The Bible tells us that times of great stress are coming. Whew! I think they are already here! But the Bible also tells us how to deal with the stress. 2Timothy 3 tells us the bible is profitable to equip us to be victorious in these times. The Word of God brings us wisdom, strength, encouragement, and peace. If we will keep the word close and working in our lives, stress can't get us down. So, "Stay in the Book"
I was listening to a minister the other day and he was talking about flying his plane. He said when they are ready to take off, at a certain speed you must get the nose of the plane up in the direction you want to go. He said if you keep the nose pointed ahead, you will never get off the ground. That is like us as leaders. We must keep our attitude positive (nose in the air) if we are ever going to fly. He also said when you point the nose down( negative attitude) you start dropping. If you don't keep the nose up, then you will eventually crash. How true! Guys, in everything you do stay positive. So, if you here me say, "Get your nose up" you'll know what you need to do.
As leaders, we need to be careful when making decisions, to make sure we have listened for direction from the Lord. The Lord knows what is in front of us and what is the best solution. Sometimes in our haste, we choose a good solution, when there is a great solution if we will listen. Make sure you have some quite time to allow Father God to speak to you about every area of your life. Just because something worked last time, doesn't mean it is supposed to be the answer this time. Remember"God's ways are higher than ours", He knows things we don't!
Well guys, the last day of 2009 and you should be working on 2010. While planning your year, there are some things to keep in mind. First, Plan your major events throughout the year. For us at the church it is the big events we do. As an individual it should be the things that must get done like vacations and trips. Next, Plan the things that will bring the biggest return on time. And lastly, Be flexible. Don't plan the whole year to the point if the unexpected happens (and it always does) your whole plan falls apart. If you say this blog is kinda short, good. I don't want you to overplan.One question to always keep in mind when planning is, "What do I want things to look like at the end of 2010?" Aim at that.
As we look toward the new year and getting ready for it, we must balance our life. Now, I will talk about priorities later, today I want you to know that the proper balance brings more productivity. I want to talk to you about balance in three areas, What you say, What you do, and What you think. First, Let's talk about what you say. We have already discussed the power of what you say. You know that the words coming out of your mouth will direct and set guide posts for your life. Make sure you balance your words. Make sure that you are speaking more positive and affirming words. Secondly, Examine your thought life. Some people spend way too much time thinking about the wrong things. In times past, I have spent weeks and months thinking about things that have happened. I realized I was meditating on the problem or the hurt more than the answer. It may be about how you feel or what your checkbook is saying or something going on at work, school, or church. Make sure you are spending quality time meditating on the things that will produce the best results. Some things you can't change, so why spend your time thinking about it. And last, make sure you are balancing your time properly. If you don't control the activities of the day, they will control you. Decide what activities reward you the most. As they say, 20% of your work produces 80%of your productivity. So, make sure the 20% gets done first. Here are some activities to consider in your 20% list. Time with the Lord, time with your spouse, rest, fun activities, your calling or assignment from the Lord, your job (if different from your calling) character building, and relationship building. I am sure you can think of others, this just gets you started. If you think I'll never get that done much less the other 80%. Think about this. THe average American spends three months a year just watching Television. This is why it is so important to bring balance to your life.
As I sit here this morning, my attention is drawn to next year. I am asking myself, "Am I ready for it?" So, I want to encourage you to take some time this month and get ready for next year. If you liked how things went in '09, then make it better in 2010. If you are not pleased with your progress in '09, then things need to change. When putting a plan together for change in the new year, the first place to start is looking at the past. If there are things that are a disappointment, or at least below what you had hoped for, think about what you can do to change it. This month I want to encourage you, things can be better. Your success in life is not based on the world, but by God's plan for you. And we already know from Jeremiah 29:11, His plan is a plan for a life of hope and a good future. Here are some of the topics we will cover as we discuss getting ready for 2010. Having the proper perspective, balance in life, priorities, and plan. Don't miss these helpful tools. See you then....
Well I am sitting here thinking about what to write. I know you want something powerful, so here it is. If you are working really hard and you smell something smoking, it might be your brain. OK that was someone else typing. The point I want to make today is, If you are working really hard and work is no longer fun and enjoyable, take a time out and rest. You are of no benefit to anyone if you are burned out. Sometime, I need a change of scenery to clear my head. Don't be afraid to lay it all down and do something fun. You may be surprised how much more productive you will be.
I was looking at a tree we planted in the front yard and got to thinking about leadership. We found this volunteer maple tree in our flower bed in the summer. When I transplanted it to the yard it was only about sixteen inches tall and looked like a stick. Actually some of the neighbors made fun of my tree. We have nurtured it all summer and now it is fall. The tree grew from sixteen inches to four and a half feet so far. We checked it one time and it had twelve leaves on it. Then the next time it had forty eight leaves on it. The tree is still not providing the shade we want, but it is a lot closer. This is the same way with leadership. People grow and begin to show signs of a leader, but they aren't at the point of being left to do things themselves. You can't discard them just because they are not like a "huge maple". Realize how far they have come and see the potential that is still there waiting to be developed. Take the time to mentor them as long as they are willing to learn. Of course, this means you as the mentor will have to keep learning. Remember the saying, "When you are done learning, you are Done!"
