Tag Archives: steunenberg

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

GET IN THE GAME

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I have a confession to make, I am a sports enthusiast. I watch a game, then I watch the highlights (sometimes twice). My wife does not pass on any vital information during an event because history has shown that I can only do one thing at a time. My enjoyment of sports stems from a childhood filled with activity.

I vividly remember, as a child, staying awake late in the night, thinking and eventually dreaming about the game in the morning. I played soccer (football for the traditionalists) and just loved running up and down the field often in a small mob chasing a black and white checkered sphere. As I grew older skills developed and the love for the game took on more       meaning. My passion for the game drove me to practice, train, exercise, get up early, go for runs; basically doing anything I could to play more and ensure that I got into the game.

I wanted to get into the game, standing on the sidelines was not what my idea of fun; it was not what I devoted hours of my time to. I wanted to contribute. I wanted to help my team win. I wanted to run. I wanted to shoot. I wanted to be involved. I wanted to score…I wanted to play.

Although life is not a game; many of us stand on the sideline watching life wondering “Why does this happen to me?”

You can change that, don’t let life happen; make life happen – there is a difference. The difference is found within. God has given each of us passions, gifts, personality that is uniquely you – it is who you are! Use your passion to fuel you to change your surroundings; change a ‘ho-hum’ day to a day filled with purpose – do something on purpose that scares you!

Use the gifts (those talents that you have) to change the scenery around your life. Just like a garden changes and grows from the talent and eye of the gardener so can the scenery of your life change from the talent you have. Volunteer for a community event that needs your talents, coach a sports team, commit time in your local church that needs your specific talents.

Allow your personality to come out; display who you are, take pride in what you do, let those intricacies that you think are a deficit find meaning in the lives of those around you. Do not let the pace of the game (or life) paralyze you, step out and step up. Be a part of the team. You do have something to offer.

When we take the routine of life and submit to its schedule and demands we become spectators, but when we take the routine of life and influence it, we become participators.

In Ephesians 4:16 Paul writes ‘From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint  supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love’.  And then in 1 Corithians 12:18 he also writes ‘But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him’. We all play a part in the game of life.

Get in the game.

Become a participator, not a spectator – because the Coach has a special assignment just for you.

Enjoying the game,

david

TAKE TIME TO CELEBRATE

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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

Setting SMART Goals

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Today I would like to break down how to set goals to a short acronym that I hope helps you become more successful. The acronym I would like to use is S M A R T (This acronym is not my original idea, but it is commonly used by instructors on this subject). Should you decide to ‘Google’ SMART goals you will find some more very useful information.

  • Specific – Have a specific goal. When it is specific it can be well defined and understood. A quick way to frustrate a child is to give them an instruction with no specifics. Try setting a goal and making it specific, clear and defined.
  • Measurable – When you set a goal can you measure it? If the answer to this is ‘No’ how do you know when it is reached? Set a goal of reading one chapter an evening in a specific book, or reading for a set amount of time. Perhaps your goal is to run and exercise; then set a goal to go running for a set distance (more than to the fridge during TV commercials).  Maybe you want to lose weight, set a measurable goal, not just I want to lose weight, but how much weight. This is a measurable goal. Make it meaningful and measurable.
  • Achievable – Goals are targets which stretch you, but are achievable. For instance if you want to run and exercise regularly setting a goal of running a 3 minute mile is not achievable (professional runners do not run that fast). Maybe set it for 6 or 7 minutes, maybe quicker, maybe slower. Setting goals that are not achievable is a quick way to lose morale and an easy way to excuse yourself of any personal accountability. Accountability helps in achievement.
  • Realistic – Goals need to be real and realistic. I constantly encourage people to dream BIG, because the God I serve loves to work in the arena of BIG. However when I consider goals in this context there should be a basis of reality found in the goal. An unrealistic goal will sap you of energy and expectancy quicker than water drains from a sink. An example of an unrealistic goal is for a 45 year old person (not naming myself here) setting a goal to be a professional hockey player, whereas a realistic goal looks more like a 45 year old person setting a goal to make a specific local community hockey team (age specific in my situation).
  • Time – Some goals can be short term, and some are definitely long term, but they all involve an element of time or completion. Setting goals but not having a time limit or expected completion is not wise. You may not know a time limit for you goal, but you know a completion picture (such as I want to lose 10 lbs is a completion picture); or you might not know the completion picture but you have a time limit. Set a goal for a specific time or completion, that will motivate you towards the finishing point.

While all of us may have different goals, dreams and desires when you break a goal down it can be manageable and achievable. Set lofty goals, set large goals, set BIG goals, then assess the goals and break them down to Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time goals. As you do this you will find more successful completion of goals that you used to think were unrealistic and unachievable.

Setting more goals,

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 five

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Don’t focus on the oncoming traffic

So the driving lessons are continuing and my growth was very evident. I had learned to keep my eyes on the road, look ahead to where I was going, look further down the road, and then I came to the last lesson – don’t focus on the oncoming traffic.

I had applied all the lessons my Dad had taught me, and all my siblings and parents were surviving, but every once and awhile a mild case of distraction would emerge. My eyes were on the road, but when I looked at the vehicles coming my way they would somehow captivate my vision, my eyes would wander from the black pavement to the bright lights on the horizon. The lights were mesmerizing, they danced upon the horizon and would undulate with the profile of the road, but what I did not know was the more my eyes were on the oncoming vehicles the more the vehicle would stray towards them. A little distraction had the potential of a deadly result. His advice was simple do not get distracted. Distractions can be deadly.

This lesson carries a profound application to our lives. Distractions are what they are; something that takes your attraction from your goal to something that is not your goal. On the road of life we all face oncoming traffic, not having it distract you is important. Focus on the things on the road ahead of you, not the vehicles going the opposite direction.

In Numbers 14 there is the account of the twelve spies that went in to the Promise Land to spy it out and give a report. Ten spies saw the problems, while Joshua and Caleb saw the promises. Joshua and Caleb were focusing on the road ahead of them, while the other ten spies saw distractions which ultimately prevented the whole nation of Israel from entering the promised land. A few points that I see from this story will help you in dealing with distractions:

  • focus your eyes forward, where you are going
  • oncoming traffic is not going with you, but against you
  • don’t waste your energy on things that detract you from your goal
  • distractions will come, assess them, address them and then move on (to the point of ignoring them)

Don’t let distractions deter you from your goal. Do not become sidetracked by pesky things which will not help you reach your objectives

.

Assess, address, progress

No distractions

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

 

 

 

Behind the wheel of a red Ford Escort – part two

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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