Blossom First

Each of us has reasons we pursue the things we pursue. There is some sort of a gain that we are all trying to reach. It could be personal fulfillment to job promotion or a host of other reasons. All in all, we still have a reason.

Some reasons may be with a hopefulness that will never turn out like we would hope for. For example, the job promotion doesn't come after achieving the goals we were working toward.

Could it be that what we are "hoping" for is actually not what we should have been hoping for in the first place? With that in mind, here is this week's quote...

The flower doesn't dream of the bee...It blossoms and the bee comes. ~ Unknown

Most are probably familiar with the cliche that comes from the movie "Field of Dreams" that goes "If you build it they will come." This phrase is occasionally overused and people are overly optimistic in their endeavors to "build" so as to have people come.

When we are pondering the goals we are trying to reach in life, we should not be trying to accomplish them to attract the bees. We should be trying to reach our goal to fulfill something within ourselves. When this is done, the bees will most likely come.

Whether you are writing a book or furthering your education or doing something nice for a friend/neighbor, the underlying reason should be to cause your flower to bloom, after that look for the bees!

Don't Be Another Member of Society

People are all around us. Most go about their daily lives simply “going.” They go to work, go home, go to activities, go to school, go to eat – just going.

We are a people that is on the go a lot. Even in my rural community, people seem to be on the go much of the time – kids events, meetings, etc.

Is any of that really getting you where you want to be for yourself? Sure, parents love to see their kids be involved and excel in events, but what about the parent? Should it be nearly 100% sacrifice because you have kids at home?

I think there is all kinds of talent and passion in society that is left to just fizzle out. That brings us to this week’s quote..

Don't be just another member of society, be a living example of your dreams and goals. ~ Author Unknown

Some people give up before they even try to do something with their life. They just remain being “members of society” all their life.

I can only imagine how communities can be changed through people putting to work their passions and talents. That is one thing I enjoy doing is being able to put in my talents, skills, and passions in societal opportunities. That helps me live out a portion of my dreams and goals!

May you be inspired to do the same!

Don't Be Another Member of Society

People are all around us. Most go about their daily lives simply “going.” They go to work, go home, go to activities, go to school, go to eat – just going.

We are a people that is on the go a lot. Even in my rural community, people seem to be on the go much of the time – kids events, meetings, etc.

Is any of that really getting you where you want to be for yourself? Sure, parents love to see their kids be involved and excel in events, but what about the parent? Should it be nearly 100% sacrifice because you have kids at home?

I think there is all kinds of talent and passion in society that is left to just fizzle out. That brings us to this week’s quote..

Don't be just another member of society, be a living example of your dreams and goals. ~ Author Unknown

Some people give up before they even try to do something with their life. They just remain being “members of society” all their life.

I can only imagine how communities can be changed through people putting to work their passions and talents. That is one thing I enjoy doing is being able to put in my talents, skills, and passions in societal opportunities. That helps me live out a portion of my dreams and goals!

May you be inspired to do the same!

The Labyrinth of Achieving Goals

The list of successful failures would include the following: Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Newton, Ludwig van Beethoven, Thomas Edison, Frank Winfield Woolworth, Michael Jordan, Walter Disney, Winston Churchill, Steven Spielberg, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, John Grisham, Henry Ford, Soichiro Honda, and Akio Morita (see a more detailed description here).

Each one of these would have come to their fair share of dead-ends and then had to back up and decide how to make it successfully to their goal.  That brings us to this week’s quote…

When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.  ~ Zig Ziglar

How would history be different without these individuals continuing to pursue their goals?  Some accomplished more than one goal and probably had many dead-ends.  Their labyrinth of achieving their goals were possibly paved with many dead-ends. However, no matter how many dead-ends they experienced, the ended up making it to their goals.

Obstacles are high, wide, or deep opportunities in disguise.  How we deal with those obstacles will determine the outcome of the opportunities. 

Do not let your goals be dead-ends, but rather turn around, try again and again until you reach the end of the labyrinth. 

Biggest Loser: Losing "Weight" for a Better Life

It is the end of 2009 and even if you haven't thought about a "resolution", per se, you have probably thought about things you'd like to do differently or goals you'd like to accomplish.  You may be one of millions that is going to work on your diet.  Another season of "The Biggest Loser" is coming out very soon.  It has transformed many lives, even if some have reverted back to their old way of life.  One thing that is vital in weight loss is to create a different lifestyle.  Enjoy some of the same foods, just in moderation.  Depending on the calorie content, it may be a once-a-week moderation.  Those that are trying to survive on carrots, who used to have a Value Meal are not going to be able to keep the weight off.  Plus, if you reduce your caloric intake too much you will reduce your metabolism so much that as soon as you eat items high in calories, you won't burn it off very quickly, thus resulting in added adipose tissue (fat).

In the religious world we are oftentimes lugging around a lot of weight that we don't need.  We lug around weight of the past, weight of fear, weight of legalism, weight of family issues, etc.  The more weight you carry around, the slower you are.  You cannot make the advancements if you are so loaded down with "weight".

As we begin 2010, I began a sermon series based off the TV show, The Biggest Loser.  However, in the series, we are going to focus on spiritual "weight" we may need to lose to make us a better, lighter person.  Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

1. Make a List ~ Ponder what things in your life are weighing you down, then prioritize them from greatest weight to least weight.
   
2. Pray about the List ~ After you have made the list, then offer it to God to help you to see how you can start losing that weight.  Then, adjust the list accordingly.
   
3. Trim Down on "World" Things ~ Taking the "L" out of world creates WORD.  Taking yourself out of a few "world" things can help you get into the "word" more (God's Word).
4. Be Honest With Yourself ~ As you go through this process, be honest to see what areas you need to eliminate in your life that is weighing you down.
5. Get a Partner ~ As the process is not easy, and there will be some challenging times, get someone who you can lean on during those tough times so that you will not quit or give up.
   

At the end of the season of The Biggest Loser there are some amazing changes that take place.  Over the course of the next several weeks, we'll see if you are able to have any of these amazing changes that take place in your life as you seek to eliminate a few things in your life that are weighing you down.

No pain, no gain!

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Enjoying Doing What You Cannot Do

There is something that is in us that enjoys doing what someone tells us we cannot do. As I was a child, then a teen, there were times when I did things which I knew I couldn't do. Now, as a parent, I see that in my son. Even though he is 21-months, he will still go near something and we can tell him "no" and he may go ahead and do it. What is worse than that is when he gets this impish smile on his face and then does whatever he isn't supposed to do. He even thinks it is funny. To be honest, it is cute and funny, but I can't let him see that!

"Rules are made to be broken" and boundaries are made to be crossed, these could be some of your personal philosophies. You may take great pleasure in seeing how fast you can drive before you get caught or pushing someone to their breaking point.

As those focus on the negative, let's think about focusing a bit on the positive...which brings us to this week's quote...

The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. ~Walter Bagehot

If the statement is true, and for many we have experienced it or observed it, then maybe you cannot be successful. You cannot make good decisions. You cannot go to college. You cannot graduate. You cannot ______!

Sometimes when I tell my son that he cannot touch something, he has this deep desire to go and touch it; regardless of the outcome.

If someone says you cannot do something, look for the opportunity to take pleasure in making sure it happens.

Looking for pleasure in life? Do what people have told you

Power Just Waiting to Astonish

What are you capable of doing? How high are you capable of going? Do you think of those questions very often? If you are like most that drift from day to day going through the motions of life, you probably don't think of them too much. Usually we have to be prompted to think of the possibilities.

I am a softy for seeing people accomplish something. I can't help shed a tear on most situations where people have shown their potential to reach goals they never knew they could reach. These situations could be in real life or movies. It makes me want to go out and do things. When I watch a movie like this before I preach the next day, I am on fire. I am so pumped. I am more antsy to get to preach/teach than normal. It just does wonders for me. It makes me imagine what God could do with me if I put myself out there.

You may have heard that we do not use very much of our mind's potential, I think the same could be said of our talents. We probably do not use much of the potential that our body possesses throughout our lifetime. There is something inside each of us that if used to its potential, would do amazing things and the powers would be astonishing. That brings us to this week's quote...

Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action. ~Orison Swett Marden

As created beings, God gave us "powers" to serve Him. By serving, I don't simply mean actions like bringing Him breakfast in bed, if there were such a thing. I mean doing what we can to repay Him for what He's done for us. Paul, the apostle, writes "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (II Corinthians 12:9). He is describing the grace that comes from God is perfect in our weak human bodies. Paul also wrote this, "...[he] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20). Both indicate that we have a certain amount of "power" given to us, as Christians, that can do more than we can even fathom. Though we are human beings, which mess up, God can do great things with mess ups.

You have dreams, ideas, and potential inside of you. Make a list of how you are going to let your weak body be great for God. How are you going to serve Him by using your talents to impact those around you for His Glory?

We all are a volcano with some type of lava just waiting to erupt!

Enjoying Erupting...

Kick in Teeth...Good?

Walt Disney, the man, was so poor, at one point, he was forced to eat dog food. He also realized that releasing Bambi (1942) during wartime was not the best thing to do (imagine seeing Bambi's mom being shot and it reminding you of loved ones at war). (website reference at bottom)

Walt suffered through lots of difficulties, but if you look at what Disney has become, the end result is definitely worth the persistence and perseverance. Look at this week's quote about Walt Disney...

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me ... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." - Walt Disney

I did some searching and found that Walt Disney Incorporated did a total of over 37 billion dollars in revenue in 2007. That looks like 37,000,000,000 with the zeros involved. That is over six times more than the population of the planet! Success doesn't come in a short time. Success doesn't come without troubles.

What are you passionate about in life? What are one of your goals for your life? If you could do anything for a hobby or job, what would it be? What keeps you from pursuing that goal? Walt had a talent and dreams. He pursued them and found success. May we look for ways we can pursue our goals - who knows what the future holds!

Anticipating the future...

http://www.disneydreamer.com/Pin.htm

E-mail Encouragement: Reaching the Peak

Did you make a New Year's Resolution this year? Have you kept with it? I didn't make one, which is the normalcy for me. Tangible resolutions are too easily broken. Maybe an intangible resolution like being willing to talk to people about Christ could be something we "make". This way it is always out there, rather than meeting a "resolution" then backing off from the attempts to continue with it. A former Presidential candidate has this week's quote...

Something in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment. As you become successful, you will need a great deal of self-discipline not to lose your sense of balance, humility and commitment." ~ H. Ross Perot

Teams find it difficult to maintain a certain success height once they've obtained it. I've known of high school sports teams that have won state titles for several years in a row. That is good, but there is a point which the town can't win - and possibly the first loss resulted because they were used to winning. They had accomplished so much, there wasn't much more to look forward to - they had lost their "sense of balance, humility, and commitment".

Have you reached your peak? If you have, there is only a downward trend left on the other side. I hope this is not the case, may you continue to (or include) a life filled with "self-discipline" so that you may not lose your "sense of balance, humility, and commitment" which might cause you to only go down.

May your 2008 be a year that you strive to do big things for God by heading for the peak - knowing that it is a goal and not a destination!

Serving Him ~

Monday Mentionings: Dreaming the Impossible Dream

A few hours until 2008...are you ready?

Yesterday, we had a great assembly! The singing sounded really good! It was good to be rejuvenated at our weekly family reunion!

Yesterday, our guest speaker spoke about the idealism that is found in the challenge of the Sermon on the Mount. How Jesus challenges His disciples (and us, as readers) to keep reaching toward that, which is, in essence, impossible to reach. Things like "turning the other cheek" when someone strikes us on the one or not worrying about tomorrow. These seem next to impossible, but it makes us want to keep reaching. Jesus gives us a dream to keep striving toward. In our own lives we need dreams, also. Dreams to be more patient, more encouraging, more evangelistic, more outreach-ing, etc. These dreams give us something to keep working toward.

What dreams do you have for God? May those dreams keep you searching/striving toward that goal! May 2008 give you abundant opportunities to work toward that goal!

Have a great time ringing in the New Year!

God Bless ~

What is Your Goal?

Aubrey and I watched "Facing the Giants" tonight for the second time. It had only been about 8 weeks since we saw it the first time, but the messages that are infused into the movie were just as impacting the second time as they were the first!!!

One of the truths pointed out is "what is our goal"? Since the theme is football, the coach asks about the goal of football. One player says, "To win games." As the coach responds, "Is it? Is that all we are here to do, win games?" I think about our own goals? What are they? Each reader will probably have their own goal in mind, but I challenge to do the same as what the coach in the movie did...having the goal to glorify God!

Aubrey and I drove around discussing this thought (among many) and we agreed that we (as people) must glorify God in the journey, not just at the finish line (goal, victory, etc.). There is so much we will miss along the way if we don't look and see what God is doing in our life. Also, how we can glorify Him with how He is working through us.

What will you and God team up and do this week/weekend? Share your "tag team" experiences...