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How relevant are you? R

This is a brilliant talk on relevace by John Maxwell

Anger Yields Anger, Wisdom Yields Patience

A great post by Rick Warren

 

“A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV)

Hurt people hurt people. When someone hurts you, it’s because they’ve been hurt. Unkind people have never felt kindness. Unloving people feel unloved. When someone is rude, bitter, unkind, sarcastic, mean spirited, or arrogant, they are shouting with all of their behaviors, “I am in pain! I need massive doses of love! I do not feel secure!”

On the other hand, the person who feels deeply loved and deeply secure is generous and gracious to other people.

If we just want to get even with people, that’s fine. But it means we’re no better than they are. The Bible tells us to overcome evil with good. This means, we respond with love. It means we look past their words to their pain.

Here’s a myth that everybody’s been sold by modern psychology: When it comes to anger, there’s only a set amount you’ll get throughput your life. It’s like you’ve got a bucket for anger, and when the bucket gets full, you need to pour it out — and that will be cathartic.

The problem is, you don’t have a bucket of anger in your life. You have a factory! That factory can keep on producing and producing and producing. When you get rid of the anger, you’ll just produce more.
In fact, the more anger you throw out, the more it produces. Study after study has shown that aggression only creates more aggression. Angry outbursts lead to more anger, more often, until it becomes a habitual pattern in your life.

The answer is not just to throw it out. The answer is to let it go. “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV).

Talk About It

• Why do you think it is so hard for us to let things go, particularly with the people we love most?
• If you fill your life with love, what will overflow from your life?

A growing church must multiply it's small groups

Why?  You might ask.

As the New Testament church grew it is recorded for us that they not only met in the temple courts but went from 'house to house'.  The home is the centre of family life and love, of good conversation, of great food, a place of discipleship and learning, a place of sharing, of giving, of safety of joy and of peace.  

I believe there are four advantages of meeting with other Christians in small groups as the church grows:

It is infinitely expandable

It is unlimited geographically.

It is good stewardship.

It promotes relationships

There is great benefit and wisdom in God’s way of multiplying small groups.  As a result, the Bible says that the Lord added to their number daily those that were being saved.

Four Things Keeping You from Reaching Your Potential

An exceptional post by John Maxwell

Wilma Rudolph, the Olympic track and field champion of the 1960s, said, “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” Like Wilma, I believe that we all have potential. God has designed each of us to do something great.

But why do so few people actually realize all of their success potential? It’s a question that I’ve asked often over the years. If success is a hot-air balloon, then what are the sandbags hanging off the basket, weighing us down and keeping us from rising to the height where we’re designed to fly?

There are many variables that affect our ability to succeed in life. But I believe the following four things have a lot of power in our lives. If you can eliminate them, you give yourself a much better chance of achieving your goals.

Four Things Keeping You from Reaching Your Potential

1. Choices that limit you.
The thing about decisions is that they have consequences. And some decisions have more damaging consequences than others. If you’re not reaching your potential, the first thing you should do is examine your past choices. There’s a poem that I really like that goes,
“There is a choice you have to make
In everything you do.
So keep in mind, that in the end,
The choice you make, makes you.”

Your choices do make you. But if you’ve made bad choices in the past that have kept you from reaching your potential, the good news is that every day holds new opportunity.
You can make right choices today that move you in the right direction. Make the right decisions, no matter how hard. Then manage those decisions daily. I wrote about this in Today Matters. It can teach you how to manage your decisions after you make them.

2. Impatience with the process.
“Are we there yet?” If you’ve been on a road trip with a child, you’ve probably heard this question more than once. That’s because it’s normal for a kid to be impatient. The problem occurs when we become adults, and we’re still unwilling to wait.

Every good goal usually is more difficult, takes longer, and costs more than we anticipate. When we rush or abandon the process, we often keep ourselves from reaching our potential.

Teddy Roosevelt said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” Expect the process of success to take time, and embrace it. You’ll free yourself to reach your potential.

3. Failure to pay the price.
In Leadership Gold, I wrote that for everything you gain, you give up something. My father taught me when I was very young that in life you’re either paying or playing. If you play now, you’ll pay later. But if you choose to pay now, you’ll be able to play later. But no matter what, you always have to pay.
Have you counted the cost of achieving your goals? Have you been paying the price, or did you hope you could avoid it? Charles Schwab said, “When a man has put a limit on what he will do, he has put a limit on what he can do.” We all need to be willing to do the work necessary to reach our potential.

4. Failure to think creatively when problems arise.
Problems will arise. That’s a “when,” not an “if.” Like expecting a process to take time, anticipating problems allows you to prepare for them. Then you’re able to be proactive in your approach to them, instead of just reacting emotionally when they occur.
In my organizations, I value problem-solving more than problem-spotting. I want team members to come to me with more than just an awareness of a problem. I ask them to come to me with at least three possible solutions. The discipline of looking for more than one solution makes them recognize options that they wouldn’t otherwise see.

If you anticipate problems, you can prepare a reaction ahead of time. And even when they catch you by surprise, searching for more than one solution means you’ll think more strategically and react in a way that takes you closer to, not farther from, your goals.

The “seed of greatness” exists in each of us. You are more likely to reach your potential if you keep your eyes on your goals and remember why you’re chasing them. The more valid reasons you can list for pursuing your dream, the greater the chance that you will achieve it. By keeping your eye on the prize, and eliminating the behaviors I’ve mentioned, you improve your odds of rising to the height where you were designed to fly.

19 Simple habits to experience more joy in your life

A great post by Tony Morgan:  I’m a worrier. I come by it naturally. I was born into a family of worriers. In fact, there have been seasons of my life when I’ve been paralyzed by worry and anxiety. Thankfully, good counseling and good medications have helped me press through the most challenging times. Beyond professional help I’ve needed in different seasons, though, these are some of the specific practices I embrace to stay healthy spiritually, physically and mentally. To experience less worry and more joy, you might want to consider these new habits as well: Block out time in your schedule for the most important person in your life. For me, that’s my wife. Even though Emily and I are married, I still schedule times when the two of us can spend time together. Help other people. I’ve noticed that when I put my focus on helping other people with their challenges, my problems seem to fade away. Jesus once encouraged us to love God and love others. That Jesus was a smart guy because that advice really works. Learn to delegate to others. My tendency is to hold on to too much because I think I can better control the outcome. In reality, the more I hold on to, the less gets accomplished and the more burned out I get. I’m always better with a team. Mentor someone 15 to 20 years younger than you. Again, there’s value in pouring into someone else. They win by getting your wisdom and experience. You win by enjoying the reward of helping someone take their next steps in leadership and life. Take time off from work. Take one day off each week where you don’t do any work. Retreat one time every quarter. Try to spend a night some place away from home. Vacation at least once each year. By the way, just planning and looking forward to these times away helps me as much or more than actually being there. Just say no to travel sports. In other words, don’t revolve your entire life around your kids’ activities. It’s not healthy for yourself or your marriage, and it’s certainly not healthy for your kids. This is counter-cultural, but you don’t have to fall into this trap. Turn off technology. Put your smartphone in your home office, turn off the lights, close the door and walk away. Test it out. You may be surprised to learn that the world will keep on spinning without your immediate email response or Facebook comment. Work toward landing a job that best fits your strengths and passions. No, you won’t likely start with that job. But, over time, you will be more fulfilled when what you do aligns with the way you’re wired up. Pause for a moment to pray. I’m not a long pray-er. I don’t know how to pray fancy prayers. You may not even notice me praying because many times I don’t close my eyes, bow my head or open my mouth. But as life’s challenges arise, I’m routinely asking God for wisdom, strength and peace. I’ve learned that God answers short prayers too. Watch dumb comedies and laugh a lot. I need to laugh. It makes me healthier. That’s why, at any given time, Emily and I are working our way through a comedy series on Netflix. Many times it’s the last thing we do before we go to sleep. Choose friends that make you smile. If someone is routinely negative, limit your time with them. Seriously. You get to choose how you invest your time with other people. Don’t let the same person drain you on a regular basis. Set boundaries. Spend time engaging hobbies. For me, right now, it’s playing the piano. When I sit down to play, I’m not performing for anyone. It’s just me and the piano, and that allows me to disengage from the world around me for a moment. Practice the art of being thankful. This is a discipline for me. I don’t naturally celebrate the victories very well. I’m learning to take time to thank God and thank others. Take a walk outside. There’s something about creation that helps me connect with God and disengage from the stresses of life. If I can get outside by a lake or the ocean, it’s even better. Get counsel from someone older and wiser than you. Most times there’s someone else who has already experienced the challenges I’m facing. They can help create an action plan rather than guessing or worrying about next steps. If you have a disagreement with someone, immediately talk with them to resolve the conflict. The longer I let something fester, the deeper the wound gets. The sooner I have the tough conversations to deal with the conflict, the less stress I have to deal with in the long run. Develop a system for keeping track of projects and tasks. I used to waste a lot of time and cause a lot of stress trying to remember tasks that I need to accomplish. Now, as soon as something comes to mind, it gets on my task list to be scheduled for completion. Let yourself dream about the future. I need the future to keep me grounded today. I need to know there are realistic goals in front of me that require that I steward my life well. Ultimately this is about the hope of eternity for those of us who are Christ-followers, but it also includes goals for my marriage, family and business. Acknowledge that you’re not in control. I can work myself into quite a funk when I start to believe that I’m in control. Life is messy. It’s going to be filled with unexpected curve balls. It’s in those times that I find myself praying “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30) I remind myself that God’s in control, and I am not.

Not only is God with you and in you; God is also for you.

A great post by Rick Warren!

 

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and
the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

No matter what you’re going to face this next week, you’re not going to face it alone. God is with you, he is in you, and he is for you.

Philippians 2:13 says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (NLT).

“God is working in you.” The word “working” in Greek is the word energos, from which we get the word “energy.” God is the energy driver in your life. You’re not just going on willpower. You’re not just going on your own power. God says he will give you the power you need, no matter what you’re facing.

Not only is he in you, he is with you. The Bible says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:18, 20 NIV). That’s quite a promise! The Bible says Christ is in you; the Bible says you’re hid with Christ in God; and the Bible says you’re sealed with the Holy Spirit. That means for the devil to get to you, he’s got to get through the Trinity! That’s a pretty good protection. That is a great fear reliever.

Not only is God with you and in you; God is also for you. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, no one can defeat us” (NCV).

When a shepherd leads the sheep, there are always guard dogs at the back, nipping at the sheep to keep them moving in the right direction.

The Bible says that the guard dogs in your life are goodness and mercy. God gives you the things you don’t deserve — that is his goodness. And, he doesn’t give you the things you do deserve — that’s his mercy.

Do you ever feel the smile of God in your life? If you don’t, you don’t really know God. Some people think God is like the angry parent who’s mad at them all the time. No. God is for you!

If you want to be happy, you need to get up every morning and say, “God, thank you that you’re going to be with me today, you’re going to be in me today, and you’re going to be for me today.”

Isn’t that great news? If God is with you, and God is in you, and God is for you, what in the world are you doing being depressed?