Anyway.  I read a great blog about finding someone to help you along the stages of your life.  In school, work, business, family, it is important to find a mentor.

READ HIS BLOG HERE!

Peace,

My new website:

I’ve processed that question many times.  I’ve poured over scripture looking for the verse that tells me what I’m supposed to do.  But guess what – the specifics aren’t there!  The question “What is God’s will for my life?” should be shortened to “What is God’s will?”  That’s an easier question to answer.

God’s will is that people come to know Him and be saved.  God’s will is that people would come to know that there is forgiveness, peace and love offered through Jesus and that that message is carried and delivered by us.  God’s will for your life is, if you’re a Christ-follower, that whatever you do with the hours you’ve been given, you ask and act on the question, “How can I best spread the message of Jesus today?”  That’s it.  From there, God doesn’t care what you do for a career.  It is no more holy being a pastor that it is a plumber.  It is no more holy being a worship leader than being a window washer.  God has people in every arena of life to be lights to the world.

Once we understand that, the adventure begins.  The journey of discovering how God made you (your gifts and talents), developing your passions and dreams and then deploying them through your work, family and community.

What is God’s will for your life?  It’s to love Him and to use your gifts for your fulfillment and others – all the while waking up everyday and asking “How can I best be a light to people around me?”

Peace,

My new website:

One child would be in front and the rest behind.  Our call was to follow whoever was dubbed the leader and do everything that they did.  Inevitably the leaders ranged in ability on 3 levels.

First, there was the kid who was usually the youngest, smallest and as athletic as a dead cricket floating in your pool.  When he was in front, the rest of us knew that the experience would be less than exhilarating, teetering on boring.  Although he would try to make our journey exciting, and challenging, he usually fell into repeating the same moves and following the same path through the woods that was safe and uneventful.  Needless to say, we could follow this kid in our sleep… and most of us did.

On the opposite extreme was the kid who spent half his day in school the other half winning triathlons in his age bracket.  This was the kid who took our ragtag group through thorn bushes, under the floorboards of abandon houses and over the edge of a 25 foot, garbage dump embankment in full sprint, without breaking a sweat.  When he was in front, we knew that our scraggly bodies were about to get the whooping of their lives.   And when he lead, nobody wanted either to follow or to even try because his standard was so out of reach for us that Adrianne Peterson would have a hard time keeping up.

Then there was the kid who got it.  He understood the complexities of having people follow and imitate his every movement.  He knew when to break into a dead sprint and when to slow up the pace.  He knew how far he could push the rest of us physically without anyone losing their breath or their lunch at the same time.  He motivated us to be better than we normally were.  He led us into the dark places of the forest that we normally wouldn’t go, all the while calling back over his shoulder, “Come one!  You can do it!  I’ve done this a million times and I won’t leave you!”  With this kid in front, the game was challenging and enjoyable, all at the same time.

Whether you’ve played the game or not, one thing is clearly obvious… the joy and excitement of the game depends fully the one we are following.

What kind of leader are you?  Do you run too far in front and wonder why no one follows your leading.  Do you feel as if your team could be doing more but don’t know how to take them to the next level?  Be the leader who understands the team’s strengths and shortcoming’s, adapts their leadership style to fit them and always pushes a few steps ahead.  If you do, then your team and you will achieve greatness.

Personally, always follow our Master leader whose model was one of strength, kindness, love and sacrifice and you’re bound to live a life of purpose! (Mark 1:14-20)

Peace!

Enjoy!

“10 Financial Principles That are Biblical”

Peace!

My new website:

Tim Tebow prays during a game.

I know the Bronco’s are out of the Superbowl runoff but I read another Tim Tebow slam the other day.  An article said something like “I guess Tebow’s God doesn’t like him.”

Here’s the deal.  Most people think that if they pray to God for a win – in any category of life – that the outcome reflects whether or not God was “for” or “against” them.  They think a win or loss reflects God’s will or favor.  God is more strategic than that.  He has His plans and purpose and they are always for good.

So how do we explain Tebow’s faith exhibition and his success/failure rate?  Its very simple.  Tebow is an incredibly gifted athlete and he knows who gave that ability to him.  When Tebow is praying, I’m sure it’s to win but moreso, it is to thank God for the opportunity to use his talents on the field.  Win or lose, Tebow thanks God for simply being in the game.

Here’s the life lesson and it comes from the movie “Facing the Giants.”  In life’s arenas – relationships, finances, business, sports, music, etc – we do our best and leave the results up to God.  Win or loose we praise Him for the opportunities we have to walk onto the “field” and live everyday with excellence.

Today, I’m choosing to live under the Grace and through the strength of our Lord.  I’ll do my best at leave the results up to God and win or loose, I will still praise him.

Peace!

My new website:

The habit of setting Goals is so important.  Earl Nightingale said, “People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.” Do you know where you’re going?  Are there projects or milestones that you’d like to conquer this new year?  Knowing how to set goals can help 2012 be one of the best years of your life.

To review from last weeks post, here is a seven step way to set goals:
1 – Decide what you want.
2 – Write it down.
3 – Set a deadline.
4 – Brainstorm a list of everything you can think of that you could do to accomplish this.
5 – Organize the list by sequence and priority.
6 – Do something.
7 – Do something everyday.

Now, list 10 goals for this year and ask yourself, “If I could only achieve one goal, which one would have the greatest impact on my life?”  Once you’ve answered that, focus on that one with high intensity.  You can still work on the other goals, but keep the number one the number one.

For me, I have goals in 7 areas of life:  FINANCE, HEALTH, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, FAMILY, SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL, and CAREER. Not all of them are drastic.  Some of them are crucial.  Taking the above process, here’s how I’m working on one of my goals:

One of my important goals is to finish a long-awaited book project called, “Refined – Turning Pain into Purpose.” Using Brian Tracy’s 7 steps, here’s how it’s all working out:

1 – Decide what you want. – I want to complete “Refined – Turning Pain into Purpose.”
2 – Write it down. – I have a goal worksheet that I use on which this project is listed.
3 – Set a deadline. – Publishing date:  March 30.
4 – Brainstorm a list of everything you can think of that you could do to accomplish this. – Actually, I’ve brainstormed how to keep distractions at bay which frees me up to finish the project.
5 – Organize the list by sequence and priority. – I’m writing chapter by chapter and then editing.  Chapter completion dates: I have 5 chapters left to write so my dates are.  Jan 13, 20, 27, Feb 3, 10.  Editing process completed by Feb. 24. Pre-publishing completed by Mar. 24.
6 – Do something. – 5:30 – 7 am is my daily writing time with some late after noons if possible.
7 – Do something everyday.

Let me know if this is helpful!

Peace!

(BTW, If you’d like me to email you when “Refined” is available, email me here.)

A note about Goals.  You have to be able to control the goal.  If you say, “I have a goal of increasing our customer/congregation base by 25%,” you’re in for a let down.  The reason is you can’t control if people like your product or church.  But you can say, “I have a goal to make 25% more people contacts this year.”  That’s measurable.  That’s a goal!

Here is one of the methods that I use for goal setting.  It is from speaker/author Brian Tracy:

1 – Decide what you want.  What do you really want for your life this year?  To influence a certain people group?  To climb a mountain or run a marathon?
2 – Write it down.
3 – Set a deadline. Remember that a goal without a deadline is only a dream.  If the goal is huge (e.g. write my first novel), then set sub-deadlines (e.g. finish one chapter per month).
4 – Brainstorm a list of everything you can think of that you could do to accomplish this.
5 – Organize the list.  What is the sequence (i.e. what has to come first, etc) and what is the priority (i.e. what is the most important item on this list?).  Accomplish that first.
6 – Do something.  This is the most crucial of the list.  “Simple action gets things done.  Focused action changes the world!”  (I just made that up.  Feel free to Tweet it )
7 – Do something everyday.

Monday, I’ll give you an activity to put these 7 steps into play for 2012 and let you know some of my goals.

Peace

This year is a bit different.  This year, I’m resolving to set goals.  Resolutions depend on willpower.  Goals are marked by steps.  Resolutions are all or nothing.  Goals ebb and flow with the rhythms of life.  Resolutions end up as another contribution to the trash basket of failure.  Goals end up changing your life one step at a time.  Brian Tracy said, “Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.”

So how does one set goals and ultimately achieve them? The next blogs will lay out a simple way of setting and achieving goals.  So check back soon.

Peace!

And this is where I found myself, in search of my wife’s favorite parfume – as the rich people spell it.  Frozen two steps inside the front glassed doors, my eyes shifting around for something with which I was familiar.  Overstimulated by smells and sights, I forced myself forward to the cash register lady.  As I politely waited to ask her where my potential gift was, I locked eyes with someone who was standing frozen in the back corner of the bazarre.  It was another guy.  We were the only two among thousands – at least it seemed that way.  He, holding his wife’s items and me holding my breath.  A slight smile cut across both of our faces.  We didn’t have to say it.  We didn’t have to talk.  In that moment, we knew what the word “Sacrifice” was all about.

In acknowledgement of our collective maleness and in concert, we up-knodded to each other knowing full well that neither of us HAD to be there but instead, chose to be.  The Sacrifice was for our wives whom we love.  The Sacrifice was so we could bring joy to their worlds and peace in our homes.

To my Buddy in ULTA I say, “Well done, good and faithful husband … Well done.”

Peace!

This is exactly like the message of Christmas.  To those who don’t believe, the phrase “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” is a trivial statement.  To those who know the meaning, it is the wonderful message that Jesus is the Messiah.  He came to set us free from the guilt of our sin.  He gave us life forever!  The MadGab phrase is not a mystery anymore.

Now it all makes sense.  When I die, I know I’m going to heaven because Jesus was born, died and rose again.  That’s it.  As it says in Romans 16:25-27:

“Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time.  But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him.   All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.”

May the Christmas message of Christ be revealed to you in a new way!

“May Reek Wrist Must” (Merry Christmas)