Developing Yourself To Help Develop Others.

Out of all the definitions for the word “develop” I think I like this one the best.  It’s from Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary and it reads, “To move from the original position to one providing more opportunity for effective use”. 

 

Over the last year, I’ve been trying to become "better" so I could be of better service to others.  I’ve read different studies and blogs by well known leaders and authors, all in an attempt at becoming “better”.  Why?  I'll tell you.

 

First of all, I want to be better person.  I thought,  if I become better, I can be a better teacher, a better leader and just an all around better guy.  Secondly, I want to help others.  The way I see it, the way I accomplish that is to better myself.  George Bernard Shaw said, "Those that cannot change their minds cannot change anything".  So if I want to help others change I must first change myself. 

 

How do you become better?  One way is to ask questions.  Without questions you’ll never get answers.  However, with some answers come the potential for more questions.  Dan Rockwell, author of the blog Leadership Freak, says, “If you can’t ask questions your people development skills are weak”.  That’s true.  If you can’t ask questions you won’t develop the skills needed to help others. 

 

J.D. Stroube said, “Life is filled with unanswered questions, but it is the courage to seek those answers that continues to give meaning to life".  What questions do you have?  Ask them!  The answer you get may be the answer you’ll need to help someone else. 

 

Another way of developing your self is to read.  According to Bruno Bettelheim, “The ability to read becomes devalued when what one has learned to read adds nothing of importance to one's life.”  

 

Dr. Seuss says, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”  

 

If we want to become a better person, pick up a book and learn from others experiences.  Learn how they developed plans and set goals, overcame obstacles that got in the way and achieved success.    

 

Lastly, don’t be afraid to fail.  Remember, you’re human.  You’re going to make mistakes.  Learn from those mistakes and keep going.  Don’t let it keep you from achieving your goal of getting better.  Rather, let it become a lesson on how not to do something or a reminder of what route you should or shouldn’t take. 

I like what Richelle E. Goodrich said about failure.  She said, "Many times what we perceive as an error or failure is actually a gift. And eventually we find that lessons learned from that discouraging experience prove to be of great worth.”   By learning from your mistakes you’re able to instruct others on what NOT to do.  Remember, the goal is to become a better you so in return, you’re able to help someone else.  That "failure" you had may turn out to be someone else's gift. 

It's time to make that step and be a better you.  In Stephen Richards book Think Your way to Success: Let Your Dreams Run Free, he says, “You are essentially who you create yourself to be and all that occurs in your life is the result of your own making.”   So, the question is...when do you start?
Let's Geaux!
 

You Just Have To Make It

This past Sunday morning our Pastor was teaching and mentioned a very common scripture.  Psalms 100:1 “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all you lands.”  In his lesson, he said that the word “make” has a very distinctive meaning: to create.  I looked it up and the word is defined as a verb, to form something by putting parts together or combining substance; construct: create.  A second definition of make is, to cause something to exist or come about: bring about. 

That word, make, got me thinking.  What are we doing to form, put together, construct or create, to bring about a noise of joy for our God? 

In my research I found that there are many scriptures that include the words “make a joyful noise”.  However, not one of those scriptures includes having or being in a circumstance of joy prior to making said noise.  They all say make or create a joyful noise, and to me that would mean in spite of our circumstances or situations. 

Sometimes we let our dysfunctional circumstances get in the way of approaching God and actually receiving a great blessing, a blessing that could bring about change to our circumstance or situation, and in the long run, a change to our attitude and ways of thinking. 

We’re human and we’re going to have bad days, but we can’t allow those bad days to get in the way of the blessings God has for us. 

Have you ever heard the expression, “Praise your way through”?  That’s exactly what making a joyful noise is; it’s praise to our God. 

Stop and think about it.  As I’ve already mentioned.  Not one of the scriptures says that we must be in a joyous environment.  However, each one mentions making a “joyful noise”.  So what is a joyful noise?

Joyful defined means feeling, expressing, or causing great pleasure and happiness.  So when we make the noise, we’re not making just any noise, but one that has a tone of happiness, delight, cheerful and exuberant. 

Noise is defined as a sound, especially one that is loud or unpleasant or that causes disturbance. It’s also defined as a series or combination of loud, confused sounds. 

So how do we make a joyful?   I think we’ve got to go back and remember all the great things God has done for us.  Remembering what He’s already brought us through and delivered us from can bring about enough excitement that we’ll want to give him honor.  We’ll want to create, construct, form and bring about a sound of expression, feelings of great pleasure and happiness so loud and unpleasant that it disturbs God so much that He takes time to come see what we’re doing. 

Creating a noise is easy.  We can cry out, scream, beat pots and pans together, stomp our feet, get forks out of the drawer and bang them on the counter top, use wooden spoons and beat on the pots and pans we used earlier to clang together.  We can bang on the piano or strum the guitar, we can blow our trumpets and clarinets with such force that our cheeks hurt, or we can just talk. 

Talk?!  Yes, talk. Remember, you’re doing this FOR God.  Not yourself.  Make a joyful noise UNTO the Lord. 

When I looked up the word noise, one of the definitions used was to talk about or make known publicly.  Sometimes all we need to do in our approach to God is just talk to Him. 

This morning, I did just that.  I talked to God and reminded Him of all the blessings He’d given to me and my family.  I reminded Him of His promises and thanked Him for bringing us out of all of our bondage and sin and delivering us from so much junk that life had thrown our way.  I took the time to create, form, bring about sounds and expressing my feelings of appreciation and love of a God who has yet to fail me, and in the process of making my “noise” unto God, it disturbed Him enough that he came to where I was and comforted my soul.  My noise disturbed Him so much that He blessed me for making it. 

In the process of creating, forming, building sounds of expressions and feelings of appreciation, I received a blessing.  I wasn’t looking for one.  It just happened.  I wasn’t expecting one.  It was just provided. I was just doing what the scriptures says do and giving honor to a God that deserves honor. 

I don’t know where you guys are in life or what life has thrown at you.  I don’t know what kind of situation you’re involved or what circumstances you find yourself.  I do know, however, that the word of God is true, it’s without reproach and every promise mentioned in it is ours.  I do know that if we follow the word and do what it tells us to do; we can find our self more peace and joy.  We may not find our self in a more peaceful or joyous situation or circumstance; however, we will find a more peaceful and joyous attitude and mindset to help us endure whatever the situation or circumstance may be. 

Do you want more of the presence of God in your life?  Then today, right now, stop what you’re doing and do exactly what Psalms 100:1 tells us to do.  Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.  You ready?  Let’s geaux!

Just my thoughts on a page….

A Post Removal

It's fairly common knowledge that we're in the process of trying to sell our house in Texas.  Over the last several weeks we've done everything we know to do in order to prepare for the sale.  We've cleaned, we've painted, we've removed old furniture and clothes, we've done all kind of yard work and still, to no avail, the house hasn’t sold. 

 

After a while, you start to think that there's something wrong with the house.  You begin to wonder, what's keeping it from selling? 


Over the last 7 years, this house has been a great place for our family.  It's provided shelter, comfort and security for us.  Its really been a great place to live.  So why wouldn't anyone want to buy such a wonderful home? 



This weekend we were preparing for an open-house and I noticed a post sticking out of the ground.  It was the old Direct satellite post that didn't have a dish on it any longer.  It had been there for several years; however, this may be just the reason no one was offering to buy the house.  It's an eye-sore and in my opinion needed to be removed. 



So, I begin to push and pull back and forth, thinking that I could loosen the dirt around it then just pull it out of the ground.  Well, that didn't happen.  So I went to the garage and got a small garden shovel.  I begin to remove some of the dirt from around the base.  It was then I noticed the post was cemented into place.  When the Direct guy placed it, he didn't want it removed.  It was to be there, secured and safe. 



I went back to the garage and got a sledge hammer and a spike.  I begin to strike the cement to break it up.  It was a slow process, but eventually I had several chunks of cement removed.  Although the post was a tad bit looser, it was still secured in place.  I worked on hammering and striking the cement, pushing and pulling and shoveling dirt until I had made myself sick; and to no avail, the post was still in the ground and wasn't coming out. 



At this point I had my mind made up.  I'm getting that post out of the ground, even if it kills me.  So I got the big shovel and begin to strike the cement.  I dug around and took out the broken pieces that were in the way.  Before I knew it, I had a hole in the yard.  Not just a hole,  but a big hole with chunks of cement lying everywhere; AND a post sticking up out of the ground.



 NOTHING I WAS DOING WAS WORKING!!



I took a break from digging and went and got my youngest son Collin.  He's a strong boy, he's been working out this summer, he'll be just the person that can help me pull that post right out of the ground.  I felt like I had to have someone else involved in the removal process.



As we pulled and pushed, twisted and jerked we still didn't get it out of the ground.  I asked Collin to work on it so I could cool off and rest.  So he dug the hole deeper and wider thinking that he would go around the cement.  He beat on the concrete and chipped away at it bit by bit, but still had no luck. 



We worked on this project for at least an hour and a half.  Finally, after digging, pushing, pulling, chipping, and struggling with the removal of the post, we decided we'd give it one more shot.  I grabbed the bottom, Collin grabbed the center and we both pulled with all we had and slowly the cement base began to come out of the ground.  We had FINALLY done it...we removed the post and there was no longer an eye-sore. 



Or was it?



In the process of removing the post, we had created yet another “eye-sore”.  We created a very deep and wide hole!  Not only was there a big hole in the yard, but I also had dirt and chunks of cement everywhere.  In addition to the chunks of cement, there were small, sharp, jagged edged rocks lying everywhere.  If someone were to step on them, it would've caused a lot of pain. 


In the process of taking care of an “eye-sore”, I created a big mess with the potential of causing harm to others.   



You know it's funny.  Things would have been much better if I’d just left things the way they were.  I could have saved myself, and others, a lot of pain, aggravation, frustration and even sickness; if I'd only been willing to leave something left from the past, alone.   



People today want to remove the symbols of the past, remove the "eye-sores" from yester years.  Here's a suggestion.  Learn to live with the past.  We can learn to live with the symbols and reminders of our yesterday and remember what we USED to be, not what we are. 


Yes, there are issues that our United States faced many, many years ago.  However, look at where we are now.  We're so much better and so much further advanced than we were 100 years ago. 



We're constantly being told not to live in our past.  And we shouldn't.  You can’t change it.  It is what it is.  However, you can learn from it.  You're never going to change the past.  You may try to remove the "eye-sores" that remind you it, but you'll never change the past.  No matter how hard you try. 



Although Collin and I were successful in removing the post and we were successful in filling and covering the hole, it didn’t change the fact that I had a post in my yard.  Not only did it not change the fact that I had a post in my yard, the removal process left yet another “eye-sore”.  It left something that I may never be able to remove. A scar.


There will always be a reminder of something that once was. 



Just my thoughts….

Spring Into Cleaning

Today we’ve been doing a lot of cleaning and repairing to the house.  We’ve repaired small holes in walls, painted small knicks and stains that have accumulated over the last few years and we stained the front door.  While we were at it, we washed the outside of the house, washed the windows and swept the patios.  It was kind of funny.  As we started cleaning and washing we would find other things we needed to clean or repair.  So we made a list of what we wanted to do. 

We all pitched in and got just about everything we needed to do accomplished.  It took a little effort, but we got it done. 

While carrying out a load of trash, Donna points out to Connor that we’ve been living with a lot of clutter in our house.  She then asked a very important question.  “Why haven’t we taken it out sooner?  We would have felt so much better about ourselves if we would have done this before now.  We just get used to it being there and learn to live with it”.  Connor says, “That will preach, Mom”. 

We do let a lot of garbage and clutter build up in our lives and we do learn to live with it.  We have a little bitterness piled up in the corner of our heart, a little doubt and unbelief sitting on the sofa of our mind and in the back room of the conscience there’s a cobweb of lies that’s been there for a few years.  We see it every day, but we learn to walk by and ignore it.    

Before long, the clutter begins to build and we begin to make excuses as to why we’re not doing anything to correct it.  We’re too tired or we don’t have time to do anything about it now are just some of the lies we tell ourselves.  Before we can turn around, we have a room full of filth that had we taken care of it sooner, we probably would’ve felt so much better about ourselves and our living conditions. 

First John 1:8-9 tells us, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. 

As soon as the clutter and garbage starts to build, take the time to get it cleaned out.   Don't wait, do something about it immediately.  Psalms 51 is David’s prayer he prayed when Nathan the Prophet came to him about his affair with Bathsheba.  He asked God for mercy, to wash him, cleanse him, purge him, to create a clean heart and restore joy into his life.  David didn’t wait until he had time or wait until he felt like it to get his life cleaned up.  He did it right then, right there.  No procrastination. 

So as we enter into the Spring season and we begin our cleaning routines check your mind, your heart and your spirit. Pray Psalms 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”.  You’ll feel better about yourself and the living conditions of your soul. 

Just a thought on a page….

Sometimes, It Does Take A Mountain!

A man was sitting on a park bench killing time when he slipped off to sleep.  As he slept, he began to dream that he was traveling down a rough road.  Suddenly, he found himself in front of a very large mountain.  It was very steep and very wide mountain with many valleys and peaks that looked to be unobtainable.  In addition to the peaks and valleys, the mountain was occupied by many enemies that looked to be undefeatable.  So, he did what anyone would do.  He stopped walking. 

In the dream he asked the Lord, “Lord, what do you want me to do with this?  You need to move it.  I can’t move forward as long as it’s in the way.  I can’t climb this.  I can't move forward and be successful.  I’ll fail.”

The Lord began to tell the man, “Move forward, but don’t focus on the mountain, but rather focus on My voice.  Focus on Me.”  So the man did as he was instructed.

As he moved, he began praying and developing a relationship with Christ like he’d never had before.  He focused solely on developing that relationship and didn’t let anything or anyone else get in the way. 

It wasn’t easy.  There were things that would come against him.  People, time issues and other forms of distractions would try to get in the way; however, he had to push all of that aside and focus on the relationship he was developing.    

One day , as he was traveling, he stepped closer to what seem to be a small ledge.  As he did, he could see a long distance away.  The sights were so beautiful.  The sun was out, the clouds were like cotton in the sky, and the roads were flat and travelable. 

He told the Lord, “Thank you for moving that mountain”.  The Lord answered and said, “Son, I didn’t move the mountain.  I just helped you climb it.”  As he looked back, he could see that the mountain that he perceived to be too steep and wide to conquer was a now behind him.  He had overcome and obtained the very things he perceived to be unobtainable.  He had defeated the foes that he thought were undefeatable.  He was a victor, and had never raised his hand in battle all because he focused solely on developing his relationship with Christ.

Today, whatever it is you’re facing, don’t ask God to move it, but rather ask God to move you closer to Him.  It's when you start focusing on Him that you'll soon realize that the mountain, although steep and dangerous, can be defeated when you put your focus in and on Christ and not the issues before you. 

When we focus on moving closer to Him, one day we’ll take a step and see that there’s a beautiful path that God has for us to follow.  The sun will shine, the sky will be blue and the road will be so much smoother to travel.  All because we didn’t focus on the mountain, but the One who put it there in the first place. 

Sometimes, it does take a mountain…

My thoughts on a page...

 

Uh Oh, She's On Her Way Home!

As I sit here feeling clean, peaceful, happy and fulfilled, I can’t help but ask myself the question.  Why didn’t I do this earlier? 

This week was Spring Break for our school district and I’ve had the house pretty much to myself all week.  Donna and I took the boys to West Monroe last weekend and came home Sunday, but then Donna went back on Thursday, leaving me the house all to myself for the rest of the week! 

Now, you know as well as I do, leaving a man at home by himself to basically do what he wants is sometimes an un-wise thing to do.  Yes, we don’t wash clothes, we don’t put our dishes away, we make big messes and we don’t clean up after ourselves.  We make meals and don’t clean the dishes.  We get dirty from being outside and we take our clothes off and throw them in the floor.  We track in mud from being in the yard that’s muddy as a swamp from all the rain.  We leave our junk food wrappers on the floor in the TV room and our empty milk glasses on the desk.  We make messes…we’re free!!  Or we think we are anyway. 

Well, as free as I was to create the mess, I was obligated to also clean the mess up.  I made it, I had to clean it.  It was at this point I realized, I should have cleaned up after I made the mess.  That way, I wouldn’t have so much to do prior to everyone getting home. 

That was another problem.  I procrastinated!  Procrastination of cleaning only made the job that much harder to do.  The filth had built up until there was so much to clean that I didn’t know where to start.  So, I started in our room and worked my way into the kitchen. 

I picked up my clothes and put them in the hamper, I folded and hung up the laundry that I had washed earlier, I dusted and I vacuumed throughout the entire house.  Then I went into the kitchen.  I put up all the leftover food, I wiped off the counters and cleaned the stove top, I put all the boxes I had pulled out back into the cabinet and I washed off the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher.  By the way, I think that’s the dumbest thing to do…why can’t they make a dishwasher that you don’t have to wash the dish prior to loading, but that’s another story for another day. 

After I cleaned the kitchen, I thought about the floors.  I got the broom and dust pan and swept the floor, and then I mopped it.  I looked at the kitchen and thought I was finished and realized I had one more thing to do before I’d be complete.  I had to take out the trash. 

As I sealed the bag and carried it to the can, I realized that I was through with the task of cleaning.  I also realized that it didn’t take me near as long as I thought it would.  However, I was glad I was done.  I could sit down and relax for a little while. 

I don’t think I’ve answered the question of why I felt happy, peaceful and fulfilled.  Here’s why.  I got finished with everything prior to Donna and the boys getting home.  They’ll come home to a nice clean, fresh smelling home.  They wouldn’t have to do one thing, but unload from their trip and relax when they got home.  No cleaning, no washing, no loading the dishwasher, because it was all done.  Knowing that they would be able to relax and spend time with me made me feel good.  It made me happy!  I felt like I had accomplished something that they would be proud of me over.  I felt complete and fulfilled over something that I knew they would be happy about. 

This got me thinking.  I wonder if we treat our sins the same way. 

We all know that Jesus is coming back, we just don’t know when.  We play in the world and fill our lives with stuff that we know He wouldn’t like, hoping that He doesn’t come back and find us kicked back in our easy chairs, while our hearts are filled with dirt that we could have and should have already had cleaned. 

Will He come and find that we’ve left old clothes of deceit lying around, carpet filled with iniquity un-vacuumed, and dishes with remnants of bad habits lying on the cabinets of our heart? 

You know as well as I do, at some point you’re going to have to get the mess cleaned up.  I’ve heard our Pastor say many times, “Jesus can do anything, but He’s not going to everything”.  We have to make up our minds that we don’t want to live in the filth any longer.  We have to be the ones to start the process of cleaning and that first step is asking to be forgiven.   

Just like I felt good about Donna and the boys coming home, when we ask Jesus to forgive us and we let Him clean our hearts, we too can feel good about His returning. 

He is coming.  One day real soon He’ll come to get us.  You ready?  You can be! Don’t Procrastinate!

Just something to think about…

Will I Treat The Way I'm Treated

How many times have you caught yourself treating someone in a way that wasn’t quite up to Christian standards?  You know what I’m talking about.  You treat certain people differently, because that’s how they treat you or how they treat others.  You don’t speak to them, because they don’t speak to you.  You don’t wave at them, because they don’t wave to you.  You treat them with disrespect, because that’s how they treated you the last time you had a conversation with this person.

Not only are those actions extremely childish, but they’re entirely wrong. 

I’ve had this on my mind for some time now, because I catch myself treating people exactly how they treat me or how I’ve seen them treat others.  I know it’s wrong, but I feel like I can justify my actions by their previous actions.  However, just because someone else is wrong, doesn’t make it right for me to be just as wrong. 

As I was thinking on this topic for this blog, something my Momma always told me came to mind.  She would say, “Tim, people will always remember how you made them feel.  If you treat them kindly, they’ll remember.  If you treat them with disrespect, they’ll remember.  If you treat them with respect, they’ll remember.  They’ll always remember how you made them feel.”

Not only did the words of Momma come to mind, but that famous Golden Rule came through as well.   Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

Now I know that the scripture reads in Matthew 7:12 “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” 

Notice that both say nothing about treating people the way they treat you, but rather to treat people the way you would want to be treated.  I think that’s part of the problem today.  We treat people the way they treat us, NOT how we want to be treated. 

A few years ago I started doing something that, to some, may be considered a little over the top.  If I walk up to a group of people, I try to speak to each one in the group.  If I walk past someone I know, I try to at least say “hello” or some sort of greeting.  Why?  Because that’s how I would want to be treated if I was standing in a group or by myself and someone I knew walked past or walked up. 

Proverbs 18:24 tells us, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother”.

People don’t want to be friends with folks that don’t show themselves friendly.  In order for us to make friends, we’ve got to be friendly…to everyone. 

So how do we get people to make the changes needed to be made?  How do we get folks to treat us the way we want to be treated? 

First of all, we’ve got to change ourselves and our way of thinking.  Doing the same ole thing and acting the same ole way expecting different results isn’t going to cut it.  We’ve got to change our thoughts and our actions if we want to see serious change in others.  We can’t expect others to change, if we ourselves aren’t willing to change.

Secondly, we start treating people the way we want to be treated.  Remember, people will always remember how you made them feel. 

Thirdly, be patient.  It’s going to take time for some to catch hold of the concept of treating people with respect and dignity, but they’ll get it…eventually.  Keep showing them how it’s done and eventually they’ll figure it out.  You can teach an old dog a new trick, it just takes time. 

Lastly, don’t stop showing people how.  The scripture in Luke chapter 6 verse 38 says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you…” If we continue to give, eventually what we’ve given will be given back.  “…good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over…” 

Just my thoughts on a page…