Tag Archives: planning

When the road turns….

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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

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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

GOALS, GOALS, GOALS

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I have had many discussions with people regarding goals, the future, dreams, plans, what they want to be when they grow up, etc. Discussions with retired folks, tired folks, young people, newly wed, nearly wed, happy singles (and those not wanting to be single) and even children. Sometimes the individual is very focused on what their goal is, sometimes not so much. Sometimes the individual has no idea about the future, other times the future is so intricately planned I wonder if there is any room for a hiccup. From all my discussions I have found this topic to be one of great stress and consternation.

Through my life I have found a number of things that have helped me, and equally a number of things that have frustrated me when I make goals. Over the next few blog postings I would like to share with you some of my thoughts about goals and I would love to have your feedback, comments or questions.

When I went from elementary school to high school my parents decided to enroll me (and a number of my siblings) into our local church school which was just starting out. My temper tantrums and manipulations did not change my parents mind, it only gave them more resolve. The school was not set in a traditional classroom, but rather each student had their desk referred to as a cubicle (the sides of the desk were high enough to discourage communication with your neighbouring student, whether she was a cute girl or a sport fanatic like myself). The mindset behind the school was for individual learning and not classroom style learning.

One of the first lessons we were taught and required to do was to make a ‘goal’ for the day. This took the form of a chart where we wrote each subject down and then wrote how many pages we were going to do in that subject for the day. It did not take long for some of us to realize that if we set ‘low’ goals we would then get our schoolwork completed sooner and we could fool around (whatever that look liked). Shortly after we came upon this great realization we encountered another ‘light bulb’ moment. If we set ‘low’ goals that were not stretching or pushing us it would take us much longer to complete our prescribed material (long term goals) and thus our school year would be lengthened (not something any active young boy desires or wants). Our goals needed to reflect our long term dreams and not just our short term desires

The lessons I learned are:
• if you set too low of a goal you will not stretch yourself
• if you set a short sighted goal you may adversely affect your long term goal
• your short term goals should reflect your long term goals
• set your long term goals, then set your short term goals

I guess I learned a few more things than just the Pythagoras Theorem and Newton’s Laws;

What are some goals that you have set?
Do your short term goals reflect your long term plans?

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5 NLT)

Working towards my goals,
david

Behind the Wheel of a Red Ford Escort

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FOCUS

Well I have been driving now for decades, not just a few years (boy do I feel old); but the lessons my Dad taught me those many years ago have never grown old. I summarize my lessons below, hopefully they will help you on your drive (or as you teach your young-ins; done that and survived).

As we drive thru life there are many ‘things’ which can pull us from the road. Keep your eyes focused on the road. The road is your life, it is your path, your present and your future, keep your eyes on it, you will go wherever your eyes lead you, so keep your eyes on the road. Focus your life on the future, look further ahead than where you are today. What you look at for the future will dictate the path and road that you travel. Don’t just dream about it, but place yourself on that road and look further ahead than the front of the vehicle you are in. Forward looking enables forward thinking. And finally do not be distracted by the oncoming traffic of life. Many of the distractions will simply pass by if we do not focus on them. The more you focus on the distractions the further off your plan you will go and the more dangerous the results will be. Don’t get distracted.

Never lose focus on the thing that makes your heart skip a beat. Follow the passion that God has put in your heart. Have a picture, know what you are looking at and what you are looking for. Keep your focus on God.

Maintain your focus, maintain your life.See your future, then go there.

Whatever captures your eyes, directs your feet.

Assess, address, progress

 

Just some of the lessons my dad taught me while driving a little red Ford Escort (not a Ford Focus).

God Bless,

david

Behind the Wheel of a Red Ford Escort – part four

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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