With Regard To Life

Five Leadership Voices

There is an event Friday, May 6 that could change your life. I would encourage you to check it out. This one-day conference will be simulcast from Atlanta, Georgia. It is an investment worth your time and money. It is sponsored by Chick-Fil-A. The theme for the 2011 conference is Five Leadership Voices. Learn more about the Voices of hope, influence, innovation, purpose and service. Learn more about the event and how you can participate at Chick-Fil-Aleadercast.com. Today's Winning Thought: "One key to successful leadership is continuous personal change. Personal change is a reflection of our inner growth and empowerment." -- Robert E. Quinn

Friends

I was visiting with a group of people at church last Sunday when an older gentleman walked into the room. My father-in-law turned and said, "Do you know when I met this guy?" We said we knew they had been friends for many years, but we really did not know when, or how, they met. He said they met in the third grade. These guys are in their mid-70's. That means they have known each other for nearly 70 years. That is a long time. I thought about their friendship, and about friends in general. Two things came to mind. Proverbs 27:10 tells us to not forsake our friends. We are not to fail a friend in need. If you have not had an opportunity to stand with or walk beside a friend, you will. If it is possible, be there in their time of need. I also thought about my own friendships. How strong are your friendships? A good measuring stick is this: If you do not have a friend you can call at 3 o'clock in the morning if you had to, you need deeper friendships. Today's Winning Thought: You know the old saying: "The best way to have a friend is to be one."

Health

Do you walk? You should. Walking is good for you. It's healthy. Even small changes can bring about big changes over time. I live in Kansas, which is said to be the 16th most obese state in the nation. The prevalence of obesity among kids ages 6 to 11 has more than tripled in the past 30 years. More than half the people in my state do not reach the minimum weekly goal for physical activity. Fewer than 20 percent of Kansans eat enough fruits and vegetables each day, according to Kansas State University's Research and Extension office. Chronic disease is responsible for more than 70 percent of health care expenditures in Kansas. Many of those conditions could be prevented and controlled with healthier lifestyles. We - all of us, everywhere - could be better off mentally, too. We can eliminate negative thoughts. We can eliminate clutter, real and mental. We can clean up unfinished business. We can gain clarity on decisions. Today's Winning Thought: It is spring and time for some spring cleaning.

Locker Room

My pastor had a great illustration Sunday morning. During March Madness, or any other time, games are not won in the locker room. You discuss strategy and deliver motivational speeches in the locker room. But games are played, and won, on the court. He was talking about serving. He said the church is the locker room. But lives are touched and ministry happens when you leave the locker room. This week, as you exit the locker room to go back to work and school, go out of your way to look for an opportunity to serve someone. People with real needs are all around us. Many are right beside us. There are 1.75 billion who are desperately poor. Another billion are hungry. There are lonely and broken people in our schools, our work places and walking past us in the grocery store. Offer them some hope. You will impact two lives - theirs and yours. Max Lucado wrote, "Human hurt is not easy on the eye." Reaching out is not always easy. It can be inconvenient and sometimes it costs you. But what if we reached out anyway? It will make a difference. Today's Winning Thought: Leave the locker room. Ministry and hope happen outside those doors.

Inspiring

I have tried to avoid mentioning names of products or companies in these posts.  That is not what is important.  But I am making an exception today.

If you have been watching the NCAA basketball tournament you might have noticed two different commercials.  One is about current or former athletes whose stories have inspired others and made a difference in the world.  It is called the Buick Human Highlight Reel.  Pretty good stuff.  You can see the stories at ncaa.com/buick.

The other is sponsored by The Hartford.  The insurance company's commercials feature stories about several paralympic athletes.  They are truly inspiring.  I hope you are able to see them.

While looking for a quote for today, I found a paper I had filed many months ago.  It was a comment someone had made about people with disabilities, which read, "Kids with disabilities are a mistake."  I must have thought at the time that I would blog about it one day because beneath the comment I added my own remark about my 21-year-old daughter, Kyle, who has Down syndrome.  I wrote, "Kyle is the best mistake God ever made."

Today's Winning Thought:  Just like the U.S. Paralympic athletes, Kyle's life has inspired me and countless others.  

Fight

I was visiting on the telephone with a friend this week.  I have been walking beside him during a difficult time in his life.  I stood up during our conversation and walked to the window.  Looking out the window, I noticed the smoke from nearby grass fires paint a haze over an otherwise clear sky.

I told my friend that the trial he is going through is like that grassfire.  Something caused it to start.  After the initial spark it started to spread.  If certain things happen, or don't happen, it can easily and quickly rage out of control.  But eventually, the fire, and the tumult, will be doused and it will be over.

What are you dealing with?  Do you have a friend or family member is in a storm that is seemingly gaining strength?  Every one of the trials in my life, and I have had a few, have made me stronger.  They certainly were not pleasant at the time, but I always came out stronger.   

When life knocks you down, and it will, get back up.  Keep persevering.  Fight through it to live another day.  Success is getting up one more time than the number of times you fall.

Today's Winning Thought: "When our lives are ripped apart, we have the opportunity to rebuild them on a firmer foundation." -- Stephen Arterburn

 

 

 

Don't Divagate

I encourage a young grade school lad who I read with each Wednesday to make the dictionary one of his best friends. It will come in handy as he gets older. Right now, he is learning to read. Soon, he will be reading to learn. I hope. Today, I had to heed my own advice. I was reading a sales newsletter I subscribe to and it included a word of the day. The word is divagate (DAHY-huh-gate). I was not familiar with it so I went on a search. I found that it means to wander, or stray. And to digress in speech. Knowing the meaning, now I can use it. Here is a challenge for you. Learn a new word this week. Then tell someone what you learned. This newsletter is a little different. It contains advice, quotes, which I can always use, and a bit of humor. Like this one-liner. "She couldn't sell Girl Scout cookies to her grandma." Speaking of Girl Scout cookies, I have some frozen mint cookies in the freezer. I hear them yelling at me. And the quote . . . Today's Winning Thought: "Business is like riding a bicycle. Either you keep moving or you fall down." -- Frank Lloyd Wright

Excellence

I read a short daily devotion recently that was written by John Maxwell, America's authority on leadership. The topic of this particular thought was excellence. Maxwell said there are 11 keys to excellence. They are: Value excellence. Don't settle for average. Pay attention to detail. Stay committed to what matters. You must have integrity and ethics. Respect others. Go the second mile. Demonstrate consistency. Never stop improving. Always give 100 percent. Excellence is a lifestyle. Today's Winning Thought: You cannot expect perfection but you can certainly strive for excellence. You won't regret it.

Lead

You are in a leadership position. You might not think you are, but you are. You might not have a title but you are a leader. You are a leader if you are a parent. You are a leader if you are a teacher, or a member of a church. Or if you have been working in the same job for a period of years, or lived in your community for any length of time. You are a leader because you are leading people. Leadership is influence. You influence with many people. Someone is looking at you. Someone is watching you and learning from you. Today's Winning Thought: Who is leading you? What are you learning? Who are you leading? What do they see?

Hungry Kids

There are five elementary schools, one middle school and a high school in my community. Every Friday afternoon, a few students in all but one of those buildings receive a backpack which contains a small amount of food to get them through the weekend. I am thankful that a statewide food bank provides these backpacks. I am sad that families, many with young children, are food insecure, a term that means they are not sure where their next meal will come from. I read an article in a national publication this weekend that stated the number of Americans who are food insecure increased from 36 million in 2007 to more than 50 million two years later. The number surely has increased even more since 2009. It should break our hearts to know kids race to the school cafeteria on Monday because they did not get enough to eat during the weekend. Hunger makes it hard for students to pay attention in class. Learning doesn't happen. I am working to fight illiteracy, and am encouraging individuals and families to handle their money wisely. I feel like I should also be doing something to fight the hunger problem that exists. Can you learn more about the hunger problems in your community? Would you do something to help end it? Today's Winning Thought: Like the old saying goes, "None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something."