Category Archives: personal growth

Blogroll, Growing, Healing, journey, life, mindfulness, personal growth, purpose, spiritual enlightenment

Seven Steps To Living A Life Of Resilience!

One of my favorite series of movies is ROCKY. I love everyone of the movies and have passed that love to the rest of my family and especially my daughters. “Eye Of The Tiger – Girls – Eye OF The Tiger!” I think one of the reasons that so many of us love the Rocky movies is because it is the story of resilience, the ability to get knocked down, get back up and keep on going, no matter what.

Live your life long enough and you are going to get knocked down, but you can’t stay down, because that would not be much of a life would it? As I look back on my life, I have to admit, I have been down many times, but I never stay down, because some how, some where inside of me, my Creator placed a beautiful gift called resilience.

Resilience is about adapting, improvising and learning to overcome. Challenge is a natural part of life that becomes a problem for us, when we resist it. Rather than resisting challenge, we need to learn to embrace it. When we embrace challenge, we learn and grow from it.

At the end of the day, there are only a few things that really matter. Are you thriving or surviving, because God created us to thrive? Are you allowing the love to flow by receiving and sharing love? Are you learning and growing, because this life is all about getting ready for eternity? Are you laughing and enjoying the journey, because life really is a precious gift? We need to get it right, because we all have family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and even strangers that are looking to us for blessing, direction and hope.

Here Are Seven Steps To Living A Life Of Resilience:

1. RELAX! We really do need to learn to chill. I’m not saying that we should not take life seriously, but we don’t need to take ourselves too seriously. Chill out! Take a moment to breathe in, hold it, now breathe out! See, it’s not a big deal after all. I’ve got some very encouraging news for you: The success or failure of this world is not dependent upon you!

2. CHECK YOUR THINKING! There are so many different things that impact our thinking and if we are not careful, we will allow the wrong things, which will lead to stinking thinking. We need to continually check our thinking, where it’s coming from and where it’s going. If our thinking if not right, then we need to fix it.

3. LEARN FROM MISTAKES AND FAILURES! I’ve got some really good news for you. No one expects you to be perfect and if anyone does expect you to be perfect, then they are revealing their imperfection with such an unrealistic expectation. I have always said that if we will learn from a mistake, sin or failure, then it wasn’t a waste, it was an education and people pay big money for an education.

4. REMEMBER YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHOOSE! You cannot choose for anyone else and no one else can choose for you, but you do have this amazing ability to choose for yourself, what you are going to believe and how you are going to react. Choose wisely!

5. PRACTICE FLEXIBILITY! There is a Japanese Proverb that says: “The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.” We have to be flexible in this human experience if our Spirit is going to grow us into what we are called and created to be.

6. SET GOALS! Everyday is an opportunity to experience new and amazing things, but most of us miss the divine, because we allow ourselves to be distracted by stuff that really does not matter in the grand scheme of life. Take a look at your spiritual, mental and physical life and focus on becoming all that you were created to be.

7. GROW YOURSELF! Stop worrying about fixing everybody and everything else and make sure that you are the very best you that you can be, because at the end of the day, if we can get this right, then the promise is that God will take care of the rest.

Blogroll, complaining, Condemnation, Criticism, emotions, Excuses, Growing, influence, life, mindfulness, personal growth, self help

Only You Can Prevent Word Fires!

It’s absolutely amazing how careless we have become with our words. I guess we have always been this way, but it seems to have gotten worse with the advent of social media and I think that the ability to hide behind a mask has made some folks a little more brave and a lot more careless with their words.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! -James 3:5

Smokey the Bear taught us that a simple spark can set the woods on fire and destroy in minutes what nature took years to grow and develop. And James is explaining that our words can work in much the same way in our lives and living.

We can use our words to tear down or to build up. Our words will either break us or make us better. If we use our words to complain and spread negativity, then they will defeat and ruin us, as well as those around us. When we line our words up with God’s Word and seek the positivity of the Gospel, then they will lead us to blessing and victory.

I hate to say it, but sometimes, those of us who call ourselves Christians can be some of the most negative and pessimistic people you could ever run across. And before we get to busy thinking that it is someone else that we are talking about here, we would do well to look in the mirror and review some of our more recent conversations for revelations that the Spirit might use to surprise us with some gentle correction.

The bottom line is that we can use our tongues to set a fire that provides a warm, safe place. A place where people can be themselves without fear of retribution, judgement and condemnation. Or we can use our tongues to set a fire that will destroy the very blessings we were created to live in.

I can remember my Granny saying when I was just a little boy: “Think before you speak!” I have found that when I really take the time to do that, sometimes I don’t speak at all, because I know it is better to keep my mounts shut, than to light that fire. At other times, after thinking before I speak, I have found that I changed my words so that I might light a fire of acceptance and comfort of others, which changes their life and mine.

My prayer is that God’s words will be my words and provide comfort, healing, encouragement, joy and love to all around… So I will do my best to think about a couple of other forest animals and what Thumper shared with Bambi: “My Mother said: “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say nothin at all!”

Blogroll, Growing, Personal, personal growth, Uncategorized

My Most Proud Moments!

When I think back over my life and think about the moments I am most proud of, I think of many, but a few stand out and bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart.

The first one that came to mind was when I accepted Christ as my Savior and was baptized. I remember a Pastor’s class and him asking folks of all ages that had gathered how they felt in the moments after accepting and believing Christ was their Savior. He was going to skip me, because I was so young, but I waved my hand in the air, because I wanted to share with everyone and this was the beginning of real ministry for me.

The second proud moment for me was when I was ordained. To sit through that council, answer those questions, share my testimony and then have the men I had grown up admiring come and lay hands upon me and pray for me was one of the most proud and humbling moments of my life.

When I married my beautiful Bride Joy and when she gave birth to our two beautiful daughters had to rank up there as proud moments. Words cannot even come close to describing how I felt in those moments.

Each church I have been called to minister at have been proud moments for me. For a group of people to entrust their lives into your hands and ministry is such a great blessing and not for the faint of heart.

Just knowing that I have had an impact on making someone’s life a little better is one of those things that makes me proud. I have been blessed with many moments that I was proud, but looking back I have to acknowledge it wasn’t me, but Christ in me that made it all possible, each and every time. G3! = Give God Glory!