Are We Good Seeds or Weeds?

Wow, what a week! On Sunday the Giants and Patriots advanced to Super Bowl XLII. I guess I’ll have to be a Giants fan for the last football game of the season!

Since Monday was a federal holiday, our income tax returns were started and after a few hours were almost completed. I’ve used TurboTax Online for several years and highly recommend it if you’re debating what to use this year. Monday evening my personal Mastermind group started up for the New Year with one additional person.

On Tuesday my wife had her…um…39th birthday and we celebrated by going out to brunch. For dinner our daughter fixed fettuccini alfredo, and then we all watched The Bourne Ultimatum.

Wednesday evening our family had a good time of discussion and dessert with our house church. We’re currently doing a guys group and a gals group to get to know one another better.

Once again, Friday evening our family watched a lesson in the video series “Strategies for Success: Blueprint for Achievement” by Zig Ziglar. This third lesson taught about healthy relationships, the power of love and respect, and all the things that people really want.

Some key thoughts from my Scripture reading this week included:

• Am I / are you a good seed planted by God or am I /are you a weed planted by the enemy? (Matthew 13)
• Listen, pay attention, gain understanding, obey and live; Wisdom is supreme, pay all you have to gain understanding (Proverbs 4)
• Ministry requires solitude and prayer (Matthew 14)
• Jesus healed others so that God would be glorified (Matthew 15)
• May he give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed (Ps 20:4)
• Others may intend harm but God intends good to accomplish his purpose (Genesis 50)
• Just like Peter, at any given moment, we can be used of God or we can be used of Satan (Matthew 16)

Bonus thoughts from chapter 1 of Og Mandino's University of Success are: My greatest asset is the ability to read (and think) and my highest aim is to be wise, generous, and loving which are great attributes to be known for.

Being Grateful

Well, the third week of 2008 has come and gone. At least I got to spend part of the week thawing out in the sunny San Diego area on a business trip. Tuesday evening dinner was at The Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido CA. Wednesday brought many new people into my life that I will be working with throughout the coming year. These people traveled for our business meeting from California, Utah, Oklahoma, and Georgia.

My shortened time in Scripture this week included the following key thoughts:

• Be grateful, God is with me, I have food to eat (too much!), clothes to wear, and the ability to share with others (Genesis 28)
• The Lord disciplines those he loves, like a father disciplines the son he loves (Proverbs 3)
• Find wisdom, gain understanding, nothing you desire compares to these
• Anything divided against itself will not stand, if you are not for Jesus you are against him (Matthew 3)
• Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power (Proverbs 3)

My 16-year-old son achieved a huge milestone this week by getting his driver’s license. Now the fun chore of shopping for auto insurance begins.

Friday evening our family watched the second lesson in the video series “Strategies for Success: Blueprint for Achievement” by Zig Ziglar. This lesson taught about understanding your own self-talk, improving your self-talk, and being grateful.

Consider the following this week: What are you grateful for? Do you desire to gain wisdom and understanding?

God’s Word, People, and Learning

Some key thoughts from my Scripture reading this week:

• Give to the needy without fanfare (Matthew 6)
• Pray in private, acknowledge God’s holiness, seek His will, ask for daily provision, seek forgiveness, and ask for protection
• Answer the question “Am I serving God or money?”
• Are you searching diligently for wisdom, understanding, and insight? (Proverbs 2)
• Ask, Seek, Knock
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7)
• God’s commands, when obeyed, will prolong life and bring prosperity (Proverbs 3)
• Love and faithfulness will win favor and a good name
• A father’s blessing is important (Genesis 27)
• It is not the healthy that need a doctor, it is the sick; Jesus did not come for the righteous, but for the sinners (Matthew 9)
• Honor the Lord with the first fruits of your earnings (Proverbs 3)

I had the privilege of meeting with two different guys this week for some one on one time. One meeting was in a coffee shop to discuss our individual lives relative to the house churches we are a part of. The other was for an hour of racquetball (where I was beaten 2 out of 3 of the games) and some important personal discussion time.

On the exercise front, I was able to get to the gym four days out of the five that had been planned for the week. My routine is usually a 30-minute walking/jogging program on the treadmill.

This week our family began watching the video series “Strategies for Success: Blueprint for Achievement” by Zig Ziglar. The first lesson we watched taught about the steps to a healthy self-image and how to accomplish more during any given day.

Consider the following this week: How’s you relationship with God? Are you spending time with people who are important to you? What have you learned and applied recently?

Another New Year!

Like most of you, this week started a brand-new year in my journey through life. Welcome to 2008!

My time in Scripture this week has been focused on starting the books of Genesis, Matthew, Psalm, and Proverbs in my One-Year Bible. Key thoughts this week include:

• I am created in God’s image
• 6 days a week are for working and the remaining day is for rest
• I am to delight and meditate on God’s law
• Am I currently listening to God or Satan?
• God made garments for Adam and Eve even though they disobeyed Him which illustrates His love
• God drove Adam and Eve from the garden which demonstrates His justice
• Fools despise wisdom and discipline
• Noah waited on God’s instruction before leaving the ark (Genesis 8)
• Jesus was popular because he healed people who were ill (Matthew 4)
• God noticed that when people spoke the same language and started working together they would be able to accomplish whatever they desired (Genesis 11)
• Those who practice and teach God’s commands are called great in the Kingdom (Matthew 5)
• In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation (Psalm 5:3)

Brunch (breakfast/lunch) and Lupper (lunch/supper) were enjoyed with the family the first half of the week since Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were vacation days. Saturday morning was set aside for a brief date (brunch!) with my wife while my son was in physics class.

The trusty Franklin Covey notebook / calendar got cleaned out and refilled. New month at a glance pages for 2008 were completed along with updated daily pages, and personal goals. “Big rocks” for me this year include maintaining an eternal perspective, selling the house or finishing the basement, a renewed focus on relationships, keeping better notes on the Scripture and books I read, continuing to exercise to maintain weight, and taking a couple of family trips this year.

A Very Important People (VIP) list was started for the first time this year. These are people I will interact with throughout the year that make an impact on my life. This tool will help me implement the thought that “the only differences in my life a year from now will be from what I read and the people I interact with.”

Consider the following as we begin another year: 1) What are you committed to reading / learning? 2) Are you spending enough time with your family and other VIPs? 3) Have you organized your calendar and priorities for the New Year ahead?