The Dream Factory

Pass It On.

God's Grace

Just a thought: There is no time in our lives when the grace of God is not needed or available.

15 Minutes to Better Health

I have been applying the 15 Minute Challenge to my health in several dimensions.

Along with the major changes in my life it had started to become apparent to me that I needed to do something about my body's condition or (A) die young or (B) become an invalid. (B) sounded worse than (A) and neither sounded good.

So I took several steps and one of them was to start using my gym membership more effectively.

I know the kinds of workouts we need for maximum aerobic effect, but I also knew I had to start somewhere - and I did - 15 minutes  - a little of this, a little of that, a little of the other, and a lot of hot tub.

It is a start. Now I am up to a longer workout and feeling positive results.

Don't let starting slow or with inadequate resources stop you from starting at all.

15 Minutes

I am presently engaged in a challenge with the folks in my church. I asked them and myself to identify 4 areeas of their lives where they really needed to work. All dimensions of life were legitimate areas of concern.

I then asked them for an hour a day in 4 - 15 minute slots to devote one of those slots to each of those areas.

It could be reading the scriptures or professional/personal development books, exercise, family time, or anything that just wasn't getting done - things most likely that need more than 15 minutes but areas where that would be a good start and a major improvement.

What difference could 15 minutes a day make in some area of your life?

I have been readjusting to changes in my life personally, in family responsibilities, and professionally and my posting activity has suffered.

Yet, this took about 5 minutes.

I still have 10 to go.

New Site for Vacation Bible School

I just wanted to let you know hat I have started a new site for Vacation Bible School ideas starting with curriculum sources. Follow this link to Vacation Bible School 2008.

DOWN Time

Here is a dilemma : You don't have large enough blocks of time to focus on your big projects. Everything is chopped up with what we have called cracks in time available. The cracks seem to small to allow accomplishments. On the other hand, you work so hard that when you get the big blocks, you are weary and wasteful with that time. Your body doesn't want to do what is necessary for you to dig in.

What will you do?

Well, there is down time and then, there is down time.

True down time is a good thing, is to be celebrated, and is to be sanctified. It is sabbath and we all need it.

Remember it and keep it holy. that means separate and unique and uncluttered with worry and self flagellation over how you ought to be using it to catch up. You ARE using it to catch up. Your body is replenishing its resources and your total being is renewing itself for future full engagement.

The other sort of down time is all in your head.It is not down time at all and needs to be redefined - I do that by spelling things out.

D = Decide that you can use the time fruitfully and be ready to do so. If I seem redundant it is because I still don't have this attitude perfected in me. I need to decide and re-decide and maybe you do too. Prepare for the times when all you have is ten or fifteen minutes. So many of the jobs I procrastinate for months take less time than that.

O  =  Obligate yourself to use every moment that is not genuine rest and reflection to some productive end. Rest and reflection are also productive, so don't count them out if that is what is called for in the moment. Make a commitment to live every second of your life with purpose.

W = Walk in Wonder. It may well be that the next thought you need to think will arise from something you see or hear if you will stop to look and listen. Don't pass up the opportunities for "aha" moments because you are in such a hurry to get to the next thing.

N =  Negotiate and renegotiate with time. It is not your adversary but you can enrage it and yourself by not honoring it with some attention and respect. Time can be arranged and rearranged, but it will always be a factor.

The Grand Courtship

(Jeremiah 31:3 KJV) The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Everlasting love. It is as much of a quality as it is an expression of duration. In fact, what makes God’s love endure is that it is durable, patient, passionate, and aggressive. That is the character of His love. God actively pursues the object of His love in the way described by Francis Thompson in his immortal poem, “The Hound of Heaven.”

God appears to us of old with this romantic word of wooing, He has been loving us all along. It is new only by its freshness. “Yes, I have loved you …” He affirms with conviction and passion, “and my love never ends.”

Not only does He love us, but He courts us. With loving kindness He reaches out to us and draws us to Himself. Loving kindness is an inadequate English translation of a Hebrew word, which is best translated, “covenant love.” It means that God’s own character, word, and integrity are at stake and that He loves us simply because He has chosen and committed to do so. He will not back down. He is relentless in loving us. It is about who He is that He loves so deeply.

God is a jealous lover—not in the immature sense of one who is insecure, but with the confidence of one who knows that He is the only one for us and that all other suitors are bent on our destruction. The jealousy of God is selfless and generous. He will settle for no less than the best for us.

 

Could we with ink the ocean fill

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God so fair

Would drain the ocean dry,

Nor could the part contain the whole

Though stretched from sky to sky.

- F.H. Lehman

© 1917, 1945, Nazarene Publishing House

Last Minute Valentine's Shopping?

Has Valentine's Day been sneaking up on you? Are you unprepared? Can you feel the hot water boiling? You'd better do something - and thanks to the Internet, no one needs to know it was at the last minute. Don't Panic. There is hope?

I just set up a special Amazon A-Store for you - just because I care.

Enjoy the day!

Dr.John Jackson in Fresno

Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Forum

Dr. John Jackson

 

Sponsored by the Fresno-Clovis Pastor Clusters and One by One Leadership

February 19, 2008

8:30 am – 2:30 pm

Cornerstone Conference Center

   

Come join Senior Pastors and their pastoral staff from across the Valley in this outstanding opportunity to learn how to sustain pastoral excellence. John Jackson is a coach and mentor to many leading pastors across the Western U.S

Keynote Speaker: Dr. John Jackson – Pastor, author, coach, mentor and leader

John Jackson is the founding and Senior Pastor of Carson Valley Christian Center in Minden, Nevada and the President of VisionQuest Ministries. John has had over 25 years experience in leadership, including roles in the local church, parachurch ministry and with key business leaders.
John is a gifted communicator of Biblical truth and life application and has demonstrated expertise in vision casting, leadership development, strategic planning, administration, and financial management.

Carson Valley Christian Center launched its first worship service in February of 1998. Supported by two large churches in Southern California, a region of American Baptists in Northern California & Nevada, and a number of individuals, the church has become a model for planting a "High Impact Church". Over 1,800 people now attend worship each weekend; an amazing aspect of this reality is that only 100,000 people live within 30 miles of the church and only 5% attend church on a given weekend. John formerly served as Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest (1993-1997) where he headed a mission staff supporting and encouraging the ministries of 270 churches located in four Western states.
John is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara (PhD, M.A., in Educational Administration), Fuller Theological Seminary (M.A. in Theology/ Christian Formation), and Chapman University (B.A. in Religion/Christian History, cum laude).

 

Registration fee is $30.00 including a continental breakfast and the Luncheon

 

 

 

Please detach the registration form and retain the above information 

Dr. John Jackson – Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Forum 

Send reservations to: One by One Leadership -

1727 L   Street, Fresno, CA.  93721,

 

Questions contact Gloria at 233-2000 x 103 or gloria@onebyoneleadership.com

 

 

 

Name _________________________________________________ Phone ________________________

 

 

 

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Make checks payable to One by One Leadership Reservation deadline is Feb. 12th

In the Cracks

When people ask me how I get certain things done, the response is often, "I work them into the cracks of my life between major commitments. Ironically, the things we do in those squeeze times are not always the least important, but sometimes the most.

Earthquake spasms create cracks in the surface of the earth and life spasms do the same in our schedules. That is why we can never be complacent and must always be aware of the landscape of our existence.

Because you have so much to accomplish and must make the best of every crack in your calendar 9as I am doing at this very minute), I am going to offer some suggestions in my next few posts. The first is about lists: ALWAYS HAVE AN UNFINISHED LIST!

If it gets finished without you adding to it, you are already behind and wasting time. Never let your list get empty. Always have something on it that you can be working on when an unexpected crack opens in your daily schedule. Categorize your list; let it flow into multi-layers; give it thought; give it prayer; keep it with you.

That's all for now because the crack is closing around me and I have an appointment across town.

And Make Our Gardens Grow

I felt that there was some scriptural basis here for this marvelous composition of Leonard Bernstein in "Candida," and then I came across Jeremiah 40:10 again: "...you are to harvest the wine, summer fruit and oil, and put them in your storage jars, and live in the towns you have taken over."

God is instructing His people to reject two extremes:

On one hand, they are not to be paralyzed by their regrets with regards to the past.

On the other, they are not to be lulled into lethargy awaiting eschatological hope which, while very real, is not meant to cripple our lives in the present. Rather, it is to enhance those lives.

So, we are called to do the best we can in the present. There is honor in this simple determination to live with dignity and joy. When it becomes a celebration of the life God gives and the Giver who gives it, it is also worship:

"We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good
We'll do the best we know.
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow.
And make our garden grow!"

Enjoy the video - that's Bernstein himself. Thanks, YOUTUBE!

Kindle the Reading Fire

I used to have a favorite line that I would use to explain why computers would never replace books. It went like this, "You can't take your computer to bed to read the way you cuddle up with a good book."

Amazon has robbed me of that truism with the introduction of Kindle, "a revolutionary portable reader that wirelessly downloads books, newspapers, magazines and blogs to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight."

Now you can cuddle up with a computer-like device and read yourself to sleep.

With a selection of 90,000 books and growing, a long battery life, clear resolution, light-weight, and reasonably priced books and magazines (average book: less than $10), I'll have to think of something else to say ...

Like ...

"You won't be able to show off all your books on the shelf."

Kindle will store about 200 books, can download them without any outside Internet connection (just built in cell phone technology - no account needed), and can access many newspapers and reference materials.

At $399 it is cheaper than a lap-top and far less than I have spent on my library in any years since 1976.

I am looking for stories and experiences from those who have tried it, but I am thoroughly intrigued.

I am not peddling Kindle, but if you do order one, please use my link.

I am still pouting somewhat over the loss of a good cliche.

The Squeeze

You are a business, social, or spiritual entrepreneur. No doubt, you are also someone's employee while you build your dreams. Most likely, you have a family, a home, and "chores."

You are busy.

You are doing whatever you do in the cracks of your life between other major responsibilities. You frequently complain that you just don't have "enough time." You feel guilty when you relax. you feel frustrated about all the things you didn't get done.

You are in a self-imposed squeeze and, when it comes to building your dreams, you have to "squeeze things in."

Top that off with the troubling reality that you are not all that fond of tight spaces ... which is one reason why you ARE and entrepreneur -- so that you can get out of them.

Unfortunately, in order to accomplish that, you need to get into some ... for a while.

Let's consider some, quite impromptu ideas for coping with the squeeze and letting it even squeeze a little more greatness out of you and efficiency out of your schedule ... In fact, the first letter is S and the ...

S is for SCHEDULE. Make it; break it; bend it; keep it as best as possible. Make it reasonable. Break it gently. Bend it whenever necessary (So keep it flexible). Keep it as a form of disciple and as a planning tool.

Q is for QUIET. Quiet your soul. Live by grace. Receive it and give it. Relax often. Leave space in your life for God, family, self, and reflection. Whatever your spiritual, emotional, or intellectual disciplines, include a quiet time in every day. Make it the un-squeezed portion of your life.

U is for UNDERSTAND. Do what you do with a rationale and purpose. Understand yourself:  your pace, your purpose, your passion-driven energy, and your productivity index. By knowing what makes you most effective and how to apportion your energy and time, you will be able to squeeze more out of every hour. Then, also understand the task as part of the whole project and mission and what it takes to get done what you are determined to do. Live with understanding.

E is for ENERGY. Know that your productivity index is more about how you budget your energy than your time. Time is a necessary commodity, but if you have from midnight to 6 AM every day, it doesn't mean that such time is going to be productive because you will most likely be out of energy and much in need of rest.

E is also for EQUIPPING. It is said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is just as true that an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of effort. Squeezing an empty tube of toothpaste is a useless activity. Don't become encumbered with useless expenditures of valuable time and effort. Learn what you need to learn. Read what you need to read. Plan ahead. Prepare yourself and others. Equip yourself for maximum productivity in the squeeze. It may SEEM like a waste of time to read this article when you could be making a call.  Ignore that voice that discourages you from equipping yourself and keep preparing.

Z is for ZOO and it is a zoo out there -- without the cages --- more like a zoological reserve with all sorts of wild things roaming around and creating an illusion of unpredictability. The bottom line of this proposition is that  no matter how hard you try to bring order to  your life, there will be unforeseen events and circumstances. It is predictable that these will arise and with all the information, one might be able to see these crises coming, but no one  has nor can they assimilate all the data necessary. Therefore, what may be a well ordered universe manifests itself as utter chaos from time to time. Count on it and make the appropriate arrangements to cope.

E and the last E is for EITHER/OR and that is the most important letter of all because it is about our choices which are always ours alone to make. When we are in a squeeze we must decide what we are going to do, say, think, or believe. In 15 seconds one can bend over and pick up a penny on the ground, stand back up and prepare to bend down and pick up another. One person might quip that it would be a waste of time. Another might do the math and realize that at that rate, one would be making $24 per hour. At that point you'd need to ask yourself if you could be making more in that 15 second period by jotting down a great idea, making a mental note of an insight, or even speaking to the person next to you. Any of those would be more productive than complaining, blaming, or feeling sorry for oneself.

There are always choices.

You have the same number of hours in a day as everyone else, but it seems less because your dreams are bigger, your expectations higher, and your goals lofter. You will frequently find yourself squeezed, but even in the squeezes you can make choices that will make those tight spaces wide opportunities for great things to happen.

You are a winner.

- Tom Sims, The Dream Factory

SPASMS - When Life and Business Flutter

Spasms are normal in nature and in the physical body.  From earthquakes to growth spurts, the temporal world intrinsically knows that change is not 100% ooze, but at least 10%-20% jerking motion.

The same is true of life, business, culture, faith, and the economy.

That is why economic downturns may also be opportunistic upturns.

That is why the long view of life and business must allow for interruptions of the unexpected and invasions of the unanticipated. The best bet in life is to anticipate what cannot be predicted and to learn to wait it out, flow with it, and celebrate it.

We need a plan that connects to our purpose that transcends passing details of our lives. We need a vision that is independent of our circumstances and durable enough to endure crises and complications.

What, then, happens in a spasm? It can be a life crisis, a tragedy, a hardship, and economic upset, a setback, a change in the landscape of our culture, a demographic shift or any sudden change which presents a critical moment in which we must respond or just give up.

Spasms have some characteristics.

S = Stability Shaken - Something that we are leaning on gives way. Something we rely upon for balance is no longer steady enough to steady us, our methods, or our strategies. The opportunity here is for reeVALUation - which means taking a new look at what is of greatest VALUE. Realignment is necessitated and that can be a very good thing because of the drift that inevitably makes us comfortable and complacent in our assumptions. Times change and so do strategies. It often takes a crisis or spasm to shake our stability and get us back on track. Principles never change, but life and methodology do.

P = Priorities Challenged - A challenge does not equate with a defeat. It is a test. Again, we are subject to drift and there is a disturbing tendency for praxis to assert itself in first place above agreed upon priorities. Spasms challenge us to examine our practices and reconnect with our priorities. Ultimately, real priorities are reflected in budgets and calendars whether or not these are our stated or desired priorities. Spasms are a correction in this way.  One priority-related spasm question might be: Is this REALLY something I MUST do?

A = Activities Change - Sometimes this is the result of a spasm, sometimes, when the change is beyond our control, it is the cause. An unexpected sickness, a new responsibility, or a decision by someone or some entity, perhaps even a change in the bus schedule can cause an activity generated spasm in our lives. What we do every day and when we do it is important, but it is not  definitive in our lives and businesses.  Activity is supportive, not directive. It make take some reflection, reorientation, and equilibrium restoration, but you CAN survive a change of activity.

S = Two things: (A) Stuff Happens and  (B) Success is redefined. You can't help stuff happening. It does. It is neutral. Any event or circumstance can cause any number of reactions or, more pro-actively on our part, prompt any number of responses. You choose. In the process, you redefine the measuring  instruments for evaluating your success. this happens predictably as you pass through the stages of life, business, and ministry. We underestimate the affects of aging on our sense of self, purpose, and achievement. We  negate the power of contingencies to make us stop and think. Suddenly we see things from a different perspective and part of that rethinking is the way we view and measure success.

M = Management Restored - One given in any sort of spasmodic crisis is the need to return to some sort of stability and to restore personal and corporate management of our day to day activities. Neither revival nor recession can be sustained indefinitely. They have their purposes, but no purpose to leave us in a perpetual state of chaos. Let them do their work and as they do, let us dream new dreams, renew old dreams, and build new strategies. As we do, let us put our lives and businesses in order again and re-initiate the discipline of sound management.

Some things never change. Put change at the top of that list. Life is a dynamic force, centered in enduring principles and flexible enough to change colors and contexts regularly without altering it essential nature in the least. God is truth and through truth, God governs the universe. Everything else is subject to flux and spasm.

Enjoy the ride.

Topics on the Table

I grabbed some time this morning to think about reordering my life, reigniting my flames, and retooling my writing online.  I realized that I had some time and ideas that I was not aware of and I am pleased to announce the following topics are in the works and at work in my life:

The Coin Toss - How to make up your mind when you are not sure you have one.

SEEDS - It is not just about planting them. You have to pick them and plant them at the right time and in the right soils.

Spasms - They are everywhere - social, political, emotional, cultural, economic, and spiritual. Good things can come of spasms. As an example: Hawaii is the result of the earth spasming.

In the Cracks - How do you do the things that need to be done requiring time and thought when all you have are short time periods between the demands of life. Many people are building dreams in the cracks of their lives. We will offer some tips.

Patience - What do I need to do right now for survival so that I can take the time necessary to build my dreams slowly, deliberately, and with the adequate thought and care? What will free me up to be patient with myself?

Maybe just reading the topics will be enough to propel you, but the articles are coming.

My Excuses

Here is a sample of what has been keeping me so busy off-line. They are called grandchildren.

My New Year

My New Year's celebration is almost in sync with the calendar, but off by 2 days. The rest of the world was marking a new year two days ago and I do so today. I was actually three days late for my father to get a tax exemption for 1954 and he never let me forget that. In retrospect, from my vantage, I can see that might have been a great hardship.

Sorry Dad if you even remember that in Heaven.

My New Year marks the completion of 53 years of whatever I have done or become. If I live to 106 like Rose Kennedy, I am half done. If I live as long as my father, I only have 14 more years. Compared to many, I was done long ago.

Or - I could use Abraham as a role model.

It is my New Year because it is the beginning of my next rotation around the sun and frankly, I am a few days behind in getting started with my New Year's resolutions - so this is a bit of grace I am extended to myself to get back into the groove of my blogging and other disciplines - which I am doing right now.

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Archive

I am working on an archive of the nearly 500 articles here. Just a heads-up.

On the Other Hand

While you are escaping the frenzy of the season, don't lose its energy. A bit of stress is propelling. Management of stress is essential and must include developing tools to harness it as a source of energy and inspiration.

Christmas is about celebrating the coming of Light into a world of darkness and that carries huge implications for our lives, opportunities, possibilities, and calling.

You must find the balance and you must find it within yourself.

Frenzy

Frenzies are frequent and frightful in the frantic days before Christmas. All that we have resolved to do for our businesses and families well in advance, we feel we must do now and finish quickly.

To this wave of hyperactive scrambling I would say one thing: STOP!

Spell FRENZY with me - F-R-E-N-Z-Y and let this acronym guide you.

F - Fake it. Whatever is left undone, just let it hang and act like you are finished and that it was your idea not to overdo it.

R - Refocus, Reschedule, and Relax. Start December 26 and plan for next Christmas. Stop where you are with cards an d send out Epiphany cards or Easter cards. Whatever is not done can be done some other time. You are not alone. Stop whipping yourself, slow down, and enjoy the holiday in the spirit of grace.

E - Exhale. You are hyperventilating. That is not helpful to you. You don't have to do it all in the next couple of days. There will be other Christmases and people need widgets all year long.

N - NEXT! It is always NEXT! Next year, next Christmas, next prospect, next opportunity; all of these come around. "Some will, some won't, so what. NEXT!"

Z - Zero - That is what you will gain from beating yourself up over your failures.

Y - YES is what you need to say to the gift of God is Jesus Christ. Nothing in your lack of planning or implementation can negate the reality of the wonder of His incarnation. Celebrate with a humongous YES!

About that frenzy? Let it go. At about 10 A.M. Christmas morning, none of it will matter.

Ann Felton

Ann Felton passed away this week in a way that was, from my perspective, suddenly. We visited last in September and it was, as always, too short a visit with exploding currents of information and more stories than I could absorb. However, I was, again as always, desperate to take as much in as possible while I could, suspecting, but not knowing that it would be our last visit.

Ann was my aunt, my father's sister, the family historian, a student of Virginia and Virginia Baptist history, an enthralling story teller, and one of the warm people in my life who always made me feel that she was glad I came or called. She was one of the most interesting people I have ever known and my memories of her holding me spell-bound go back as far as I can remember.

She made history come alive, especially the wide and dispersed history of our family. She made strangers who I had never met and never will meet seem like long lost friends. She fleshed out cold facts and gave me the sense that the people  whose names occupied genealogical lists were actually real folks with real stories whose stories somehow intersected with mine and factored into the person I am today.

Perhaps it was from her and my grandmother, her mother, that I first learned to love stories of common people making a way in the world. I came to appreciate their wonderful idiosyncrasies and to revel in hilarity of the common place.

She called me "Buddy," a distinction I am sure that I share with hundreds of other people. However, it made me feel special.

She knew that I loved the history and that, while I had little time to do the rigorous research and study she had done, I wanted to hear it and read it. She was always ready for me and my visits. She always had notes and articles, books and pictures ready for me to peruse. In our last visit, I was reading with one eye, looking at her with the other, occasionally glancing at my notes and jotting some things down, listening with both ears, and forming questions with my mouth.

Somehow all of that seemed quite normal.

Ann's husband, Staley died several years ago and was a challenging counterpart to her intelligence and curiosity in his own spheres of interest. He was a man of quiet wit; she was a woman of boisterous enthusiasm for life. While she grew quieter with the years, she never lost her gifts as a conversationalist. There was never a moment of boredom in her presence.

Ann collected friends and valued them highly, bringing something of value into her own life from every relationship. She was a loyal friend, a devoted wife and mother, an attentive and devoted daughter, and a committed Christian.

Her spirit was gentle and generously compassionate, but she was never a push over. She could be a formidable force when fighting for the people she loved. You always knew where she stood on issues, but she was not recalcitrant in  clinging to outmoded views or unsubstantiated beliefs. Her faith was an intelligent and active dynamic. She was widely read and raised four wonderful children who were and are curious, conscientious, and congenial in her own manner.

I am deeply grieved to part with the last link to a past I know too little about, grieved and sorrowful to lose my aunt and friend, sad for Sims, Larry, Beverly, and Alan, my fun cousins who have absorbed so much of the culture she formed around her. Ann was my connection to our entire family - those I knew and those I never met. Because she knew people so well, she could interpret them with a warm humanity and sweet humor. I always felt welcome in her presence. I cannot replace her. There will not be another. I just assumed that she might always be around while knowing that she was getting weaker each time I saw her.

In recent years, she lost so much of her physical strength and independence. That was hard, but her mind was alert and free and she was surrounded by books, notes, and a very busy telephone. She was  very active intellectually and interactively. She was still growing, learning, and corresponding. In the last few weeks, that very core of her lifestyle was severely threatened by immobility. I wondered if she could survive it.

She did. She stepped into a realm where her curiosity and sense of wonder can flourish, in the presence of people she knew without ever meeting and a Savior she has known for many, many years.

We will  miss her, but we shall see her again.

Heaven must be a very interesting place for my aunt - so many people to meet, so many stories to tell and to hear. I know she is busy.

Amazon Gift Cards

We don't have time to shop between now and Christmas so we just made an executive decision to purchase some Amazon Gift Cards. I would suggest the same to some of you.

This will, hopefully, give me some time to update my blog.

Use this link for your convenience and I would appreciate the business.

Thanks and relax!

Sunday Morning Blessing

It is a joy to count all of you as my friends.

You encourage me.

What a blessing to see so many who aim for something better and toward becoming all they can be.

It is a source of joy to see so many who are cultivating faith in their lives and businesses.

I apologize for the gap in these postings. Life seems to have other plans than those I neatly organize sometimes.

And that is part of the beauty of it.

May your God-given dreams envelope you in a sea of wonder. May your goals be ever before you to get you up and get you going. May you celebrate your successes and embrace your failures as cobblestones on the road to success. May the joy of this season of hope lift you to higher planes of grace and deeper levels of commitment. May your view be always fixed ahead and above while you live with awe in the present and in peace with the past.

May the One who gives life and health guide you over the storms of this present sea of danger and opportunity steadily into the port of purpose.

May each day of your life be filled with glorious manifestations of infinite possibilities.

May your home be a reservoir of love overflowing into the streets of your city.

May your life be a lighthouse of hope and integrity; may your words be well chosen food for the souls of many; may your thoughts be seeds of greatness for yourself and others.

You have it in you and I am honored to be called your friend. Keep up the good work. You are making a difference in this world and the world to come.

Blessings!

Here is Roger McGuinn singing "May the Road Rise to Meet You." (His own version)

- Thanks to shadrax9 on YouTube.com

- Tom Sims, The Dream Factory,  www.PastorTomSims.com

BEST

 

Abraham Lincoln: The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.

Malcolm S. Forbes: The best vision is insight.

Theodore Roosevelt: The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

Lincoln, Forbes, and Roosevelt have contributed to my thinking about best things today. In the early 70s, Jimmy Carter wrote a book inspired by something Admiral Hyman Rickover said to him. The title of the book was, "Why Not the Best?"

Whatever your politics, it is good reading.

Here is my contribution to those who, today, are aiming beyond mediocrity for what is best:

B - Better. The best is better than good. If all you want it good, there are many choices. none of them are the best. They are just OK.  For those whose aim is toward the best, today is opportune and tomorrow is a place of wonder. Progress is expected. Failures are the price of success and are merely temporary assessments on the road to what is incrementally better. People who are focused on being and doing their best are not discouraged by their imperfections, but inspired toward something better which is ever before them.

E - Ever - Ever improving, ever reaching, ever growing, ever expanding, and ever celebrating small victories are characteristics of people who aim high and keep aiming higher and higher. They are "EVER People." Such people have a sense of eternity in their hearts, knowing that this life is not all there is, but that it is important and that every day counts. The most effective "Ever People" are also "Forever People" who have grounded their lives in something and Someone who can interpret their existence in terms of eternal purpose. In the meantime, we keep going.

S - Satisfied Dissatisfaction - Those who are ever-becoming and never satisfied with mediocrity have a deep sense of satisfaction which is not to be confused with complacency. It comes from enjoying the journey, celebrating progress, and living by grace. Grace not only offers God's forgiveness for shortcomings and His mercy for our failures, but it gives us the ability to receive these and renew our hope that we can become more and do more. This sort of satisfaction is deep and inner and is never circumstantial or subject to our arbitrary score cards. Because it is not circumstantial, it means we can never be circumstantially satisfied while at the same time, we are kept by the power of perfect peace.

T - Trust - People who aim for the best are people who are cultivating an extraordinary capacity for faith in God, in themselves as servants of God, in others as children of God, and in the future as something being fashioned by God for the unfolding of a great and glorious purpose. They are infused with trust that what is better is not merely a fantasy, but a possibility. You cannot aim for the best without believing in it or in the possibility of its attainment.

All the BEST to you!

- Tom Sims, The Dream Factory

And More ....

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” - Ann Frank

These kids are learning early that they can become MORE every day:

This video was uploaded to YouTube by their teacher  in honor of them being that teacher's first class ever.

Thanks to Sneefie from Singapore.

Left Wing/Right Wing

Yet another reason why I resist wearing labels such as "Conservative" or "Liberal" with an upper case "C" or "L" comes to surface as I hear the word,"wing" attached to directional terms such as "left" or "right."  This comes from a guy who cannot tell you off the top of his head what a "red state" is as opposed to a "blue state" or why they are opposed at all.

Words I like to describe words like these are "deceptive," "misleading," "ambiguous," and "meaningless."

But back to the wing metaphor. My grandson brought me one shoe to put on his foot the other day and I sought to explain to him why he could go outside with one shoe on and what it might be like to feel lopsided.

Then, I thought about airplanes and realized I wouldn't consider getting on a left-winged or right winged airplane. I prefer my aerial transportation with two wings. Balance means a lot to me at that elevation.

I read an interview with a guy today who thought he'd always been on the left wing of a theological issue. Then, he said, a movement emerged that went further to the left and left him in the center. When you are in the center, you might lean to one side or the other, but you are still in the middle.

"Talk of the Nation" had articulate spokespersons for "both" sides of the Guantanamo Bay issue before the Supreme Court today. Both made sense and I felt a tug of "leaning" as each spoke and ended up in balance after weighing all the arguments.

Now there is a sticky issue where the definitions have been in flux.

I don't want to live in a one-winged society. I am not impressed with one winged philosophies and would not feel happy about a brain with a single hemisphere. I want a multitude of counselors helping me look at all sides of any question. This is true in politics, religion, and business.

Proverbs 18:17   says, "The first to present his case seems right,  till another comes forward and questions him."

I think that is by design. Truth is simple, but not simplistic. The best course of action may not always be the most obvious. We need point and counterpoint to make good and wise decisions.

Perhaps that is why the American people as a body politic can be so shifting in their political party loyalties. As a people we know that you can't fly the "airline of state" with one wing - nor a business, nor a life.

If you are a decision maker, make sure you are getting good information and that all of your advisers are not always in 100% agreement. If you are not wrestling with some of the major matters that come before you, you are probably not getting the best out of your own abilities to think clearly and objectively.

We all have biases and they are helpful when they inform us. They are dangerous when they blind us. They are disastrous when the rule us.

Fly with both wings!

How do you fly with both wings?

• F - Face your own limitations in perspective, knowledge, and ability to know it all. There is a vast storehouse of knowledge that no human will ever possess. The only all-wise and all-knowing one is God and He ha distributed bits of His knowledge widely among diverse peoples.
• L - Listen carefully to what others are saying. Respect those with whom you disagree and who disagree with you. Consider that people who are wrong about one thing may have insight into something else. Never throw out babies with the bath wash or dismiss the value of people because of your prejudices.
• Y - Yin/Yang it. The truth of a given situation may dwell in the tension between paradoxical opposites and failure to look for it there will deprive you of the truth you seek to make a good decision.

Sneaky Christmas

Christmas has been sneaking up on me for years.

Here it is, the first Sunday of Advent and I am, as usual, unprepared to meet the opportunities of the season with a ready receptor and available resources.

Every year I declare it will be different the next in both business and ministry. I will be geared up to reach the greatest number of people in every dimension of my life. I will have new books ready to sell and give as gifts. I will have amazing sermons ready to preach, cards ready to send, and e-commerce possibilities ready for big boosts to my income and that of my church.I will visit every lonely soul with an annual pastoral call and make contact with every old friend I have ever know. Those I miss will be centers around which I attract great guilt and regret to myself and I will sit beneath the tree wishing I had done a much better "job" of Christmas.

I plan for optimum. Then, it doesn't happen. It never really has. I have never been ready. I have always been ambushed by Christmas.

Yesterday, Andrea came home with all sorts of Christmas paraphernalia and she, Elijah, and Kaibian hung Christmas lights while I tended the baby and backed up Microsoft Outlook. Then she had the audacity to build a fire in the fireplace and host a cozy pre-Christmas moment in the living room.

The most infuriating part of it all was that she was 100% right and everyone enjoyed the time - some of us quite reluctantly.

All this is going on around me, and I am not even at the starting line. I am sulking over the fact that another Christmas has apparently already arrived without giving me the appropriate heads-up.

I am learning to do everything I do in the tiny cracks between other things in my life. No more protracted thinking times or solitude (some of which, I have quite frankly wasted away).

Yesterday, for instance, Kaibo did something unbelievably cute  which reminded me of a deep spiritual truth and - (Wouldn't you know?) - I didn't have a pen and paper with me to reflect upon it. And if I had, he would have grabbed it out of my hand with an expression of glee and called out, "BOOKIE," proceeding to write on it and everything else.

I guess I'll just have to live these moments and reflect later.

I had my alarm set for 3:50 A.M. - I had intended 5:00 A.M.. Adrianna roused me at 3:30 A.M. and the alarm went off as I was feeding her. Something inside me deceived me into resetting the alarm for 5 and returning to sleep. When it went off, I rolled over not to rise till 6:00 A.M.

So much for beating the rush - morning or Christmas.

For years I have had myself convinced that I was not experiencing anything unless I was writing, preaching, or singing about it and that it was even possible to miss the actual events as long as I expressed them with words.

Now I am wondering if anything I have ever done is as important as what I am doing now, wiping baby spit, changing diapers, playing cars, reading stories, and making breakfast.

In a little while, I will walk onto the platform of my church and preach on Jesus changing the water to wine. I will relate the words He spoke on that occasion indicating that His time had not yet come to the timeliness of all God does and the wonder of Christ's coming in the fullness of time with the new wine of grace and the ruddiness of incarnation. I will point out the significance of this event and its meaning to the Advent season and lead our people to the Lord's Table to partake of the bread and juice symbolizing His sacrifice for us and His abiding presence with us.

The service will begin at precisely 11:15 A.M. whether or not I am ready.

Christmas will come on time too even as Jesus came on time.

I may not feel that I have time for anything, but my times are in His hand.

A friend of mine in business was telling me that recently he had not been sure what his "WHY" was, that great dream that gets a person up and going and propels him over obstacles and frustrations. It is the reason for all we do and when we lose sight of it, we are a bit lost.

I think I know mine. It is an extension of one I have had in my heart for a long time, but it is currently taking a different shape that I had expected.

Our economists are on the clock. They measure things by quarters and points. They calculate the minutest details to formulate their forecasts and evaluate Christmas by  growth in predefined indicators.

What that still small voice that the prophet Elijah heard is yelling in my ear this Christmas is that there are no predefined indicators available to us which can define the bottom lines of our lives or the value of these moments. There is no adequate preparation for what had always been an invasion.

Light has invaded darkness suddenly. Praise has overwhelmed the noises of traffic. Hope has burst upon the scenes of despair all around us and we don't have to manage it, capitalize on it, or seize it. It seizes us.

Do what you can while you can. There is no problem there. Work hard, work smart, and work quickly. However, when you have done what you can and the results may not be what you projected, don't beat yourself up. The greatest loss to your bottom line is missing the unplanned, unanticipated moments of wonder. Success is a big part of what I teach and write, but it is not everything - especially our limited definitions of it.

Applause is fulfilling (for a few seconds) - making a sale is cool - commissions are great - a well attended event is gratifying - a smooth program will be remembered for a while ---- BUT - the smile on a baby's face when she has a clean diaper is HUGE.

And being surprised by Christmas sneaking up on you and realizing what it means for a sad and angry world to be visited by a joyful and loving Savior - That is amazing.

New Blog for Parents

I call it The Parent Connection.

What Goes In and Out and Makes All the Difference

On Tuesday of last week at about 5:00 P.M., a car drove up in front of our house with three little children in it: Elijah 6 (7 next month), Kaibian (22 months), and Adrianna (2 months). The boys had been a part of our home on a weekly basis until 7 weeks ago and their sister came as a bonus. They, our grandchildren (3 for the "price of one.") are living with us now indefinitely. We prayed for it, advocated for it, irritated the system over it, and finally received the blessing. Now, most everything revolves around these children.

Life here is busy and basic these days - all about what goes in and comes out for the most part.

We are tuning to what God's rhythm is in all of this and I am sensing a pulse and downbeat here and there.

Adrianna is teaching me so much about God's love and care for us and how natural it is to trust Him and rest in His embrace.

Kaibo is teaching me about open-faced wonder at the newness of every moment and taking nothing as mundane and devoid of purpose.

Elijah is teaching me that if I don't stay a step ahead in my eagerness and willingness to learn, he will pass me by quickly.

All three remind me of God's sovereignty and providence in the details as well as in the big picture He is painting of a Universe conformed to His will.

So, I seem to let things go a little bit every day, shuffle my schedule around, drop items from my to-do list, and spend a lot more time at home and not alone.

When I look in their eyes, priorities are reordered and my perspective is reoriented. Many perplexities are simplified and my vision of my own life comes into clearer focus.

Wasted time is no longer an option, trivial pursuits cannot be accommodated. I cannot live in neutral waiting to be pushed by the agendas of others.  I am five weeks away from 53 and I am waking up at 3:00 AM to feed and change a baby.

I cannot fathom why God would be so good to me as to give me a second chance at this, the greatest of all callings - people building. I am tired and grateful, overwhelmed and awed, exhausted and blessed.

This is the life and I still get to preach, write, and cast a few visions here and there. It is all about what goes in and what comes out and the difference that it all makes.

- Tom Sims, The Dream Factory

The Missing Link

I received a note about a business opportunity I reviewed yesterday from a reader who was having difficulty finding the link. Here is is just in case:

Spelled out it is: http://www.mypowermall.com/Biz/Home/76420

You may prefer the hyperlink: MyPowerMall

I hope that solves the problem.

- Tom

New Opportunity

"My Power Mall" is a new business and/or saving opportunity that is just in time for Christmas - You can get it set up by Monday which is expected to be the biggest day ever for online Christmas shopping.

Visit the MyPowerMall business site.

You can also set up a personal shopping site for saving money if that is your primary interest.

What I like about this business opportunity is can be summarized in the following statements:

• It is FREE. 97 % of the people who try to build home businesses just don't make money - but they do SPEND a lot of money, not with My Power Mall.
• It is SIMPLE - There is really a very low learning curve and all the training is also free.
• There are no GAMES, no minimum purchases, no tricky fine print, no investment. Even most of the tools you will need are free.
• It is credible.
• It is built upon the strength of online and brick-and-mortar stores where people are already shopping.
• It is neither an MLM nor affiliate marketing, but it is does reward recruitment and referrals.
• Mostly, it does not rely on my expertise nor yours to tell its story. There are easy to understand videos on the site to which I have referred you.
• I am available to help you build this - but you probably won't need me.

Get involved now while the Christmas season is hot and getting hotter. I think you can be successful with this.

Running the Race

The usual imagery for "running the race" of life spiritually and in terms of our goals is that of a well defined track with markers and measured lanes.

This video by some young folks reminded me that it is more like the route this boy took, over, under, around, and through obstacles, crooked paths, and unmarked pathways.

Our race is whatever space is between us and where we are going. Thanks to the MysteriousDonut for this treat.

As Hebrews says, "Run the race that is set before you." It may seem like a jagged course. It may not be witnessed by the masses or cheered by throngs of onlookers, but it is yours and the finish line is home.

Run on!

Invasion - On a Personal Note

We were invaded yesterday and our lives changed dramatically. We had been building up for it, anticipating it, and working toward having it happen.  We prayed for the day and many of you stood with us in prayer. Now that it has happened, we are not 100% sure what we are doing. But we have never been so gladly invaded before.

Elijah, Kaibian, and a newcomer, Adrianna came to live in our house.

We have missed the boys very much and have been looking forward to meeting their two month old sister. She is a hand full, arm full, and joyful attention grabber (and holder). Kaibian has grown and is smarter than ever - just like his big brother. It has been nearly two months since we have seen them, but their delight in being "home" and re-exploring old familiar surroundings was gratifying.

I am on the far side of 52 - in that territory where I start thinking of myself as the next year old. I am overweight, out-of-shape, and late middle aged. Andrea is almost as old (less six months) and the world's healthiest cancer survivor. We are both post-most-things.

I can only draw one conclusion: God has the most delightful sense of humor.

We are also convinced that He has called us to this and we are blessed to have these children in our lives - our grandchildren. One came as a bonus by virtue of his relationship to our grandson, his brother and we became family. We were not certain we would ever have a relationship with the newest arrival. She was born as no relation to us at all. Now she is our granddaughter.

The challenge now is finding the time to pastor, write, and do the other things that are so vital to my breathing in this life. That will come. We join the ranks of so many boomers who are having to step in and help raise the next generation.

All the parents are doing the work they need to be doing at the moment. We pray for them. The mother of these three children is a young lady with a sweet heart and tremendous potential. She also obviously has great genes.

I commented on a bumper sticker a few weeks ago that said, "Too Blessed to Be Stressed." I must now dispute that theme. We are both blessed and stressed. The stress will fade as we adapt to a new routine. The blessings will multiply.

There are some steep mountains to climb, but as long as we are on the right course, it is OK.

Thanks for praying and for letting me share a little personal note.

Persistence

The word, "persistence" popped into my mind this afternoon as I was engaging in reflection and considering what to write.

The verb "to persist" is derived from the Latin, "persistere" which is a compilation of two concepts, "per" (thoroughly) and "sistere" (come or cause to stand still).

The one who persists stands for and on something and continues. The meaning comes to be, "to continue steadfastly."

Many have reflected upon the importance of persistence through the years because it seems to be one of the primary identifying characteristics of people who succeed. It differentiates the conquerers from the conquered, the victors from those who are defeated by life and its circumstances. Sometimes it is the only factor that differentiates them.       

"The secret of success is constancy to purpose." - Benjamin Disraeli.

To know your purpose and mission is to know how to prioritize your time, energy, and focus. Without a sense of purpose, it is extremely difficult to persevere.

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." - Dale Ca