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Archive for May, 2009

Creation Speaks

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

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Psalms 19: 1-3
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.

Notice what the psalmist really does here.  He speaks of Creation as a language.  Notice what the text is asking us to do…it is enforcing God’s handiwork…it speaks to us in a language of its own!

I found the below description of God found “in” Creation.  I believe a teenager wrote the paragraphs below.

Very Powerful!

“I have been asked by some how I can be so certain in the existence of a good God, and I have asked them in return if they have eyes to see.  God has woven himself irretrievably into Nature; left his fingerprints behind to show us where he’s been.  His signature is smeared into the curls of the Milky Way, forever circling above the rim of the world.  God has scattered fragments of himself about the earth like a father hides eggs in the yard before his son’s very first Easter; hiding behind a tree with laughing eyes and waiting to see which of the treasures his child will uncover first.

God is crying out all around us.  He is present in the breathless silence of the snow-smothered mountains; he is dancing with the sunlight that shatters on the ocean’s waves; he is hiding in the decaying moss and crumbling shale in the old forgotten places in the world.  No jagged mountain throws its sharp weight against the sky that is not a testament to his goodness.  The entire sum of Creation, each private and individual act of nature, is God waving hello.”

Leading Yourself

Friday, May 29th, 2009

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Thought provoking questions by Bill Hybels, that we need ask ourselves.

  1. Is my calling sure?
  2. Is my vision clear?
  3. Is my passion burning hot?
  4. Is my character fully submitted to Christ?
  5. Is my pride subdued or is my ego messing with it?
  6. Are my fears at bay? Or do I have anxiety?
  7. Is my psychological baggage affecting the way I make decisions?
  8. Are my ears open to the voice of God?
  9. Is my pace sustainable?
  10. Is my heart for God increasing or decreasing?

How are you leading self these days?

Winning Formula

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

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What does a “Winning Formula” look like in today’s economic landscape?

Tom Peters (aka: Management Guru) has an insightful formula for those who are in the workplace, who are choosing to be winners!

Tom Peters says:

People who are 100%, everybody, no exceptions, Receptionist to EVP R&D:

Committed.
Engaged.
Growing.
Learning.
Fearless (unfailingly encouraged to try new things).
Respected.
Trusted.
Appreciated.
Independent-minded.
Team focused.
Focused themselves, even when fresh caught, on the growth of others
Passionate about their work, their mates, and their customers.
Informed.
Open (fanatic about sharing).
Caring.
Committed to EXCELLENCE in everything they do.

And, in turn, that demands 100% “servant leaders,” to shamelessly steal from Robert Greenleaf, who are 100% devoted—as Priority & Job #1—to developing people, in good times or bad—100% of people—who are:

Committed.
Engaged.
Growing.
Learning.
Fearless (unfailingly encouraged to try new things).
Respected.
Trusted.
Appreciated.
Independent-minded.
Team focused.
Focused themselves, even when fresh caught, on the growth of others
Passionate about their work, their mates, and their customers.
Informed.
Open (fanatic about sharing).
Caring.
Committed to EXCELLENCE in everything they do.

Well said, Tom!

How Precious Life is…

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

A few months ago I did a talk, where I talked about how precious life is…how fragile it can be.  How important it is to savor every moment, especially the time you have with your kids.

A woman named Mary Jean Arian wrote a little piece called “Gift From a Hair Dryer–Reflections of a Mom as She Combs Her Seven-Year-Old Daughter’s Hair After a Bath.” And somehow, it kind of captures what a precious thing life it.

“Comb and dry. Comb and dry. ‘Soon, I won’t be able to do this anymore,’ you say to yourself knowing that the little straight bob must inevitably yield to grown up coiffures and ugly curlers. What will she be like at 14? Where will her hair be blowing then–at 16 and 18? Do you suppose boys will love to watch her hair blow as you do now? And some of them will feel it on their faces. And one of them will marry her and her hair will be spread under the veil, and then, spread out on his pillow.

“And oh, you hate him a little and wonder where he is at this moment, whether he’ll be good to her. They will grow old together. And the gold-brown hair will be gray. And you will be gone. And then, she will be gone–this very hair, that now, your fingers smooth. And all the tears of the world swim for a second in your eyes as you snatch the plug out of the socket suddenly, and gather her into your arms, burying your face in the warm hair, as if you could seal this moment against all time.”