that this year instead be a 365 day journey around the SON!

Be Awesome Today!
#charactermatters

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