Category: November 2009

To Think is to Learn twice

Thinking is one of the hardest things to do, which is why many people spend so little time doing it. I’m not talking about routine thinking, like what to pick up at the grocery store.

Thinking, as in deep thinking. Self-reflection thinking. Contemplation. Self-examination. Questioning.

Challenging thinking. Painful thinking. Honest thinking. Uncomfortable thinking.

Spiritual thinking. Which, if we are lucky, will lead to prayer – and conversations with God.

Doing this, the difficult thinking, will actually lead to learning something twice. But the second time around, we come to understand it and not just know it.

To Teach Is To Learn Twice

“To teach is to learn twice”. — unknown

Make it a great day. It’s up to you.

Discover a way to teach someone how you give thanks. Teach someone why you give thanks.

Maybe this will help them to be more thankful.

And guess what? You’ll learn more about why and how you do it than you ever imagined. And this will only make you stronger and wiser.

And then you can’t wait for your alarm clock to go off, so you can do it all over again. How cool is that?

Just One Penny

Driving home from Gold’s Gym at dusk yesterday, there was a man holding a cardboard sign at a huge intersection.

His cardboard sign message began, “Just One Penny”.

It happened so fast I couldn’t catch the whole message. It seemed like the next part was, “Makes a big difference”.

In fifty years my wife and I have never owned an ATM card. We don’t carry cash.

However, I keep a few dollars in the glove compartment, which we use to pay the three dollars it costs each time our son is at the Kiddie Gym.

I rolled the window down and handed him something. It was more than a penny, but it was probably not more than enough.

But at least I tried. Can you imagine begging for something as insignificant as a penny?

Lemmings

Ever think about how you prepare for your day?

Going through the motions? Wake up, shower, dress, jump in the car and off we go.

Lemmings. The migratory animals that follow each other and when one jumps off the cliff, the rest follow, one by one.

Humans are like that too. Creatures of habit and heavily influenced by what every one else does.

When will I think for myself and have the courage to not only not jump off the cliff, but to steer clear of the cliff altogether?

Time Talent Treasure = Stewardship

Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure.

Seems pretty simple. Three things. Important things. Things we all have. Things we can all share.

But do we?

Statistics show that only a small percentage rise above and volunteer in a sacrificial way.

Why? Why not?

Things that make you go, hmmmm……