MONDAY MORSEL #5

MONDAY MORSEL #5
May 1 2016

Meekness is NOT Weakness.

Matthew 5:5 "The meek shall inherit the earth."

True leadership is servant leadership, not authority of position, but authority earned through relationships that are not self serving.

Challenge Time!

As I write today I believe that many of us like to be challenged.  These challenges come in many forms and often serve as a motivation to a specific end.  Today I want to give that impetus that some of us need to move forward, a good All-American challenge.

The Bible uses the number 7 over and over again, as in the Hebrew culture of the day it represented perfection.  If we look at the calendar we are 7 weeks until the Memorial day weekend, the unofficial start of summer.  So here is the challenge. Over the next 7 weeks:

1)  Record in some fashion the amount of water you are consuming daily.  Then work to increase that number by 50% by the end of the challenge.  If this week you find you are taking in approximately 80 ounces per day strive for 120 by the end of the challenge.

2)  Many of us are using various forms of pedometers and activity trackers to provide much needed, and immediate feedback, track your steps and shoot for a 30% increase from week one to week 7.

3)  Select one food item that is a near and dear go-to for you and abstain during the challenge.  For me this is going to be fried catfish.  (Thankfully I just fed this craving yesterday.)

4)  Set a 7 week, realistic goal, then weigh in today and record that number.  Each day weigh in and compare.  Yes there will be ups and downs, but if you will follow through on your regular exercise, not only your daily step counts, and increase hydration you should begin to see results.  Complete transparency, I weighed in this morning on my home scale at 209 with a 7 week goal of 202.  That would be one pound per week which is doable if I will remain focused.

5)  Season it all with prayer.  Pray that God will direct you to make better decisions for your life.  Pray that as a healthier servant you would better see the opportunities before you to honor Him in serving others.

Bonus challenge:  Read the book "The Traveler's Gift"  by Andy Andrews.  This is one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read, gently rocking our world's with great stories illustrating what the author Andy Andrews, calls the 7 Decisions for Success. 

I hope that several of you will take up the challenge and Do Well!

Inspiration, Ramping it Up!

There is something special about youth and the energy they have to share with us all.  I just spent the weekend at a youth leadership development convention for children within churches of Christ called Lads to Leaders.  This was our family's 6th year to attend and though I typically leave physically exhausted I ALWAYS leave with a renewed mind and enthusiasm to work with our kids.

When you combine the zeal of youth with the power of God and implant upon their hearts habits of servant leadership amazing things begin to happen.  We can all take this model and work to deepen our faith and truly get our serve on as we move forward.  By organizing our priorities and looking for ways to grow and serve not only will we develop a better life for ourselves but will very positively impact the lives of others.

I am inspired, in a big way, to up my game just as nearly 10,000 people in Nashville this past weekend likely are too.  Where do you find your inspiration?  There are plenty of options out there and God has placed someone or something in your life to energize, motivate, and inspire you to be the best you that you can be.  Do you see it, hear it, feel it?

This week I challenge you all to look, listen, feel for that special blessing that will move you forward to a better and more Godly you for today and into the future.  Get inspired and Do Well.

P.E.A.K. Performance

Here is a quick guide to moving toward peak performance In your life.  Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Routine or Rut-ine?

Have you ever noticed that within the word routine is hidden the letters you also need to spell rut?

Routines are good for us.  They bring order to our life along with a degree of certainty and knowing what to expect.  All of these are positive, but do we get so wrapped up in the routine that it becomes stale or mundane?  If you are anything like me that can become the case.  Before we know it we are doing nothing but going through the motions for no other reason but to mark them from our list.

It is at this point that the routine has become a RUT.  What do we know about ruts?  If we think of some of the country roads, they will become rutted by the traffic and if a spark of change ( road crew) doesn't do something about it the rut only gets deeper.  As a rut deepens it becomes harder to get out of and if it gets too deep we become stuck.  If we are stuck then we are not getting any results from our efforts.

Personally I believe I have fallen into some ruts in my life.  How about you?  Is it time to make some changes in our routines?  For me it is, and if you recognize a rut forming in your routine then I strongly suggest shaking up the routine.  It doesn't have to be drastic, but it cannot remain the same.

In Matthew 6:31-34 Jesus reminds us not to worry about everything "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." (NKJV)  If we will start with this thoughr at the top of our priority list then He will guide us through the rest. 

Go out this week with Christ first and then let Him take control of the routines of our life, that we May DO WELL.

The Challenge of Challenges

Challenges befall us at frequent intervals.  How do we respond?  If we are honest with ourselves we often fail.

Whether the challenges are physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual we have decisions to make, often in the heat of the moment.  What we do in those moments goes a long way to setting the course for our lives.  Two of the best ways to be prepared are to be an observer of others and to set in place some absolutes where we will not compromise when challenged.

To do these things will set us up for far more successes when challenged than failures.  By being an observer of others we see how others respond to their own challenges and this gives valuable information for facing our own challenges.  Setting up some absolutes is a form of resolve that truly defines who we are and what we are about.

If we are parents this idea of having absolutes is critical in modeling for our children.  Kids need to understand boundaries, and to know there are things that we, and they, cannot do. 

The week ahead will likely pose challenges for each of us, how we respond may be a defining moment.  How will we be defined?  Go out this week, face your challenges, and Do Well.

Reading: Power in Words

Life's Lessons
There are many lessons to be learned in this life.  Often we learn by the things we experience as we pass through,  and it has been said that "smart people learn from their mistakes and that really smart people learn from the mistakes of others."  There is plenty of truth in this statement and we would do well to grasp the magnitude of this concept in our lives.

Learning by our mistakes can be humbling, amusing, and can put us in awkward positions.  This is typically the most painful way to learn.  On the other hand, learning by the mistakes or experiences of others shields us from much of the pain of failure, and if those we are learning from are close to us it can still provide us with some uneasiness or distress.

Reading Life's Equalizer
In my professional life I have come into contact with the phrase, "readers are leaders" and believe this to be true.  Studies consistently show the benefits of reading.  It broadens our perspectives and allows us to gain new viewpoints from which to look at the various issues that arrive in our lives.  I must admit that growing up I was not much of a reader.  My baseball glove, basketball, and golf clubs were far more interesting to me at the time.  As I went through college this started to change.  I was never one to take classes year round, preferring to sit out the summer terms.  It was during this time that I determined that if I expected to keep my mind sharp, reading was the way to do it.  Upon finishing school and entering the full time workforce it took a few years before I became a consistent to avid reader.  Now I constantly read, trying always to have at least one book that I am reading, along with my commitment to Bible reading, and several blogs that I enjoy.

What to Read?
So now you may be asking the question, "what should I read?"  My suggestion is to begin each day with daily Bible reading.  This sets Christ as a priority and puts us in a positive frame of mind to start the day.  Beyond that, find subjects that interest you and start with those and then don't stick to a single subject but branch out.  With all the change in the world today the more we broaden our perspectives the better we will be able to deal with issues that arise.  I tend to lean toward non-fiction and biography, but weave in some fiction as well.  My personal favorite are the books of Andy Andrews who teaches tremendous life lessons through a folksy, down home fictional style.  "The Traveler's Gift", "The Noticer", and "The Noticer Returns" are among the best and most meaningful fictional reads I have encountered.  Mitch Albom is also worth looking at with two more fabulous books that also teach us everyday lessons, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" and "Tuesdays With Morrie".

Call to Action
We all know that physical exercise is good for the body, though we don't always live this way.  It is also true that mental exercise, such as reading is great for our mind.  Now I encourage you to make time for both.  We all have pockets of time that we use unproductively that we could gain a world of advantage from with only a slight tweak.  Take inventory, set a goal, and get started.  The most underutilized resource in many locales is the local public library.  These are great repositories of information and entertainment and, get this, at no cost!  If you live near me here is the contact information for two local libraries where you could begin your journey to a broader perspective:

Greene County Public Library

120 N. 12th Street

Paragould, AR 72450

870-236-8711

Jonesboro Public Library                                        315 W. Oak

Jonesboro, AR 72401

Phone: 870-935-5133

                                        

We can all enrich our lives and "With God We Will".