Tag Archives: lessons

When the road turns….

Posted on by
Reply

 

clip art winding_road sign

 

 

 

 

 

 

I read a tweet from @realDonaldTrump this morning…

“The bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to take the turn” Anonymous

This got me thinking.

In life we make plans, set goals, dream big – but what happens when life changes? The scenery changes, the neighborhood changes, our family changes, our finances change, my relationships change, my surroundings change, my health changes, my job changes.

Change, change, change.

It is how I deal with change that determines the results of change.

I have seen people that have refused to accept change and the result is that life passed them on and they became a casualty of the ‘bend’ in the road that became the ‘end’ of the road.

I have also seen people that accept and embrace change and the result is that they are continuing down the road. The windows are open, they are experiencing the ‘wind’ of life, the freshness of the air, the warm of the sunshine and the new scenery.

Determine to look at life as a CONSTANT change. I challenge you to EMBRACE the changes in your children, the movement of life, and the newness of each day. Some changes happen naturally, some changes happen internally, and some changes happen externally. Don’t build a permanent fixture in a temporary location, but rather build a permanent memory in a temporary location.

Every day brings new change and new challenges, but remember that His mercies are NEW every morning (they change too!), and that He places where He can move you to NEW things.

While driving down the road of life do not let the ‘bend’ become the ‘end’.

What are some things you have learned in dealing with the bending road? I would love to hear them.

clip art long winding road p92b_saint_gothard_pass_switzerland

 

 

 

 

Enjoying the scenery,
David

 

Gardeners and their Gardens

Posted on by
1

Ever wonder why something happens in your life?

Ever wonder why something doesn’t happen?

All things in life happen as a result. From the simple impulses that generate activity and movement in our bodies to the massive events that occur in our lives from words spoken, actions taken, behavior displayed, and thoughts executed. Things happen as results.

 

We reap what we sow.

 

The best picture I see of this is from the life of a gardener and the need to sow in order to reap.

 

Gardeners Delight

 

 

 

 

The gardener sows specific seeds

I am not an expert in farming or gardening; in fact I have no green thumbs, but I do know that if I expect to harvest some fruit and vegetables I need to sow some seed. Specific seed. The gardener decides (or knows) what they would like to grow and plants specific seeds to achieve those results. Specific seeds yield specific fruit. Every time I have asked a gardener what they planted in a garden they tell me exactly what they expect. They know this because they were specific in what seeds they sowed.


The gardener has expectations

I have yet to talk with a gardener that does not have expectations from the seeds sown. Most gardeners have tremendous, large expectations. Expectations to a gardener are fuel

for their passion. A fuel that propels them and sustains them as they endure the season from sowing to reaping. Expectation is met with excitement when little green shoots project skyward thru the cultivated soil. Talk with any gardener and they will tell you what they expect from the seeds they have sown. Their eyes light up when they tell you how much, how tasty and how good their harvest will be.

 

The gardener places what he wants to get

Row upon row of fertile ground is worked, cultivated and nurtured because seeds will be placed into the soil. The seeds placed are what the gardener wants to grow. A gardener

does not plant a seed of corn expecting cucumbers. He places in the ground the seed which has in it the DNA of the final product. There is no guessing at what he will reap; in fact, he knows before he sows what he will get by way of taste, look, feel, color. He places into the ground what he wants to get out of the ground.

 

The gardener is always thinking sowing and reaping

When a garden is planned and developed the mindest that is found in a gardener is that both of sowing and reaping. It is not one or the other. It is both. Having a continual mindset of sowing and a continual mindset of reaping is what keeps the gardener creative, intuitive and flexible. The mindset of sowing places the gardener in a process of evaluation and determination. The mindset of reaping places the gardener in of process of evaluation and expectation. Changes in methods are the result of the evaluation of both the seed and the fruit received. Creativity enters to enhance the process and the results.

Gardening is all about the results 

Everything a gardener does is for the final product. The drive to get up early and work the soil is because of the payoff at the end. The reason the soil is cultivated and nurtured is because the gardener wants results. Weeds are pulled so the plants will get every bit of nourishment and nothing will go wasted elsewhere – why? because the gardener wants the best results. The attention to detail is so the final product will be the best. Every gardener takes pride in the results, and so they should. The better the results the bigger the smile.

 

God’s Word is not silent about gardening

He paints pictures of garden throughout the Bible. He planted the first garden…and it was good, real good. Jesus refers to the Word as seed and its activity in our lives.

If you want to see different results in your life check the seeds that are being planted in your life.

If you want to see different results in relationships check the seeds that are being planted.


Sow SPECIFIC seeds, sow with EXPECTATION, place IN what you want to GET OUT, have a CONTINUAL mindset of sowing and reaping, sow for RESULTS, and most importantly SOW the WORD

 

 

 

I would love your comments and feedback…
Always sowing, always reaping

David

TAKE TIME TO CELEBRATE

Posted on by
1

On the road to accomplishing big goals and lofty dreams life can become tedious, obstacles overwhelming, excitement can vanish and desire disappear. These are feelings and emotions that we must combat. So how can we combat these common enemies.

When the Children of Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground the Lord instructed Joshua to have twelve men (one from each tribe) take twelve stones out of the river and place them where the people lodged (Joshua 4:1-8). The purpose of the stones was to act as a remembrance of what the Lord had done. It was a distinguishing mark of the beginning of the possession of the Promised Land, a physical display of the promise to come, the beginning of the realization of a goal.

I can only imagine some of the stories and exchanges that happened around the pile of stones. What a time of encouragement, celebration and refreshing. How many times do you think families gathered around those stones and rehearsed the treasures of miraculous provision.

On your course to a goal that may seem to grow deeper and deeper take time to celebrate the little achievements, the miracles, the miniscule steps. The small accomplishments serve as fuel to keep going, the kindling that keeps the dreams burning, the oxygen that breathes life into tired weary bodies. Take time to remember your victories, celebrate a miracle, rehearse the fruit of discipline. Tell others that are on the same journey what the signposts mean.

You will find renewed energy and resolve to maintain the discipline that is required to reach a goal every time you rehearse an accomplishment. Don’t stay at the victory celebration keep moving, but enjoy the satisfaction of a goal reached.

As you practice this principle of celebrating the small victories you will find encouragement, and the big intimidating goal will be brought down in size.

 

Dream BIG, step small

David

Behind the Wheel of a Red Ford Escort – part four

Posted on by
1

Look further down the road

With all the lessons and learning I was doing I must have been progressing, because I was able to drive more; in fact I even had precious cargo in the vehicle with me at times (my mom, dad, and brothers). As I took the initial instructions to heart there were more lessons to be learned, this moves me to the next lesson ‘you must look further ahead than your immediate location when driving’.

The impetus for this lesson was simple; my driving, while improving, became a battle of trying to drive smoothly within the painted boundaries of the road. I was learning to focus, but my vision and skills needed more refinement. Have you seen the bowling ball careening down the gutter bouncing from one side to the other? I needed more instruction.

 

My dad explained to me that as I looked further ahead down the road my driving would become smoother and not so erratic. I took his explanation to heart, I looked further down the road fixing my eyes on the vehicles or the road well ahead of me and not the painted lines of the road immediately ahead of me. The ride became smoother, motion sickness subsided and the drive became more enjoyable. Simple. Profound.

My thought today is that in life we can focus so intently on the issues and necessities directly in front of our eyelids that we end up bouncing around erratically. We are going in the right direction, but we are not  smooth, we are unpredictable. If we take but a moment to assess our goals, focus and vision and pick a target further down the road we will find that our lives are not so bumpy. We will start to drive more smoothly and efficiently. Less time will be spent righting the ship and more time will be spent on effective progress. Other people will recognize the difference too.

How you do this is by setting a long term goal; something further down the road than next week. Look ahead in life and have a clear picture of where you are going. When you do this many of the bumps will be smoothed out.

In Habakkuk 2:2&3 God says to record the vision (what you see), so the one who reads it will run (move forward effectively). Your vision is for an appointed time (further ahead of you, than where you are now). Your vision moves you toward the goal, and it will not fail.

See your future, then go there.

Looking further down the road,

david

 

 

 

Behind the wheel of a red Ford Escort – part two

Posted on by
2

Keep Your Eyes on the Road

 So I turned 16, dragged my Dad to the drivers test, passed (on my second try – sometimes greatness needs a second chance) and walked out the doors with the world bracing for a new driving terror. I switched from riding shotgun to being in command of 4 wheels and 75 horsepower of bridled and regulated power. This was pretty cool and freaky all at the same time. Cool because I was moving up to another stage in life, growing up, becoming the master of a large hunk of metal. Freaky (although I would not have admitted it at the time) because I was now in control of something with more power than myself. Freaky because the possibility of safety and carnage now rested in my feet and hands. Freaky because I had never done this before. I actually was in a cold sweat.

As we pulled out of the parking lot and started down the road the advice and wisdom started to flow from my Dad’s heart; probably out of his desire for self-preservation. He noticed that I was jerky, tentative, almost paralyzed by all the activity around me. For years I had sat beside him in the passenger seat and never had these emotions going thru my mind; somehow by changing positions and taking the wheel I now was experiencing them.

His first instruction on this road of life: ‘keep your eyes on the road’, focus on the road in front of you David. The first rule he taught me was so simple but so profound, keep your eyes on the road. He instructed me that if I kept my eyes on the road the vehicle would follow. If I kept my eyes on the road I would see what was before me and I would be able to respond. My first and foremost instruction was to keep my eyes on the road, focus on what lay ahead. Simple. Profound.

Simple because it did not involve 16 maneuvers. Simple because it was not complicated. Simple because it was a means of survival. Simple, focus, keep your eyes on the road.

Profound because the control of the vehicle was connected with what I was looking at. Profound because so many possibilities could be reconciled by keeping my focus. Profound because all the questions I had seemed to find answers by keeping my eyes on the road. Profound, focus, keep your eyes on the road.

When we keep our eyes on the road many of the simple (and difficult) things in life are corrected and put into perspective, our survival rate greatly increases. Much of the control of our future, the questions about tomorrow, the myriad of possibilities, and concern for what happens next are seen by keeping our eyes on the road.

Simple. Profound.

Maintain your focus, maintain your life.

Keeping my eyes on the road.
david

Behind the wheel of a red Ford Escort.

Posted on by
3

When I turned 16 my Dad taught me how to drive. He gave me lots of pointers: ‘gas pedal is on the right, brake is on the left (I learned to drive an automatic, not a manual transmission).  Make sure your foot is on the brake when you shift into gear.  Look both ways before you proceed thru an intersection. Never start the car while it is in gear.   Make sure you check your fuel gage – do you have enough gas to get where you are going?   Don’t eat while you are driving.  Don’t have the music too loud (in fact driving with no music was preferred).  Don’t talk too much.  Keep both hands on the steering wheel.  Don’t look at girls while driving.’  The list was endless! Cell phones were not around back then, otherwise I am sure I would have been banned from having one to prevent me from texting and talking, but one of the most important lessons he taught me was about focus.  ‘David, what are you looking at, what are you focusing on?’  This was a question that my dad frequently asked!

Over the next few days I will be posting some of the lessons I learned while sitting behind the wheel of a red Ford Escort. The lessons while in a vehicle have many truths and applications in life. My hope is that you will read, learn, grow, laugh, and apply.

I look forward to reading your comments.

Enjoy the drive -david