Revitalize Your Church

I discovered, long ago, that a wish or desire is not enough to get something done. Every accomplishment starts with an idea, of course -- but ideas, alone, won't make things happen. Even a very strong "want to" won't bring the follow through. Getting something done requires doing something ahead of time! 1. What Gets Scheduled Gets Done. A while back, I shared a great vacation idea with my wife, Cathy. "Hey, we should go on a cruise sometime!" "When are you thinking we should do this?" Cathy wondered. "I dunno. Just sometime . . ." Cathy replied, "Well, the only way that's going to happen is if it gets on the calendar." For years, I said I wanted to author a book, but never seemed to have the time to write it. Then, I actually did it. Here's what made the difference. I put" book writing" on my weekly calendar. When I scheduled a definite time to write -- presto -- the book magically appea...

There is a huge difference between working hard and doing the hard work.  By keeping ourselves busy with overwhelming responsibilities, a multitude of tasks, and packed schedules, we have an excuse for avoiding difficult conversations and hard decisions. If things are sagging, don't defend yourself by pointing out how hard you are working.  Instead, ask yourself whether or not you've been avoiding the hard work.

"In the bleak midwinter, snow on snow, snow on snow." That's how the old song goes, and peering out the picture window, I identified completely. "Arrgh!" I grumbled to no one in particular, "fourteen inches of obligation!" My kids looked out the same window. "Yippee!!" they shouted, and rushed to put on their snow clothes. For them it was fourteen inches of opportunity! Same snow -- two completely different perspectives. I wish I could be more like my kids. I wish, my first response to winter would be snow angels rather than shovels. When severe adulthood squeezes out childish play, the snow becomes an unpleasant burden. Snow on snow on snow. The other day I muttered something about "bleak midwinter" to my wife Cathy. She rebuked me gently. "It's not so bleak, honey. In fact, it's like a beautiful post card out there! Just look, the snow sparkles like diamonds!" I guess it is true that beauty lies in the eyes of th...

We must disabuse people of the notion that there is any shortcut to achievement. Life requires thorough preparation. Veneer isn't worth anything. -- George Washington Carver