Hope, Direction, and Encouragement

Welcome to the month of February…already! Here are some of the things that were memorable from this past week.

Last Sunday our family had brunch together, as is our custom, along with a time of discussion, planning and calendar review. This time has become more and more important as the kids mature and are involved in their own individual activities.

On Monday evening President Bush gave his final State of the Union address. Although I didn’t see very much of it, I was prompted to ask the question “What’s the state of my life?” That’s probably a good question for all of us to ask one month into a New Year. So, what’s the state of your life?

Tuesday morning, my 16 year old son passed another College Level Examination Program (CLEP) test and now has a total of 21 college credits. Did I mention how proud of him I am?

At house church Wednesday evening, the guys group had some good discussion on 1 John 2 about loving your brother and what that looks like in our lives. We also discussed gratitude, spiritual struggles, and solitude.

After dinner Friday evening our family watched the fourth lesson in the video series “Strategies for Success: Blueprint for Achievement” by Zig Ziglar. This fourth lesson taught more about the things that people really want. As a reader of this blog, if you send me an email (you can use the email link at the VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE page), I’ll send you the list of 10 things people really want. A key thought that caught my attention this week is that people need 1) hope, 2) direction, and 3) encouragement.

Here are the things that stood out to me this week as I read Scripture:

• Consider the end of your life when you will groan and say “How I hated discipline”, “How I spurned correction”, “I would not obey or listen” (Proverbs 5)
• Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven? (answer found in Matthew 18)
• People need to be encouraged and set free (Exodus 6:9)
• Even though I might do a lot of good things, that’s not enough. I either have to be perfect (didn’t happen) or I have to accept Jesus payment in my place (Matthew 19)
• The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Psalm 24:1)
• Whoever wants to be great must serve, just as Jesus came to serve (Matthew 20)
• Questions, Parables, and Old Testament quotes were methods Jesus used to communicate (Matthew 21)

Bonus thoughts from my reading of Lesson 2 of Og Mandino’s University of Success:

• Success is an inside job.
• Do you think of yourself as a success?
• Is your life full of purpose or aimlessness?
• Do you accept your batting average or do you have unrealistic high expectations?
• Do you realize there is a price to pay for success and that it (success) is not free?
• Joy balances effort!
• Do you experience satisfaction or enjoyment that comes from having the right attitude?
• Regarding spirituality, do you have a relationship with God?

So, in summary, what’s the state of your life? Do you have hope? Do you have direction? Who/what are the sources of encouragement for you?