Transformation

". . . and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."  Romans 12:2

Transformation is a word that carries a lot of visual power for us.  We see our children transformed from the beautiful but helpless babies into vibrant, intelligent, active children all the way to adulthood, or we see the caterpillar transformed into the beautiful butterfly.  Do we want our kids, or ourselves, to be conformed to everything we see in the world?  I would hope not, though it can be so tempting.

There is a better path, one provided through Christ, that leads to a transformation in the way we think, speak, and act.  When we open up our minds to His word, the Bible, we find a new direction, a way of thinking that some will ridicule and others will mock, but that when woven into our daily lives changes us for the better.  It is not always easy to walk the path of transformation but it is worthwhile.

I want to challenge each of us this week to take a look at our lives through the words of this verse of scripture and determine whether we are being conformed or transformed?  The difference can be seen, and the difference can have overwhelming consequences.  Go out, be transformed, and Do Well!

Staying on Course

We are now just over a month and a half into the new year, and approximately a week ago we hit the date where research indicates that most people have dropped all pretense of chasing their weight loss or fitness goals.  Why is it that we have no staying power?  The sad reality is that we do not equip ourselves with the tools to stick with it when we find things getting difficult,  This is not only the case as we deal with our fitness/weight loss goals but any goal you may have can face the same fate.

I want to begin to share with you a few tools that can be helpful in your quest for greater fitness, but also can be translated into many other areas of life.

1) Educate yourself about your goal.  Think about why it is important for you to accomplish your goal, and visualize the outcome.  Many high performers in sports and other areas use creative visualization as a technique to guide their performance.  Beyond the visualization; by reading, watching, or listening to information about the particular goal you are chasing you will learn of the potential pitfalls others have faced and how they overcame the obstacles.  Educating yourself can also provide you with new tools or techniques to reach your goal

2)  Recognize that "Rome wasn't built in a day", and neither was the situation you are in now.  It is going to take time to reach your goals.  Have you set a realistic time frame to achieve your goal?  It is my belief that most people set far too aggressive goals and this sets them up for failure and discouragement.  Be realistic and set not only that ultimate goal that you can visualize but some intermediate steps as well.

3)  Give yourself a break!  Don't start out by trying to do everything 7 days a week and for maximum time frames.  Small changes add up and even multiply your efforts over time.  Perhaps you start out with a 15 minute time frame that is blocked off and then you "sneak in" other smaller chunks of time toward your desired end. This also applies to the changes in your diet or your workday planning, small changes applied consistently begin to multiply your results.

4)  Keep a record.  This serves multiple purposes in that it creates a personal accountability, establishes a positive visual stimulus, and points out trends that can either be positive or negative.  There is a reason that the baseball cards of my youth had stats printed on the back.  Those stats let us know how our favorite player was doing from year to year.  This is also evident in business, it has been said that "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it."  This again translates across fields and can work in a number of arenas.

5) Have an accountability group or partner.  Being a part of something bigger than yourself helps us maintain focus, gain encouragement, and occasionally holds us to the line.  This is one of the beautiful things about the church that was established by Jesus death, burial, and resurrection.  God in his unlimited wisdom knew that we would need to be a part of something more than ourselves.  It is also evident in many other areas of life, why have organizations like Weight Watchers flourished over the years?  People need people so they may learn from one another, be encouraged or admonished appropriately.

I hope you will take a look at these tools and see how they may apply to your situation.  Then put one or all of them to use.  With this I bid you a wonderful week ahead to go out and Do Well!

The Election Season 2016

In case you have not noticed in my previous posts this year the phrase Do Well is my weekly closing admonition.  Today I want to begin by recognizing the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.  Justice Scalia was a stalwart supporter of the Costitution of The United States of America, and of Christian values.  May the God of Heaven bless his family at this time, he Did Well.

Justice Scalia's passing comes as we are ratcheting up the political rhetoric of the current election season.  A season that is beginning with great uncertainty and will no doubt feel like it is unending by the time we move to the general election.  The values of each American can be expressed at the ballot box, if we will exercise that right.  There is a story of a lady asking Ben Franklin, "what kind of government did you give us?"  To which the elder statesman of the Constitutional Convention replied, "a republic, if you can keep it."  Franklin was astute and knew that challenges would arise in this form of government, but that if "we the people" would remain engaged and vigilant we could have the most powerful and freedom providing government that ever has or could exist among the nations.

We have a duty to our country to be involved in the process, and as Christian's we need to keep in mind a few things as we take part.

1) Our more important citizenship is in the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ.
2) When we engage we should remember how scripture warns us of our tongue.  We should not spew vitriolic disdain for those that disagree with us, but rather seek common ground where possible, recognizing each one of us has a soul and is formed In the image of God.
3)  Pray for God's will to be done, and for our wisdom to be increased.

Think and Do Well with these tremendous blessings we have been granted.  May God bless you, and may God bless America.

Simplicity in Communication

Have you ever been touched by someone who can taking the seemingly complex things of life and simplify them to a point of extreme clarity?  What a gift that is to have that ability.

Over the past two evenings I have been blessed to listen to such a speaker, Dr. Spencer Furby of Kennett, MO.  He has simply, yet dynamically imparted two powerful messages to those who were  present at the Center Hill Church of Christ youth rally, Renew.  The theme for this year's event has been, "Renewing the Great Commission", and his messages have been right on target.  Each message has challenged us to look around for signs, and to look within us to recognize the path we are on and the destination of that path.

Apart from the intended lessons of scripture, the discerning ear also has learned the beauty of this communication style.  In a world fraught with legalese, jargon, and nonsensical forms of communicating that often bluster on not for the benefit of the reader/listener, but for the pride and ego of the writer/speaker, it is refreshing to encounter someone like Spencer.

This week I intend to practice this skill as I journey life's paths.  Would you join me in a commitment to simplicity in our communications?  This is another way for each of us to Do Well.