Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Bob Goff, (2014-01-07) from his book with Barna Group, Multi-Careering: Do Work That Matters at Every Stage of Your Journey (Frames) (p. 38). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. How do you identify yourself?   I identified myself for many years as a church planter but one day I retired and in one sense I lost my identity at least I had to change it.   Bob also said, “As time has passed, I’ve come to think of my careers as a part of my legacy, but certainly not all of it. After we’re gone, those closest to us may appreciate the work we did, but they’re more likely to remember how we did it. They will remember us for our love and whimsy. Only strangers will remember us just for our jobs or titles.” And then he says, “I have learned to be very careful how I describe myself, because people do best at what they identify with most.” This has been a very soul searching thought for me today.   It is so easy to see what you do in your career as your identity and to give our li

A thought by Bob Goff, (2014-01-07) from his book with Barna Group, Multi-Careering: Do Work That Matters at Every Stage of Your Journey (Frames) (Kindle Location 193). Zondervan. I have had some of those job and they each one built something into me.   I was a teenage church custodian of my father’s church.   I also took care of the lawn.   When I was in college I was a middle school custodian.   I have been a painter.   In a small down in western Kansas I painted the Post Office, City Hall, the Motel and Restaurant out on the highway and I don’t remember how many houses I painted inside and out.     I also was a mason’s tender.   That job didn’t end well.   But each one of those jobs built something into me.   They taught me to have pride in what I did but they also showed me they weren’t what I was going to give my life too.   But each one shaped me. I like how Bob puts it, “We can draw on what we experience over a long, hot summer cleaning a camp kitchen to help us

A thought by Bob Goff, (2012-05-01) from his book, Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World (p. 25). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. This thought reminds me of the guy who said, “I gave my life to climbing up the ladder of success to find at the end that it was leaning against the wrong wall.” So many times we do what we do out of fear of failing.    We just don’t want to look bad in the eyes of those who really matter to us.   It is so important for us to be a real success at no matter at.   So we do whatever we can to keep from failing, to keep from looking bad that we will do anything to succeed.   That’s what it is all about isn’t it?   Success. But Bob says that he has found that he is more afraid at succeeding at things that don’t matter, things that don’t make a difference in the world that he lives in.   I remember when we moved to Las Vegas to plant a new church.   We were so excited but we found ourselves in a deep financial hole.

A thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-01-21) from his book, Louder Than Words: The Power of Uncompromised Living (Kindle Location 1982). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. And that is true emotionally and physically.   Think about the last time you had some real physical pain.   I’m mean you were really hurting.   Who were you thinking about? You.   And the same is true emotionally. Andy says, “Emotional pain works the same way. And like physical pain, the more intense the emotional pain, the more self-centered we become, and self-centeredness is the archenemy of character. Men and women of character are committed to putting others first.” But the Enemy knows how to sidetrack us doesn’t he?   I mean I’m in pain.   Take care of me.   But the golden rule says, “To do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”   And pain is a way of learning how to minister to others and to show people how God can make a difference when we are in pain.   But it is r

A thought by Bob Goff, (2012-05-01) from his book, Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World (Kindle Locations 134-135). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. And that beginning thought by Bob caught my attention.   The island is Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland.   I have had an Annual Pass to Disney World and I now have an Annual Pass to Disneyland and I have never been to Tom Sawyer Island.   And that speaks to too many of us and our trek through life. Oh I’ve looked across and seen it many times but I didn’t think it looked very interesting or exciting so I stayed on my side of the water and never adventured to the other side to see what was there.   But Bob did and he says, “I do all of my best thinking on Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland. There’s a picnic table at the end of a little pier right across from the pirate ship. I suppose most people think this place is just a prop because there are a couple of wooden kegs marked “gunpowder” and some pirate pa

A thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-01-21) from his book, Louder Than Words: The Power of Uncompromised Living (Kindle Location 1942). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now it does have some benefit to the one being forgiven.   I mean it really makes us feel good when someone shows they care enough to ask us to forgive them for something we did to them.   The gift of forgiveness to someone is a very meaningful gift but the real gift is to the one doing the forgiving. As Andy says, “We have a tendency to view forgiveness as a gift to the one who offended us— as a benefit to that person.”   That is why it is difficult for us to do.   We see it as letting them off the hook for what they did to us.   But he then goes on to say, “For the most part, it’s a gift that was designed for us. It’s something we give ourselves. Because when you consider everything that’s at stake, the one who benefits the m

A thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-01-21) from his book, Louder Than Words: The Power of Uncompromised Living (Kindle Locations 1540-1541). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. I almost did that today.   I wasn’t feeling very inspired and I had a lot of other things getting my attention and I just about convinced myself to not write a new post.   I could wait and write it tomorrow.   I just don’t feel like writing today. Do you ever get to that point?   I heard of this guy who got up on a Sunday morning and told his wife, “You know, I just don’t feel like going to church today.   I was up late last night and I just feel like staying home.”   But his wife brought him back to reality.   She said, “But you are the Pastor.   You can’t stay home.” Maybe that is the way you feel every Monday.   “I just don’t feel like going to work.   I think I will just stay home.   That is what I really feel like doing?”    But you get up and get ready and head in to work b