Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Andy Stanley from his book,   Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets   (p. 19). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That probably isn't the way it should be, but it is. Andy says, "You have talked yourself into . . . deceived yourself into . . . every bad decision you have ever made. Worse, you were the mastermind behind most of your regrettable decisions. Financial, relational, professional, academic. You were there for and willingly participated in all of ’em. "You’ve done more to undermine you own success and progress than anyone on the planet. Granted, there were outside pressures. Other voices. People promising you stuff. Maybe even threatening you with stuff. But in the end, you decided. But in most cases, you didn’t decide by carefully weighing all the options and seeking wise counsel. You did the opposite." He goes on, "In many instances, maybe even most, you knew better. Or, you should have known

A thought by Andy Stanley from his book,   Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets   (p. 11). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) So what does he mean by that? Andy says, "When we see other people make what we know to be bad decisions, it’s as if they are strategically and intentionally undermining their own happiness. It takes a lot of planning to marry someone you are incompatible with. It takes time and energy to launch a business built on faulty assumptions and poor market analysis. Think about all the paperwork couples have to wade through to purchase a house they can’t afford or apply for a loan they will struggle to repay. In most cases, these weren’t spur-of-the-moment decisions. It took planning." "Nobody decides to blow up a marriage. But every divorce is on the tail end of a string of decisions, including the decision to get married in the first place. Nobody decides to raise irresponsible, codependent children. But l

A thought by Andy Stanley from his book,   Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets   (p. 8). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And direction and quality are what we want. Andy says, "Our decisions determine the direction and quality of our lives. Your decisions have shaped the direction and quality of your life so far—for good and for . . . well, maybe not so good. You are where you are for the most part because of decisions you’ve made. "So yeah, it’s your fault. I thought we should get that out of the way up front. But it’s not all bad news. "Regret and disappointment aren’t the only things spilling out of your decision pipeline. Your greatest joys and accomplishments are as well. Moral of the story: regardless of how things are going or have gone, you are responsible for you. You get to write the story." He goes on, "If you’re like most people, you would like to go back and unmake a few decisions—the decisions t

  A thought by Andy Stanley from his book, Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets (p. 1). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) I'm sure every child thinks this to be true. Andy says, "I thought it was terrible, anyway.  "He wouldn’t tell me what to do.  "Specifically, he wouldn’t tell me what to do when I didn’t know what to do and wanted him to tell me what he thought I should do." He goes on, "True, most kids don’t want their parents telling them what to do. And I was like most kids most of the time. But on occasion, I wanted him to tell me what to do. And he wouldn’t. Worse, instead of answering my questions, he asked me questions! His go-to question was: What are you going to do when I’m not around to tell you what to do? "My go-to response was: But you are around, so tell me! "Clearly, his response did not indicate a lack of interest on his part. Just the opposite. As it turns out, I employed th

A thought by Shaun Nepstad from his book,  Don't Quit in the Dip  (p. 92). Worthy. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is the whole thought, "God has a best, but mediocrity always seems reasonable when you doubt God’s best." And that is true too many times, isn't it? Shaun says, "Tell yourself right now, I’m not going to settle. Do not settle for the thought that God is to be seen from a distance but not experienced. Do not believe the lie that this is all there is in life. God has more available. But He needs you to not settle and to never quit in the dip." He later says, "Sometimes we settle because we get tired, and other times we settle because we get distracted. That’s why it is so important to keep vision in front of us. 'Where there is no vision, the people perish' (Proverbs 29:18 KJV). "You may have heard the phrase 'vision leaks.' That means that we can get inspired, but if we d

A thought by Shaun Nepstad from his book,  Don't Quit in the Dip  (p. 86). Worthy. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Do you feel you have a lid over your potential, something that is keeping you from fulfilling your dream? Shaun says, "A lid, by definition, is 'a removable or hinged cover' (per Dictionary.com)." He goes on, "READ THAT AGAIN. I want to make sure you catch it, because there’s good news tucked inside that definition. It’s removable! Meaning, as my friend and leadership expert John Maxwell so many times reminds us, 'You can lift the lid!' There is hope that the lid can be removed. I don’t care how long the lid has been over your life, and it doesn’t matter how heavy you think it is. That lid can be removed, whether it be guilt and shame, or the negative words that have been spoken over you, or the weight of current circumstances. What I’m trying to say is, you’re not as boxed in as you think. &quo

  A thought by Shaun Nepstad from his book,  Don't Quit in the Dip  (p. 79). Worthy. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And that is such a very good thought. Shaun says, "In 1 John 1:9, we read this promise: 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'" He goes on, "Asking for forgiveness looks like this: God, I’m so sorry for going my own way. I confess I have allowed other things to come before You. Today, I’m reordering the list. Forgive me my sin and cleanse me. I’m putting You first again. Be specific. Invite Him to be Lord again. Then He will do something that is almost unexplainable. When you reset the order, He resets your heart. Resets your life to the manufacturer settings. He makes you brand-new." He then says, "In the dip, we’re looking for direction in life and feel so confused. When you reorder the list and make God firs