Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by John Townsend from his book, People Fuel (p. 72). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Right before this John said, “I use the term relational nutrients to drive home the reality that these aren’t things you can make up in your head. They come from the outside of you, from the right kinds of relationships, from people who can dispense them to you. The different aspects of grace and truth—which is another, broader way of describing the nutrients—provided over time, come from our relationships with God and with people. That is why the horizontal… is so important. Remember that God created a system in which the vertical is not enough for us. He designed us to be fueled by his Spirit, his Word, and his people. When we truly become what I call relationally oriented, rather than self-sufficient, everything changes for the better.” And we need that to be true, don ’ t we? He goes on, “We can’t ‘do the relatio

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