Hats off to the Graduates

“Students today… leaders tomorrow.” “A warrior is always a warrior.”
The signs were posted on the stage as the stature of a Roman warrior stood guard over the 2009 graduating class where my granddaughter would receive her high school diploma.

I sat in between my first born son and the last born son. The oldest being the father of my lone grandchild. Excitement and anticipation was in the air as cameras began to flick as the graduates marched in the auditorium. The family was seated, each one beaming with pride. They were all there experiencing a sense of pride as they turned out for support. Her family was like many others across the world who came to celebrate this milestone in their life.

The time had come when the graduate was officially ushered into the adult world. Many decisions and choices will have to be made on their own. You must decide on what direction your life will take. Your choices will determine if the student today when you came in, will become the leader of tomorrow as you leave out of this edifice.

A warrior is always a warrior means we need to check our character and know who we represent at all times. Your family, your educational institution, your self, your parents and the up most your God who made you. All that has been poured into you these thirteen years is a culmination of all that you value and why. You are a product of your up bringing. Choose wisely how you will represent.

As you step out into this varied world, consult resources that will help you stay focused on your life’s goals. When plan A doesn’t work out, try to have a plan B. Be ready to do a mid-course correction. Determine what it takes to move in a steady pattern towards the goals you want to accomplish. Ask questions then listen to the answers. Do what you need to do to arrive at your destiny.

The choice is yours. Make a wise decision. Your life choices will determine your final destination. It’s your choice.

SPW

June 6, 2009

What's Your Lingo

What’s up dog? Stop tripping man. That’s phat! What I am saying is that as you pontificate on the matter I will give a prolifically rendering of what is being said. No hablo español. Capisce? Each one of these phrasings denotes a different type of lingo or words. People talk. Some listen some hear but all do not understand.

In order to comprehend with understanding you must be able to decipher the language that has been spoken. The words must strike a chord that resonates deeply in your place of understanding so that you may make a connection to what you have heard. This becomes a daily process as you communicate with those in your family, your work place, your social circle, your religious culture, and your travels whether near or far.

You must learn the language if you want to become an effective communicator. Your lingo must be in sync to those who you are speaking to so that they may recognize what the intended message is saying. Understanding is the key to successfully appreciating people.

Understanding means: to perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea of; comprehend, to be thoroughly familiar with; apprehend clearly the character, nature, or subtleties of: to understand a trade, to assign a meaning to; interpret, to grasp the significance, implications, or importance of, to regard as firmly communicated, to regard as firmly communicated, to perceive what is meant; grasp the information conveyed.

The words “I understand” said to someone has diffused many volatile situations. “I hear what you are saying and understand” said to a person makes them think that you either empathize or sympathize with their emotional state.

You are talking their lingo when you know what words to say that will calm their spirit, and show that you care about their plight in life. When you think of the word lingo again, picture this:

L - Life looked at through word descriptions or what you say
I - Influenced by language which clarifies a situation
N - Neutralizing words to obtain harmony
G - Good communication promotes positive out comes
O - Observe the situation before applying the proper words (Lingo)

You Are What You Believe

You are who you believe yourself to be. What you believe is how you act or react to any given situation.

If you believe you are a worthy person, then you will grasp life as if you own it.

If you believe you are confident, then you step out and do more than the person who sits around and do nothing.

If you believe you are shy, then you’ll miss the opportunity to meet those people who can enhance your life.

If you believe you are caring, then you will extend a helping hand to others in need.

If you believe in love, then you will show empathy, sympathy and compassion and put the meaning of the word in action.

If you believe in happiness, then you will set up circumstances to create your own and others.

If you believe words, then you will seek to read and study to become knowledgeable.

If you believe in life, then you will search to find Christ and accept Him as your personal Savior obtaining eternal life.

If you believe in music, then sing a new song unto the Lord for He has been good to you.

If you believe in praise, then lift your voice and hands to the Lord.

If you believe in prayer, then pray that what you believe is what you live.

What Does Your Deposit Slip Say?

When you want to put money into a bank or credit union, you typically have to fill out a deposit slip. The deposit slip generally shows what day and lists how much was put into the account. We use this slip as a reference for how much our account is growing. The bank or credit union uses the slip for the same purpose and as a check and balance system. Relationships can be looked at in the same manner.

In the relationship bank you should deposit time not that you have to keep up with every minute and hour, but you must put in the time in order to make a go at starting and keeping it healthy. You should deposit commonality. Having things in common gives you the opportunity to bond together. Liking and doing things and events that both of you enjoy creates comrade-ship, and that leads to depositing pleasant memories.

Remember to deposit attentiveness. Paying special attention to others wants needs and desires can go a long way in sealing the relationship. Affection checked on the deposit slip creates a warm environment each time you are with one another. Listening placed in your relational bank gives voice to your intimate thoughts. Listening sets up a give and take in your dialogue which causes you to deposit sharing into your bank.

As your relational bank begins to get full, you make your biggest deposit. You deposit love. You show your love by depositing the up most of care in all that you do and say.
The special touch the endearing phrase, the inside joke that only the two of you know; The joy the sorrow that have knitted two hearts and souls as one to cement the love you have one for another.

Your relational bank is now full, but like all accounts you must keep a periodical check on its transactions. Protect your investment from those, who would steal from your relationships. Just as you deposited time, commonality, comrade-ship, pleasant memories, attentiveness, affection, listening, sharing, love, and care, keep in mind that they can be taken away without official notice.

Check your relational deposits more often than your bank sends out a quarterly report. Check them daily, weekly monthly and yearly. This is a life investment that pays big dividends which promises you a lifetime of benefits if you deposit with your heart.

Be Still My Heart

The hole in your heart has many jagged pieces that continue to cut you here and there at any given time. All through the nights and days of your agony you bleed profusely. You feel like cattle who have been led to the slaughter pits and left hanging until every drop of life is drained from you.

Sometimes you wonder where you get the strength to make another step through another day. But, you do! You pray another prayer and hope that God can reach to the floor and pick up your request. Life right now is lower than low, and pulling yourself up by the boot straps is not an option.

The words you read from the Bible while you’re trying to find some comfort are just a blur. Your friends are like Job’s friend in that they can’t help but speak many pointless words. No words of encouragement have broken to your wounded heart.

As night falls, your mind in ceaseless thoughts can not give you rest so that you can sleep, and wake fullness becomes the enemy of your physical body. Hope, joy peace, where art thou? Come Holy Spirit, fall fresh on me. Fill me with your power, satisfy my needs. My heart is truly broken and I need a special touch from God Himself.

I know that God is close to the broken hearted. But, right now God it doesn’t feel good, I’m hurting. I’m so glad that situations only last for a season. I know Lord that you have seen me through many rough times, and that you will see me through again.

I’ll get up and try again tomorrow even if I don’t feel like it. I’ll try to pray and if I don’t, would You let the Holy Spirit intercede for me?

Will you send people to speak life into me until I can speak life into myself and others? Would you send me an angel to be my rearguard so that I won’t be taken off the track? And then God will you bless the one who has caused the pain in my life so that your glory may be manifested.

And God, when this miracle is done may I fall down on my knees and give you the praise thanking you Father for never leaving me nor forsaking me. Thank you that you are my Father, and I am Your child. Thank you for loving me ‘As Is.’ I will rest on Your Word and wait for your deliverance.

Psalm 62:1-2 tell us ‘My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. The focus of this Psalm is us placing all our hope in God. Knowing that God is in control of our lives helps us to wait patiently for him to rescue us. We will get relief when we praise Him through the good and bad times in our lives. Your heart will be elevated from daily distractions to lasting confidence in Him when we truly rest on Him.

Be still my heart and know that He is God.

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My How Time Flies

The bad news is time flies. There’s not enough time in the day to get things done that you really want to do. You have to work, you have household duties, you have to get groceries, you have to rush here and there. There’s just not enough time to do what you want to do.

Now there is an adage that says “time flies when you are having fun.” Time seems to run out when you are enjoying yourself at an event, when you are having the best time of your life with your favorite person or your “ace coon boom.”

Do you remember when you first accepted the Lord and all you could do was to eat sleep and drink Jesus? You wanted to spend all your time in the Word of God and time sped by all too quickly. The clock showed hours passing by swiftly as you couldn’t get enough of your Savior and Lord. Time seemed to move like the speed of light. So, what happened?

You forgot who the pilot was. News Flash just in!! You are the pilot. You’re the navigator of your time allotments. A common year is 365 days = 8,760 hours = 525,600 minutes = 31,536,000 seconds. How will you spend these precious interim periods in your life? Your season is here. Let’s get started.

Each year we all start out again at the stroke of midnight on December 31st. At this time of the year we resolve to spend our time more wisely than the year before. For the first couple of months, you tend to do okay. Depending on your location the weather could aid or defeat your goal. If it’s cold you may stay in more and work on the things you set out to accomplish. In warmer climates you may want to go outside and play and leave your life work behind. Either way you divvy the time into slots of activity. You determine who you are going to be by spending the time to perfect you.

Becoming a scholar means spending time in your studies. Being a swimmer requires many hours conditioning and swimming laps. Being a good Christian means spending time with God. Wherever you spend the most time dictates who you are. Only you can pilot your time slots and where your time is spent.

Whether your time stands still or creeps in a slow pace, only you can guide the big an small hands of the mechanical device that governs a period during which your actions or processes exists. Steer your time in the direction that redeems the time you have.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 exemplifies time when it states, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.”

Invite God to be your co-pilot as you navigate through the cycle of life.




SPW
01-18-09