Thursday; August 4

Thirty years ago this week our family moved to Pierre, South Dakota. Now, up until that time, I am not sure I could have told you where South Dakota was (of course, I hadn’t really given it much thought). I probably would have said it was south of North Dakota and maybe, just maybe, I would have known it was home to Mount Rushmore (but even that might have been questionable). However, that week thirty years ago shaped our lives. Our family has been gone from the Northern Plains for a decade now, but the events that transpired in Pierre in 1992 had a significant impact on us (and have had a ripple-effect that influenced others). While I would like to say that the events that led us to that move were delightful, the truth is we were coming off of a difficult time in our lives. The move was abrupt and rather painful; however, had we not gone through what we went through in the months and years leading up to the transition, our lives and our influence would have been much different – and maybe not as significant. As I have reflected on August, 1992 Paul’s observation, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) has been on my mind. Not everything we go through is pleasant, but when it is placed in God’s hands it can become productive.

What are you going through right now? Are you experiencing growing pains, or have you been forced to make a transition in your life? Hang in there and stay faithful to God because you just never know what He can do with you where you are – or where you are going.

Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more