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“Your perception of and response to your mistakes determine whether your actions are failures.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2000-03-08) from his book, Failing Forward: How to Makethe Most of Your Mistakes (p. 15). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. I read this book back in 2008 when it came out and found it very beneficial and practical then picked it up again and found it to be the same in 2015.  Mistakes can be enemies for us in so many ways but they also can be very close friends.  It is all in our perspective and response to them. John says, “You are the only person who can really label what you do a failure.”  And that makes the difference in whether it is your friend or your enemy.  John says, “According to Tulane University business professor Lisa Amos, the average for entrepreneurs is 3.8 failures before they finally make it in business. They are not deterred by problems, mistakes, or errors. Why? Because they don't see setbacks as failures. They recognize that three steps forward and two steps back still equals one step forward. And as a result, they ove

“Feelings are, with a few exceptions, good servants. But they are disastrous masters.”

A thought by Dallas Willard (2014-02-01) from his book, Renovation of the Heart: PuttingOn the Character of Christ (p. 122). NavPress. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And so many in this day have let our feeling be our masters.  What do I feel like eating?  What do I feel like doing?  I feel like they slighted me.  I don’t feel like going to church today.  I don’t feel like doing what is right.  I just don’t feel like it.  Our feelings too many times have become our masters and that can be disastrous. This is so important to realize.  Dallas says, “In a situation such as today, by contrast, where people constantly have— or think they have— to decide what to do, they will almost invariably be governed by feelings. Often they cannot distinguish between their feelings and their will, and in their confusion they also quite commonly take feelings to be reasons. And they will in general lack any significant degree of self-control. This wi

“You cannot choose conditions and reject the consequences.”

A thought by Dallas Willard (2014-02-01) from his book, Renovation of the Heart: PuttingOn the Character of Christ (p. 111). NavPress. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) This is such an important principle for us to come to really understand. Dallas says, “Our present American culture boasts of complete freedom in what one sees, says, and hears. Many professing Christians are paralyzed or even destroyed by adopting this ‘freedom’ as a lifestyle. For they allow images into their mind that eventually overwhelm them. If we allow everything access to our mind, we are simply asking to be kept in a state of mental turmoil or bondage. For nothing enters the mind without having an effect for good or evil. You may say, ‘I want to be open to think of anything, imagine anything, have all feelings, see everything. What do you think freedom of thought is all about? This is America!’ Well, then you must take the consequences.” It is imperative t

“Without correct information, our ability to think has nothing to work on.”

A thought by Dallas Willard (2014-02-01) from his book, Renovation of the Heart: PuttingOn the Character of Chris t (p. 103). NavPress. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) There are many different reasons why I believe God has given me the opportunity and challenge to write this particular blog.  One of them is to expose you to information from difference sources to help you learn and grow in your life.  As the writer of Proverbs says in chapter 11 verse 14 (Msg), “Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.” Of course the Bible is the place we start, but then there are other writers who give us so much to learn from.  I want to expose you to them. As Dallas says, “Lack of information results in everything from unpleasant burdens to stark tragedies, across the entire range of human life. Not knowing about resources at a public library or on the Internet may mean that a

“Images increase the danger of inadequate ideas.”

A thought by Dallas Willard (2014-02-01) from his book, Renovation of the Heart: PuttingOn the Character of Christ (p. 100). NavPress. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Does that make sense to you?  Here is what Dallas says, “The image one has of oneself, for example, can override everything else and cause one to act in ways contrary to all reality and good sense. Those who have been rejected or abused as children or have lived with addicted or ‘cold’ parents, have distorted images of themselves and of ‘reality.’” He then goes on and says, “Individuals who suffer from a poor image of themselves are caught up in self-rejection and have no defenses against group pressures. They do not see themselves as the objects of God’s love, and they have no place to make a stand.” He then quotes, Henri Nouwen who noted, “Success, popularity and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way th

“Our ability to plan for the future must constantly run ahead of reality.”

A thought by Dallas Willard (2014-02-01) from his book, Renovation of the Heart: PuttingOn the Character of Christ (p. 96). NavPress. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I had put down on my Facebook this morning this thought, “Here it is, another new day, new week, new adventure with new challenges and new posts to write. I've never lived this week but I face it with confidence and enthusiasm. I can face it because God is out ahead preparing the way.”  But there are so many realists out there who face their week with fear and discouragement instead of confidence and excitement.  And both of those ideas start as thoughts within our mind. Dallas says, “A will that runs ahead depends, of course, upon our abilities to think; and what we think, imagine, believe, or guess sets boundaries to what we can will or choose, and therefore to what we can create.” Now what boundaries have you set for your week?  So many negative thinkers will

“Our thoughts are one of the most basic sources of our life.”

A thought by Dallas Willard (2014-02-01) from his book, Renovation of the Heart: PuttingOn the Character of Christ (p. 96). NavPress. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Dallas continues, “They determine the orientation of everything we do and evoke the feelings that frame our world and motivate our actions. Interestingly, you can’t evoke thoughts by feeling a certain way, but you can evoke and to some degree control feelings by directing your thoughts. Our power over our thoughts is of great and indispensable assistance in directing and controlling our feelings, which themselves are not directly under the guidance of our will. We cannot just choose our feelings.” I have been looking for something all morning.  I still haven’t found it but my feelings about what will happen if I can’t find it have been out of control and they have messed up to some extent my day.  I even have had a problem with setting down and focusing on finding a thou