Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2012-10-02) from his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential (p. 131). Center Street. Kindle Edition. It is but it is also beneficial to see it right after it happens.   If you do then you will be able to learn from it.   That is the key in every negative experience to learn something from it. John also said, “Where there is no struggle, there is no progress. Facing difficulties is inevitable. Learning from them is optional.”   You can choose to change the negative into a positive. Have you learned to do that?   When we get the fact that God is a sovereign God into our life view and that nothing comes into the life of a Christian that doesn’t first go through God’s love then we are constantly looking for His reason for it happening.   That brings into focus the purpose of all things coming into our lives.   God caused it or allowed it and He will bring something good from it into our lives. Even when Sat

A thought by John C Maxwell (2012-10-02) from his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential (p. 130). Center Street. Kindle Edition. God has created each one of us with the ability to be creative.   The problem is the cares and negatives of life seem to push it way down inside of us.   But it is in those bad experiences that our creativity can rise to the top and create a way out of those experiences.   Our problem is we stay in a hopeless state and rob ourselves of the potential answer. Let me say it again, God has created each one of us with the ability to be creative.   Now it is in chaos that most new ideas come into existence.   John says, “The secret to doing that is to use the energy that comes from either adrenaline or anger and use it to solve problems and learn lessons.”   God gives us the ability to find the answer, to solve the problem. He tells the story of a chicken farmer whose land was flooded each spring.   The water would

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2012-10-02) from his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential (p. 129). Center Street. Kindle Edition. Have you come to grips with that first statement yet?   You and I can’t really control much of what happens to us.   We can gripe at it, we can demand something different but can we really bring about change?    But here is the key; any potential change comes about because of my attitude toward it.   I can change my attitude toward it.   I do have control of that and then I may see a change in the situation. I like how John says it, “If I have a positive life stance the good and bad will become better. If I have a negative life stance the good and bad will become worse. Therefore I choose a positive life stance.”   There is where the change happens, either good or bad.  It is in our attitude. So where do you need an attitude change?   It will take work.   But it will be worth it. So why don’t you sta

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus (2003-09-04) from his book , Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul (Kindle Locations 3349-3350). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. I had never thought of it that way.   I understand the fear of the unknown but there is no adventure in the known.   Of course so many want security in their life, they want to know. He goes on to say, “After all if someone can simply tell us the future, we can abdicate any responsibility on our part. All we have to do is just let it happen.”   But if that is true why am I even here?   I’m just a pawn to be moved from here to there.   But I am a creation of God whom He placed here to be used to create the future.   I have a purpose, a part to play in making this world different and I am challenged and excited about that.   I like that.   I revel  in that even as a 65+ retiree.   God has created me to create something even today. But for those of you who fear the future, Erwin goes on to say, “He (God) offers us c

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus (2003-09-04) from his book, Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul (Kindle Locations 3347-3348). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. And we are in the midst of a lot of anxiety right now with what is happening in Washington D. C..   I mean it’s the government that we have put our trust in to take care of us isn't it?    But with the Republicans in control of the House and the Democrats in the Senate and the Presidency, life as we know it is in chaos right now.      Now here is my problem.   Who as a Christian am I really to put my trust in?   My thought is my trust is to be in God.   He is the one whom I have given over control of my life.   So why should I be so concerned?   The Republicans and the Democrats don’t have my best interest at heart.   If they did they would be getting together and solving this problem.   No, God has my best interest and He is working all things out for my good even in this chaos in Washington.   He has a plan and He

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2012-10-02) from his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential (p. 106). Center Street. Kindle Edition. John then said that to compensate for that fact he usually multiplies by two.   He says, “If I think something will take me an hour to do, I plan for double to stay out of trouble. If I think a project will take a week to accomplish, I allot two. If I think a goal will require $ 1,000 to fund, I set aside $ 2,000. Two isn’t a magic number— it just seems to work for me. I’ve found that multiplying everything by two infuses realism into my optimism.” I just thought that would be something good to pass on to you.   For one it shows the importance of planning.   So many people just make decisions totally off the cuff and then wake up with a mountain of problems.   They hadn’t set down and put some thought to it before they decided to do it, whatever it is. Another thing to see is the fact that there is so much o

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2012-10-02) from his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential (p. 95). Center Street. Kindle Edition. It is such a temptation to live in our past or to live in the future.   Granted there are lessons to be learned from our past and growth to happen in our future but today is when it is done.   Take for instance my challenge to learn more about Jesus so I am reading His story through the Gospels 13 times in 2013.   Now that is accomplished by me reading four to five chapters every day.   I read two right before I started writing this blog.   It will happen by doing something now. I want to be a very effective, growing, and creative retiree.   There are things to learn and difference making things to do even at 65+ but it is done in the now.   My ship isn’t coming in, I am on it and rowing it right now.   What I will accomplish tomorrow is being done today. Who are you becoming?   Who are you with and what are