Harvest time!!

As I continue experiencing a fascination with people and their personalities, I’m enlightened with new insight on harvesting this gem we call wisdom. Just this week the quest became clearer…

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
She is more precious than rubies,
nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 3:13-15

So wisdom is the crown jewel? Well, there is a call to action that is even more valuable.

Let me toss you a little known nugget on wisdom: while wisdom may one day sneak up and bite you from an angle where you weren’t even looking, Proverbs 3:15 and other verses on wisdom teach that we should actively seek this treasure.

Of course, you can find wisdom in the Bible, and I believe we should seek this gem there! As we’re called to live in this world and interact with lots of different people, from all walks of life, in the name of peace, love and unity, we will energetically discover fresh insight and understanding from the people around us.

Here are two facets of how to harvest wisdom easily in your daily walk, from other people:

1. Surround yourself with wise people.

Think quality, not quantity. It’s not a contest to see who can gather the most Facebook friends. Friends are both a choice and a process.

The people who are closest to you either propel you forward to who you would like to become, or they will hold you back. The cool part is that you get to choose. (Click To Tweet)

Some folks have a tendency to drain us like water heading for a gutter, while others set our souls on fire. Surround yourself with those who are smart, optimistic and grounded. Contribute to them as much as you feel they do to you.

– It starts with knowing the person that you want to be. Even if you’re not where you want to be, you should have a personal mission statement – that should be a road map to where you’re heading.

Since we are the sum of our 5 closest friends, often when we recognize that we need to change ourselves we have to gain distance from some and possibly all of these people.

The truths about the people around you?

• Friends are a choice, and they are in your life because you’ve chosen to put them there. Extending this thought it includes most people except maybe for your parents, you didn’t actually get to choose them, they sort of “chose” you though.

• Friends are also a process. In saying that please recognize that it takes time to process who people are and what they’re all about.

“If I associate with chickens, I will learn to scratch at the ground and squabble over crumbs. If I associate with eagles, I will learn to soar great heights.” Andy Andrews

Once you start connecting with wise people you’ll start to notice things. Like a compass always points to the north, the course of action of a helpful servant guides a path toward positive change and improvement. So we can use the “process of friends” to not only gain wisdom but also influence the outcome of humanity, just like the butterfly effect. Glean and savor this opportunity of wisdom.

2. Have a servant’s spirit.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13

The cool thing about this is people will gravitate toward you when you humbly serve their needs. Humility is magnetic, and through serving others needs your eyes and ears will open up a new world of wisdom. Again, you’ll start to notice things that before you simply overlooked. People, especially those within your circle of influence, will fill you up with knowledge and understanding. Indeed, some of the things you see and hear in the daily walk are not all that becoming of humanity – however, we should remain encouraged!

“Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.” ~ Stephen Covey

Connection is sort of like admonishment – no connection, no admonishment. Just click click and turn it off. Disconnect, done and done. Granted, there is something more substantial to one-on-one connection, a level of connection or intimacy that you just don’t find in a large group of people. Sometimes connecting/disconnecting is just that easy, other times it’s like a drip in a bucket that keeps you up all night… why, Lord, why??

Frequently, God puts people in your life to reveal something about you that you’re not paying attention to. Have you ever had the thought, “I don’t really want that one to be in my realm, so why ARE they now within my workplace, my next-door neighbor, or the parents of my kid’s friends?” I see this all the time in my world. Remember my friend Mark Enge? I wasn’t looking to hire Mark when my close friend said, “Give Mark a job.” I was under the impression that he was one of my people projects, that I was serving his needs. That was true in part, while at the same time it was very much the other way around. He’s one of the people who I talk about in the story of my faith journey.

Some of the people who God has placed in your pathway are there for just that reason – to help you. Be thankful. Be thankful even for the adversarial ones. Yep, I have to be thankful for that one too. Be thankful and humbly serve their needs. You’ll be amazed at what the Holy Spirit will reveal and orchestrate in your life. People and relationships are a two-way street. So is wisdom when you surround yourself with the right people, and have a servant’s heart.

How important do you believe the people around you are to your self-improvement, or to reaching your calling?

Image courtesy of B4bees on flickr.com

The post The Easiest Way To Harvest Wisdom first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post The Easiest Way To Harvest Wisdom appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Love motivates me… what’s your carrot?

Cherish Yesterday… Thankful For Today… Excited About Tomorrow

I got to thinkin’ about this as it came up while talking with the HB just the other day…

What motivates me? What is “my motive?”

Have you ever thought about that question?

For me… like most of us… it’s buried in my personality… it’s a part of my fabric and the perfect way that God made me… and the same is true for you, too!

To sum it up… for me… I’m motivated by the desire to love other people… and to be loved.

It’s not a secret to those who know me… or you too… what motivates us. When I tell you that it’s LOVE that motivates me… do you see that? From what the people who know me say, it’s very easy to see for me, for sure! Just glance around here at I’m Just Thinkin’ and you’ll see it… everywhere you look!

I’m certain that the same is true with everyone else… the people who really know you will agree, when you honestly identify and are candid about your motivation, it’s readily apparent what your motives are.

Today, I’m striving to be transparent and proud of who I am and how God made me… continuing to love in the glorious light that God shines from above…

and above all else…

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3: 3-6

The love that God put in my heart breathes with this verse from Proverbs…

and with this spirit…

Cherish Yesterday… Thankful For Today… Excited About Tomorrow…

For me, personally,  especially today, I’m striving to…

always cherish the beautiful memory that we created yesterday…

be thankful for today…

be really excited about tomorrow 🙂

What memory do you cherish from yesterday?

What do you have to be thankful for today?

What are you excited about for tomorrow?

The post Motivation: Cherish Yesterday… Thankful For Today… Excited About Tomorrow first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Motivation: Cherish Yesterday… Thankful For Today… Excited About Tomorrow appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Sometimes wisdom is as easy as simple math... usually not 🙂

Continually Seeking Wisdom…

“My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He holds victory in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair – every good path.
For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.”

Proverbs 2: 1-11

It’s said that a wise person is sincere and direct with others… do you find it easy to express yourself in this way?

The post Continually Seeking Wisdom… first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Continually Seeking Wisdom… appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

• confessed my sins to God
• asked God for forgiveness
• offered my sincere apology to the people who I have committed sin against, and sought out their forgiveness
• repented, trying to see my sins in God’s way, and sought to experience true change.

I believe that I’ve done this, and am very thankful for the body of believers that have stood by me and helped me through this process.

As I’m thinking about this I also tried to identify a core issue…

… is there something going on that I can say is central to all of my sins?

… is there a common thread?

"Chief, this is 86, I think I'm on to something here!"

Sure enough I did find a common thread, and found enlightenment in the Bible…

the common thread for me is all of my sins can be summarized as doing something foolish. I’m referring to this as my greatest sin. Yep, I needed to “Get Smart.”

The book of Proverbs offers us wisdom that is useful to understanding our sins, as well as helping us avoid the pitfalls of falling into sin as we head on down the road:

“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight;
for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
doing what is right and just and fair;
for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young –
let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance –
for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Proverbs 1: 1-7

Do you feel you’ve done what you need to do to follow through with your sins?

How can we encourage each other to keep from committing sins?

The post My Greatest Sin first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post My Greatest Sin appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Do you like to dream?

When I was younger I wanted to be an astronaut. It was a big dream, and one that I was convinced was a part of my destiny. Being an astronaut (so far) hasn’t been a reality. I am still fascinated with outer space… and think of exploring God’s creation beyond our planet as an extension of a part of my destiny as a geologist. So I guess you could say that I am, so to speak, living that dream to some degree.

I’m thinkin’ using our imagination is a gift and a part of creativity…

but to have a dream and not live it can also be one of the biggest mistakes we can make.

How do we know when a dream is just dreamy?

There are times in life when we are asked by God to take a chance and live a dream…

and there are times when it’s incredibly obvious that changing course is the next move.

Proverbs 16:9 says: In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

How do we stay on track with God’s perfect plan for each of us… and live The Dream that He intends for us?

What I’m finding out along the way is that there are plenty of clues to staying on the path… if we choose to pay attention to them. Keep in mind, there are plenty of other influences, obstacles, and detours along the way too.

The greatest obstacle for living a dream for me is indecision… for a dream is nothing more than a dream if we don’t take action. I am notorious for putting off decisions, and have made a conscious effort to overcome doing this… and it’s working!

How do we discern when there’s a decision to be made, or a choice between two paths?

and how do we follow God’s lead, and live out Proverbs 16:9?

Here are two ideas:

• If you believe, and you ask God to lead you… He will… it may not always be in your way… or time… but it will always be perfect, according to His plan.
• The other key here is found in the big book… The Bible. It’s filled with timeless, useful wisdom.

That’s it !! Plain and simple.

What is your dream?

Are you living it?

Are you following God’s lead, and perfect plan?

Or is your dream simply passing you by?

Please leave your comments or thoughts by clicking here.

The post When A Dream Is Just A Dream first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post When A Dream Is Just A Dream appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Needless to say I have been much more cautious about crossing the street ever since then and am proud to say I haven’t been hit by another Mack Truck since. I guess I do still live on the edge whenever I run, especially crossing Southside Boulevard. And The Running of the Bulls is on my bucket list. That’s probably about as intelligent as running in front of a Mack Truck.

My point here is that I learned a valuable lesson from the Mack Truck incident…

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” Proverbs 1:5

And I’ve been able to learn sosososo much from my plethora of other life experiences too. Not to worry, the book is coming. It reads like fiction, that crazy!! Hoping it might sell like Blue Like Jazz 🙂

Do you have a life experience that you could say you’ve learned a valuable lesson from?

The post Mowgli and the Mack Truck first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Mowgli and the Mack Truck appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

That’s what I feel like on Monday mornings. The sun comes up and I’m full of life and energy.

Ready to have at it.

A man with a plan, though most days for me don’t turn out as I planned. I go with the flow, no longer getting hung up on the minor details. Work blends with life and it’s taken in stride.

Keep on moving and trying to do good.

With A LOT of help from my friends.

And leaning on Him.

Through the calm and through the storm, He’s there to watch over me.

And He never lets go of me.

It’s all about attitude and optimism.

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.” Proverbs 4:25

and don’t look back.

Make the most of every single day!

Happy Monday 🙂

The post carpe diem first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post carpe diem appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

They can rattle off the list of women and the corresponding trips. The list isn’t THAT long, but I’m not going there… And I’ve been on both sides of this, the dumper and the dumpee.

From my point of view they’re only partially correct. Some of these relationships did in fact end with a trip. There is one time where we actually went on the Big Trip that was planned well in advance, and I nicely let her know ahead of time I really wanted to go and enjoy the adventure, but unfortunately when we got back that we’d be splitting up. And we did. We went on the Big Trip… and… you know… We both agree to this day that it is a great memory. When we see each other there are hugs and laughs.

Not too long ago I received a very strong message from God… to guard my heart. It came in His perfect time and way. And was delivered on the same Sunday that I awoke to the most incredible feeling of peace and comfort from the Holy Spirit that I’ve ever experienced. Immediately following the most challenging week in my life… He delivered and took care of me. God’s Mercy. He demonstrated His power and love to me through one of my greatest weaknesses.

“Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23. There it was,  written all over the sermon notes handed to me on the same Sunday at a Church that I didn’t normally attend. But it was as if God wrote this message just for me, and the Pastor delivered a message that sank in deep. Really deep.

My Bible sums up this and the next three verses as follows:

“Our heart – our feelings of love and desire – dictates to a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy. Solomon teaches us to guard our heart above all else, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path. Make sure your affections push you in the right direction. Put boundaries on your desires: don’t go after everything you see. Look straight ahead, keep your eyes fixed on your goal, and don’t get sidetracked on detours that lead to sin.”

When I share some of the stories of my past with good friends the response is the same, over and over again: “I’m surprised that you’re still dating!” I haven’t built a wall (well, maybe just a small one…). But it’s hard for me to live with a wall. My personality is one of a very giving and caring person, and I enjoy being close to other people. My heart feels healthy and is full of love. I believe that living in The Word is what guarding my heart is all about. Establishing safe boundaries. And sticking with them.

Big Trips… YES. Detours… Let’s pass.

What do you think about Guarding Your Heart?

The post B.T.B.D. first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post B.T.B.D. appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.