Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by John Townsend from his book, People Fuel (p. 70). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Ok, let’s say that. John goes on, “The objective memory is the facts: he didn’t attend to the client’s needs in time to preserve the business relationship. The subjective memory is shame, guilt, and a sense of defeat. Feeling shame! “We know that shame, guilt, and defeat can paralyze a person; it does no good for him or the organization. So when a competent boss analyzes what happened, he is best served by doing two things. He affirms the facts: ‘Yes, the loss of the account is your responsibility, and it was a significant failure.’ But then instead of heaping on more shame, guilt, and defeat, he says, ‘I understand how you’re beating yourself up over this. At the same time, I believe in you and your talents. I am not overly concerned about this, because I know your character. I had my own learning curve in your po

A thought by John Townsend from his book, People Fuel (p. 62). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) This is the middle of the three proper elements for growth.   They are grace, truth and time. John says, “Truth informs, educates, enlightens, corrects, and confronts us. Every time you drive across a bridge, you are trusting the truths of the laws of physics and engineering which the construction was based on. When you read a book that gives you a new way to think, you are experiencing truth. “There are many ways we can take truth into our minds and lives, among them: •​ The Bible , which informs and guides us •​ Research , the systematic analysis leading to truthful conclusions and principles about medicine, careers, sports, families, and theology •​ Experts , those individuals who have high levels of data about their subject •​ Feedback , the personal insights and observations that people who know us well

A thought by John Townsend from his book, People Fuel (p. 65). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And we all have the same amount of time each day, don’t we? John continues the thought, “They are aware of it and of how little we have in life, so they order their days so as to make the most of them. ‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom’ (Ps. 90:12). “One of the most important uses of this prioritizing is to utilize time as the oven of growth. In this oven, various aspects of grace and truth are heated up, mixed, and melded. The outcome is a dish that is superior to the original, uncooked ingredients. “Growth and change—real and substantive change—tends to take longer than we anticipate. We are an impatient species, and we much prefer a microwave oven approach. But if we allow God’s process to work, growth happens in its correct season.” John goes on, “You will also find that at