Taking a Chance - No Regrets

There is something about me which I enjoy putting a thought out there and seeing what happens. I am not into sales but I am into wonder. I like to wonder what is going on in a person's life. I like to wonder if they might be interested in talking about a subject. I like to wonder if there is something deeper underneath what they are saying. Therefore, I like to take a chance.

When I was a teenager and interested in dating, I would often be too embarrassed to talk to the girl I liked or have a difficult time even thinking that they might be interested in going out. This would cause me to miss out on the unknown. I did not take the chance that I should have in order to know whether or not they'd be even remotely interested.

It came to a point in my life that I did start to take some chances. I started to develop a sense of confidence that I was going to ask the tough questions, even if it meant things might become a bit sticky or I would simply be rejected. This was not limited to dating but rather in many other areas of my life. With this in mind, here is this week's quote...

No fact of human nature is more characteristic than its willingness to live on a chance. ~ Unknown

It seems that almost every famous person took some type of a chance on something or someone to get where they are in life. Maybe it was thousands of missed shots in basketball, thousands of failed experiments, hundreds of casting calls, or various other attempts in life.

I love to live a life of taking chances. I have had opportunities come my way simply because I took the opportunity to take a chance. If it wasn't for taking some of those chances, I would have missed out.

What is it that you are on the brink of that you need to take a chance on? Or, for the future, keep in mind things that if you take a chance, you will see some great opportunities come your way.

Who knows!? But one thing is for sure, if you don't take the chance you will never know!

Now it's your turn...When has chance been productive for you?

A Benefit of Failure

Failure is a part of life. No one is going to have a life (from birth to death) without some areas of failure. Also, there will be repeated failures. Not all failures are going to present "giving up." However, they may strain continuing on and facilitate the idea of giving up.

It can be frustrating as a parent when you know your child is capable of achieving something and they are not "seeing it yet." They are failing and want to give up. You see the bigger picture, know their abilities, and try to cause them to make it to the next mountain peak, rather than be sullen in the valley.

One of the few benefits of failing is to learn from it and have a new "tool" to be able to help you through life. That brings us to this week's quote...

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. ~ Samuel Beckett

As I mentioned, it can be difficult for a parent to be able to cause a child to go forth with something that they know the child can accomplish. With that said, don't you think that God, as our heavenly Father, may look at us sometimes and think "You can do this" and we are saying "I just want to quit."

I think we are like that more often than we think. Our challenge is to try to look past the obstacle and see the opportunities. So even if we do fail, we fail better!

Now it's your turn...what have you had success in regarding doing a "do over" and learning so even if you fail, you fail better?

Failures Will Quickly Fade

To put a number on the number of failures I've had in life would be difficult to count. From failing a conversation to a test to personal hopes, I've failed. Once nice thing is that most of the ones that I have failed at, I hardly remember. They tend to become a blur as I deal with the here-and-now and not think about the other failures.

If I were to guess, I'd bet you would have the same types of "memories" as I do. That brings us to this week's quote...

There are no more committed people on the planet than surfers. We fall down a lot. We turn around, paddle back out, and do it over and over again. Unlike anything else in life, the stoke of surfing is so high that the failures quickly fade from memory. - Surfer, Gary Sirota

I would guess that with each outing a surfer goes through, there are going to be about a 5-1 ratio of falls to "rides." That is just a wild guess, since Kansans do not do much surfing. However, to think about how many times they go out and how many times they fall off, there has to be a huge number of times the fall happens. However, I doubt they think about it much, for they just get back on and paddle out.

For you and I, to have times in our lives where we simply fail, we are challenged to get back on the surf board, paddle out and ride the wave again.

I challenge you to not give up, but rather keep getting back on the surf board and looking for the next wave to ride. It may be the biggest one that's ever been ridden, yet!

HANG TEN, DUDE!

Now it's your turn...You may know nothing about surfers, but what do you think about their commitment?

Failure: A Barrier

My son is in a stage where he is a bit fearful at night. This is not a new stage, for probably over a year, we've been praying for him being scared, before I leave him for the night. I don't think he is really scared, but we pray nonetheless. The thing is, if we do not pray, he will struggle going to sleep because he is a bit hard-headed and wants me to pray for him.

He has some other fears (that may not be the best word for it) like not wanting to touch a root of a plant I recently dug up because it was dirty. He has no issues with dirt or getting dirty, just this kind of a thing he's not comfortable with touching. I think we are all like this to one point or another.

Some of our fears are not even tangible, like the root is. Some of it is a mental fear that is built up so high that we cannot see past it. They are "mirage fears." In other words, there is really nothing there that would prevent us from doing what we need to do, just our own created fear. This thought brings us to this week's quote...

Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have. ~ Louis E. Boone

Failure will keep us from doing and trying a lot of things. Maybe it is jumping down from a height that seems impossible, but in reality it is possible. That height could be in a pool or a tree branch. Maybe it is not even tangible, like jumping into a different career or moving. We fear what people will say or how our kids will adjust, but in reality, we are just inhibiting ourself.

What are you fearful of that you are building up, when in reality it is nothing? You never know what may happen if you do not try. Your "could have's," "might have's," or "should have's" may get the best of you if you do not try!

Look at the reality and try something new!

Now it's your turn...what failure have you been fearful of? Have you been able to overcome it? If so, how?

What is Failure?

How many times in your life have you failed at something? Anything from missing an answer on a test to not figuring out a life issue? Failure means different things to different people. It can depend on the outlook of the person.

Failure is the focus of this week's quote...

Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is 
delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is 
something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being 
nothing. ~ Denis Waitley

I purposely gave a brief intro to the quote this time because it would be too easy to spoil it, otherwise.

What did you think of that quote? I liked it a lot. I think that when we fail, we should learn, as it is our teacher. I think failure should bring us upward, not take life out of us. Failure is "in the way" not "losing." It is there to make our journey a bit longer, not make us stop. If we do not say, do, or be anything, we are sure not see much failure.

However, if we can learn to see the positives that can come out of a situation, we will be amazed, I believe. However, if all we see as failure or the negative side of things, we are not going to be very amazed. We will be looking out for the worst and being consistently pessimistic!

Now it's your turn...what "failures" in life have you seen as stepping stones or turning points to something better?

E-mail Encouragement: Accepting Responsibility

Winter weather has finally arrived to our area...we'll see how much snow we receive. Though it is cold outside, I hope you have a "fire in your bones" that needs to come out! As I have become a fan of "sharing what God is doing in your life" I wanted to share a recent surprise. I hope it will encourage you to look forward to how God may be working in your life! I was recently asked to be a speaker at the local high school's Teen Wellness Conference. I praised God (and continue to) many times for an open door into people's lives.

We live in an age where it is easy to pass the blame off to something or someone else. A child is asked why he hit his sister and his response is "'Cause she made me do it." The child doesn't accept responsibility for his actions - HE did it, regardless of what happened prior. Kids grow up to be adults, and the behavior can remain the same. That brings us to this week's quote...

People may fail many times, but they become failures only when they begin to blame someone else. ~ Unknown

I won't condone any child hitting another child, but it is better for the child's character to realize that they did do it, regardless of what had happened. Those who are married can use the "they-made-me-do-it" excuse when it comes to leaving the marriage. Or, maybe, you develop a bad attitude that you pass the blame to something/someone else because you wouldn't have that bad attitude if "they" didn't do what they had done. It doesn't matter what the situation is. When we start blaming other things and not taking the responsibility for the blame, we become failures. We must remember that each action is our action, not someone else's.

May you enjoy the freedom that comes with accepting responsibility of your actions, which will build character.

Taking responsibility ~

Monday Mentionings: Faith on the Move - Genesis 12:1-13:18

Our assembly, yesterday, was a great boost to my week! There were lots of smiles being spread, which is always good. Assembly was followed by a great brown-bag lunch. The last thing we did together was singing Christmas carols and spreading joy to the folks at the nursing home! We had a great turnout and the singing reflected it!

Got a tug at your heart to do something, maybe specific, for God? It could be a variety of things and it could be in addition to something you are currently doing. James says, "faith with out action is dead" (James 2:26). Often times this verse is used to illustrate that we need to be doing things like reading our Bibles, praying, attending worship, etc., which are all great things we need to be doing. Though I didn't use this verse (or text) in yesterday's message, I emphasize that the action involved may sometimes be something as simple as picking up a phone to call a person who you know is going through a rough patch. It doesn't always have to be formal or to the extent that Abram/Abraham did. Here are some other applications to choose from to use from yesterday's message...

1. I cringe when I am in an uncomfortable place and I am a much more relaxed driver when I am in a city where I know where I'm going - it doesn't matter the size of the city. However, though the first time may be uncomfortable, the second is a little less, and by the third, there are practically no uncomfortable feelings left. I am sure, to an extent, the same works for you. As you feel God asking you to "leave" a particular situation to go to a place that is uncomfortable, know that it only takes a few times of exposure before you get comfortable. As you may be nervous about sharing Jesus, I encourage you to go ahead and do it (through an invitation, a kind word, informing you'll pray, an act of kindness, etc.) and it will become easier and easier. God tells us to "Go and share the gospel" it is up to you to decide if and how you are going to do it.
2. Promises inspire. Any coach that could promise a win if they played well would inspire their team to try as hard as they could. Positive motivation works wonders. I use it in subbing and it is amazing how well the kids respond. Read Genesis 12:1c-3 to see the eight different promises God makes to Abram. As you plan out your day, focus on what God has promised to you - in these and any other verses - at let it encourage you to look at your "schedule" a bit differently!
3. You may not know where the conversation/situation may go, but tell the next person you come in contact with, outside of our church, something you appreciate about them (if you know them) or tell them how much you appreciate what they do for you, or some other comment to surprise them that you complimented them. This is an example of getting your faith in action. Abram didn't know where he was going, just like you may not know where your conversation/situation may go, but "by faith" you share.
4. As you drive around your neighborhood this month, say prayers for particular people you know. Pray for their day, family, open doors, soft hearts, safe holiday travels/season, marriage, kids, your influence, etc. Your "land" is vast - use it to God's glory!!! Who knows what He'll reveal to you over time as you pray!

Abram is esteemed as a man of faith, but as we saw yesterday, there were times which he failed miserably. May you be encouraged to put your faith in action, even if you make mistakes.

May God bless you with many open doors and soft hearts to share Jesus!

On the Move ~

E-mail Encouragement: Success

Very few things come to us. Most things that we receive we must make the attempt to go after. You may get served at a restaurant and have your food brought to you, but you had to decide and order the particular dish in the first place. You may receive a package in the mail instead of going to the store, but you had to find it online or in the catalog in the first place. Success is similar. Which brings us to this quote...

Success doesn't come to you, you go to it. ~ Marva Collins

Fame is something people might think about when it comes to being successful. Athletics, actors, musicians, etc., all seem to be successful based on their life. However, even if they were born with "natural talent" they still had to make the effort to go to practice, learn their lines, try out for positions, and play an instrument. Do you want to be considered successsful in your endeavors? You have to go to it! Want to save souls - go find them. They will not be likely to come to you. However, even if you are that blessed, you still must walk through the door of opportunity - still going to the success.

May God bless your endeavors of gowing toward success - in whatever area you choose.

Have a great Friday and Saturday!

Going forward ~