2016: The Year in Review

The Year in Review

There is so much that could be said for any year, let alone this one, but I will lead off by saying, “WOW that sure went FAST!!”  My family had a great year together.  We have seen growth in our faith and there is nothing more important than that.

Together we have seen and done many things from watching our church kids play baseball to leaving thank you notes on the cars of veterans.  We work at life together and I am thankful for the hearts full of love, concern, and compassion found in Angie and Olivia.  I learn from them daily.

By watching Olivia in her element with the school choir I have gained a greater love for music and the arts, and the role they can play in our society.  Especially memorable was the two days we spent in Little Rock for the State Honor Choir.  These two days Olivia and approximately 50 other youngsters were under the direction of Raynard Brown.  Mr. Brown was a fantastic role model and teacher for these kids, not only on the music front, but in the beauty, diversity, and necessary unity of life.  The stories he told and the passion he had for life and doing things the right way likely will not be forgotten by anyone privileged enough to be there.

I have been awed and amazed by the work the youth of our church puts in throughout the year, and most certainly when they prepare for and execute their annual mission trip, under the direction of our incredible youth minister, David Lawrence.  Our world is a better place because of this group and others like it that give freely of themselves to advance the cause of Christ.  Us older dogs can learn some mighty good new tricks from them.

While Olivia and the youth were away Angie and I got the opportunity to spend a day reacquainting ourselves with the beauty of God’s creation with a driving tour of North Central Arkansas.  This was followed up a few weeks later by a trip back to that area, with Olivia, that included a tour of the amazing Blanchard Springs Cavern.  This opened up a new realm of amazement, for me, of the intricacy and detail of God’s creation.

Over the course of 2016 I have read (includes listening to audiobooks) 51 books plus the entire Bible.  As someone who did not enjoy reading as a kid it is amazing now to see these kinds of numbers of books and the amount of useful information available to us if we just go out and become a sponge soaking it up.  

Top 7 Reads/Listens

From 2016

1. “George Washington’s Secret Six

By Brian Kilmeade

2) “Getting Things Done”

By David Allen

3) “The Last Lecture”

By Randy Pausch

4) “Creativity Inc.”

By Ed Catmull

5) “A More Perfect Union”

By Dr. Ben Carson

6) “The Automatic Millionaire”

By David Bach

7) “The Field of Fight”

By Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn

Our family has been blessed in these ways and so many more during 2016.  God’s blessing has been evident and for that we are thankful.  May 2017 draw us nearer to Him and one another, and may you and your family be blessed immensely and your faith grow like kudzu in a southern forest.

What are your best memories from the previous year?  By sharing them and opening up to what can be, with God, in 2017 you will Do Well!

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a BLESSED New Year!

Midweek Motivation 12/21/16

Monday Morsel #37

Here is a little jewel of wisdom from the late great Paul Harvey.  For those of you too young to remember, Mr. Harvey was the "MostTrusted Man in America" for many years doing his short daily messages on radio.

Now for the rest of the story. . .

"If pro is the opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress?"
Paul Harvey

Too bad we don't have this paragon of simple wisdom any longer.

Twas a Week Before Christmas

Twas a Week Before Christmas

Exactly one week from today it will be Christmas Day.  What does that mean for you this week?  If you are not finished with the shopping then you are not alone one study indicates that only 43% of people are completely finished with their shopping heading into the final week.

The bigger question is what percentage of your shopping have you completed?  The lower that number the higher your stress is likely to be coming down the stretch.  I know from experience that there are a multitude of reasons that we wind up in the haphazard, harried, holiday blitz mode.  First of all time slips away, second we are easily distracted, and finally we are trying to stretch every last dollar out of our payroll checks.

Why do we do it all?  This is a wonderful question and I am not sure that I have the right answer(s).  The most simple answer I can give is that it is what we have always done.  No this isn't an elegant or theological answer, but it is the best one I have to offer.  Looking at this from the same perspective we look at our business interests I would then have to ask, is that the best way to do this?  The answer here can be even more complex for most folks, but I am going counter-intuitive here and will say no that this is not the best way to do this. 

So, if this isn't the best way to do this, then how could we do it better?  My first thought would be to scale it back.  Yes the Wise Men in the Christmas story brought fine gifts, but they did not bring a truckload (they didn't even have trucks then).  Second don't get hung up on the calendar, those same wise men took a long time to reach Bethlehem and were not there immediately upon Jesus birth as is so often portrayed.  Finally concentrate on gratitude.  We have all been blessed immensely, and wanting to share from our bounty is a great thing, I would never encourage a selfish heart.  However, trying to outdo, outbuy, or one-up our friends and relatives with what we give is not a winning tradition.  Give from the heart and if there are those who are ungrateful then that is a problem of their heart not yours.  I would further suggest, and this may not be popular, but if you have those who have a history of ingratitude in receiving your gifts then you may consider crossing them off your list in the future.

What suggestions do you have for simplifying the season, or re-engineering how we celebrate?  I would love to hear from you with ideas of your own.  Together we can make this life better, and can all Do Well!

Midweek Motivation 12/14/16

Midweek Motivation

12/14/16

There is a different sort of beauty bound up in the holiday season.

Look for it,

and you can find it in

the decorations,

the music,

and the children.

Monday Morsel #36

Monday Morsel #36

As Christmas approaches we have a lot on our plates.  To truly enjoy the season it would be helpful for each of us to schedule down time, and to not get so overwhelmed with the activities of the season that we become overly stressed.  What does your schedule look like this week?

Technical DIfficulties

Technical Difficulties

This morning I am experiencing several 

technical difficulties and 

will look to resolve them later 

in the day.

Please look for my regular 

Monday Morsel post

later today, 

and return to my weekly 

musings next Sunday.

Apologies,

Terry

Midweek Motivation 12/7/16

"Mechanization best serves mediocrity."
Frank Lloyd Wright

While mechanization has led to many advances in our society, it has also driven us to lose a lot of our humanity.  The startling growth we have seen in technology has diluted many of our relationships.  Even in this forum with a potentially broad reach many of the connections are tenuous at best.  Can we rise above mediocrity, to excellence, and regain some of that lost humanity?  I'm game, how about you?

Monday Morsel #35

Discipline is the soul of an army.  It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.
George Washington

Discipline cuts across every aspect of our lives, and when we learn to harness its power things begin to change for the better.  How is your discipline these days?

Joy to the World?

Joy to the World?

There are few things in our world today that can simultaneously bring out both the best and the worst in people, the annual excursion through the holiday season is one of those things.  We can witness the madness of “Black Friday” (which pretty much isn’t even on Friday any longer) to communities coming together to provide for those who are less fortunate.  Throughout this period emotions run high and free time seems to evaporate into thin air, leaving us dazed, confused, and exhausted.

If Christmas is supposed to be a Christian holiday (which is debatable), then we should remember that the primary sign of our faith is our love for one another as seen in the following passage:

“A new commandment I give to you,

That you love one another:

Just as I have loved you,

You also are to love one another.

By this all people will know

That you are my disciples,

If you have love for one another.”

John 13:34-35

English Standard Version

It is not then the gifts that we provide that should be a priority but the way we conduct our lives daily.  Yes, enjoy and participate in the madness that is the Christmas season, but no don’t give up your identity in search of the biggest, fastest, newest vegetable slicer that not only slices, dices, or cubes, but also self-seasons at the touch of a finger.  The greatest gift we can provide is respect for those we come into contact with, and a legitimate love and concern for their soul.

Here are a few suggestions for keeping your sanity and your faith through this hectic time of year:

1. Make sure your faith is a priority in your life.  This should always be true, but when we get busy it is easy to get on a bad slide.
2. Prepare ahead of time.  At this point that may just mean keeping a list of items yet to be done/purchased and a timeline of when things need to be complete.  On a grander scale as this season ends start thinking about next year.  After Christmas sales are a great way to get the ball rolling, if you can store items without forgetting about them.
3. Plan times of rest and relaxation.  For some it may be a block of time to take a long, hot bath while for others it could be settling in to watch one of the many excellent Christmas movies, or a quiet time to read.  
4. Don’t get over-scheduled.  There is tremendous power in being able to say no, and it will help lower your anxiety as your calendar begins to clear and conform to your priorities.

I am certain there are other positive strategies available to us, but the key is to find what works for you, and remember that the other people you encounter on the roads, in the stores, or at work/school are probably just as stressed as you are.  If we will each show a bit of courtesy and respect then the holidays will flow so much better and truly be a season of Joy to the World.  It is my hope that this writing will stimulate you to think of how you can lower your own stress and contribute to lowering someone else’s along the way.  If you do, then you will Do Well!

Midweek Motivation

You can see and you can listen, but you have to have moments in which you feel.
Mike Krzyzewski

Monday Morsel #34

Consistency Continued. . .

In my weekly post I spoke about consistency and it's importance to long-term success.  With all the activities of the holiday season it is imperative that you try to maintain much of your daily framework so that you are not overcome by the craziness. 

May you successfully navigate the challenges of this especially unique season.

Consistency Wins

Consistency Wins

Few things in life are more boring than consistency.  It is not trendy, nor is it flashy.  However the results speak for themselves.  Consistency wins.

Most of us are familiar with the story of the tortoise and the hare.  How is it that the lowly slow-moving tortoise wins, in the end?  It is the power of consistency.  The tortoise does not get caught up in the hoopla surrounding the race, nor does it become distracted like the hare.  It just keeps moving forward.

In all aspects of our lives the greatest victories we gain will primarily come over the long run, not in the short-term.  Our Christian walk is the faithful journey through life overcoming the difficulties we face by clinging to the hope that we have in Jesus.  It involves consistently praying, engaging in worship, and serving others.  Ultimately the victory occurs in, of all places, death.  When we release our last faithful breath then we find ourselves in the presence of Jesus.

Likewise, to win with our health is a long-term proposition requiring the power of consistency.  If we want to maintain or improve our health it does not occur overnight by wishing or speaking it into being.  A healthy outcome is most often associated with a healthy lifestyle where choices are consistently made for the better path.  This may mean changing your alarm clock to an earlier setting to get up and get your day started with exercise, or going to bed earlier to get more sleep.  It often means a more thoughtful and consistent approach to food as fuel, not the feeding of the "pleasure principle".  Personally this is my biggest struggle in the health arena, I LOVE to eat, and, as with most of us, my preferences are not always for the healthiest foods in the fridge.

Winning with our money follows a similar path.  The big winners more often than not are those who look to finish strong by making small choices to defer short term or instant gratification for something larger and more substantial at a later date.  This means taking considered reasonable steps over the course of our working lives to seek a bigger future win.  This does not preclude the possibility of having some victories along the way such as some fabulous vacations, a comfortable home, or practical vehicle.  It does however mean that there may be times where you pass on taking a vacation to concentrate on some other aspect of your well-being, or that rather than purchasing your "dream home" at 25 or 30 that you pinch a few pennies and live in a comfortable home that has elements of your dream while building your financial house to better allow you into the "dream home" without jeopardizing your stability.  Do your homework on finance and live a crock pot financial life rather than a microwave life.

I could go on to touch other areas but will stop here for now.  I am sure you are beginning to see my point here.  The lies of the world regularly try to get us to make snap decisions by distracting us with the "shiny prize" of the moment taking our eyes off the better prize that can be had down the road.  Don't be distracted.  Consider what it is in all aspects of your life that is the substantial, lasting prize that will bring joy to you, then don't be wooed by the "fools gold" that will surely come to steal your attention.  

If you will set a course and consistently seek it you can achieve great things.  It takes faith, vision, and understanding.  Each of these can be found in Christ, and the beginning and determined fostering of this relationship will help lead you through the battlegrounds that will lie ahead.  Take charge by letting go and letting God consistently lead you, and your paths will not always be smooth, but you will never lack support and consistency will become easier to practice.

Today I speak to myself as well as each of you, seek consistency!  It is a primary ingredient in the recipe for success.  When we practice consistency in seeking our goals we will Do Well. 

Midweek Motivation; Thanksgiving 2016 Edition

Midweek Motivation:

Thanksgiving 2016 Edition

The question above in my crudely constructed graphic (not my specialty, obviously) may seem odd at this time of year.  Typically we are asked for what or who are we thankful?  This question however gives us a moment of self-reflection to consider how we impact the lives of others.  If you can't think of any or perhaps only a small handful of people who would be on this list, then you might need to check your attitudes and actions, as should I.  My hope is that next year your list will have grown significantly!

Celebrate your blessings, for they truly are many!

Happy Thanksgiving and Best Wishes.

Gratitude: The Forgotten Virtue

grat·i·tude

ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/

noun

1. the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
2. "she expressed her gratitude to the committee for their support"

synonyms:

gratefulness, thankfulness, thanks, appreciation, indebtedness;

Gratitude

The Forgotten Virtue

If you were to type  Gratitude into the Google search engine above is what you would find returned for you.  In the world we live in today this virtue seems to be all but forgotten.  Gratitude is something we struggle with in a big way.  Our American culture has become so enamored with power, prestige, and popularity that we tend to overlook what we already possess.

With Thanksgiving approaching this week I feel that this topic of GRATITUDE is well worth spending some time on.  There is no doubt that each of us has those things in our lives that bring us down or present challenges, and if we allow ourselves to dwell upon them our moods will be sour and our outlook downcast.  It is far too easy to fall into this trap and be the Eeyore in the room.  

Let it not be!  I think back to one of the classic TV comedies of all time, The Beverly Hillbillies, and an episode when Granny had been overcome by her “corn squeezins” and was marching around the yard singing, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart. . . “  No I am anything but advocating hitting the bottle to find your joy.  What I am saying is that if we have joy in our heart the difficult things of this life will not bring us all the way down.  If we are a Christian we can know true joy, that joy that is not to be confused with happiness, but a hope and contentment knowing that God will take care of us.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:22-26 NKJV

From www.biblegateway.com

I believe that if we take this passage from the New Testament of the Bible and look at it as a roadmap for life then we can have tremendous impact in our outlook and our relationships.  My personal view is that if we begin in faith we will know how to love and be loved, which in itself is a great source of joy.  It is through our relationships with God, family, friends and others that we experience and refine this process.  If we take these first two seriously then we will be far more able to live in peace, be patient, and show ourselves to be kind and good.  Each of these then builds us up in faith, and as we become more like Christ then we learn gentleness and self-control.

One of the primary ways to express our joy is through gratitude.  When we were little children one of the first relational items we are taught is to say thank you.  This is a fundamental practice that we have begun to overlook and it results in the entitlement mindset that has become so prevalent in modern America and around the world.  We are owed nothing but a common defense and an opportunity live peaceably together in liberty by our government.  This is spelled out in full in the Constitution of the United States of America.  We are also owed nothing from our creator.  He out of His graciousness has offered us a way to reconcile back to Him recognizing that all blessing emanates from His hand.  

With that I will give you a few items for which I am grateful this Thanksgiving season and encourage you to Do Well in considering the things for which you are grateful:

• I continue to be thankful for God’s mercy and His grace which has saved my soul, and continually washes me clean even when I fall through the mire.
• I am thankful for the loving wife He has given me in Angie, and the wonderful daughter in Olivia
• I am thankful to live in a magnificent home that many around the world would call a mansion, with the shelter it provides and the stability and security we find within it.
• I am thankful to be a part of a Bible believing, hard-working group of Christians at the Center Hill Church of Christ http://www.centerhillchurchofchrist.com/
• I am thankful for all my family and friends that enrich my life daily or have taught me great lessons throughout the course of my life.
• I am thankful for the job that God has provided where I can be a support to those who practice the healing arts (St Bernards Healthcare) with wisdom, compassion and concern on a daily basis.
• I am thankful for the abilities that God has given me, and the skills he has allowed me to develop from them that allow me to serve Him by serving others
• I am thankful to live and work in communities like Paragould and Jonesboro where the vast majority of the people still hold to Christian values and viewpoints even when there are a great number who choose not to participate actively in worship and service.
• I am thankful to have the level of health that I currently enjoy.  Despite having health problems they are manageable with good choices and medical oversight
• I am thankful for the power of prayer and the results I have seen in others who have been surrounded in prayer during difficult times and come out the other side.  Cancer survivors like Brandie Lieblong and Ellen Cable, and others who have dealt with tremendous difficulties come to mind.
• I am thankful to live in a nation where I have the freedom to worship the true and living God, and to present my thoughts in a forum such as this.
• I am thankful for those who serve in our military, law enforcement, and emergency medical arenas not knowing what each day will bring and putting themselves in difficult and dangerous situations each day.

This list just begins to scratch the surface of all that I have to be thankful for, and it can only come from God.  Look at your world, and see what He has done for you.  Show thanks to God and to those in your life that have been sent to you as part of His divine plan.  Don’t allow gratitude to be a forgotten virtue in your life.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

MidWeek Motivation 11/16/16: Making Tough Choices with Kid President

Wisdom often comes in small packages. Kid President is Dealing it in this video!Kid President on Choices

Monday Morsel #33

Coming together is a beginning
Keeping together is progress,
Working together is success.

Henry Ford

Veterans Day and Beyond

Veterans Day

And

Beyond

On Friday we Americans observed the Veterans Day holiday.  This special day is set aside each year to honor those among us who have served our country well as veterans of our military.  This is a special day to say thank you to these courageous veterans who have seen, done, and observed things that most of could never begin to imagine.

Earlier still in the week just past we had the opportunity vote in a general election that determined the makeup of the House of Representatives, Senate, and the Presidency.  It is quite unfortunate that with all the freedoms we have been afforded by the men and women who have sacrificed in wearing the uniform of the United States of America that we still have large numbers among us who do not exercise this right.  Men, women, and children are dying at the hands of tyrannical leaders throughout the world who wish that they could have even the least bit of input into how they are governed, and yet we stay home.

Now with the election behind us we must move on to one of the hallmarks of our republic, the peaceful transition of power.  Not everyone is going to be on board with the incoming regime, just as not everyone (including myself) was on board with the current regime at its inception.  However, the power of the people is found in the ballot box, and an open dialogue, which is as our forefathers had designed.  We are called on to continue to perpetuate a political conversation for the betterment of our nation.  Dialogue is a two-way street and cannot meaningfully exist in a “politically correct” environment.

Beyond the role of our military veterans in preserving our rights and responsibilities to the republic, their efforts have also allowed us the opportunity to worship under the first Amendment to our Constitution.  As Christians we need to look to another group of veterans with awe and respect, the elderly of our congregations.  These folks have a world of experience in battling the powers of darkness that have been at war with God’s people for centuries.  It would be wise for each of us to be engaged with these persevering saints.  The struggles that they have been through, if we will pay attention, can provide tremendous insight for us as we face the spiritual challenges that are ever-changing and yet enduring.

As you head out to church today make a special effort to thank some of the Spiritual Veterans that have paved the way of faith for you and your children.  Learn from them and then share what you learn, it is through these relationships that we can grow, and we can keep from falling into a similar fate as the folks in the book of Judges 2:10

“When all that generation had been

Gathered to their fathers,

Another generation arose after them

Who did not know the Lord

Nor the work He had done for Israel”

This was a dark time in the history of Israel and led to this closing statement in Judges 21:25

“In those days there was no king,

Everyone did what was right,

In his own eyes.”

If we are not careful to learn from both our military veterans and the veterans of faith we too could end up in this desperate situation.  May we all seek to protect and proliferate the knowledge and wisdom so evident before us.  If we do this then we will Do Well in our life’s journey, and as a nation

May God Bless America!

And

May God Bless His Faithful Followers!

Midweek Motivation 11/10/16

Betty Liu 5 Lessons from 2016 Election

Betty Liu is an anchor on Bloomberg Business and fellow blogger who I follow as an Influencer on LinkedIn.  I saw this article this morning and thought her views were great regarding the election season we just completed.  We would all be wise to consider these lessons as they relate to our lives.

Monday Morsel #32

Clarity
With all the craziness surrounding Tuesday's general election I suggest the following:

1) Make sure you vote if you haven't already.
2) Don't disparage those with a different viewpoint.  We are all  Americans.
3)  By Wednesday it is likely to all be over with.  Then we will have Clarity and a better idea of what we should pray for in the coming days weeks, and beyond.

A Time for Change

A Time for Change

As I write this morning, I have just awakened from the one night per year with a built-in extra hour of sleep.  Yes, thanks to that quirky calendar trick, Daylight Saving Time ended at 2:00 a.m. this morning, so we set our clocks (at least the important ones) back an hour before retiring last night.

This should serve as a trigger for us to do a few things as we close out the calendar year over the next 55 days:

1. It is highly recom mended that when we change our clocks we should alsochange the batteries in our smoke detectors.  This is likely a good practice and an extremely cheap form of insurance for our family’s safety.  I must confess I have not always done well with this one.
2. With the holidays fast approaching you must plan accordingly making sure that your gifting expectations match up with your budgetary capabilities.  Just because you believe that Grandma needs __________________________ (fill in the blank), doesn’t mean she actually needs or expects it from you.  It also doesn’t mean that it is prudent for you to provide that along with a gift for every person who is a twig on your family tree.
3. Also with the holidays and the winter season coming on it is a great idea to take a physical inventory of your health and make some decisions to give yourself a gift that keeps on giving, Better Health.  My recommendation is at a minimum take a measure of your weight today and set a goal to make it through the greatest eating season of the year with no weight gain come January 1 of 2017.  It would also be a good idea to set up a visit with your primary care physician if you have not had a checkup recently, to make sure all systems are on go.  
4. Make sleep a priority.  I am not going to tell you that every one of us needs to get to bed and get in a full 8 hours every night.  In an ideal world that would be great, however we live in a fallen world where things move at a blistering pace.  My suggestion is to begin with setting some bounds of consistency.  Try going to sleep within a 30 minute window each night and getting up in a similar 30 minute window in the morning.  I would also recommend with this to not drop below 6 hours per night of sleep.
5. Spend some time planning the coming year.  This may be setting a spiritual goal, vacation goal, financial goal, health goal . . .  As you make these plans I would also suggest setting in place some systems within your life to flow toward these goals.  These final weeks can be a good trial run for modifying your day to day activities.
6. Finally, enjoy the time you spend with your family and friends.  Look back over the course of the past year, think about how many people in your sphere of family, friends, and church group have passed from this life since this time last year.  Many of those families can likely look back with regret, thinking they should have or could have done something more with this loved one.  As the band Climax sang back in 1972, “precious and few are the moments we too can

share. . . “  

No matter how you choose to address these ideas the one thing that will assure that you Do Well is to take care of your spiritual relationship with God.  He desires a relationship with you and has sent His Holy Spirit as a comforter.  We all crave comfort and in Him we can know true comfort, even in times that are trying, difficult, or dark.

“But seek ye first the kingdom

Of God and His righteousness,

And all these things shall be

Added unto you.”

Matthew 6:33 NKJV

I believe that among these things are the “Fruits of the Spirit” given in given in the book of Galatians.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is

Love

Joy

Peace

Longsuffering

Kindness

Goodness

Faithfulness

Gentleness

Self-control.

Against these things

There is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV