Memorial Day

Memorial Day is one of the most important days we have as a country. Yet like most other holidays it has been diluted into just another day off work. The link below gives a good historical background.

History

We should all be grateful to the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom! Not only today, but everyday. Next time you see one of our awesome military personnel thank them for making the sacrifice to preserve our freedom.

If you have served, I want to thank you. You are always in our prayers!

May God continue to Bless them and their families!

Book Sneeze Review of Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge

This is a review on the revised and expanded New York Times Bestseller. The subtitle of the book, discovering the secret of a man’s soul is addressed. The secret, per John Eldredge is getting past the wounds left by our fathers. This may apply to a certain part of the male population, but not all men have been damaged by their father’s mistakes or lack of guidance.

My father was at best an absentee dad. My mother did an outstanding job of raising 5 kids. My brother and I kept our masculinity throughout. While I related to a few things the author discussed, I really could not get fully engaged or excited about the book.

If you or someone you know has deep wounds caused by a poor father, this book could help them.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Windshield University, re-post

Recently I spoke with one of my employees about this concept. He is struggling and could use help. The idea of learning at this stage of his life shocked him. He felt like he already knew everything needed. This attitude can be fatal.

Learning never stops and dues are never fully paid in life.

This was originally posted in Jan, 2010.

Have many of you have your degree from WU? That's right, Windshield University! If you consider yourself a leader and are not yet enrolled, what are you waiting on?

You don't need your SAT or financial aid. All you need is a CD player and desire to succeed and you are in.

There is no excuses for not attending.

No money for audio programs? Get them from the library.

No CD player in your car? Get them on cassette.

No Cassette in your car? Put them on your Ipod or smartphone.

I can go on forever. The fact is you can make the normal excuses and fail or you can find your reasons and win. The choice is yours.

Here is your challenge. Turn off the radio and put in an audio program that teaches you success principles. After you listen to it ten times or so, get another. Then another.

The time is now to make your move and get your degree. It's never too late to start learning!

The Waiting Game

Do Good Things Really Come to Those Who Wait?

This expression gets tossed around with no regard for the destructive power it contains. In my opinion those who use it do so for validation of missing out on something or because they procrastinate.

This can be compared to the phrase; money is the root of all evil, which is equally destructive. Both have been shortened to produce a translation, which was not the desired intent. As we all should know,

for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil

(1 Timothy 1:6 NIV).

As for waiting, this statement should be changed to; good things come to those who are patient.

There is a huge difference between the two words.

1. Waiting: to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens
2. Patience: quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence:

Sitting around waiting for something to happen is not what God intended.

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised (Hebrews 6:12 NIV).

Our time of patience should also be our season of great sowing. Here is a guideline I use to S.O.W. good seeds while God is working in my life.

1. S- Stand strong in my faith. I continually show my faithfulness through prayer and tithing.

2. O- Overcome. I resist the urge to take shortcuts or quit. This is where patience is a virtue. It is much easier to give up and place blame elsewhere.

The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride

(Ecclesiastes 7:8 NIV).

3. W- Work on myself. I grow in the word and continually look for ways to improve myself.

There is a period of time between sowing and reaping. How we use this time is critical. If we think we can reap an instant harvest, we are fooling ourselves. Seeds take time to grow and this is where many lose their patience. James 5:7 states,

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains (NIV).

As leaders we must recognize where our teammates are in their season. We must be patient with them as God is with us. Although the sowing stage should never end, our goal as leaders is to help them reach the reaping stage. Seeing the fruits of their labors will keep them motivated.

Good things really do come to those who are patient and understand God’s timing.

The Power of Shortcuts

Do you remember the first time you created a shortcut on your computer desktop? You found the freedom to bypass the entire process of finding and opening the program. What took 4 or 5 clicks now only takes one. Or discovering the route you took to work for years was much longer than it should be. 1 or 2 different turns cut your drive time in half. These are constructive shortcuts. They save you time. They help you become more efficient.

Another group of shortcuts taken are not as good. These are destructive shortcuts and pack a devastating punch behind them.

Numerous times throughout my life I was told of my great potential. At first this sounded complimentary. Eventually I realized that potential is unrealized results. My full potential would never be reached because I was always looking for the easy way; the shortcut to success.

It does not exist.

Matthew 7:13-14 states don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God! —Is vigorous and requires total attention.

Success in any area takes hard work and time. We can trim time by learning from others, but we’ll have to go through the process internally to reach our full potential. A great example is planting a garden. Simply putting seeds in the ground is not enough. We have to provide nutrients and allow time for the seeds to germinate and grow. The shortcut is the proper care along the way. This hold true for us as well. See Galatians 6:7-10.

Here are three areas where shortcuts will wreak havoc.

1. Relationships- building solid, positive relationships takes time. We can’t rush them. Our goal is to shoot for effectiveness in our relationships. To be effective requires our commitment to learn and understand what motivates others. Before we discover these, trust must be established. It can take a long time to establish trust, but only a few seconds to destroy.

2. Leadership- this title is earned not taken. Simply reading books on leadership does not make a leader. We have to work the techniques into our life and give them time to germinate. Leaders gain followers by doing the right things. Leadership takes time to develop.

3. Financially- trying to get rich quickly. We cannot continue to chase the “Hot” stocks and expect great returns. Our money needs time to grow and losses are tough to overcome. Playing the lottery and excessive gambling take their toll as well. Financial pressures force us to take shortcuts, which usually lead to disaster.

Can you think of other areas where shortcuts wreak havoc? Are you prone to take shortcuts in a specific area of your life?

Plan B, Pete Wilson

Plan B, Pete Wilson
This book concentrates its focus on dealing with the other side of life. How do we react when things don’t go our way? 2 Corinthians. 5:7 states “to walk by faith not by sight.” I have heard this scripture many times in the past and have questioned how to use it in my life. Pastor Pete Wilson tells us how to accomplish this in his new release, Plan B.
The use of his personal examples brings out the sincerity in his writing. You can tell by these stories and his other quotes he really lives what he writes about. His teachings go deeper than a simple how-to. Pastor Wilson breaks down the barriers to learning by exposing biblical truths from both sides on the aisle. He blends in the right amount of scripture to make sense of the problem. He also tries to explain why other problems happen, so we can work on prevention.
There are several instances and examples, which hit me right between the eyes. There are also a few I have been able to use while helping others.
I highly recommend this book, but only if you are really interested in changing yourself and those you love. There is no sugarcoating going on here. Pastor Wilson puts it out there without any façade. The question will be, can you accept the truth? If so, read this book.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”