Do “such and such” or do “so and so”?

Decisions, decisions, decisions. According to some sources, the average person makes 35,000 decisions a day. That is 2,000 decisions an hour!

This includes things like:

When to get up?

What to wear?

When or if to shower?

What to eat?

Turn left?

Turn right?

Speed up?

Slow down?

Say hello?

Be kind?

Smile?

Ignore?

Exercise?

Take a nap?

The need to make decisions adds up quick! Our brains are constantly in decision mode.

If we are truly making 2,000 decisions an hour, what percentage of those decisions are good, right and best?

Most of our everyday decisions are less critical. But the choices we make add up over time. This can be good or bad. Sometimes we know the outcome of our decisions in an instance. Some of the results of our choices aren’t revealed for a lifetime.

How do you make decisions? I believe there are at least three ways to consider what is best.

On a scale from 1-10, with 10 being very confident, ask yourself:

1. What does my GUT say about this decision?

2. What does GOD say about this decision?

3. What do OTHERS say about this decision?

Rate each category from 1-10. Add those numbers up and divide by three to get the average. If the average is greater than eight, then you are probably on the right track.

If your average is less that eight then you might need to wait and gain more insight or look for a better solution.

Beware of too much self talk and people pleasing in the process. Be honest with yourself and once you make your decision, stick with it and give it time to reach its potential. You will know pretty soon if adjustments are needed.

There is a great passage in the ancient scriptures that demonstrate the importance of getting the right advice.

Absalom was seeking to overthrow his father’s dynasty. He received good advice from a bad person and bad advice from a good person. Talk about confusing! One adviser said, “such and such” and the other adviser said, “so and so”.

Don’t get caught in the paralysis of analysis. Trust yourself. Learn to discern! Be selective when it comes to the voices you allow inside your head.

Eventually you will need to move from discussion mode to decision mode. Second guessing yourself will only slow you down. Make up your mind and go for it.

Whether you decide to do “such and such” or to do “so and so” the decision you make is ultimately one you will have to live with. It will be one of the more than two million decisions you make in your life. Some will have little to no significance but there are those decisions that warrant a closer look and greater consideration.

Choices matter. Learning to live with the choices we make can bring great satisfaction or lingering regret. Which you decide is up to you!

(Inspired by 2 Samuel 17)

I’m starting to realize that I am often in a hurry. Being in a hurry is different than having a sense of urgency.

To have a sense of urgency is to be ready, prepared and aware. Being in a hurry is rooted in a lack of preparedness, a lack of trust and worry.

God is always on time. He’s never late. He is never worried. God‘s got this.

What’s the rush? Relax. Slow down. Take it all in. Live in the moment. Be present. Take the late checkout. Enjoy the ride. Smell the roses. Watch the sunset.

Life goes fast enough without always being in a hurry. Pause. Be still. Reflect on why you are always in a hurry.

Hurry is a symptom of other issues in your life. Are you ill-prepared? Overextended? Running in fear from someone, some thing or some possible circumstance? Procrastinating? In the habit of scurry and worry?

Take a “chill pill”. Bury the hurry before it buries you.

(Inspired by Proverbs 19:2. “… hasty feet miss the way!”)

“CARE-FRONTING”

It has been said that, sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.

King David had been riding a wave of success. Unfortunately, he had grown comfortable and complacent. He was basking in the sunshine of his success.

While he should have been joining his warriors in battle, he chose to take the day off and lounge around the house in his pajamas.

As he walked casually around his rooftop, without a care in the world, his eyes wandered to a beautiful woman enjoying a nice warm bath.

David then committed an unthinkable an uncharacteristic act of utter selfishness. He summoned the woman to his quarters and took advantage of her. It was a despicable abuse of power that resulted in an unwanted pregnancy.

In an attempt to cover up his guilt, David ordered the woman’s husband home from the battlefield. He hoped the soldier would desire to be with his wife but the warrior felt it would be dishonorable for him to enjoy such pleasure while knowing his comrades suffered in combat.

David’s sin led to more sin. He ordered his lover’s husband to the frontline to face certain death.

What had been done in secret eventually came to light. Looking the other way did not prevent servants and others from knowing what the king had done.

While others remained silent and indifferent, choosing to ignore the obvious, one of David’s closest advisors chose to risk his friendship and point out the obvious, David had drifted from his calling and purpose. Sin had been harbored and unless it was dealt with, the future would ultimately crumble as one bad choice led to another.

Nathan “care-fronted” the king by sharing a story with David that had different characters but a similar storyline and plot.

David was appalled by the villain in the story and upon his observation Nathan revealed to David, “You are the man!”

None of us are perfect. None of us do the right thing all the time. We slip. We compromise. We stumble. We fall. We take the bait and are drawn into the sweet fragrance of deceit. We sin.

We need friends, sent by God, to call us out, rebuke our behavior and in love, confront us with our wayward ways.

There are consequences for bad choices but God loves us too much to condone or comfort us in our sin. We need “care-fronting” friends who offer not a kiss that kills but a kick in the bathrobe that saves our lives.

Who do you know that is heading down a path of self destruction? Is there someone in your life that God has put on your heart? Is it time to “care-front them?

Ask God to provide the opportunity and the wise words to lovingly bring your friend’s shortcomings into the light of day.

Don’t be surprised if a Nathan someday shows up in your life as well. When it happens, be like David, accept their rebuke and recognized your “care-fronting” friend is a friend indeed.

(Inspired by 2 Samuel 11-12 and Proverbs 27:6)

Hometown Proud! The Leader Ladder is in the news!

Up and down Yukon’s ‘leader ladder’

Lost in History

There is a grave reality in I Chronicles 5:18-26

These men were trained, able-bodied and ready for battle yet one thing robbed them of success and their legacy was soon lost, forgotten and destroyed.

Why? Verse 25 makes it all too clear.

What a reminder that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. Sometimes the enemy comes from within and from the choices we make. Leave out one key ingredient and the recipe for success fails.

Show me your friends and I will show you your future. The half-tribe of Manasseh was half in and as a result, they along with their comrades, were exiled. They become impotent, ineffective and never reached their full potential.

Why? They were unfaithful to God and substituted him with other things.

Oh that we would be mindful that our legacy weighs in the balance based on the decisions we make and the company we keep.

We may be trained, ready and able-bodied men but without the Lord at our side, we will no doubt fail in the battle of life. Our legacy will not reach its full potential. It will fall short, no different than the half-tribe of Manasseh. Without the Lord we are destined to become unknown soldiers lost in history.

Are you all in or half baked? What do you have to lose? How about everything!

I didn’t have one good memory of my dad until I was 50. Upon our unexpected reunion, after a 35 year hiatus, Dad and I made a pact, let’s make new memories. I’m so glad we did. Those are now some of the memories I cherish the most.

One of the photos in this post was taken shortly after Dad and I reconnected. We are looking through a photo album of me as a child. It was a bitter sweet moment. The photos hid the pain. We both realized it and we committed to loving like we had never loved before.

I’m grateful for the time I had with a very broken man. Not everything about him had changed. He was still a mess in many ways. But aren’t we all? I have come to realize that love is a choice that doesn’t require perfection. In fact, love comes to accept imperfection and loves anyway.

There is something poetic about the grandfather clock in the background in the attached photo. At 200 years old, it is a prized family heirloom. Oh if clocks could talk. What memories might this clock share?

Certainly there would be good times and bad times as the clock ticked and chimed away moments that marked our journey.

At this point in time Dad and I had both become grandfathers. Most of our adult lives were void of moments like these. The clock stood as a reminder that day that time goes fast.

The grandfather clock stands in my home today. It has been a faithful reminder that time goes on with or without us.

There are times when I sit alone with my morning coffee reading my daily devotion and the old grandfather clock bellows a deep familiar chime. It reminds me that my days are numbered and my opportunities to make lasting memories are fewer than ever before.

I take a sip of coffee, reflect on a few memories I have made and recommit to making the most of the time I have left by making memories with those I love.

Don’t let the past rob you of the future. New beginnings are possible. What new memories are you making with those you love? What does your clock have to say today about where your life is heading?

Are you asking for it?

Aren’t we all more affective when we lean on His wisdom?

His wisdom. It is one prayer away. He promises to answer.

As believers, we have access to God’s wisdom. God will guide us if we ask and listen. There is a reason Psalm 46:10 encourages us to be still and know!

Ask? Yes! Be still? Yes! Know? There is only one way to find out!

Are you asking for it?

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5

Ask for it. He will give it!

Valiant or villains?

Will we serve our King as valiant men of courage and determination whose hearts have been touched by God? Or will we be men who despise the King’s ways as scoundrels who lack appreciation and reject his leading?

The choice is ours. We can live as men who have been touched by the hand of God or as men who follow our own way and undermine the mighty hand that leads the way.

Will we be valiant men or villains in our quest for valor in service to the King?

The men who followed King Saul, early in his reign, serve as a great reminder as to how we too will choose to serve our King. (1 Samuel 10:26-27)

valor: great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.

Choose These Things

What do you think about during unguarded moments?

Where do your thoughts go?

What do you tend to dwell on and contemplate?

What we think about is a great gauge of our mental fitness.

Pessimistic or optimistic?

Positive or negative?

Hopeful or downtrodden?

Determined or doubtful?

Excited or dreadful?

Truth or lies?

We become what we think about.

What you think about is the type of person you become.

How would others describe you?

How would you describe you?

How would God describe you?

What we fill our minds with is a matter of choice.

Choose the things of Code 4.

CODE 4:

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Phil. 4:8

Jesus Revolution Movie. Original TIME Magazine Article from 1971.

Click link:

https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,905202,00.html