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Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Midweek Motivation 8/31/16Tim Conway Cracks Up Harvey Korman (in the Fireman sketch)
How about a little laughter to get you over the hump? Are you ready to make a difference as you look to close out your week? Enjoy!
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Cleaning Out the Garage
Cleaning Out the Garage
Yesterday I engaged in one of those tasks that should not be enjoyable, cleaning out my garage. I know most of you would look at this picture and say what is there to clean up? No we aren't stuffed to the rafters like many other, but it really was a mess and I spent about two and a half hours working on it yesterday morning.
No it should not have been enjoyable, but it was. I got rid of several items that had been driving me crazy, swept out the corners, cleared the cobwebs, and reorganized much of what there was remaining. In the end I came away with several valuable changes and/or thoughts, a sense of satisfaction, and a better organized space to park in, walk through, and utilize for projects or activities. Unfortunately, I did not make the after pictures to note the difference for you my readers.
Since I was working on this solo, while Angie was at work and Olivia was cleaning 3 rooms on the inside, I needed to think about things that were a little more iffy, so to speak. So I had the brilliant idea to grab a notebook and jot some notes along the way about questionable items and other things that might need to be done at a later time with a better time window, or more funds available. It is this act that I found to be a highlight of this endeavor.
You ask how could jotting notes about the mess in your garage be a highlight? It is a practice that would benefit us across the board as we examine our lives. Because I got down to a great level of detail, and I sought the counsel of others on things that were not completely clear cut I encouraged myself to be a better communicator.
"A wise man will hear and increase learning,
and a man of understanding
will attain wise counsel. . . "
Proverbs 1:5 NKJV
Now I can review this with Angie and Olivia (where it is of concern to her) and we can make decisions on priorities as a family. Then over time using this same procedure we can clear a lot of junk from our lives, free our minds of clutter, and work even better together for a common good.
This same method can be used in my workplace to better organize my office, my computer desktop and files, and can include my coworkers where these items might intersect with there needs. Perhaps I could also find a way (I believe I can) to use this in my fitness life as well to clear out the cobwebs of demotivation, lose some bad habits and work with others to a better end.
Importantly this can be looked at as we cleanup our spiritual life as well. We are all carrying around an immense amount of spiritual clutter that dims our ability to see the light that is Jesus
Then Jesus spoke to them, again, saying,
"I am the light of the world,
He who follows Me shall not walk
in darkness but,
have the light of life."
John 8:12 NKJV
I look forward to seeing how this works out as I introduce these concepts across the spectrum of my activities and the settings that make up my life. I urge you to try this, or use it as a starting point then modify to best work for you so that we may all Do Well!
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Midweek Motivation 8/24/16: 10 Ways to Be a Better Human
I ran across this one minute and fourteen second video this morning and thought it was spot on. We can all be better humans, and in the words sung so well by Louis Armstrong "What a Wonderful World" this could be if we all took these to heart. Do Well!
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Monday Morsel #21
Why do we complicate things? The simple wonders of our youth are lost with each passing day. This week reclaim a piece of your losses and experience a moment of clarity that you might otherwise miss out on.
Olympic Recap and Simple Wisdom
Over the past two weeks the world has been captivated by the Games of the 31st Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With this setting that has such a juxtaposition of the abject poverty of so many with the inherently stunning beauty of the Brazilian landscape these games have brought many dreams into reality. As an interested observer from my comfortable couch here in the heart of the USA not only have I been entertained, at times inspired, and patriotically proud, but have also been provoked to thoughts of various sorts. In this short piece I will express a few of those thoughts that have been at the forefront.
National Pride
More than during prior Olympic years I have been inspired by the national pride the games generate.
This is not only the patriotic pride for our American teams representing the red, white, and blue but that of many other nations, most much smaller who gain inspiration from their athletes. The Jamaicans with their sprinters led by the inimitable Usain Bolt, a nation with great poverty and a history of corruption in politics rallying behind their team with national pride. The Serbians whose volleyball team knocked our American volleyball team out of gold medal contention in women's volleyball. Even the hometown Brazilians who also knocked out the American team in women's beach volleyball. Each of these and so many more that could be brought up stirred something special within their countries that may not otherwise have been stirred. As much as we have pride in our Olympians I for one am glad to see some national pride in many of these other nations as well.
Excellence
As I have watched these amazing athletes I cannot help but think of this passage from scripture:
"Do you not know that those who run
in a race all run, but one
receives the prize?
Run in such a way that you
may obtain it."
I Corinthians 9:25 NKJV
Each one enters their event with a mindset of excellence. They are striving for a prize that will mark them as a champion. Though we are not competing in the Olympics and being watched by millions on television or streamed on the internet, we still should be striving for excellence in our work, our education, and most importantly in our faith. Diligence has its rewards in satisfaction, pride of accomplishment, ability to share with others, and sometimes financial gain as well.
At What Cost?
All the wonderful things that happened in the competition were somewhat tainted by a scandal that arose surrounding the behavior of 4 of our Team USA Olympic swimmers, most notably Ryan Lochte. Unless you were completely oblivious to the news this past week Lochte and 3 other US swimmers left a party intoxicated and as they returned to their accommodations made a "pit stop" at a convenience store and while there initiated an international incident. Video evidence clearly indicates this group destroying property and then being detained at that location at gunpoint. The issue relates to the nature of the detainment and whether or not it was an armed robbery or simply a case where locals were attempting to hold the swimmers until police could arrive to sort out the facts.
In my analysis of the situation it all boils down to several simple truths that many of us were taught from an early age. The first of these is, "nothing good ever happens after midnight." If this seemingly simple bit of wisdom were to have been followed, it is highly likely that none of this would have ever occurred. The second simple truth is "don't get drunk." This flies in the face of a U.S. alcoholic beverage industry that in 2014 generated revenue of $211.56 billion, and is a major player in the advertising game. The final simple truth that was bypassed to create this situation is the Golden Rule of the Bible:
Further, it is not hard to understand that we would get behaviors like this when we as a culture have absolved ourselves of personal responsibility at every turn. In our world today we have moral relativism, humanism, and a lack of absolutes. Where these things flourish we lose the ability to control ourselves which is leading us down the road to anarchy and a survival of the fittest mentality where essentially no one wins. We also have seen the failings of our government operations to assign responsibility to a major political figure who jeopardized national security, when in the very announcement of their decision not to file charges said that this figure had violated the law. We must take a hard look at ourselves individually, by community, and as a nation and determine what we will be in the future.
At What Cost?
All the wonderful things that happened in the competition were somewhat tainted by a scandal that arose surrounding the behavior of 4 of our Team USA Olympic swimmers, most notably Ryan Lochte. Unless you were completely oblivious to the news this past week Lochte and 3 other US swimmers left a party intoxicated and as they returned to their accommodations made a "pit stop" at a convenience store and while there initiated an international incident. Video evidence clearly indicates this group destroying property and then being detained at that location at gunpoint. The issue relates to the nature of the detainment and whether or not it was an armed robbery or simply a case where locals were attempting to hold the swimmers until police could arrive to sort out the facts.
In my analysis of the situation it all boils down to several simple truths that many of us were taught from an early age. The first of these is, "nothing good ever happens after midnight." If this seemingly simple bit of wisdom were to have been followed, it is highly likely that none of this would have ever occurred. The second simple truth is "don't get drunk." This flies in the face of a U.S. alcoholic beverage industry that in 2014 generated revenue of $211.56 billion, and is a major player in the advertising game. The final simple truth that was bypassed to create this situation is the Golden Rule of the Bible:
"and just as you want men
to do to you,
you do them likewise."
Luke 6:31
We can take even some deeper thoughts here and ask about priorities. Have we set fame, glory, and sport as idols in our lives? Do we value these more than the development of our children's character and faith. The answers to these questions are tricky and cannot be painted with a broad brush. I saw evidence of people of faith having prayers, deferring to their competitors, and showing great respect. On the other hand there was a great deal of showmanship, arrogance, and self promotion occurring as well. While sports can teach us great lessons, and on the whole I am a proponent of sports, it can go too far, and we see it in our own communities with the growth of the travel teams in several sports moving emphasis away from family time, or church and community activities, to a more hectic life that revolves around the team. This obsession gobbles up resources and can also lead to injury of the youths involved due to repetitive stresses. So I ask at what cost to we build our Olympians?
Further, it is not hard to understand that we would get behaviors like this when we as a culture have absolved ourselves of personal responsibility at every turn. In our world today we have moral relativism, humanism, and a lack of absolutes. Where these things flourish we lose the ability to control ourselves which is leading us down the road to anarchy and a survival of the fittest mentality where essentially no one wins. We also have seen the failings of our government operations to assign responsibility to a major political figure who jeopardized national security, when in the very announcement of their decision not to file charges said that this figure had violated the law. We must take a hard look at ourselves individually, by community, and as a nation and determine what we will be in the future.
May we all seek God and thereby Do Well with the lives that we are given.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Midweek Motivation 8/16/16 It's Possible - Motivational Video Never Give up
Very positive video clip. Narrated primarily by Nick Vujicic a motivational speaker who was born with no arms or legs. Despite his physical challenges he has overcome, and we can learn from his positive attitude.
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