Happy Friday Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and that you have had a wonderful week.
This one is going to be short & sweet.
This morning my Beautiful Bride asked me if I wanted to come to the potluck at her work for lunch. I immediately thought of all of the things I had to do, the fact that I was actually planning to write what I thought was going to be this weeks Happy Friday, etc. And then my spirit convicted me. I thought about the fact that she has asked me to come have lunch with her 3 or 4 times in the last month or so...that the Happy Friday I was wanting to write was actually trying to write itself on my heart. So I told her yes, I will come to the potluck. Later, as I was getting ready for work, her sweet little face poked around the corner and with the sweet smile on her face that I have loved for my than 29 years she said, "Are you really coming to lunch with me?" If there were any doubts as to whether or not I had made the right decision - there weren't by the way! - the sweet, beautiful, radiant face communicated loud and clear that I had.
I am keeping this short because YOU have things to do! Where is your potluck? Who is the person that has been wanting some time with you, even if it is only 45 minutes? Think about it. Somebody has been letting you know that they want, perhaps need, just a little bit of your time. Maybe they don't want anything from you, they just want you. Go. Now. I promise you, you will not regret it.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, don't forget or put off that potluck and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
React or Respond
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and that a great week is coming to a close for you.
You know how sometimes you will see something, hear something, reading something and it keeps popping back into your head? I had one of those this week. On Monday or Tuesday I read something and I have thought of it several times since then. I want to share it with you as we close out this great week.
I was reading Be All You Can Be: A Challenge to Stretch Your God-Given Potential by John C. Maxwell. Here is what I read:
"Like the airline pilot, we leaders will often have to deal with disruptions - sometimes very unpleasant disruptions. The issue is whether we respond or react to those disruptions. To react means to act negatively. To respond means to act positively. If you go to your doctor's office, and he prescribes some medicine for you, your body will either react or respond to the medicine. When you come back three days later, the doctor may tell you that your body is reacting to the medicine - he means that your body isn't allowing the medicine to accomplish its purpose. Or he may say that you're responding to the medicine - he means that the medicine is healing your body; you're getting well.
When we have disruptions, do we react or respond? I continually need to remind myself of the importance of responding. People who are schedule oriented, who have their to-do lists, and who have strong goals will always have some tension over disruptions. We have to remember that leadership is more than taking a pen to our to-do lists and marking off numbers. Leadership is meeting needs. I'm afraid sometimes we're marking off numbers instead of meeting needs, and that keeps us from being as effective as we could be.
One key to being an excellent leader is not to let disruption throw you: Handle your disruptions but don't be consumed by them; keep your eyes on the goal. Too many people detour around the need in order to hit the goal, or they meet the need but forget the goal. We have to do both. We must minister to the need as we press on to the goal."
Even as I read again, typing this for you, bits and pieces jump out at me.
Friends, I have reacted way to many times in my life. I don't want to be a reactor, I want to be a responder. A thought earlier this week on the drive home from working out - we call them first responders, not first reactors. We want them, we need them, when we are in crisis. Yes, I want to be a responder.
The next time our spouses, our sons, our daughters, our friends come to us I pray that we will remember that leadership is meeting needs. I get it, very rarely is their problem - our disruption - convenient for us however perhaps we should remember that it is not about us. Somebody who is looking to us for help needs us. When I was the Athletic Director at MacMurray College in Illinois a terrible tornado tore through our area. The next morning I was driving to work - thankful my house, my family had been spared and listening to the hardships of others. The radio was talking about all of the damage done in surrounding communities - the loss, the hurt. I thought to myself, our athletic department - staff, coaches & athletes - should go help those in need in our communities. Almost instantaneously I thought, "I don't have time for this...I have to much work to do." (My reaction) My spirit, just as quickly convicted me, "These people who have lost their homes probably don't have time for this either." I drove to the office, asked a colleague to send an email out to all staff, coaches & student-athletes asking for volunteers to go work in the community. The work at the office could wait...we served the needs of people that day. (My response)
My goal is to raise God pursuing men who will love, value, cherish & adore their wives. Who will grow to be great Tender Warriors - leading, guiding & protecting their children. Who will seek & pursue the purpose God has for their lives. That is my goal. If I fail to meet their needs - to acknowledge the fear of a baseball, to let them know that I love them regardless of whether the world defines them as a success or a failure, to discipline them when they lie, etc. - I can still hit the goal of growing a boy into a man, at least physically, however I stand no chance of raising a God pursuing, wife honoring, Tender Warrior. The disruptions my Beautiful Bride and sons bring into my life because of their needs are great opportunities to minister deep into their hearts, deep into their souls, deep into their spirits. Whether I react or respond will not only affect them here and now, it will also potentially touch the Haslam family members I may never meet this side of Heaven.
React or Respond? I choose response. I know that I stand zero chance of accomplishing this on my own...I tried that and failed miserably! As I seek God every day I will pray that He makes me a responder, that my eyes, ears, heart, and yes spirit, will see what He sees, hear what He hears, that I will demonstrate His love, mercy & grace. I might not succeed every time however I will pursue this relentlessly also. I will lean on His love, mercy & grace when I fail and I will daily pursue Him again. Yes, this is what I have decided. How about you?
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and that a great week is coming to a close for you.
You know how sometimes you will see something, hear something, reading something and it keeps popping back into your head? I had one of those this week. On Monday or Tuesday I read something and I have thought of it several times since then. I want to share it with you as we close out this great week.
I was reading Be All You Can Be: A Challenge to Stretch Your God-Given Potential by John C. Maxwell. Here is what I read:
"Like the airline pilot, we leaders will often have to deal with disruptions - sometimes very unpleasant disruptions. The issue is whether we respond or react to those disruptions. To react means to act negatively. To respond means to act positively. If you go to your doctor's office, and he prescribes some medicine for you, your body will either react or respond to the medicine. When you come back three days later, the doctor may tell you that your body is reacting to the medicine - he means that your body isn't allowing the medicine to accomplish its purpose. Or he may say that you're responding to the medicine - he means that the medicine is healing your body; you're getting well.
When we have disruptions, do we react or respond? I continually need to remind myself of the importance of responding. People who are schedule oriented, who have their to-do lists, and who have strong goals will always have some tension over disruptions. We have to remember that leadership is more than taking a pen to our to-do lists and marking off numbers. Leadership is meeting needs. I'm afraid sometimes we're marking off numbers instead of meeting needs, and that keeps us from being as effective as we could be.
One key to being an excellent leader is not to let disruption throw you: Handle your disruptions but don't be consumed by them; keep your eyes on the goal. Too many people detour around the need in order to hit the goal, or they meet the need but forget the goal. We have to do both. We must minister to the need as we press on to the goal."
Even as I read again, typing this for you, bits and pieces jump out at me.
- We leaders...
- To react means to act negatively. To respond means to act positively.
- Leadership is meeting needs.
- Too many people detour around the need in order to hit the goal, or they meet the need but forget the goal.
- We must minister to the need as we press on to the goal.
Friends, I have reacted way to many times in my life. I don't want to be a reactor, I want to be a responder. A thought earlier this week on the drive home from working out - we call them first responders, not first reactors. We want them, we need them, when we are in crisis. Yes, I want to be a responder.
The next time our spouses, our sons, our daughters, our friends come to us I pray that we will remember that leadership is meeting needs. I get it, very rarely is their problem - our disruption - convenient for us however perhaps we should remember that it is not about us. Somebody who is looking to us for help needs us. When I was the Athletic Director at MacMurray College in Illinois a terrible tornado tore through our area. The next morning I was driving to work - thankful my house, my family had been spared and listening to the hardships of others. The radio was talking about all of the damage done in surrounding communities - the loss, the hurt. I thought to myself, our athletic department - staff, coaches & athletes - should go help those in need in our communities. Almost instantaneously I thought, "I don't have time for this...I have to much work to do." (My reaction) My spirit, just as quickly convicted me, "These people who have lost their homes probably don't have time for this either." I drove to the office, asked a colleague to send an email out to all staff, coaches & student-athletes asking for volunteers to go work in the community. The work at the office could wait...we served the needs of people that day. (My response)
My goal is to raise God pursuing men who will love, value, cherish & adore their wives. Who will grow to be great Tender Warriors - leading, guiding & protecting their children. Who will seek & pursue the purpose God has for their lives. That is my goal. If I fail to meet their needs - to acknowledge the fear of a baseball, to let them know that I love them regardless of whether the world defines them as a success or a failure, to discipline them when they lie, etc. - I can still hit the goal of growing a boy into a man, at least physically, however I stand no chance of raising a God pursuing, wife honoring, Tender Warrior. The disruptions my Beautiful Bride and sons bring into my life because of their needs are great opportunities to minister deep into their hearts, deep into their souls, deep into their spirits. Whether I react or respond will not only affect them here and now, it will also potentially touch the Haslam family members I may never meet this side of Heaven.
React or Respond? I choose response. I know that I stand zero chance of accomplishing this on my own...I tried that and failed miserably! As I seek God every day I will pray that He makes me a responder, that my eyes, ears, heart, and yes spirit, will see what He sees, hear what He hears, that I will demonstrate His love, mercy & grace. I might not succeed every time however I will pursue this relentlessly also. I will lean on His love, mercy & grace when I fail and I will daily pursue Him again. Yes, this is what I have decided. How about you?
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Unconditional
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and that you have had an awesome week. Been a blessed week for the Haslam's - we have had our Grammy & Dennis visiting and we celebrated our son Gehrig's 14th birthday.
This week I want to share a few stories with you and then a couple of thoughts.
Nearly 5 years ago, the week he turned 13, our oldest son had a football game. I was one of the coaches - as it turned out the only coach there that day - and we were playing a game on a beautiful Saturday morning. We took the opening kick off and were driving the ball right down the field. We had the ball on the 1-yard line and I had an outside run play called. When the defense lined up without someone over the center I started whistling to get my sons, the QB, attention. He looked over and I changed the play to a QB sneak. The ball was snapped, there was a big pile of bodies and there was a yell - "Ahh!" - from the middle of the pile. The players got up, one by one, and then there was one still laying on the ground...it was my son. I ran out to him on the field and I will never forget how his hurting & scared, big blue eyes looked at me as he said, "Dad, I can't feel my leg." I promise you, I promise, I will never forget the look on his face or the sound in his voice in that moment. It turned out he had dislocated his hip. That night as my Beautiful Bride and I sat in the waiting room for the surgeon to put his hip back in place I prayed and I sent family & friends texts asking for their prayers as well. Back in his room, the anesthesia wearing off, I looked deep into my boys eyes and I told him how much I loved him. I told him that it was good by me if he never played football again and I told him there is nothing he can do to make me love him more or less. I emphasized that he did not have to play football to make his Dad proud. I was a college football coach when he was born and I had stayed in coaching until he was 10-years old. At 5-years old he could draw defenses, at 6-years old he could take a 3 & 5 step drop and from the time he could walk he was my shadow at practice. I wanted to make it perfectly clear to him that he did not have to play football to earn my love, my respect. Reflectively I am sure that moment was more about me than him...I had to say what I said to him that night, the injury provided the opportunity. As a Dad I hoped he would say, "yeah, I am done with this." Instead he listened very respectively, his deep stare matching mine. When I was finished he said, "Dad, you know I am playing football right?" Fine by me boy as long as you know I love you no matter what you do or don't do.
We recently went through a season of growing with Landry, my 8-year old Little Tender Warrior. He was not being honest and it was starting to catch up with him. Right after the start of school this year he made up a pretty big story about how he had found a rock on the playground...we later found out he had taken the rock from the display in his classroom. Having tried to talk to him about the importance of honesty, how it affects relationships, taking away video games and other actions to try to modify his behavior, I honestly did not know what to do this time. I do what I always do when I need to think, I need answers - I went to the gym, got on the cardio equipment and prayed. I begged God to lead me, to lead this little spirit through me, to give me direction...how do I handle this? Landry, going on 4 years now, has professed his desire to be a Navy SEAL. One wall in his room is covered in military flags, stickers, pictures, he has company coins, models, nerf guns, bb guns, cap guns, camouflage shirts, pants, shoes, etc. It became clear to me what we would do as a result of his decision to lie. I went home, my Beautiful Bride and I sat on the bed with Landry and I told him that if he continued to lie, if he was not a man of integrity, he would never fulfill his dream of being a great warrior. I told him that as a result of his decision to lie, and wanting him to understand the consequence of his decisions if this continues, we were going to take away everything military. Landry cried, my heart hurt so bad, my Bride got up and walked out of the room quietly. Landry & Kath went down stairs as I began taking down every picture, putting away every model, taking every piece of clothing, picture, coin...his room was bare. I didn't sleep much that night. One thing kept bothering me; I felt that the punishment was spot on - his character, his integrity is at stake! - however my spirit was convicting me not to go overboard, not to make this about earning something. After all, the God I believe in and I choose to follow, according to the Bible I read, is a God of love, of mercy & of grace. The whole reason He sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross is because we - as humans...any of us - could not earn our way, we could not be good enough. The next morning I told Landry I love him, that there is nothing that he could do to make me love him more or less. I also explained that there are consequences for the choices we make. I told him I was going to walk every step of this road with him, that I believe in him and that I will always be willing to help him any way I can.
Last night my 14-year old (Dang it!) had a couple of buddies stay the night for his birthday. He did what we asked him to do while his buddies did what we had asked them not to do. My Bride & I talked to him, explaining to him that when his buddies are over he is responsible for them. I then sent him back downstairs to his buddies, warning as he left, if there was another issue I would be taking both of the boys home...regardless of the time. This morning God and I had a talk about what had happened. My boy had in fact done what we asked. No, he didn't do everything exactly the way I wanted him to do it...heck, I don't do everything the way I want to do it! He hadn't stood up and told the other two boys that they weren't going to do what they were asked not to do...then I remember how hard that is for me to do as well. I write my boy a note. I tell him I love him, I am very proud of him, that I am thankful that he had honored his Mom & I by doing what we asked. I stated that there were some things we need to clean up, however I promised we would work through that together.
Unconditional love...Hard to define. Hard to accept. Extremely hard to give. We all want to be given it and yet it is so hard to give. I don't have all - perhaps I don't have any - of the answers however I want to challenge us with two things:
1. Who in your life needs to know that you love them unconditionally? Will you please tell them today? Will you give them freedom to be who they are, to be all that they are, unencumbered by your expectations...free to be them?
2. Can you, will you, accept that God loves you unconditionally? This can be hard for me sometimes...and it really ties back to the first challenge. You see when I was a little boy I don't remember my Dad ever saying, "You did great!", "I am proud of you!", "there is nothing you can do to make me love you more or less." "You did good" was always followed by "but." I honestly don't recall ever hearing "I am proud of you" until I was a man with 3 boys of my own. I never heard my Dad utter the words, "there is nothing you can do to make me love you more or less." There are two issues: 1. We, as earthly father's, are called to model the love of our Heavenly Father for our children. Are you comfortable with the fact that what they see in us is their view of God? 2. At 46-years old I still battle these things. My Bride asks, "Does everything have to be perfect?" I smile and say that the Bible says, "whatever you do work as though you are working for the Lord, not for man." There is a lot of truth to this driving me however God, the One who judges the heart instead of what is seen on the outside, knows that some of it - especially on days when I am tired - is a little boy still fighting to hear his Dad say, "You did good" without the "but" or once - just once! - "there is nothing you can do to make me love your more or less."
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your precious families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish those precious families.
Kev
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and that you have had an awesome week. Been a blessed week for the Haslam's - we have had our Grammy & Dennis visiting and we celebrated our son Gehrig's 14th birthday.
This week I want to share a few stories with you and then a couple of thoughts.
Nearly 5 years ago, the week he turned 13, our oldest son had a football game. I was one of the coaches - as it turned out the only coach there that day - and we were playing a game on a beautiful Saturday morning. We took the opening kick off and were driving the ball right down the field. We had the ball on the 1-yard line and I had an outside run play called. When the defense lined up without someone over the center I started whistling to get my sons, the QB, attention. He looked over and I changed the play to a QB sneak. The ball was snapped, there was a big pile of bodies and there was a yell - "Ahh!" - from the middle of the pile. The players got up, one by one, and then there was one still laying on the ground...it was my son. I ran out to him on the field and I will never forget how his hurting & scared, big blue eyes looked at me as he said, "Dad, I can't feel my leg." I promise you, I promise, I will never forget the look on his face or the sound in his voice in that moment. It turned out he had dislocated his hip. That night as my Beautiful Bride and I sat in the waiting room for the surgeon to put his hip back in place I prayed and I sent family & friends texts asking for their prayers as well. Back in his room, the anesthesia wearing off, I looked deep into my boys eyes and I told him how much I loved him. I told him that it was good by me if he never played football again and I told him there is nothing he can do to make me love him more or less. I emphasized that he did not have to play football to make his Dad proud. I was a college football coach when he was born and I had stayed in coaching until he was 10-years old. At 5-years old he could draw defenses, at 6-years old he could take a 3 & 5 step drop and from the time he could walk he was my shadow at practice. I wanted to make it perfectly clear to him that he did not have to play football to earn my love, my respect. Reflectively I am sure that moment was more about me than him...I had to say what I said to him that night, the injury provided the opportunity. As a Dad I hoped he would say, "yeah, I am done with this." Instead he listened very respectively, his deep stare matching mine. When I was finished he said, "Dad, you know I am playing football right?" Fine by me boy as long as you know I love you no matter what you do or don't do.
We recently went through a season of growing with Landry, my 8-year old Little Tender Warrior. He was not being honest and it was starting to catch up with him. Right after the start of school this year he made up a pretty big story about how he had found a rock on the playground...we later found out he had taken the rock from the display in his classroom. Having tried to talk to him about the importance of honesty, how it affects relationships, taking away video games and other actions to try to modify his behavior, I honestly did not know what to do this time. I do what I always do when I need to think, I need answers - I went to the gym, got on the cardio equipment and prayed. I begged God to lead me, to lead this little spirit through me, to give me direction...how do I handle this? Landry, going on 4 years now, has professed his desire to be a Navy SEAL. One wall in his room is covered in military flags, stickers, pictures, he has company coins, models, nerf guns, bb guns, cap guns, camouflage shirts, pants, shoes, etc. It became clear to me what we would do as a result of his decision to lie. I went home, my Beautiful Bride and I sat on the bed with Landry and I told him that if he continued to lie, if he was not a man of integrity, he would never fulfill his dream of being a great warrior. I told him that as a result of his decision to lie, and wanting him to understand the consequence of his decisions if this continues, we were going to take away everything military. Landry cried, my heart hurt so bad, my Bride got up and walked out of the room quietly. Landry & Kath went down stairs as I began taking down every picture, putting away every model, taking every piece of clothing, picture, coin...his room was bare. I didn't sleep much that night. One thing kept bothering me; I felt that the punishment was spot on - his character, his integrity is at stake! - however my spirit was convicting me not to go overboard, not to make this about earning something. After all, the God I believe in and I choose to follow, according to the Bible I read, is a God of love, of mercy & of grace. The whole reason He sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross is because we - as humans...any of us - could not earn our way, we could not be good enough. The next morning I told Landry I love him, that there is nothing that he could do to make me love him more or less. I also explained that there are consequences for the choices we make. I told him I was going to walk every step of this road with him, that I believe in him and that I will always be willing to help him any way I can.
Last night my 14-year old (Dang it!) had a couple of buddies stay the night for his birthday. He did what we asked him to do while his buddies did what we had asked them not to do. My Bride & I talked to him, explaining to him that when his buddies are over he is responsible for them. I then sent him back downstairs to his buddies, warning as he left, if there was another issue I would be taking both of the boys home...regardless of the time. This morning God and I had a talk about what had happened. My boy had in fact done what we asked. No, he didn't do everything exactly the way I wanted him to do it...heck, I don't do everything the way I want to do it! He hadn't stood up and told the other two boys that they weren't going to do what they were asked not to do...then I remember how hard that is for me to do as well. I write my boy a note. I tell him I love him, I am very proud of him, that I am thankful that he had honored his Mom & I by doing what we asked. I stated that there were some things we need to clean up, however I promised we would work through that together.
Unconditional love...Hard to define. Hard to accept. Extremely hard to give. We all want to be given it and yet it is so hard to give. I don't have all - perhaps I don't have any - of the answers however I want to challenge us with two things:
1. Who in your life needs to know that you love them unconditionally? Will you please tell them today? Will you give them freedom to be who they are, to be all that they are, unencumbered by your expectations...free to be them?
2. Can you, will you, accept that God loves you unconditionally? This can be hard for me sometimes...and it really ties back to the first challenge. You see when I was a little boy I don't remember my Dad ever saying, "You did great!", "I am proud of you!", "there is nothing you can do to make me love you more or less." "You did good" was always followed by "but." I honestly don't recall ever hearing "I am proud of you" until I was a man with 3 boys of my own. I never heard my Dad utter the words, "there is nothing you can do to make me love you more or less." There are two issues: 1. We, as earthly father's, are called to model the love of our Heavenly Father for our children. Are you comfortable with the fact that what they see in us is their view of God? 2. At 46-years old I still battle these things. My Bride asks, "Does everything have to be perfect?" I smile and say that the Bible says, "whatever you do work as though you are working for the Lord, not for man." There is a lot of truth to this driving me however God, the One who judges the heart instead of what is seen on the outside, knows that some of it - especially on days when I am tired - is a little boy still fighting to hear his Dad say, "You did good" without the "but" or once - just once! - "there is nothing you can do to make me love your more or less."
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your precious families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish those precious families.
Kev
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Character
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day!
This week I don't have some profound thought or idea I want to share. This week I want to share a topic with you, present it in a couple of different formats and let you explore what it means to you.
Character - the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves (merriam-webster.com)
Do me a favor, go watch this video. It takes 1 minute and 1 second. Yes, it is a beer ad however the ad has nothing to do with beer really. Please watch it intently, beginning to end...you will understand why. Guinness basketball commercial. - YouTube
Taken from "A Leader's Portrait" by the John Maxwell Company, September 25, 2013.
1) Character
Character gives rise to discipline and responsibility. It's the inward character that enables a person to stand firm. Character is not inherited, nor can it be purchased. It cannot be built instantly, but instead requires years of construction.
Character shows itself in a person's consistency. Jerry West, former Los Angeles Laker and member of the NBA's Hall of Fame, once remarked, "You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good." Character gives you the resolve to do what's important, even when it's not convenient.
In addition, character brings respect. When you don't have character within, you won't have respect without. J.R. Miller once wrote: "The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to be buried, is the character of a man...What a man is, survives him. It can never be buried."
A few excerpts from "Growing with Jesus: 100 Daily Devotionals" by Andy Holmes:
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day!
This week I don't have some profound thought or idea I want to share. This week I want to share a topic with you, present it in a couple of different formats and let you explore what it means to you.
Character - the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves (merriam-webster.com)
Do me a favor, go watch this video. It takes 1 minute and 1 second. Yes, it is a beer ad however the ad has nothing to do with beer really. Please watch it intently, beginning to end...you will understand why. Guinness basketball commercial. - YouTube
Taken from "A Leader's Portrait" by the John Maxwell Company, September 25, 2013.
1) Character
Character gives rise to discipline and responsibility. It's the inward character that enables a person to stand firm. Character is not inherited, nor can it be purchased. It cannot be built instantly, but instead requires years of construction.
Character shows itself in a person's consistency. Jerry West, former Los Angeles Laker and member of the NBA's Hall of Fame, once remarked, "You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good." Character gives you the resolve to do what's important, even when it's not convenient.
In addition, character brings respect. When you don't have character within, you won't have respect without. J.R. Miller once wrote: "The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to be buried, is the character of a man...What a man is, survives him. It can never be buried."
A few excerpts from "Growing with Jesus: 100 Daily Devotionals" by Andy Holmes:
- It takes a lot of courage to hold out your hand and say "no" when people you really like are begging you to follow along and do something wrong. And though it may not seem like a big deal to join in, it is a big deal. Why? Because you are going against your conscience. That's like slamming a wrecking ball into your heart. The destruction is real, and the wall can only be rebuilt one brick at a time.
- Guess what? Jesus gave you the gift He wanted you to have. The gifts didn't get mixed up or delivered to the wrong people. Christ has given a special gift to you so that you will use it for Him.
- Think about it. Would you like it if someone said ugly things about you?
- "Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tress is the real thing." - Abraham Lincoln
- "People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built." - Eleanor Roosevelt
- "How true Daddy's words were when he said: all children must look after their own upbringing. Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands." - Anne Frank
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
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