Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2016-02-02) from his book, 3 Things Successful People Do: The Road Map That Will Change Your Life (p. 114). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. ( Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) John in this book is dealing with success and he asks a question that many of us would ask, “Doesn’t success mean avoiding failure?”   And that seems like a good question. But John says, “The answer is no. All of us fail. As we travel, we all hit potholes, take wrong turns, or forget to check the radiator. The only person who avoids failure altogether is the person who never leaves her driveway. So the real issue is not whether you’re going to fail. It’s whether you’re going to fail successfully (profiting from your failure) or allow failure to send you on a permanent detour. As Nelson Boswell observed, ‘The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often how an individual views mistakes.’ If you want to continue on the success journ

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2016-02-02) from his book, 3 Things Successful People Do: The Road Map That Will Change Your Life (p. 109). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. ( Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you found that fear can be a powerful deterrent in living our life to its fullest?   It really can be but as John says, “Most of the fears we face every day are not based on facts. They are generated by our feelings.”   And that is so important to understand.   John shares a study conducted by the University of Michigan which showed the following: “• 60 percent of our fears are totally unwarranted; they never come to pass. • 20 percent of our fears are focused on our past, which is completely out of our control. • 10 percent of our fears are based on things so petty that they make no difference in our lives. • Of the remaining 10 percent, only 4 to 5 percent could be considered justifiable.” He then says, “These statistics show

A thought by John Ortberg (2016-05-01) from his book, What Is God's Will for My Life? (p. 49). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. ( Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) It is true in any relationship, there is more to it than what I want out of it.   John says, “A full relationship with God will include intimacy, confession, worship, gratitude, learning, receiving encouragement, and surrender. ” He goes on, “These are all elements needed for me to become the kind of person God can use to achieve his good and great will. The critical question when it comes to guidance is not ‘Is God willing to give guidance?’ It’s ‘Am I becoming the kind of person it makes sense for God to give guidance to?’ When I am selfish or greedy or resentful, any knowledge I might gain about the future would simply enable me to do more harm.”  That makes sense doesn't it? Earlier he said, “It’s a wonderful gift to be able to ask God for guidance