I've Moved

I have moved my blog over to wordpress... check me out HERE.

Taste and See

Check out my latest blog post HERE at wordpress.
I'm trialing wordpress out. Let me know what you think of the wordpress platform.

Lessons From A Duck

I was listening to a podcast by Ps Craig Groechel and heard this really great story. Thought I'd share it with you:

There was a duck that was late in leaving to join the other ducks that were migrating.
He had to fly alone and was caught up in a snow storm. He grew really tired and his wings began to freeze. The poor little duck crashed into the earth to what looked a sure, slow and agonizing death lying in the snow.
The duck heard a sound... the sound of a cow who stood over the poor bird. The next moment the cow pooped on the duck.
Great, not only was the duck freezing to death but now he was covered in dung too!
But that dung melted the snow and started to defrost the ducks wings.
With excitement the duck began to cry out... but this attracted a cat, who dug the duck out... and ate him.

3 things we learn from this story:

1) Not everyone who drops dung on you is your enemy.
2) Not everyone who digs you out is your friend.
3) If you're covered in dung, shut-up!

How have these 3 lessons played out in your life? I'd love to hear your story.
Leave a comment and let's get the conversation rolling.

Taking Delegation To A Whole Nutha Level!

I was surfing the other night and I found this incredible blog and web site of Soul City Church. They are a church plant that is looking to launch in early 2010 and are trusting God For $800K to launch. Jarrett & Jeanne Stevens have a big dream and big hearts to go with it.
Their web site is amazing! Check it out HERE.
To give you a taste of whats on their blog I have one of their posts below. Want to see more of their blog posts... click HERE.

Last week I (Jeanne) hit one of those common walls that leaders hit. I looked at my to-do list and realized there were far too many boxes to check than I had hours left in my day. I confess that I am an activator and achiever and so often my first response is to come up with as many possible ways to push past the gift of my human limits and throw on my superwoman cape of capacity and power through. But I know that when I do that it leaves me feeling more exhausted, lacking in inspiration, impatient, and ultimately unsatisfied.

Every day I awake to a list of tasks that are calling out to me to accomplish them. I don’t suspect that there is a day in my near future when there will be nothing on the list. Starting a church, leading a ministry, raising a family, and following a dream happens through the constant accomplishing of tasks and goals one day at a time. But it should never be done alone. I know that if I am the only one looking at the list and tackling the list I am breaking one of our Core leadership Values for the staff & volunteers of Soul City Church.

Doing less is Doing more! Always be looking for someone that you can develop into leadership by giving away appropriate authority instead of developing a follower by giving away a task.

Far too many church leaders are burning out and giving up because they only give away tasks – not authority. Maybe you have hit this wall too – maybe you’re at it right now. My hunch is that there are some amazing people right around you that are hungry to lead with you, not just accomplish a task.

So how can you DO MORE by DOING LESS this week?

Wow, this post was a challenge to me! Handing out tasks is simple... but ultimately gets you no-where. This will definitely take my leadership to a new level.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and lets get the conversation rolling.

Finishing Up In A World Of Drop Outs

I wanted to share a blog post that James Macpherson wrote. I have only included his points, for the full write up please click HERE.

1. Dropping out is irresponsible whilst finishing up is responsible



2. Dropping out shows dishonor whilst finishing up shows honor



3. Dropping out displays cowardice whilst finishing up displays courage



4. Dropping out prioritizes convenience whilst finishing up prioritizes conviction


5. Dropping out shows a carelessness with relationships whilst finishing up shows a commitment to relationships



6. Dropping out diminished a person’s character whilst finishing up builds a person’s character


7. Dropping out creates a reputation and so does finishing up!


From time to time there is a need to finish up. But there is never any excuse to drop out.



What a great post!
Leave a comment and lets get the conversation started!

Are You Looking In The Right Places?

John 14:6 (NIV)
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Usually we get the picture of God chasing us with a pitch fork if we do not follow Him...
but what if this Scripture is pointing us to the fact that we will only find life... eternal life in Him.
We can look else where, but we won't find the life we are looking for.
Only Jesus has life... or to be correct... is life itself.

Maybe thats why this scripture is one of my favourite:

John 10:10 (KJV)
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this... please leave a comment.

Winning On The Uphills

I found this great post by Seth Godin:

Winning on the uphills

Interesting business lesson learned on a bicycle: it's very difficult to improve your performance on the downhills.

I used to dread the uphill parts of my ride. On a recumbent bike, they're particularly difficult. So I'd slog through, barely surviving, looking forward to the superspeedy downhill parts.

Unfortunately, I had a serious accident a few years ago (saving the life of a clueless pedestrian by throwing myself onto the pavement). Downhill might be fast, but it's crazy.

Lesson learned. Now, I look forward to the uphill parts, because that's where the work is, the fun is, the improvement is. On the uphills, I have a reasonable shot at a gain over last time. The downhills are already maxed out by the laws of physics and safety.

To read the rest of the post click HERE.

Please leave a comment and share your thoughts and experiences with us.

And For those of you who love the crazy downhills...

Mentoring & Discipleship. Pt 3

I was on Facebook wishing a mate a happy birth day and found this quotation.
Since we're on the subject of mentoring the timing is... well Divine.

“I learned a great deal about myself while watching a documentary a few years ago about elephants in a wildlife trust in Africa. There were twenty-five elephants, all of them orphans, and they had been brought to the trust twenty years before. They were becoming teenagers– in elephant years. T

The narrator in the documentary said the elephant musth cycle beings in adolescence, and normally lasts only a few days. But among these orphans, the musth cycle was disrupted and had become unusually long. These elephants were taking out their aggression on rhinos that bathed at a local mud pool. An elephant would slowly lumber down to the pool, enter near a rhino, then spear it through the side with his tusks. The elephant would then lean his gargantuan forehead into the head of the rhino, holding the beast underwater until it drowned. The filmmakers followed these orphan elephants who were always on their own, staggering about the wildlife refuge, fueled by a pent-up aggression they couldn’t understand. They weren’t acting like elephants– they didn’t know what an elephant was supposed to do with all his energy, all his muscle.

I have never killed a rhino, or much of anything for that matter, but there have been times in my life when I didn’t know exactly how to be. I mean, there were feelings, sometimes anger, sometimes depression, sometimes raging lust, and I was never sure what any of it was about. I just felt like killing somebody, or sleeping with some girl, or decking a guy in a bar, and I didn’t know what to do with any of these feelings. Life was a confusing series of emotions rubbing against events. I wasn’t sure how to manage myself, how to talk to a woman, how to build a career, how to– well, be a man.

To me, life was something you had to stumble through alone. It wasn’t something you enjoyed or conquered, it was something that happened to you, and you didn’t have a whole lot of say about the way it turned out. You just acted out your feelings and hoped you never got caught.

Watching television that night, however, the narrator began to speak of a kind of hope for these elephants. Elephant development, apparently, begins very early. Female elephants are only capable of having children once every two years, and during those two years between babies, the young are cared for obsessively by their mothers. They are fed, sheltered, loved, and guided in their learning of basic survival.

It is only at the first musth cycle that a young male elephant leaves his mother and enters into the African wild, searching for a mentor, a guide. The green pus running down his hind leg and his smell like fresh-cut grass alerts an older, fully mature male, that this is a young elephant in need of guidance. Upon finding a mentor, the young elephant’s musth cycle ends. The older and younger begin to travel together, to find food together, to protect each other– the older one teaching the younger what elephant strength is for, and how to use it for the benefit of himself and the tribe.

Watching television that night, I wondered if humans aren’t like that, too. I began to wonder if we guys were designed to have a father, whose very presence would cause us to understand more accurately what our muscle is for, what we are supposed to do with our energy.

You have to wonder, don’t you? Some statistics state as many as 85 percent of the guys in prison grew up without a dad. This is sobering to me.

And so watching the documentary, I began to wonder if those of us without dads aren’t making mistakes in our lives we wouldn’t make if we had a father to guide us. I wondered if there isn’t a better paradigm for our existence– a way of being men, a way each of us could truly embrace if it were instilled in us by a man who spoke with altruism and authority. I wondered if people who grow up with great fathers don’t walk around with a subconscious sense they are wanted on this planet, that they belong, and the world needs them. And I wondered this: Is there practical information we are supposed to know about work, women, decisions, authority, leadership, marriage, and family that we would have learned if there were a guide around to help us navigate our journey? I wondered if some of the confusing emotions I was feeling weren’t a kind of suspended adolescence from which the presence of an older man might have delivered me.

– Excerpt from To Own A Dragon, by Donald Miller (pp 31-34)


Our God is the Father to the fatherless.
We are called to represent Him to this world.
If the Christian men could begin to adopt young people in their communities... can you begin to imagine what the future could look like?

Let me know your thoughts on the subject by leaving a comment.

Mentoring & Discipleship. Pt 2

In the book Think Orange, Reggie Joiner suggest the following 5 Spiritual Growth Catalysts:

1) Personal Ministry (ie. actually being personally involved in ministry / service)

2) Spiritual Disciplines (not a word that's too popular these days!)

3) Applying Truth (not just hearing or ingesting information, but applying the truth so life change is the result)

4) Significant Relationships

5) Pivotal Circumstances

How can we apply these 5 catalysts to mentoring / discipleship / coaching?
I'd love to hear your thoughts... please leave a comment!

Mentoring & Discipleship. Pt 1

I have been reading 2 interesting books over the past 2 weeks. The first is Multiplication by Nick Klinkenberg and the second is Think Orange by Rick Joiner.
These books have stirred my thoughts once again on the topic of discipleship / mentoring / coaching... whatever term you prefer to use.

I love the Chinese Proverb that states:
"If you're planting for a year, plant grain. If you're planting for a decade, plant trees. If you're planting for a century, plant people."

I think it is safe to say we all agree with the basic concept and need for discipleship, however, it has been a complaint for long time that discipleship is a lost art.
In the West, certainly when we think of discipleship we think of a class room or bible college situation.
But how successful has this means of discipleship been?

I will leave you with the following 3 short quotes on the subject. Please ponder it and leave your thoughts via a comment.


"Over half of all Nobel Prize winners were once apprenticed to other Nobel winners."
Ron Lee Jones.

"Truth is an important part of discipleship, but our faith simply doesn't grow because we know more, it grows when we serve more."
Reggie Joiner

"If what they have heard doesn't move from their heads to their hands, it will probably never make it to their hearts."
Reggie Joiner


Thanks for leaving your comments.
I will sit on these thoughts over the next few posts... I look forward to going on a journey with you as you comment and add to my thoughts.

My Next Read

What have been your top 3 reads this year?
Leave a comment and give us the inside info to great books.

Tim Ferriss's - Tips and Tricks To Change Your Life!!!

This will change your life... (well not really, but it will bring joy when eating hard boiled eggs!)

On Being Authentic

" Always be a first rate version of yourself, instead of a second rate version of someone else."
Judy Garland

Free The Slaves

Here are a list of places doing great work to end slavery in our day:

The Not For Sale Campaign.

Anti-Slavery

Free The Slaves

Just Focus A national network of engaged and active young people in NZ who are interested in and passionate about global issues.

Just. The Anglican Social Justice Commission.


If you know of any other organizations that should be mentioned, please do let me know.

I look forward to seeing your responses via comments.

I saw this article and really wanted to share it with you:

How to Buy a Child in 10 Hours

One Reporter's Journey Reveals An Epidemic of Child Slavery in Haiti

By DAN HARRIS
July 8, 2008

This deeply unsettling experiment starts on a typical Monday morning on Manhattan's leafy Upper West Side, where commuters stroll by Starbucks and Central Park.

Is it really possible to purchase a child in less than 10 hours?

At 7:10 a.m., I'm off to see how long it takes to buy a child slave.

It's 45 minutes to Kennedy Airport and an hour or so wait in the terminal, then a 3½-hour flight to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

A band greets the flight.

By the time my team and I have collected our luggage, gone through immigration and customs, and are loaded into our vehicles, it's about 3:15 p.m.

As we leave the airport, two things become immediately apparent: Port-au-Prince is an amazing, vivid place, and it's also extremely poor. The U.S. State Department warns Americans against visiting here. United Nations peacekeepers patrol the roads while we drive with our own security team: two armed Haitian men in SUVs.

'I Would Like to Get a Child'

By 4:45 p.m., I'm poolside at one of the city's few upscale hotels. I'm wearing a hidden camera built into the strap of a bike messenger-style bag that's around my neck. There's another hidden camera in a leather satchel on the table, right next to the fruit plate and Evian water. My colleagues are manning cameras in hotel rooms overlooking the pool.

Our security guards are sitting discretely nearby.

That's when the man with whom I've arranged a meeting shows up.

He says he's a former member of parliament and that he has connections. In broad daylight, with hotel waiters walking by, he doesn't even flinch when I make a horrific request.

"If I would like to get a child to live with me and take care of me," I ask. "Could you do that?"

"Yes," he says. "I can."

He's speaking in Creole, the most prevalent Haitian language. The man doing the translation, who has set up the meeting, works for us (unbeknownst to the slave trafficker).

The trafficker assures me he's done this sort of transaction many times before.

"A girl or a boy?" he asks.

"A girl probably," I say.

"How old?"

"Maybe 10 or 11."

"Not a problem."

He says he can get me an 11-year-old girl, although he suggests that a 15-year-old might be better, because she'd be more "developed."

I'm thinking: I can't believe I'm having this conversation.

"And this is OK?" I ask. "I won't have any trouble from their parents or anything like that?"

"No, you won't have any problems with their parents."

"Why not?"

"When I give you the child, I will train it for you."

I'm not exactly sure what that means.

A Successful Negotiation

"I'm a little nervous." I say. "I just want to make sure that this is OK, that I'm not going to get in trouble, that this will be smooth, that you've done this before."

"I guarantee my service," says the trafficker, grinning. "I can get you your girl as early as tomorrow."

And now, the negotiation begins.

"So how much will it cost me to get a child?" I ask.

"The last one I gave was $300."

Trying to test the value of human life, I push a little.

"I have a friend who got one for $50."

"No," he says.

"What about $100?"

"$150," he offers.

I accept.

And there it is. It's about 5 p.m. Roughly 10 hours after leaving my office in New York City, I have successfully negotiated to buy another human being -- an 11-year-old girl, whose value is set at just $150.

As we conclude our meeting, I want to make sure the trafficker does not act on my request. I ask him to wait a day before doing anything. I assure him I'll call him tomorrow with my final answer. He agrees.

To read the rest of the article please click HERE:


Personally... I hope this post disturbs you... into action!

My next post will have some organizations that you can get involved with.
Please do leave a comment.

Storm Simulation

This video just goes to show what some boredom and free time can lead to... something incredible.
Watch the 1st 1 1/2 mins of this video... its flippen amazing!!!

Best Auction Pitch Ever

Isn't life all about perspective?
I love the story about 2 shoe salesmen who were sent to an African country to find new sales potential. The first salesman sent a telegram back home saying that he needed to return, no sales possible, no-one wears shoes. The second salesman sent a telegram urging the company to send over as many shoes as possible... everyone needs a pair!

I love what this individual did on his TradeMe auction post... trust me, you don't want to miss this. Click HERE to check it out.

So what did you think?
Leave a comment and let me know.

PS: How is your perspective?

3 Critical Issues Facing The Church Right Now

Click HERE to read a post I have just written on 3 Critical Issues Facing The Church Right Now.

Warning... the content may disturb you!

Leave a comment and let me know what you thought.

Do You Worship An Idol?

I found this verse while preparing for my message at church this past Sunday:

Eph 5:5
(5) Being greedy, indecent, or immoral is just another way of worshiping idols. You can be sure that people who behave in this way will never be part of the kingdom that belongs to Christ and to God.

Having sex (not just sexual intercourse, but any sex act outside of marriage... including fondling!) outside of marriage is idol worship!

Infact Jesus further raises the bar:

Mat 5:27-28
(27) You know the commandment which says, "Be faithful in marriage."
(28) But I tell you that if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts.

Wow! Talk about living by a higher standard.
So the challenge is... are you worshiping the idol of sex / fornication / adultery?
If so... STOP IT!
The truth is you can't worship Jesus and other idols!

A heavy post... but the Truth will set us free.

Please do leave a comment about your thoughts re: this post.

A Future Focus

This video will blow your mind... and leave you challenged!!!




What are some of your thoughts after viewing the video?
Leave a comment and lets get the conversation rolling...

Same Words... Different Meanings

I am in the throws of reading a book by Josh McDowell called 'The Last Christian Generation'. In it I found a really interesting comparison between the way Baby Boomers think and the way Post Moderns think:

WORD	Your Understanding (Adult Culture)	Postmodern Understanding (Youth Culture)
Tolerance	Accepting others without agreeing with or sharing their beliefs or lifestyle choices.	Accepting that each individual’s beliefs, values, lifestyles, and truth claims are equal.
Respect	Give due consideration to others beliefs and lifestyle choices without necessarily approving of them.	Wholehearted approving of others’ beliefs or lifestyle choices.
Acceptance	Embracing people for who they are, not necessarily for what they say or do.	Endorsing and even praising others for their beliefs and lifestyle choices.
Moral Judgments	Certain things are morally right and wrong as determined by God.	We have no right to judge another person’s view or behaviour.
Personal Preference	Preferences of colour, food, clothing style, hobbies, etc. are personally determined.	Preferences of sexual behaviours, value systems, and beliefs are personally determined.
Personal Rights	Everyone has the right to be treated justly under the law.	Everyone has the right to do what he or she believes is best for himself or herself.
Freedom	Being free to do what you know you ought to do.	Being able to do anything you want to do.
Truth	An absolute standard of right and wrong.	Whatever is right for you.

Have you discovered any of the post modern thinking in the young people that you interact with?
What are some of your thoughts on dealing with the postmodern mindset?
Leave a comment and lets get the discussion rolling...

Amazing Vocal Effects

This video is amazing:




Amazing hey!
Let me know your thoughts...

Ball And Chain?

Parents struggling to get their kids to revise in the run-up to exams can now keep them at their desk using a ball and chain that only unlocks when they have studied for long enough.

Click HERE to check out the article...

Let me know what you thought : )

A Bit Of Grin:

A Bit Of Grin:

For The Men...

Mark Driscoll did a fantastic hard hitting message called Trial: Marriage and Men.
In it he discusses 8 catergories that men can tend to fall into:

2. Your Manhood

Like Adam, the sins of men fall into two general categories: sins of comission (doing what you’re not supposed to do) and sins of omission (not doing what you’re supposed to do). This leads chauvinistic or cowardly tendencies:

Chauvinism

1. No Sissy Stuff Sam: whatever women do, do the opposite
   
2. Success and Status Stewart: masculinity = material success
   
3. Give’em Hell Hank: angry and abusive
   
4. I’m the Boss Bob: domineering and controlling; in authority, not under authority

Cowardice

1. Little Boy Larry: never grew up, disorganized, lives with his mother, etc.
   
2. Sturdy Oak Owen: absolutely dependable but emotionally absent
   
3. Hyper-Spiritual Henry: Hides behind religious behavior and “God talk.” Talks at you but not to you.
   
4. Good Time Gary: irresponsible life of the party

(the full summary of the message is available HERE.)

There is some really challenging stuff here for us guys, so if you want to watch the message or listen to the audio see below:

AUDIO:


VIDEO:


Let me know what you thought of the message.

A Beautiful 7th Century Prayer

Found this 7th century Lorica (breastplate) prayer (for protection) from Leonard Sweet on twitter:

The arms of God be around my shoulders,
The touch of the Holy Spirit upon my head,
The sign of Christ's cross upon my forehead,
The sound of the Holy Spirit in my ears,
The fragrance of the Holy Spirit in my nostrils,
The vision of heaven's company in my eyes,
The conversation of heaven's company on my lips,
The work of God's Church in my hands,
The service of God and the neighbour in my feet,
A home for God in my heart,
And to God, the Father of all, my entire being.
Amen.

Fursa of Ireland established monesteries in Ireland, France and England.

20's - A Time To Experiment!

I found a great post for the 20 somethings on Mark Batterson's (Lead Pastor of National Community Church) blog:

Not sure why I'm sharing this. But here goes. Hope it inspires someone who is trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. That includes me by the way!

In 1952, Albert Schweitzer won the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian efforts in equatorial Africa. But let share his back story. He woke up on a summer morning in 1896 and said, "While outside the birds sang I came to the conclusion that until I was thirty I could consider myself justified in devoting myself to scholarship and the arts, but after that I would devote myself directly to serving humanity."
What a fascinating perspective on his twenties! He felt justified in devoting them to scholarship and the arts.
Here's my thought: what if we viewed our twenties as a decade of experimentation? That concept comes from serving a congregation that is 67% single twenty-somethings so I know how stressed out twenty-somethings can get over their career path. I think twenty-somethings feel way too much pressure to find the perfect career yesterday and advance as far up the ladder as fast as possible.
Can I push back a little? What if you approached opportunities as experiments? What if you tried your hand at different things. Don't worry about your career path! Focus on your spiritual path. Build a resume of spirit-led adventures that may or may not further your career or education. But they will further the kingdom of God.

Click HERE to read the rest.

We definitly do take it all a little too seriously. What adventures have you had when you took a leap of faith and tried an 'experiment' out?

Leave a comment and share some off your journey with us.

Evolutionary Thinking Is Unnatural!

I found this fantastic post on Ps James Macphersons blog:


THE LATEST psychological research suggests evolutionary thinking is unnatural.

Research published in the latest edition of The Scientific American, has found that, regardless of the parents' religious beliefs or lack-thereof, children aged 8-10 give exclusively creationist answers about the origin of life.

It's only after the age of 10 that children of evolutionist parents begin to give evolutionary answers as to how things came to be.

Researchers claim a "cognitive glitch that invades our rationalist thought whenever we’re pondering the subject of life’s origins" causes us to naturally believe in creation, until taught to think otherwise.
Click HERE to keep reading.

Please do leave a comment and let me know what you thought of the post.

New Ways Of Doing Church?

Ever wanted to visit a drive-in church? Now's your chance... click HERE.

Have you ever visited an on-line church service? Try HERE.

So what did you think?
Have you experienced any other creative church environments?
Do these qualify as a church?
Please leave a comment and lets get chatting : )

Funny / Inspirational Video

I found this awesome clip off Ron Edmondson's blog via Twitter.
It just goes to show...



... you should never know what opportunities a day holds nor should you underestimate people!

Let us know what you thought by leaving a comment.

We Need To Become Like Children...

Why does Jesus say that unless we become like children we cannot enter the Kingdom of God?

Matthew 18:2-4 (New International Version)

²He called a little child and had him stand among them. ³And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

What are your thoughts?
Leave a comment and we can get a conversation going. I'd love to grow from your insights.

You Will Be Captivated

Really cool music video that will keep you glued: (I found it HERE at Micro Explosion Media)





It just goes to show what can be accomplished from bed!

Breaking Out Of The Box

I love this video...





Breaking out into the new isn't always easy, you're not always understood... but simply sticking with the old is a death sentence.

I'd love you to leave a comment. Lets get the conversation rolling!

Beard Types

I must admit, a few months ago I was introduced to Jon Dyers blog page on 'The Quest For Every Beard Type' via Twitter... and was inspired.
I have been growing for only 2 weeks, but alas another confession... my wife hates mustaches and won't kiss me! And touch is my love language!! Yes... I'm caving in!!!

So I decided to shave, but try a few styles along the way.

First up is the full beard look:



Second... is the more shapely beard



Third is the Klingon (all you Star Trek fans should recognise this)



Fourth is the... well, I'm not sure what this is called... but I saw it on my buddy Owen and thought it might solve the kissing problem : )D




Have you got any pics of your beards?
What is your favorite style?
Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Out Of The Box Giving

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

You can check out their web site HERE and their blog HERE.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, critiques, etc. Please leave a comment.

Free Image Editor!!!

For those of you who like to play with image editors but can't afford Adobe Photoshop... may I introduce you to the free version called Sumo. Click HERE to go to the Sumo home page or watch a really quick video below:






Let me know if you like it.

You Tell On Yourself

YOU TELL ON YOURSELF
by James Allen

You tell on yourself by the friends you seek
By the manner in which you speak
By the way you employ your leisure time
By the use of your dollar and dime

You tell who you are by the things you wear
By the spirit in which your burdens bear
By the kinds of things at which you laugh
By the records you played on the phonograph

You tell what you are by the way you walk
By the things of which you delight to talk
By the manner in which you bear defeat
By so simple a thing as how you eat
By the books you choose from the well-filled shelf
In these ways and more, you tell on yourself.



How have you found this poem to be true in your own experience?
Leave a comment and let us know.

Your iPod Could Save A Life

I saw this interesting post about trading in your ipods, etc. to help bring life to a needy Indian village. Check out the radio interview below:




Here's the basic idea:

The deal is either;

1. donate your iPod (I am donating mine first!) to be sold on trade me

2. sell your iPod and donate the proceeds

3. Bid for my iPod on trade me (soon)

4. Promote this blog/face book page to as many people as possible…

5. Rock on, because you going to help a large group of people!

We have to raise $3200 this year to make it reality.


To check out the blog click HERE:


So what do you think?
Leave a comment and let me know what you are thinking.

Imagine The Potential

A great 30 sec video that I saw at Ps James Macpherson's blog. (Click HERE to check his blog out).

Valentines

For all you Valentines bunnies out there:

New Words To Keep Your Conversations Fresh

I love learning new words...
It keeps life interesting and helps people not to nod off into autopilot when you are chatting with them.

Here are a few of the latest additions to my Vocab:

Vapid - flat, dull

Insouciant - easygoing, casual

Convivial - fun-loving

Catechumen - a person unskilled in something, beginner

Abecedarian - One who is just starting to learn or do something


If you have any favorites from the list above... or of your own, why not comment? I'd love to hear from you!

Ever Wondered If You Could Walk On Water?

I was going through the Tweets on my phone (you can follow me HERE) I came across this great blog post on 'How To Walk On Water.' It has some great succinct advice that we all need to hear. Click HERE to go and check it out.

Let me know what you thought of the post.
(I especially loved the mother's reaction).

Living By Design - Part 3

If you've missed out on Part 1 (click HERE) or Part 2 (click HERE) then feel free to go and check those posts out.
In Part 3 today we look at the fact tat this life is SHORT! We only get one shot and so we need to make sure that we get it right!

I'm 32 now and I have 2 kids under 7. Life is hurtling past me at an incredible speed!
It almost seems like time is gaining velocity with each new year.
I can't afford to muck around... my life very soon will come to an end. I will either look back with joy... or with grief.

King David understood that time is short. look at these wonderful words of wisdom from the Psalms:

Psalm 39:4-7 (New International Version)

4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.

5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah

6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

7 "But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.

Until I realise the paucity of our days... I will be inclined to nonchalantly live my days away.

I love Robert Moffat's quote, "We will have all of eternity to celebrate our victories, but only one short hour before sunset to win them."

Where are you wasting time and opportunities away? In what areas do you need to live more intentionally?

I look forward to seeing your comments.

Living By Design - Part 2

In the last post (click HERE to see it) we introduced Stephen Covey's idea that things are created twice... first mentally and then physically.
We also had the challenge: Are we living by default or by design?

How do we become someone who lives by design?
We begin with the end in mind.
We look forward to who we want to become and what we want to have accomplished.

If you've ever been funerals... there are the one's where people will be missed by their close relatives... and then there are one's where it seems the whole community comes out, and people speak of someone who deeply impacted their lives. You sit there thinking, "Boy, if I could be just a little like so-and so... my life would have been well lived.

So... who do you want to become (your character)?
What is it that you want to have accomplished? (I'm sure that climbing the corporate ladder or owning the house with a white picket fence, a batch, and all the toys doesn't even feature!)

So what's standing in your way right now?
What do you need to start intentionally doing to become that person?

Leave your thoughts by commenting. I can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Living By Design - Part 1

Stephen Covey has a chapter in his book 'The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People' called Begin With The End In Mind.
In this chapter Stephen challenges us with the thought that all things are created twice. There is first the mental creation and then secondly the physical creation.

When making a sandwich or building a house, when one gets dressed or decides which route to drive... we first craft it out mentally and then we perform the physical act.

Stephen then goes on and gives a challenge: Are we living our lives by design... or by default?

Many of us live by default. We live unconsciously.
Let me give you two examples:
1) Many people simply believe that when they drive to the shopping center that there will be no parks at the front... that all the prime parking spots are already snapped up... and so they drive to the middle or back.
They never do find parking spaces upfront!

2) If you are going to a party where you don't know anyone... and you tell yourself that you will just be on the outside of all the cliques, an outsider to the conversations, and no one is really going to make an effort to connect with you.
So you stand on the outside... your posture is closed and defensive.
You end up being right.

Why? Because you created it first mentally and then you simply followed the script.

How much of your life is lived by design?
How much is lived by default?
Let me know what you're thinking by leaving a comment.

Light, Heat & God

Here is an interesting piece that I found while surfing at Interesting Facts:

Darkness is nothing but a absence of light. You can measure intensity of the light to infinity but can you do the same for darkness? Cold is nothing but absence of heat. Heat can be measured to infinity but cold maintains a steady value at a certain degree. Absolute zero (-460 F / -273.4 C) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. It was proclaimed that Albert Einstein said: "Evil does not exist, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

I certainly do not agree that Satan / evil is simply the absence of God... the teachings of Jesus refer to the 'person' Satan and not the personification... (although God's absence will be the very worst part about hell)... but the above certainly makes for great pondering.

It's Time To Bungy!

WOW... there is nothing quite like putting it out there for everyone to hold you accountable! I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows what to do... but loves to procrastinate : )

For a few weeks I've toyed with the idea of reading each of the 4 Gospels completely each week for 3 months. I knew it would be a big challenge... so I put the decision off.

It's easy to do that when it's just an idea in your head. I felt like a bungy jumper... on the side of a bridge, nervously peering over the edge. You procrastinate and procrastinate and procrastinate. Eventually out of no-where you find your feet taking charge of the situation and lunging off the bridge.

That happened to me when I blurted out at my Elevate Leaders Lifegroup that I was starting the challenge. Well after I told the group... was committed. So first things first... I procrastinated getting started till the next week. When the new week rolled around I figured I should work out just how many chapters that I'd need to read each day... 13! GULP!!!

This is my 4th day... currently I'm 7 chapters behind (I've been catching up)... While the challenge is daunting, I feel relaxed and am enjoying the high speed 'water blast' in the Word.
The words from the Ethics of the Fathers are continually on my mind:
"Rabbi Meir said, 'Lessen your work for worldly goods, and be busy in the Torah. Be humble of spirit before all people. If you neglect the Torah, many causes for neglecting it will present themselves to you, but if you work in the Torah, He has abundant reward to give you."
Avot 4:12

So let me throw a challenge out to you: 'What are you procrastinating on?'
Which group or individuals do you need to blurt out to?
Go ahead, let your legs (or mouth in this case) lunge you off the bridge and into your destiny!

I look forward to your comments!